Subaru Crosstrek Owners Manual: General precautions regarding SRS airbag system

WARNING

• To obtain maximum protection in the event of an accident, the driver and all passengers must always wear seatbelts when in the vehicle. The SRS airbag is designed only to be a supplement to the primary protection provided by the seatbelt. It does not eliminate the need to fasten seatbelts. In combination with the seatbelts, it offers the best combined protection in case of a serious accident.

  Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury or death in a crash even when the vehicle has the SRS airbag.

  For instructions and precautions concerning the seatbelt system, refer to "Seatbelts" 1-11.

• The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag are designed only to be a supplement to the primary protection provided by the seatbelt.

  They do not eliminate the need to fasten seatbelts. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuries that can result when an occupant is not seated in a proper upright position.

WARNING

The SRS airbags deploy with considerable speed and force.

Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag deploys could suffer very serious injuries. Because the SRS airbag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control and the front passenger should move the seat as far back as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat.

WARNING

• Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to either front door. The SRS side airbags are stored in both front seat seatbacks next to the door, and they provide protection by deploying rapidly (faster than the blink of an eye) in the event of a side impact or frontal collision. However, the force of SRS side airbag deployment may cause injuries if your head or other parts of the body are too close to the SRS side airbag.
• Since your vehicle is equipped with SRS curtain airbags, do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the front or rear door on either side. Also, do not put your head, arms or hands out of the window.

  The SRS curtain airbags on both sides of the cabin are stored in the roof side (between the front pillar and a point behind the rear quarter glass), and they provide protection by deploying rapidly (faster than the blink of an eye) in the event of a side impact or frontal collision. The SRS curtain airbags also deploy in the event of a rollover. However, the force of its deployment may cause injuries if your head is too close to it.

• Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the SRS airbag. Because the SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed - faster than the blink of an eye - and force to protect in high speed collisions, the force of an airbag can injure an occupant whose body is too close to SRS airbag.

  It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuries that can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not in proper position such as one thrown forward during pre-accident braking.

  Even when properly positioned, there remains a possibility that an occupant may suffer minor injury such as abrasions and bruises to the face or arms because of the SRS airbag deployment force.

WARNING

• Do not rest your arm on either front door or its internal trim. You could be injured in the event of SRS side airbag deployment.
• Do not place any objects over or near the SRS airbag cover or between you and the SRS airbag.

  If the SRS airbag deploys, these objects could interfere with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehicle, causing injury.

WARNING

• Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboard.

  If the SRS frontal airbag deploys, these objects could interfere with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehicle, causing injury.

• Do not put any objects under the driver's side of the instrument panel. If the SRS knee airbag deploys, those objects could interfere with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehicle, causing injury.
• The key must not be attached to heavy, sharp or hard accessories, or another key. If the SRS knee airbag deploys, those objects could interfere with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehicle and cause injury.

WARNING

Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mirror over the inside rear view mirror.

If the SRS airbag deploys, those objects could become projectiles that could seriously injure vehicle occupants.

WARNING

• Do not attach accessories to the door trim or near either SRS side airbags and do not place objects near the SRS side airbags. In the event of SRS side airbag deployment, they could be propelled dangerously toward the vehicle's occupants and cause injuries.
• Do not attach a hands-free microphone or any other accessory to a front pillar, a center pillar, a rear pillar, the windshield, a side window, an assist grip, or any other cabin surface that would be near a deploying SRS curtain airbag.

  A hands-free microphone or other accessory in such a location could be propelled through the cabin with great force by the curtain airbag, or it could prevent correct deployment of the curtain airbag. In either case, the result could be serious injuries.

WARNING

Do not hang coat hangers or other hard or pointed objects on the coat hooks. If such items were hanging on the coat hooks during deployment of the SRS curtain airbags, they could cause serious injuries by coming off the coat hooks and being thrown through the cabin or by preventing deployment of the curtain airbags.

Before hanging clothing on the coat hooks, make sure there are no sharp objects in the pockets. Hang clothing directly on the coat hooks without using hangers.

WARNING

• Do not put any kind of clothes or other objects over either front seatback and do not attach labels or stickers to the front seat surface on or near the SRS side airbag. They could prevent proper deployment of the SRS side airbag, reducing protection available to the front seat's occupant.
• Do not install a seat cover unless it is designed exclusively for use with a genuine SUBARU SRS airbag. Even when using a genuine SUBARU seat cover, the SRS side airbag system may not function normally if the seat cover is not installed correctly.

WARNING

Place children in the rear seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially if they are not restrained or improperly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.

For instructions and precautions concerning the child restraint system, refer to "Child restraint systems" 1-24.

WARNING

NEVER INSTALL A FORWARD OR REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD'S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.

WARNING

Never allow a child to stand up or kneel on the front passenger's seat.

The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure or even kill the child.

WARNING

Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure or even kill the child.

WARNING

Never allow a child to do the following.

• Kneel on any passenger's seat facing the side window
• Wrap his/her arms around the front seat seatback
• Put his/her head, arms or other parts of the body out of the window

In the event of an accident, the force of SRS side airbag and/or SRS curtain airbag deployment could injure the child seriously because his/her head, arms or other parts of the body are too close to the SRS side airbag and/ or SRS curtain airbag.

Since your vehicle is also equipped with a front passenger's SRS frontal airbag, children should be placed in the rear seat anyway and should be properly restrained at all times.

CAUTION

• When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke will be released.

  This smoke could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. If you or your passengers have breathing problems after SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air promptly.

• A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas. Occupants could get burned if they come into direct contact with the hot gas.

NOTE

• When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain to the buyer that it is equipped with SRS airbags by alerting the buyer to the applicable section in this Owner's Manual.
• If the SRS airbag deploys, fuel supply will be cut off to reduce the risk of fire caused by leaking fuel. For details about restarting of the engine, refer to "If your vehicle is involved in an accident" 9-19.