Subaru WRX & WRX STI Manuals 2018 WRX & WRX STI Owner’s Manual | Page 50

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
NOTE
Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor impacts or
in rear impacts.
The driver’s and front passenger’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in the event of an accident
involving moderate to severe frontal and
side collisions, and rollover accidents.
The pretensioner s ensor also serves as
follows.
. SRS frontal airbag sensor
. Side impact sensor (front door impact
sensor)
. Rollover sensor
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a
small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt pretensioner re-
mains locked. Consequently, the seatbelt
cannot be pulled out and retracted and
therefore must be replaced.
& Driver’s seatbelt
Front seatbelt pretensioner
If the sensor detects a certain predeter-
mined amount of force during frontal or
side collisions or rollover accidents, the
front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by
the retractor to take up the slack so that
the belt more effectively restrains the
driver.
& Front passenger’s seatbelt
1)
2)
Seatbelt retractor assembly (shoulder
belt pretensioner)
Lap belt pretensioner
The shoulder belt pretensioner is supple-
mented by a lap belt pretensioner, which is
located at the base of the center pillar.
Like the shoulder belt pretensioner, the lap
belt pretensioner instantaneously pulls in
the belt to eliminate slack if a certain level
of frontal or side collision force is detected.
As a result, the seatbelt restrains the front
seat occupant more effectively.