2002 SUBARU IMPREZA warning

Driving tips
8-12
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the
exhaust pipe and from around your vehicle ifyou park the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in the fuel
system and the risk of its freezing, use of an anti-
freeze additive in the fuel tank is recommended dur-
ing cold weather.
Use only additives that are specifically designed for
this purpose. When an antifreeze additive is used,
its effect lasts longer if the tank is refilled whenever
the fuel level reaches half empty. If your SUBARU is not going to be used for an ex-
tended period, it is best to have the fuel tank filled to
capacity. Driving on snowy and icy roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid sudden braking, abrupt acceleration, high-speed driving,
and sharp turning when driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between your ve-
hicle and the vehicle ahead of you to avoid the needfor sudden braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the engine brake
effectively to control the vehicle speed. (Shift into a
lower gear when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behavior cancause the wheels to lock, possibly leading to loss of
vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) e
nhances your
vehicle’ s braking performance on snowy and icy
roads. Refer to the “ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) ”
section in chapter 7 for information on braking on
slippery surfaces. NOTE The optional 17-inch tires for the WRX are sum- mer tires. Compared with winter and all-season tires, summer tires give significantly less grip on
snowy and icy road surfaces. Avoid driving onsnowy and icy road surface with summer tires.

Driving tips
8-13
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WARNING
Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads such as snowy or icy roads. This may
cause loss of vehicle control.
Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear win-
dow. If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield
or rear window, use the defroster with the airflow
control dial in the “t ” position and the temperature
control dial set for maximum warmth until the wiper
blades are completely thawed out. If your vehicle is
equipped with a wiper deicer, it is helpful to thaw the
windshield wiper blades. To thaw out the rear wiper
blade, use the rear window defogger.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts to stick
on the surface of the windshield despite wiper
operation, use the defroster with the airflow controldial in “t ” and the temperature control dial set for
maximum warmth. After the windshield gets warmed
enough to melt the frozen snow on it, wash it away
using the windshield washer.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the wiper from working effectively. If snow is stuck on the
wiper arm, pull off the road to a safe place, then
remove it. If you stop the car at road side, use the
hazard warning flasher to alert other drivers.
We recommend use of non-freezing type wiper blades (winter blades) during the seasons you
could have snow and sub-zero temperatures.
Blades of this type give superior wiping perfor-
mance in snowy conditions. Be sure to use blades
that are suitable for your vehicle.
Corrosion protection
Refer to the “Corrosion protection ” section (chapter
10). Snow tires
WARNING
When replacing original tires with winter
(snow) tires, make sure you use only the same size, construction and load range as the origi-nal tires listed on the tire placard. Using other
sizes and construction may affect speedome-ter/odometer calibration and clearance be-tween the body and tires. It also may be dan-

Driving tips
8-15
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chains — overconfidence because you are driving
with tire chains could easily lead to a serious acci-dent.
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be fitted with optional
215/45 R17 tires for the WRX because of lack
of clearance between the tire and body.
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow,
sand, or mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly
and move the selector lever back and forth between
“D” and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. Forthe best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels
when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you
can obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and
AT). Refer to the “Automatic transmission” section in
chapter 7 for information on holding the transmis- sion in 2nd position. Loading your vehicle
WARNING

Never allow passengers to ride on the
folded rear seatback, in the trunk or in the car-
go area. Doing so may result in serious injury. Never stack luggage or other cargo higher
than the top of the seatback because it couldtumble forward and injure passengers in the event of a sudden stop or accident. Keep lug-
gage or cargo low, as close to the floor aspossible.
HG1006BA

Driving tips
8-16
WARNING
When you carry something inside the ve-
hicle, secure it whenever you can to prevent it from being thrown around inside the vehicleduring sudden stops, sharp turns or in an ac- cident. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. These
loads raise the vehicle ’s center of gravity and
make it more prone to tip over. Secure skis and other lengthy items proper-
ly to prevent them from shooting forward and
causing serious injury during a sudden stop. Never exceed the maximum load limit. If you
do, some parts on your vehicle can break, or itcan change the way your vehicle handles.This could result in loss of control and cause
personal injury. Also, overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle. Do not place anything on the rear shelf
behind the rear seatback (for sedan) or the ex-
tended luggage cover (for wagon). Such itemscould tumble forward in the event of a suddenstop or a collision. This could cause serious
injury.
CAUTION
Do not carry spray cans, containers with flam- mable or corrosive liquids or any other dan- gerous items inside the vehicle.
NOTE
For better fuel economy, do not carry unneeded cargo. Vehicle capacity weight
HB8015BA

Driving tips
8-23
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checked, and retightened if necessary to 35 inch
lbs. (4.0 N-m, 0.41 kg-m), as outlined in Step #5above. Trailer hitch (if equipped) The trailer hitch is designed to tow a Class 1 rated
load. A maximum of
2,000 lbs. (906 kg) gross trailer
weight and a maximum of 200 lbs. (90 kg) gross
tongue weight are permissible for the trailer hitch.
When you tow a trailer, follow the instructions in the next section “Trailer towing ”.
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum weight specified
for the trailer hitch. Exceeding the maximum weight could cause an accident resulting inserious personal injuries. Permissible trailerweight changes depending on the situation.Refer to the next section “Trailer towing ” for
possible recommendations and limitations. Trailer brakes are required when the towing
load exceeds 1,000 lbs. (453 kg). Be sure yourtrailer has safety chains and that each chainwill hold the trailer ’s maximum gross weight.
Towing trailers without safety chains could create a traffic safety hazard if the trailer sepa- rates from the hitch due to coupling damageor hitch ball damage. Be sure to check the hitch pin and safety pin

Driving tips
8-25
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4. Pull the ball mount to make sure it does not come
off the hitch receiver.
HB8020AA
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriate for the
ball mount and your trailer. The hitch ball must be
securely installed on the ball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch with safetychains that will hold the trailer ’s maximum gross
weight. The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent the tongue from dropping onto the
ground in case it should disconnect from the hitch
ball. Allow sufficient slack in the chains taking tight –
turn situations into account; however, be careful not
to let them drag on the ground.
HB8020BC
1) Hitch ball installation point
2) Hooks for safety chains
WARNING
Do not connect safety chains to improper positions such as those shown in the follow- ing picture.

Driving tips
8-27
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Trailer towing
Your car is designed and intended to be used pri-
marily as a passenger-carrying vehicle. Towing a
trailer puts additional loads on your car ’s engine, dri-
vetrain, brakes, tires and suspension and has an
adverse effect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safety and sat-
isfaction depend upon proper use of correct equip-
ment and cautious operation of your vehicle. Seekthe advice of your SUBARU dealer to assist you in
purchasing a hitch and other necessary towing
equipment appropriate for your vehicle. In addition,
be sure to follow the instructions on correct installa-
tion and use provided by the trailer and other towing
equipment manufacturers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for injuries or
vehicle damage that result from trailer towing equip-
ment, or from any errors or omissions in the instruc- tions accompanying such equipment or for your fail-
ure to follow the proper instructions. Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehicle damage or malfunction caused by trailer towing. If you use
your vehicle to tow a trailer, more frequent mainte-
nance will be required due to the additional load. (Refer to
“Maintenance schedule under severe driv-
ing conditions ” in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.)
Under no circumstances should a trailer be towedwith a new vehicle or a vehicle with any new power-
train component (engine, transmission, differential, wheel bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of driving. Maximum load limits
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum load limits ex-
plained below. Exceeding the maximum loadlimits could cause personal injury and/or ve-hicle damage.
CAUTION
Adequate size trailer brakes are required
when the trailer and its cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg) total weight. Before towing a trailer, check the trailer total
weight, GVW, GAWs and tongue load. Make sure the load and its distribution in your
vehicle and trailer are acceptable.

Driving tips
8-31
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HG8009BB
1) Jack
2) Bathroom scale
The tongue load can be adjusted by proper distribu-
tion of the load in the trailer. Never load the trailer
with more weight in the back than in the front;
approximately 60 percent of the trailer load should
be in the front and approximately 40 percent in the
rear. Also, distribute the load as evenly as possible on both the left and right sides.
Be sure that all cargo is firmly secured to prevent a
change in weight distribution while driving.
OM-H2787
F) Front of vehicle
WARNING
If the trailer is loaded with more weight in the back of trailer ’s axle than in the front, the load
is taken off the rear axle of the towing vehicle.This may cause the rear wheels to skid, espe-
cially during braking or when vehicle speed is reduced during cornering, resulting in over-
steer, spin out and/or jackknifing.