2003 SUBARU LEGACY sport mode

3-18the ignition switch has been turned to the
“ON” position.
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) OFF indicator light (if equipped)
This indicator light comes on when the ignition switch is turned ON
and goes out about 6 seconds after the engine has started. It comes on when the VDC system is deactivated (by operating “VDC
OFF” switch or in the standby state).
NOTE The light may stay on for a while after the engine has been
started, especially in cold weather. This does not indicate the exis- tence of a problem. The light should go out as soon as the enginehas warmed up. The “VDC OFF ” indicator light comes on when the engine has de-
veloped a problem and the CHECK ENGINE warning light is on.
The VDC system is probably faulty under any of the following conditions. Have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. The VDC OFF indicator light does not come on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position.
The light does not go out even after several minutes have passed (the
engine has warmed up) after the engine has been started. Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This light is found at the bottom center of the combination meter panel. On vehicles equipped with a security system, it blinks to show the driver
the operational status of the security system. For detailed information, re-fer to the “Security system ” in Chapter 2.
Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the shift lever.
If the transmission has a Sport Shift mode, the position of the shift lever is
shown by another indicator during Sport Shift mode operation. For de-
tails, refer to Chapter 7, “Automatic transmission ”.

7
Starting and operating Fuel7-2
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Fuel requirements 7-2
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Fuel filler lid and cap 7-4
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State emission testing (U.S. only) 7-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparing to drive 7-9
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Starting the engine 7-10
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Starting the engine for a manual transmission vehicle 7-10 . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine for an automatic transmission vehicle 7-10 . . . . . .
Starting the engine during cold weather below –4F ( –20 C) 7-11 . . .
Starting a flooded engine 7-11
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Stopping the engine 7-12
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Manual transmission 7-12
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Automatic transmission (Brighton, L, Outback) 7-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selector lever 7-16
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Shift lock release 7-20
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Automatic transmission (with SPORTSHIFT mode – 2.5GT, 2.5GTLO) 7-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selector lever 7-22
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Selection of SPORTSHIFT mode (manual mode) 7-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shift lock release 7-29
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Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD) (if equipped) 7-30 . . .
Power steering 7-31
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Braking 7-31
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Braking tips 7-31
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Brake system 7-32
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Disc brake pad wear warning indicators 7-33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) 7-33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) system (if equipped) 7-36 . . . . . .
VDC OFF switch 7-41
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Parking your vehicle 7-42
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Cruise control (if equipped) 7-44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7
Starting and operating7-21
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HB7020BA
HB7010CA
4. Insert the screwdriver into the hole.
5. Push down on the screwdriver and move the selector lever from the“P” to the “N” position.
6. Remove the screwdriver from the hole. Depress the brake pedal and
start the engine.
Take your vehicle to the nearest SUBARU dealer immediately to have the
system repaired.
Automatic transmission (with SPORTSHIFT mode – 2.5GT, 2.5GTLO)
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” position into the “D”, “3”, “2”,
“1” or “R” position while depressing the accelerator pedal. This
may cause the vehicle to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
Shift into the “P” or “R” position only after the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped. Shifting while the vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission. Do not race the engine for more than five seconds in any posi-
tion except the “N” or “P” position when the brake is set or when

7-22wheel blocks are used. This may cause the automatic transmis- sion fluid to overheat.
Avoid shifting from one of the forward driving positions into
the “R” position or vice versa until the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may cause damage to the transmission.
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled with 4-forward
speeds and 1-reverse speed. Also, it has a SPORTSHIFT mode.
NOTE
Immediately after a disconnected battery is reconnected or ATF (au- tomatic transmission fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the auto-matic transmission operation is somewhat unusual.This results from erasure or invalidation of data which the on-boardcomputer has collected and stored in memory to allow the transmis-sion to shift at the most appropriate times for the current conditionof your vehicle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehiclecontinues to be driven for a while. Selector lever
HB7025BAHB7026BB
When the brake pedal depressed, shift while pressing the button in.
Shift while pressing the button in.
Shift without pressing the button.

7
Starting and operating7-23
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CONTINUED –
The selector lever has seven positions,
“P”, “R”, “N”, “D”, “3”, “2” and
“1” , and also has a manual gate for using “SPORTSHIFT” mode.
The release button must be pushed to select the “P”, “R”, or “2” posi-
tions.
P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and starting the engine.
In this position, the transmission is mechanically locked to prevent the
vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the parking brake fully, then shift
into the “P” position. Do not hold the vehicle with only the transmis-
sion. A shift interlock function is employed in the automatic transmission
system to ensure safe starting of the vehicle.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to any other position, you have
to depress the brake pedal fully then push the release button on the selector lever when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. This
prevents the vehicle from lurching when it is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the “P” position with the brake
pedal depressed, the release button pushed in, and the ignition
switch in the ON position, refer to the “Shift lock release ” section in
chapter 3. R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from the “N” to “R” position, first stop the vehicle completely
then move the lever to the “R” position while pushing the release but-
ton. N (Neutral)
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever in the “N” (neutral)
position. Engine braking has no effect in this condition and the risk of an accident is consequently increased.

7-24This position is for restarting a stalled engine.
In this position the wheels and transmission are not locked. In this
position, the transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll freely, even onthe slightest incline unless the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine braking effect.
D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable gear from 1st to
4th according to the vehicle speed and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position, press the acceler- ator pedal fully to the floor and hold that position. The transmission
will automatically downshift to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original gear position.
To use the SPORTSHIFT mode, move the lever from this position intothe manual gate. n While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to 4th gear is prevented from
taking place when the accelerator is released. This minimizes the
chance of subsequent downshifting to a lower gear when accelerat-
ing again. This prevents repeated upshifting and downshifting result-ing in a smoother operation of the vehicle. NOTE
The transmission may downshift to 2nd or 1st gear, depending on the way the accelerator pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicleagain. n While going down a hill
When descending a steep hill, depressing the brake pedal will cause
the transmission to downshift to 3rd gear, thus applying engine brake-
ing. Reacceleration for a short time will cause the transmission to up-
shift normally. NOTE In some cases, depressing the brake pedal on a downhill grade

7
Starting and operating7-25
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does not result in an automatic downshift to 3rd gear. This can happen when the automatic transmission fluid temperature is
very low, for example, during driving shortly after the vehicle has
been parked for an extended period of time. When the ATF tem-perature has risen to a certain level, automatic downshift normal-ly takes place. In the meantime, downshift manually for enginebraking as required.Also, downshifting when braking downhill will not occur at
speeds above approximately 50 mph (80 km/h).
3 (Third)
This position is for using engine braking when going down a hill or for
climbing a grade.
The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable gear from 1st to
3rd according to the vehicle speed and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position, press the acceler- ator pedal fully to the floor and hold that position. The transmission
will automatically downshift to 2nd or 1st gear. When you release the
pedal, the transmission will return to the original gear position. 2 (Second)
To shift from the “3” to “2” position, push the release button.
This position is for using engine braking when going down a hill or for
climbing a steep grade.
In this position, the transmission holds in the 2nd gear.
Use this position when starting off from a standstill on slippery road
surfaces such as mud or snow. It will ensure greater traction. 1 (First)
This position is for driving up or down very steep grades, or driving
through mud or sand, or on slippery surfaces. In this position, the
transmission holds in the 1st gear.
Selection of SPORTSHIFT mode (manual mode)
1. Select the SPORTSHIFT mode by moving the selector lever into the
manual gate from the “D” position with the vehicle stationary or moving.

7-26
HB7027BB
2. Once the SPORTSHIFT mode is selected, the currently selected gear
is shown by the shift position indicator in the meter cluster. Next to this
indication, arrow-shaped lamps show whether an upshift is possible andwhether a downshift is possible.
HBS094BB
Lamps showing whether upshifting and downshifting are possible: The c and d lamps show whether upshifting and downshifting are pos-
sible. When both lamps are off, SPORTSHIFT operation is not possible.
When both lamps are on, upshifting and downshifting are both possible.
When only the c lamp is on, only upshifting is possible. When only the
d lamp is on, only downshifting is possible.
3. Perform gearshifts using the selector lever. You can shift by one gearat a time in the 1st-to-4th-gear range.