2004 SUBARU LEGACY traction control

3-16
Instruments and controls
It blinks when the skid suppression function is activat-
ed. It illuminates when only the traction control func-
tion is operating.
The VDC system is probably faulty under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer immediately. y
The light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position. y The light does not go out even after a period of
about 2 seconds after the ignition switch has been
turned to the “ON” position. „ VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control)
OFF indicator light (if equipped)
y This indicator light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned ON and goes out about 6 seconds af-
ter the engine has started. y It comes on when the VDC system is deactivated
(by operating “VDC OFF” switch or in the standby state).
NOTE y The light may stay on for a while after the engine
has been started, especially in cold weather. This
does not indicate the existence of a problem. The
light should go out as soon as the engine has warmed up.y
The “VDC OFF” indicator light comes on when
the engine has developed 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. y The VDC OFF indicator light does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position. y The light does not go out even after several minutes
have passed (the engine has warmed up) after the en-
gine has been started. „ Security system status indicator
light (if equipped)
This light is found at the bottom center of the combina-
tion 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, refer to the “Security
system (if equipped)” in Chapter 2.

7-35
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yWhenever suspension components, steering
components, or an axle are removed from a ve-
hicle equipped with VDC, have an authorized
SUBARU dealer perform an inspection of that
system.y The following precautions should be ob-
served in order to ensure that the VDC system
is operating properly:
– All four wheels should be fitted with tires of
the same size, type, and brand. Furthermore,
the amount of wear should be the same for allfour tires.
– Keep the tire pressure at the proper level as
shown on the placard attached to the vehi-
cle’s door pillar.
– Use only the special temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire. With a temporary spare tire,
the effectiveness of the VDC system is re-
duced and this should be taken into account
when driving with vehicle.
In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding on a slippery
road surface and/or during cornering and/or an eva-
sive maneuver, the VDC system adjusts the engine’s
output and the wheels’ respective braking forces to
help maintain traction and directional control. y
Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to prevent
spinning of the driving wheels on slippery road surfac-
es, thereby helping to maintain traction and directional
control. Activation of this function is shown by steady
illumination of the VDC operation indicator light. y Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed to help
maintain directional stability by suppressing the
wheels’ tendency to slide sideways during steering op-
erations. Activation of this function is shown by flash-
ing of the VDC operation indicator light.
NOTE y Slight twitching of the brake pedal may be felt
when the VDC-system operates; a small degree of
vehicle or steering wheel shaking may also be no-
ticed in this situation. These are normal character-
istics of VDC operation and are no cause for
alarm. y When driving off immediately after starting the
engine, a short-lived operation noise may be no-
ticed coming from the engine compartment. This
noise is generated as a result of a check being per-
formed on the VDC system and is normal.y Depending on the timing of activation of the
brakes, certain situations may occur just after

7-37
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yThis light turns on to indicate that the VDC system
is in non-operation mode. This does not constitute fail- ure of the VDC system.
NOTE y The VDC OFF indicator light may stay on for a
while after the engine has been started, especially
in cold weather. This occurs because the engine
has not yet warmed up and is completely normal.
The light will turn off when the engine has reached
a suitable operating temperature. y When an engine problem occurs and the CHECK
ENGINE warning light turns on, the VDC OFF indi-
cator light will also turn on.
The following two situations could indicate malfunction
of the VDC system; if either should occur, have an au-
thorized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
that system at the first available opportunity. y The VDC OFF indicator light does not turn on when
the ignition key is turned to the ON position. y The VDC OFF indicator light fails to turn off after the
engine is started, even when several minutes have
passed to allow the engine to heat up sufficiently. T VDC operation indicator light
The VDC operation indicator light turns on when the
ignition key is turned to the ON position; it turns off ap- proximately two seconds later. This indicator light
flashes during activation of the skid suppression func-
tion and is illuminated steadily during activation of the
traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate a malfunc-
tion of the VDC system; if either should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
that system at the first available opportunity.y
The VDC operation indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition key is turned to the ON position.y The VDC operation indicator light does not turn off
approximately two seconds after the ignition key has
been turned to the ON position. T V D C w a r n i n g l i g h t
The VDC warning light turns on when the ignition key
is turned to the ON position and off when the engine is
started. This lighting pattern indicates that the VDC
system is operating normally.
The following situations could indicate a malfunction of
the VDC system; if any should occur, have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of the
system at the first available opportunity. y The VDC warning light does not turn on when the ig-
nition key is turned to the ON position. y The VDC warning light does not turn off either when
the engine is started or when the vehicle reaches a

8-7
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
All wheel drive distributes the engine power to all four
wheels. AWD vehicles provide better traction when
driving on slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand. By shifting
power between the front and rear wheels, SUBARU
AWD can also provide added traction during acceler-
ation, and added engine braking force during deceler-
ation.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle may handle
differently than an ordinary two wheel drive vehicle
and it contains some features unique to AWD. For
safety purposes as well as to avoid damaging the
AWD system, you should keep the following tips in mind: y
An AWD vehicle is better able to climb steeper
roads under snowy or slippery conditions than a two
wheel drive vehicle. There is little difference in han-
dling, however, during extremely sharp turns or sud-
den braking. Therefore, when driving down a slope or
turning corners, be sure to reduce your speed and
maintain an ample distance from other vehicles. y When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the
same size, circumference, construction, brand, and
load range as the original tires listed on the tire plac-
ard. Using other sizes, circumferences or construction
may result in severe mechanical damage to the drive
train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling,
braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and
clearance between the body and tires. It also may be
dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. y If you use a temporary spare tire to replace a flat
tire, be sure to use the original temporary spare tire
stored in the vehicle. Using other sizes may result in
severe mechanical damage to the drive train of your
vehicle. y Always check the cold tire pressure before starting
to drive. The recommended tire pressure is provided
on the tire placard, which is located under the door
latch on the driver’s side. y Tire chains should always be placed on the front
wheels only.
HS8003BA

13-15
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
– CONTINUED –
Uniform tire quality grading stan-
dards
This information indicates the relative perfor-
mance of passenger car tires in the area of
treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance.
This is to aid the consumer in making an in-
formed choice in the purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The quality grades apply to new pneumatic tires
for use on passenger cars. However, they do not
apply to deep tread, winter type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires
with nominal rim diameters of 12 inches or less,
or to some limited production tires.
All passenger car tires must confirm to Federal Safety
Requirements in addition to these grades. „Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1-1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices and differences
in road characteristics and climate. „
Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent the
tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as mea-
sured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction

13-16
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
„ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire’s resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the material of the
tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and exces-
sive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of perfor-
mance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law.
The temperature grade for this tire is es-
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un-
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire failure.