
8
the lock switch when children are riding in the
vehicle. Failure to follow this procedure could
result in injury to a child operating the power
window. Refer to the “Power windows” section
in chapter 2."Never leave unattended children in the vehi-
cle. They could accidentally injure themselves
or others through inadvertent operation of the
vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days, tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could quickly become
high enough to cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to them. " Help prevent young children from locking
themselves in the trunk. When leaving the vehi-
cle, either close all windows and lock all doors
or cancel the inside trunk lid release. Also make
certain that the trunk is closed. On hot or sunny
days, the temperature in a trunk could quickly
become high enough to cause death or serious
heat-related injuries including brain damage,
particularly for small children.
Carefully read the sections “Child restraint sys-
tems”,“*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System
airbag)”, and “Seatbelts” in chapter 1 of this owner’s
manual for instructions and precautions concerning
the child restraint system, seatbelt system and SRS airbag system. !
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monox- ide)
"Never inhale engine exhaust gas. Engine ex-
haust gas contains carbon monoxide, a color-
less and odorless gas which is dangerous, or
even lethal, if inhaled. " Always properly maintain the engine exhaust
system to prevent engine exhaust gas from en-
tering the vehicle. " Never run the engine in a closed space, such
as a garage, except for the brief time needed to
drive the vehicle in or out of it. " Avoid remaining in a parked vehicle for a
lengthy time while the engine is running. If that
is unavoidable, then use the ventilation fan to
force fresh air into the vehicle. " Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille
free from snow, leaves or other obstructions to
ensure that the ventilation system always
works properly. " If at any time you suspect that exhaust fumes
are entering the vehicle, have the problem

9
–
CONTINUED –
checked and corrected as soon as possible. If
you must drive under these conditions, drive
only with all windows fully open. "Keep the trunk lid or rear gate closed while
driving to prevent exhaust gas from entering
the vehicle.
! Drinking and driving
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Alcohol in the bloodstream delays your reac-
tion and impairs your perception, judgment and
attentiveness. If you drive after drinking – even
if you drink just a little – it will increase the risk
of being involved in a serious or fatal accident,
injuring or killing yourself, your passengers
and others. In addition, if you are injured in the
accident, alcohol may increase the severity of
that injury.
Please don’t drink and drive.
Drunken driving is one of the most frequent causes of
accidents. Since alcohol affects all people differently, you may have consumed too much alcohol to drive
safely even if the level of alcohol in your blood is below
the legal limit. The safest thing you can do is never
drink and drive. However if you have no choice but to
drive, stop drinking and sober up completely before
getting behind the wheel. !
Drugs and driving
There are some drugs (over the counter and
prescription) that can delay your reaction time
and impair your perception, judgment and at-
tentiveness. If you drive after taking them, it
may increase your, your passengers’ and other
persons’ risk of being involved in a serious or
fatal accident.
If you are taking any drugs, check with your doctor or
pharmacist or read the literature that accompanies the
medication to determine if the drug you are taking can
impair your driving ability. Do not drive after taking any
medications that can make you drowsy or otherwise
affect your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. If
you have a medical condition that requires you to take

11
–
CONTINUED –
!Driving with pets
Unrestrained pets can interfere with your driving and
distract your attention from driving. In a collision or
sudden stop, unrestrained pets or cages can be
thrown around inside the vehicle and hurt you or your
passengers. Besides, the pets can be hurt under
these situations. It is also for their own safety that pets
should be properly restrained in your vehicle. Restrain
a pet with a special traveling harness which can be se-
cured to the rear seat with a seatbelt or use a pet car-
rier which can be secured to the rear seat by routing a
seatbelt through the carrier’s handle. Never restrain
pets or pet carriers in the front passenger’s seat. For
further information, consult your veterinarian, local an-
imal protection society or pet shop. ! Tire pressures
Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire
pressures can cause the tires to deform severe-
ly and to rapidly become hot. A sharp increase
in temperature could cause tread separation,
and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss
of vehicle control could lead to an accident. Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of each
tire (including the spare) at least once a month and be-
fore any long journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are cold.
Use a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to
the values shown on the tire placard.
Refer to the “Tires and wheels” section in chapter 11
for detailed information. !
California proposition 65 warning
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and
certain vehicle components contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro-
ductive harm. In addition, certain fluids in vehi-
cles and certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.

2-35
Keys and doors
– CONTINUED –
Rear passengers’ window switches
A) Open
B) Close
To close the window, pull the switch up and hold it until
the window reaches the desired position.
When the lock switch on the power window switch
cluster, located on the driver’s side door, is in the
“LOCK” position, the passengers’ windows cannot be
operated with the passengers’ switches.
Trunk lid (Sedan)
" To prevent dangerous exhaust gas from en-
tering the vehicle, always keep the trunk lid
closed while driving. " Help prevent young children from locking
themselves in the trunk. When leaving the vehi-
cle, either close all windows and lock all doors
or cancel the inside trunk lid release. Also make
certain that the trunk is closed. On hot or sunny
days, the temperature in the trunk could quickly
become high enough to cause death or serious
heat-related injuries including brain damage,
particularly for small children.
! To open and close the trunk lid from
outside
The trunk lid can be opened using the remote keyless entry system. Refer to “Remote keyless entry system
(if equipped)” section in this chapter.
To close the trunk lid, lightly press the trunk lid down
until the latch engages.
A B
UB2216BB

2-40
Keys and doors
To close the rear gate, lower it slowly and push down
firmly until the latch engages.
The rear gate can be lowered easily if you pull it down
holding the recessed grip.
"
To prevent dangerous exhaust gas from en-
tering the vehicle, always keep the rear gate
closed while driving. " Do not attempt to shut the rear gate while
holding the recessed grip. Also avoid closing
the rear gate by pulling on the recessed grip
from inside the cargo space. There is a danger
of your hand being caught and injured.
" Do not jam a plastic bag in or place cello-
phane tape on the rear gate stays or scratch the
stays while loading or unloading cargo. That
could cause leakage of gas from the stays,
which may result in their inability to hold the
rear gate open. " Be careful not to hit your head or face on the
rear gate when opening or closing the rear gate
and when loading or unloading cargo.
NOTE
Should the rear gate be unable to be unlocked due
to discharged battery, a fault in the door locking/
unlocking system or other causes, you can unlock
it by manually operating the rear gate lock releaselever.
For the procedure, refer to “Rear gate – if the rear
gate cannot be unlocked” in chapter 9.
UB2500BA

4-16
Climate control
ed, a “ ” indicator light appears on the display.
(Outside air): Outside air is drawn into the pas-
senger compartment. When the climate control sys-
tem is operated in the “AUTO” mode, this position is
selected automatically. (There is one exception: When
the temperature control dial is turned fully counter-
clockwise, the recirculation mode is automatically se-
lected.) When the outside air mode is selected, a
“ ” indicator light appears on the display.
Continued operation in the “ ” position
may fog up the windows. Switch to the
“ ” position as soon as the outside dusty
condition clears.
NOTE
When driving on a dusty road or behind a vehicle
that emits unpleasant exhaust gases, set the air
inlet selection button to the “ ” position.
From time to time, return the air inlet selection but-
ton to the “ ” position to draw outside air
into the passenger compartment. !
Temperature sensors
A) Solar sensor
B) Interior air temperature sensor
The automatic climate control system employs several
sensors. These sensors are delicate. If they are treat-
ed incorrectly and become damaged, the system may
not be able to control the interior temperature correct-
ly. To avoid damaging the sensors, observe the follow-
ing precautions:
– Do not subject the sensors to impact.
– Keep water away from the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
A
B
UB4210BB

7-3
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
Standards as indicated on the underhood tune-up la-
bel. It is designed to optimize engine and emission
control system performance with gasoline that meets
the clean burning low-sulfur California gasoline speci-
fications. If you live in any other state than California,
your vehicle will operate on gasoline meeting Federal
specifications. Gasoline sold outside California is per-
mitted to have higher sulfur levels, which may affect
the performance of your vehicle’s catalytic converter
and may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or smell. SUB-
ARU recommends that you try a different brand of un-
leaded gasoline having lower sulfur to determine if the
problem is fuel related before returning your vehicle to
an authorized dealer for service. The CHECK EN-
GINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp may
also turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
SUBARU dealer for diagnosis. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel used, re-
pairs may not be covered by your warranty. !MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-enhancing additive
called MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tri-
carbonyl). If you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and the CHECK
ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp may
turn on. If this happens, return to your authorized
SUBARU Dealer for service. If it is determined that the condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty. !
Gasoline for cleaner air
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of
the vehicle. Fuels containing alcohol may
cause paint damage, which is not covered un-
der the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system. This helps keep your engine in tune and your
emission control system working properly, and is a
way of doing your part for cleaner air. If you continu-
ously use a high quality fuel with the proper detergent
and other additives, you should never need to add any
fuel system cleaning agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with materials called
oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help keep the
air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl or grain
alcohol) may be used in your vehicle, but should con-
tain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.

7-8
Starting and operating
State emission testing (U.S. only)
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle must
NEVER be performed on a single two-wheel dy-
namometer. Attempting to do so will result in
uncontrolled vehicle movement and may cause
an accident or injuries to persons nearby.
Resultant vehicle damage due to improper test-
ing is not covered under the SUBARU Limited
Warranty and is the responsibility of the state
inspection program or its contractors or licens-
ees.
At state inspection time, remember to tell your in-
spection or service station in advance not to place
your SUBARU AWD vehicle on a two-wheel dyna-
mometer. Otherwise, serious transmission dam-
age will result.
Some states have started using dynamometers in
their state inspection programs in order to meet their obligation under federal law to implement stricter vehi-
cle emission standards to reduce air pollution from ve-
hicles. A dynamometer is a treadmill or roller-like test-
ing device that allows your vehicle’s wheels to turn
while the vehicle remains in one place. Depending on
the severity of a state’s air pollution problems, the
states must adopt either a “basic” or “enhanced” vehi-
cle emission inspection test. Normally, a portion of the
basic emission test consists of an emission inspector
inserting an analyzer probe into the exhaust pipe of an
idling vehicle for a short period of time. States with
more severe air pollution problems are required to
adopt an enhanced vehicle emission test. This test
simulates actual driving conditions on a dynamometer
and permits more accurate measurement of tailpipe
emitted pollution than the basic emission test.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
states using two-wheel dynamometers in their emis-
sion testing programs have
EXEMPTED SUBARU
AWD vehicles from the portion of the testing program
that involves a two-wheel dynamometer.
There are some states that use four-wheel dynamom-
eters in their testing programs. When properly used,
that equipment will not damage an AWD SUBARU ve-
hicle.
Under no circumstances should the rear wheels be