
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

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.

7-51
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
Parking your vehicle
"Never leave unattended children or pets in
the vehicle. They could accidentally injure
themselves or others through inadvertent oper-
ation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days,
the temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe
or possibly fatal injuries to them. " Do not park the vehicle over flammable mate-
rials such as dry grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come near hot en-
gine or exhaust system parts." Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in
the vehicle. If engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occupants in the ve-
hicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO)
contained in the exhaust gas.
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause this will cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to drive, always make sure that the parking brake has been fully
released.
To set the parking brake, press the brake pedal firmly
and hold it down while fully pulling up the parking
brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly,
press the release button, then lower the lever while
keeping the button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is run-
ning, the parking brake warning light comes on. After
starting the vehicle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Refer to the
UB7525BA

8-3
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
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
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.
NOTE
Due to the expansion and contraction of the met-
als used in the manufacture of the exhaust sys-
tem, you may hear a crackling sound coming from
the exhaust system for a short time after the en-
gine has been shut off. This sound is normal.

8-6
Driving tips
"
Keep your engine tuned-up. If you feel the engine
running rough (misfiring, backfiring or incomplete
combustion), have your vehicle checked and repaired
by an authorized SUBARU dealer. " Do not apply undercoating or rust prevention treat-
ment to the heat shield of catalytic converter and the exhaust system.Periodic inspections
To keep your vehicle in the best condition at all times,
always have the recommended maintenance services
listed in the maintenance schedule in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet” performed at the specified
time or mileage intervals.