2006 SUBARU IMPREZA Fluid

8
driving. In a collision or sudden stop, unre-
strained 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 prop-
erly restrained in your vehicle. Restrain a
pet with a special traveling harness which
can be secured to the rear seat with a
seatbelt or use a pet carrier which can be
secured to the rear seat by routing a seat-
belt through the carrier’s handle. Never re-
strain pets or pet carriers in the front pas-
senger ’s seat. For further information,
consult your veterinarian, local animal
protection society or pet shop.
Tire pressures
Check and, if necessary, adjust the pres-
sure of each tire (including the spare) at
least once a month and before 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
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of vehi-
cle control could lead to an acci-
dent.
Engine exhaust, some of its constit-
uents, and certain vehicle compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. In addi-
tion, certain fluids in vehicles and
certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to
the State of California to cause can-
cer and birth defects or other repro-
ductive harm.

Instruments and controls 3-17
– CONTINUED –
is at the proper level but the light remains
on, contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
immediately.
AT OIL TEMPerature
warning light (AT vehi-
cles)
The AT oil temperature warning light
comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the
“ON ” position and goes out
after approximately two seconds.
If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light comes on while driving, it is un-
necessary to stop the vehicle, but avoid
driving up steep grades or in stop and go
traffic.
Automatic transmission control
system warning
If the light flashes after the engine starts,
it may indicate that the automatic trans-
mission control system is not working
properly. Contact your nearest SUBARU dealer for service immediately.
Rear differential oil tem-
perature warning light
(WRX-STI)
If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the rear differ-
ential oil temperature is too hot.
At this time, the driver
’s control center dif-
ferential will automatically cancel the cur-
rent torque-distribution ratio setting and
adopts its minimum ratio.
If the light comes on while driving, reduce
vehicle speed and stop the vehicle at the
nearest safe place.
Park the vehicle for several minutes. After
the light goes out, you can start driving.
If the light does not go out, contact the
nearest SUBARU dealer for service.
NOTE
If the tire pressures are not correct
and/or the tires are not all the same
size and brand, the rear differential will
be heavily loaded when the vehicle is
driven, resulting in an abnormally high
oil temperature.
The rear differential oil will deterio-
rate if its temperature increases
enough for the rear differential oil tem-
perature warning light to come on. It is
advisable to have the rear differential
oil replaced as soon as possible.
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ” posi-
tion and goes out after approximately two
seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
Do not operate the engine with the
oil pressure warning light on. This
may cause serious engine damage.
Reduce vehicle speed and park the
vehicle in a safe place as soon as
possible if the R.DIFF TEMP light
comes on. Continued driving with
this light on can damage the rear dif-
ferential and other parts of the pow-
ertrain.
If the warning light behaves as fol-
lows, the ABS system may not work
properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally.
(U.S.)
(Canada)

3-18 Instruments and controls
With a vehicle equipped with an EBD sys-
tem, the ABS warning light comes on to-
gether with the brake system warning light
if the EBD system becomes faulty. For fur-
ther details of the EBD system fault warn-
ing, refer to “Brake system warning light ”.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as de-
scribed in the following, the ABS sys-
tem may be considered normal.
The warning light comes on right af-
ter the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
The warning light remains on after the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).
The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately
and remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may come
on. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will go out.
Brake system
warning light
This light has the following three func-
tions:
Parking brake warning
The light comes on with the parking brake
applied while the ignition switch is in the “ ON ” position. It goes out when the park-
ing brake is fully released.
Brake fluid level warning
This light comes on when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the “MIN ” level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the “ON ” position and with the
parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should
come on while driving (with the parking
brake fully released and with the ignition
switch positioned in “ON ”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the “MIN ” mark in the reser-
voir, do not drive the vehicle. Have the ve-
hicle towed to the nearest SUBARU deal-
er for repair.
Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning (vehicles
with ABS)
The brake system warning light also illu-
The warning light does not come
on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ” position.
The warning light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ” position, but it does not go
out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12
km/h).
The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at the
first available opportunity by your
SUBARU dealer.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately.
If at all in doubt about whether the
brakes are operating properly, do
not drive the vehicle. Have your
vehicle towed to the nearest
SUBARU dealer for repair.
(U.S.)
(Canada)

Instruments and controls 3-19
– CONTINUED –
minates if a malfunction occurs in the EBD
system. In that event, it comes on together
with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning if
the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are ap-
plied harder than usual and the vehicle
’s
motion may therefore become somewhat
harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe, flat
place.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights go out, the EBD system
may be faulty. Drive carefully to the near-
est SUBARU dealer and have the system
inspected.
4. If both warning lights come on again
and stay illuminated after the engine has
been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the “ MIN ” mark, the EBD system may be faulty. Drive carefully to the nearest
SUBARU dealer and have the system in-
spected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the“
MIN ” mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle. In-
stead, have the vehicle towed to the near-
est SUBARU dealer for repair.
Door open warning light
The door open warning light comes on if
any door or the rear gate is not fully
closed.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive.
All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (AWD AT vehi-
cles – if equipped)
The All-Wheel Drive warning light comes
on when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ” position and goes out after approxi-
mately two seconds.
This light comes on when All-Wheel Drive
is disengaged and the drive mechanism is
switched to Front Wheel Drive for mainte-
nance or similar purposes (Non-turbo ve-
hicles).
It flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires
of differing diameters fitted on the wheels
or with an excessively low air pressure in any of the tires.
Intercooler water
spray warning light
(WRX-STI)
This light comes on when the water level
in the intercooler water spray tank falls to
the lower limit (approximately 0.4 US qt,
0.4 liter, 0.4 Imp qt).
Continuing to drive with the AWD
warning light flashing can damage
the powertrain. If the AWD warning
light starts to flash, promptly park in
a safe place and check whether the
tires have differing diameters and
whether any of the tires has an ex-
cessively low inflation pressure.

3-26 Instruments and controls
Front fog light button (if
equipped)
The front fog lights operate only when the
headlights are on low beam. Push the
front fog light button to turn the front fog
lights on.
Press the button again to turn them off.
The indicator light located on the button
will illuminate when the front fog lights are
on.
Wiper and washer
300322
In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficiently warmed by the
defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
Do not operate the washer contin-
uously for more than ten seconds,
or when the washer fluid tank is
empty. This may cause overheat-
ing of the washer motor. Check
the washer fluid level frequently,
such as at fuel stops.
Do not operate the wipers when
the windshield or rear window is
dry. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper motor to burn out.
Before operating the wiper on a
dry windshield or rear window, al-
ways use the windshield washer.
In freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window be-
fore switching on the wipers. At-
tempting to operate the wiper with
the blades frozen to the window
glass could cause not only the
wiper blades to be damaged but
also the wiper motor to burn out. If
the wiper blades are frozen to the
window glass, be sure to operate
the defroster, windshield wiper
deicer (if equipped) or rear win-
dow defogger before turning on
the wiper.
If the wipers stop during opera-
tion because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even if
the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK ” posi-
tion and clean the window glass
to allow proper wiper operation.

Instruments and controls 3-27
– CONTINUED –
NOTE
The wiper operates only when the ig-
nition switch is in the “ON ” or “ACC ”
position.
Clean your wiper blades and window
glass periodically with a washer solu-
tion to prevent streaking, and to re-
move accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep the washer button de-
pressed at least for 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window.
Grease, wax, insects or other materi-
al on the windshield or the wiper blade results in jerky wiper operation and
streaking on the glass. If you cannot
remove those streaks after operating
the washer or if the wiper operation is
jerky, clean the outer surface of the
windshield or rear window and the wip-
er blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral detergent or mild-abra-
sive cleaner. After cleaning, rinse the
window glass and wiper blades with
clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you
rinse with water.
If you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure, re-
place the wiper blades with new ones.
Refer to the “Replacement of wiper
blades ” section (chapter 11) for re-
placement instructions.
Windshield wiper and washer
switches
Windshield wipers
OFF: Park : Intermittent
LO: Low speed
HI: High speed
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper con-
trol lever down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to
the “OFF ” position.
Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In ar-
eas where water freezes in winter,
use SUBARU Windshield Washer
Fluid or the equivalent. (See the“ Windshield washer fluid ” section
in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing tempera-
tures, use non-freezing type wiper
blades.
Do not clean the wiper blades with
gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will
cause deterioration of the wiper
blades.
OFF
LO
HI
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3-28 Instruments and controls
Wiper intermittent time control
When the wiper switch is in the “ ” po-
sition, turn the dial to adjust the operating
interval of the wiper.
The operating interval can be adjusted in
four steps.
Two click stop positions of the dial may
help you to aim at your desired interval.Mist (for a single wipe)
For a single wipe of the wipers, pull the le-
ver toward you. The wipers operate until
you release the lever.
Washer To wash the windshield, push the washer
button at the end of the wiper control le-
ver. The washer fluid sprays until you re-
lease the washer button. The wipers oper-
ate while you push the button.
Rear window wiper and wash-
er switch
– Wagon
: Washer (accompanied by wiper operation)
ON : Normal
OFF : Park
: Washer
Rear wiper
The rear wiper offers intermittent opera-
tion only.
To turn the rear wiper on, turn the knob on
the end of the wiper control lever to the
300138300139
300140
ON
OFF
300624

Instruments and controls 3-29
– CONTINUED –
“
ON ” position.
To turn the wiper off, return the knob on
the end of the lever to the “OFF ” position.
Washer
To wash the rear window while the rear
wiper is operating, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever counter-
clockwise to the “ ” position. The
washer fluid sprays until you release the
knob.
To wash the rear window when the rear
wiper is not in use, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever clockwise to
the “ ” position. The washer fluid
sprays and the wiper operates until you
release the knob.
Rear window defogger but-
ton
The rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON ” po-
sition.
The rear window defogger button is locat-
ed on the climate control panel.
To turn on the defogger, push the button.
To turn it off, push the button again.
The indicator light located on the button
lights up while the rear window defogger is
operating.
The defogger will automatically shut off af-
ter approximately 15 minutes. If the win-
dow clears before that time, push the but-
ton to turn it off. It also turns off when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ACC ” or
“ LOCK ” position. If defrosting or defogging
is desired when you restart your vehicle,
you have to push the button to turn it on
again.
Manual climate control system
Automatic climate control system
NOTE
If your vehicle is equipped with the
300230
300326