Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-37
CONTINUED
NOTE
When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
him or her to the applicable section in
this owners manual.
Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed
and force and can injure or even
kill children, especially if they are
12 years of age and under and are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from de-
ployment is greater.
100082
For that reason, we strongly rec-
ommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or
in a seatbelt, whichever is appro-
priate for the child s age, height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating po-
sitions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, see the Child restraint sys-
tems section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.
Never allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger s
seat, or never hold a child on your
lap or in your arms. The SRS air-
bag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill
the child.
When the SRS airbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. This
smoke could cause breathing
problems for people with a history
of asthma or other breathing trou-
ble. If you or your passengers
have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air
promptly.
A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.
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
300137
Starting and operating 7-3
CONTINUED
problem is fuel related before returning
your vehicle to an authorized dealer for
service.
MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-
function indicator lamp may turn on. If this
happens, return to your authorized
SUBARU Dealer for service. If it is deter-
mined that the condition is caused by the
type of fuel used, repairs may not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent addi-
tives will help prevent deposits from form-
ing 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 continuously 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 ma-
terials called oxygenates. Use of these fu- els can also help keep the air cleaner. Ox-
ygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE (Me-
thyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl
or grain alcohol) may be used in your ve-
hicle, but should contain no more than
15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the proper
operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines,
which are designed to reduce vehicle
emissions. SUBARU approves the use of
reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains,
you should ask your service station oper-
ators if their gasolines contain detergents
and oxygenates and if they have been re-
formulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels
suited for your vehicle as explained in the
following.
Fuel should be unleaded and have an
octane rating no lower than that specified
in this manual.
Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is
sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline.
Methanol can be used in your vehicle
ONLY if it does not exceed 5% of the fuel
mixture AND if it is accompanied by suffi-
cient quantities of the proper cosolvents
and corrosion inhibitors required to pre- vent damage to the fuel system. Do not
use fuel containing methanol
EXCEPT un-
der these conditions.
If undesirable driveability problems are
experienced and you suspect they may be
fuel related, try a different brand of gaso-
line before seeking service at your
SUBARU dealer.
Fuel system damage or driveability
problems which result from the use of im-
proper fuel are not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty.
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior
surfaces of the vehicle. Fuels con-
taining alcohol may cause paint
damage, which is not covered under
the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
10-6 Appearance care
off with a clean, damp cloth. Commercial
foam-type cleaners suitable for synthetic
leather materials may be used when nec-
essary.
NOTE
Strong cleaning agents such as sol-
vents, paint thinners, window cleaner
or gasoline must never be used on
leather or synthetic interior materials.
Climate control panel, audio
panel, instrument panel, con-
sole panel, and switches
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches.
NOTE
Do not use organic solvents such as
paint thinners or gasoline, or strong
cleaning agents that contain those sol-
vents.
Maintenance and service 11-15
CONTINUED
en firmly. At this time, make sure that the
rubber gasket in the radiator cap is cor-
rectly in place.
8. Start and run the engine for more than
five minutes at 2,000 to 3,000 rpm.
9. Stop the engine and wait until the cool-
ant cools down (122 to 140
F [50 to
60 C]). If there is any loss of coolant, add
coolant to the radiator s filler neck and to
the reserve tank s FULL level.
10.Put the radiator cap and reservoir cap
back on and tighten firmly.
Air cleaner element
The air cleaner element functions as a fil-
ter screen. When the element is perforat-
ed or removed, engine wear will be exces-
sive and engine life shortened.
The air cleaner element is a viscous type.
It is unnecessary to clean or wash the ele-
ment.
Replacing the air cleaner ele-
ment
Replace the air cleaner element according
to the maintenance schedule in the War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet . Under
extremely dusty conditions, replace it
more frequently. It is recommended that
you always use genuine SUBARU parts.
Turbo models
1. Unsnap the two clamps holding the air
cleaner case cover.
2. Open the air cleaner case cover and
remove the air cleaner element.
Do not operate the engine with the
air cleaner element removed. The air
cleaner element not only filters in-
take air but also stops flames if the
engine backfires. If the air cleaner
element is not installed when the en-
gine backfires, you could be burned.B00024
B00025
Specifications 12-3
CONTINUED
Engine
Electrical system
AT: Automatic transmission
MT: Manual transmission
Engine modelEJ253
(2.5-liter, SOHC, non-turbo)EJ255
(2.5-liter, DOHC, turbo, WRX)EJ257
(2.5-liter, DOHC, turbo, WRX-STI)
Engine typeHorizontally opposed, liquid cooled 4 cylinder, 4-s troke gasoline engine
Displacement cc (cu-in)2,457 (150)
Bore Stroke in (mm)3.9 3.1 (99.5 79.0)
Compression ratio10.0 : 18.4 : 18.2 : 1
Firing order1 3 2 4
Battery type and capacity (5HR)MT12V-48AH (55D23L)
AT12V-52AH (75D23L)
AlternatorWRX12V-110A
Except WRX12V-90A
Spark plugsNon-turbo engineFR5AP-11 (NGK)
Turbo engineILFR6B (NGK)