
1
 CONTINUED  
Warranties
Warranties for U.S.A.
All  SUBARU  vehicles  distributed  by 
Subaru of America, Inc. and sold at retail
by  an  authorized  SUBARU  dealer  in  the
United  States  come  with  the  following
warranties:
SUBARU Limited Warranty
Emission Control Systems Warranty
Emissions Performance Warranty
All  warranty  information,  including  details 
of  coverage  and  exclusions,  is  in  the  Warranty  and  Maintenance  Booklet .
Please read these warranties carefully.
Warranties for Canada
All  SUBARU  vehicles  distributed  by 
Subaru Canada, Inc. and sold at retail by 
an authorized SUBARU dealer in Canada 
come with the following warranties:
SUBARU Limited Warranty
Anti-Corrosion Warranty
Emission Control Warranty
All  warranty  information,  including  details 
of coverage and exclusions, is in the War- 
ranty  and  Service  Booklet.  Please  read 
these warranties carefully.
WRX-STI
All models except WRX-STI
How to use this owner s man-
ual
Using your Owner s manual
Before you operate your vehicle, carefully 
read this manual. To protect yourself and
extend the service life of your vehicle, fol-
low the instructions in this manual. Failure
to observe these instructions may result in 
serious injury and damage to your vehicle. 
This  manual  is  composed  of  fourteen 
chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief
table of contents, so you can usually tell at
a glance if that chapter contains the infor-
mation you want. 
Chapter  1:  Seat,  seatbelt  and  SRS  air- 
bags
This  chapter  informs  you  how  to  use  the
seat  and  seatbelt  and  contains  precau-
tions for the SRS airbags.
Chapter 2: Keys and doors 
This  chapter  informs  you  how  to  operate 
the keys, locks and windows. 
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls 
This chapter informs you about the opera- 
tion  of  instrument  panel  indicators  and 
how  to  use  the  instruments  and  other 
switches. 
Chapter 4: Climate Control 
This  chapter  informs  you  how  to  operate
WRX-STI  models  are  equipped  with 
High Intensity Discharge (HID) head-
lights that contain mercury. For that
reason,  it  is  necessary  to  remove
HID  headlights  before  vehicle  dis-
posal. Once removed, please reuse,
recycle  or dispose  of  the  HID  head-
lights as hazardous waste. 
This  vehicle  does  not  contain  mer- 
cury devices or parts. 

2
the climate control. 
Chapter 5: Audio
This  chapter  informs  you  how  to  operate
your audio system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This  chapter  informs  you  how  to  operate
interior equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and
operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your
SUBARU  in  various  conditions  and  ex-
plains some safety tips on driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you
have  a  problem  while  driving,  such  as  a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your
SUBARU looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This  chapter  informs  you  when  you  need
to  take  your  SUBARU  to  the  dealer  for
scheduled  maintenance  and  informs  you
how to keep your SUBARU running prop-
erly.
Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension 
and capacities of your SUBARU. 
Chapter 13: Consumer information and 
Reporting safety defectsThis  chapter  informs  you  about  Uniform
tire quality grading standards and Report-
ing safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that
s in
this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
Safety warnings
You  will  find  a  number  of  WARNINGs, 
CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to poten-
tial  hazards  that  could  result  in  injury  to
you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well
as all other portions of this manual careful-
ly  in  order  to  gain  a  better  understanding
of how to use your SUBARU vehicle safe-
ly.
NOTE
A  NOTE  gives  information  or  sugges- 
tions  how  to  make  better  use  of  your 
vehicle.
Safety symbol
You will find a circle with a slash through it 
in  this  manual.  This  symbol  means  Do
not ,  Do  not  do  this ,  or  Do  not  let  this
happen , depending upon the context.
A WARNING indicates a situation in 
which serious injury or death could
result if the warning is ignored. 
A  CAUTION  indicates  a  situation  in 
which injury or damage to your vehi- 
cle,  or  both,  could  result  if  the  cau- 
tion is ignored.
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Table of contentsSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 
Keys and doors 
Instruments and controls 
Climate control 
Audio 
Interior equipment 
Starting and operating
Driving tips
In case of emergency
Appearance care
Maintenance and service
Specifications
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
Index 

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats  .......................................................... 1-2
Fore and aft adjustment  ........................... .............. 1-3
Reclining the seatback ............................ ............... 1-3
Seat cushion height adjustment (driver s seat)  ... 1-4
Head restraint adjustment (if equipped) ........... .... 1-4
Active head restraint (if equipped) ............... ......... 1-4
Seat heater (if equipped)  ......................... .......... 1-5
Rear seats  ........................................ ................... 1-6
Armrest (if equipped)  ............................. ................ 1-7
Head restraint adjustment   Wagon  ..................... 1-7
Folding down the rear seat   Wagon  .................... 1-8
Seatbelts  ......................................... .................... 1-9
Seatbelt safety tips  .............................. ................... 1-9
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)  ................. ... 1-11
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor 
(A/ELR)  ........................................... ....................... 1-11
Seatbelt warning light and chime .................. ........ 1-11
Fastening the seatbelt ............................ ................ 1-12
Seatbelt maintenance .............................. ............... 1-18
Seatbelt extender  ................................. .............. 1-19
Front seatbelt pretensioners ...................... ....... 1-20
System monitors  ................................... ................. 1-21
System servicing  .................................. .................. 1-22
Precautions against vehicle modification  .......... .. 1-22
Child restraint systems  ........................... .......... 1-23
Where to place a child restraint system  ........... .... 1-24
Choosing a child restraint system  ................. ....... 1-25
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR  seatbelt .......................................... ........................ 1-26Installing a booster seat .........................
................ 1-29
Installation of child restraint systems by use of  lower and tether anchorages (LATCH)  ............... 1-30
Top tether anchorages  ............................. .............. 1-33
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System  airbag)  ........................................... ................... 1-35
Vehicle with driver s and front passenger s SRS 
airbags and lap/shoulder restraints  ............... .... 1-35
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system  ............. . 1-39
SRS side airbag  ................................... ................... 1-51
SRS airbag system monitors  ........................ ......... 1-56
SRS airbag system servicing  ....................... ......... 1-57
Precautions against vehicle modification  .......... .. 1-58 

1-18 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1. Insert  a  key  or  other  hard  pointed  ob- 
ject into the slot in the connector (buckle) 
on the right-hand side and push it in, and 
the  connector  (tongue)  plate  will  discon- 
nect from the buckle. 
2. Allow  the  retractor  to  roll  up  the  belt. You  should  hold  the  webbing  end  and 
guide  it  back  into  the  retractor  while  it  is
rolling up. Insert the tongue plate into the
belt holder.
Seatbelt maintenance
To  clean  the  seatbelts,  use  a  mild  soap 
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the  belts  because  this  could  seriously  af-
fect their strength. 
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments in- 
cluding the webbing and all hardware pe-
riodically  for  cracks,  cuts,  gashes,  tears,
damage,  loose  bolts  or  worn  areas.  Re-
place  the  seatbelts  even  if  only  minor
damage is found.
100118
100289
Do  not  allow  the  retractor  to  roll 
up the seatbelt too quickly. Other-
wise, the metal tongue plates may
hit  against  the  trim,  resulting  in
damaged trim.
Have  the  seatbelt  fully  rolled  up 
so that the tongue plates are neat- 
ly stored. A hanging tongue plate 
can swing and hit against the trim 
during driving, causing damage to 
the trim.
100290Keep  the  belts  free  of  polishes, 
oils,  chemicals  and  particularly
battery acid.
Never  attempt  to  make  modifica- 
tions or changes that will prevent 
the  seatbelt  from  operating  prop- 
erly. 

5-6 Audio
Manual tuning (TUNE)
Push  the     side  of  the  tuning  button
(3)  to  increase  the  tuning  frequency  and 
press  the     side  of  the  button  to  de-
crease it.  
Each  time  the  button  is  pressed,  the  fre- 
quency changes 10 KHz in the AM wave- 
band and 0.2 MHz in the FM waveband.  
Constant pressure on the button causes a 
continuous change in the frequency.
Automatic tuning (SCAN)
Press the  SCAN  button (1) to change the
radio to the SCAN mode. In this mode, the 
radio scans through the radio band until a
station is found. The radio will stop at the
station  for  five  seconds  while  displaying
the  frequency,  after  which  scanning  will
continue  until  the  entire  band  has  been
scanned from the low end to the high end. 
Press  the  SCAN   button  again  to  cancel
the  SCAN  mode  and  to  stop  on  any  dis-
played frequency.
When  the  SCAN   button  is  pressed  for
automatic tuning, stations are scanned in
the direction of low frequencies to high fre-
quencies only. 
Automatic tuning may not function proper-
ly  if  the  station  reception  is  weakened  by 
distance  from  the  station  or  proximity  to 
tall buildings and hills.
Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a  Preset  button
(5)  allows  you  to  select  that  station  in  a 
single  operation.  Up  to  six  AM,  FM1  and 
FM2 stations each may be preset.
How to preset stations
1. Press the  FM/AM  selection button  to
select AM, FM1 or FM2 reception. 
2. Press  the  SCAN   button  (1)  or  tune
the radio manually until the desired station
frequency is displayed.
3. Press  one  of  the  Preset   buttons  (5)
for  at  least  2  seconds   to  store  the  fre-
quency.  The  frequency  of  the  station  will
flash once on the display at this time. If the
button is pressed for less than 2 seconds,
the  preceding  selection  will  remain  in
memory.
NOTE
If  the  connection  between  the  radio
and  battery  is  broken  for  any  reason 
such  as  vehicle  maintenance  or  radio
removal,  all  stations  stored in the  pre-
set  buttons  are  cleared.  If  this  occurs,
it is necessary  to  reset  the preset but-
tons.
If a cell  phone  is  placed near  the  ra-
dio,  it  may  cause  the  radio  to  emit 
noise when it receives calls. This noise
does not indicate a radio fault. 

5-14 Audio
operate  and  stop  automatically  on  the 
next station.
Continue  this  operation  until  you  find  the
desired station.
Automatic tuning (SCAN)
Press the  SCAN  button (5) to change the
radio to the SCAN mode. In this mode, the 
radio scans through the radio band until a 
station is found. The radio will stop at the 
station  for  five  seconds  while  displaying 
the  frequency,  after  which  scanning  will 
continue  until  the  entire  band  has  been 
scanned from the low end to the high end.  
Press  the  SCAN   button  again  to  cancel
the  SCAN  mode  and  to  stop  on  any  dis- 
played frequency. 
When  the  SCAN   button  is  pressed  for
automatic tuning, stations are scanned in 
the direction of low frequencies to high fre- 
quencies only.  
Automatic tuning may not function proper- 
ly  if  the  station  reception  is  weakened  by 
distance  from  the  station  or  proximity  to 
tall buildings and hills.
Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a  Preset  button
(7)  allows  you  to  select  that  station  in  a 
single  operation.  Up  to  six  AM,  FM1  and
FM2 stations each may be preset.
How to preset stations
1. Press the  FM/AM  selection button  to
select AM, FM1 or FM2 reception. 
2. Press  the  SCAN   button  (5)  or  tune
the radio manually until the desired station 
frequency is displayed. 
3. Press  one  of  the  Preset   buttons  (7)
for  at  least  1.5 seconds   to  store  the  fre-
quency.  The  frequency  of  the  station  will
flash once on the display at this time. If the 
button  is  pressed  for  less  than  1.5  sec- 
onds,  the  preceding  selection  will  remain 
in memory.
NOTE
If  the  connection  between  the  radio
and  battery  is  broken  for  any  reason 
such  as  vehicle  maintenance  or  radio
removal,  all  stations  stored in the  pre- 
set  buttons  are  cleared.  If  this  occurs, 
it is necessary  to  reset  the preset but- 
tons.
If a cell  phone  is  placed near  the  ra-
dio,  it  may  cause  the  radio  to  emit 
noise when it receives calls. This noise 
does not indicate a radio fault. 

Starting and operating 7-7
 CONTINUED  
Starting the engine
Manual transmission vehicle
1. Apply the parking brake. 
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Press the clutch pedal to the floor and
shift  the  shift  lever  into  neutral.  Hold  the
clutch pedal to the floor while starting the
engine. 
The  starter  motor  will  only  operate  when
the  clutch  pedal  is  pressed  fully  to  the
floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the  ON  po-
sition and check the operation of the warn-
ing  and  indicator  lights.  Refer  to  the Warning  and  indicator  lights   section
(chapter 3). 
5. Turn the ignition switch to the  START 
position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately af-
ter the engine has started. If the engine does not start, try the follow- 
ing.
1) Turn  the  ignition  switch  to  the  OFF 
position  and  wait  for  at  least  10  sec-
onds.  After  checking  that  the  parking
brake  is  firmly  set,  turn  the  ignition
switch to the  START  position while de-
pressing  the  accelerator  pedal  slightly
(approximately  a  quarter  of  the  full
stroke).  Release  the  accelerator  pedal
as soon as the engine starts.
2) If this fails to start the engine, turn the
ignition  switch  back  to  the  OFF   posi-
tion  and  wait  for  at  least  10  seconds.
Then fully depress the accelerator ped-
al  and  turn  the  ignition  switch  to  the START   position.  If  the  engine  starts,
quickly release the accelerator pedal.
3) If this fails to start the engine, turn the
ignition switch again to the  OFF  posi-
tion.  After  waiting  for  10  seconds  or
longer,  turn  the  ignition  switch  to  the START   position  without  depressing
the accelerator pedal.
4) If the engine still refuses to start, con-
tact  your  nearest  SUBARU  dealer  for
assistance.
6. Confirm  that  all  warning  and  indicator
lights  have  gone  off  after  the  engine  has 
started.  The  fuel  injection  system  auto- 
matically lowers the idle speed as the en- 
gine warms up.
NOTE
The  engine  may  be  difficult  to  start 
when the battery has been disconnect- 
ed  and  reconnected  (for  maintenance 
or  other  purposes).  This  difficulty  is 
caused by the electronically controlled 
throttle s  self-diagnosis  function.  To
overcome it, keep the ignition switch in 
the  ON  position for approximately 10
seconds before starting the engine.
Automatic transmission vehi- 
cle
1. Apply the parking brake. 
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Shift the selector lever to the  P  or  N 
position (preferably  P  position).
The  starter  motor  will  only  operate  when 
the select lever is at the  P  or  N  position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the  ON  po-
sition and check the operation of the warn-
ing  and  indicator  lights.  Refer  to  the  Warning  and  indicator  lights   section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the  START 
position  without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately af-
ter the engine has started. 
If the engine does not start, try the follow-
Do  not  operate  the  starter  motor 
continuously for more than ten sec-
onds. If the engine fails to start after
operating  the  starter  for  five  to  ten
seconds,  wait  for  ten  seconds  or
more before trying again.