7-22Starting and operating
vehicles.
. When driving on badly surfaced
roads, gravel roads, icy roads, or
over deep newly fallen snow,
stopping distances may be long-
er for a vehicle with the ABS
system than one without. When
driving under these conditions,
therefore, reduce your speed and
leave ample distance from othervehicles.
. When you feel the ABS system
operating, you should maintain
constant brake pedal pressure.
Do not pump the brake pedal
since doing so may defeat the
operation of the ABS system.
& ABS system self-check
Just after the vehicle is started, you may
feel on the brake pedal a vibration similar
to when the ABS operates, and you may
also hear the sound of the ABS working
from the engine compartment. This is
caused by an automatic functional test of
the ABS system being carried out and
does not indicate any abnormal condition. &
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and goes out after approximately
2 seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
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.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as
follows, the ABS system may not
be working properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally. . 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 tothe “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 these occur, have the ABS system
repaired at the first available oppor-
tunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following, the ABS
system may be considered normal. . The warning light comes on right
after 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. Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) system
The EBD system maximizes the effective-
ness of the brakes by allowing the rear
brakes to supply a greater proportion of
the braking force. It functions by adjusting
the distribution of braking force to the rear
wheels in accordance with the vehicle
’s
loading condition and speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of the
ABS system and uses some of the ABSsystem ’s components to perform its func-
tion of optimizing the distribution of brak-
ing force. If any of the ABS components
used by the EBD function fail, the EBD
system also stops working.
When the EBD system is operating, you
may hear a chattering noise or feel a slight
vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal
and does not indicate a malfunction. &
Steps to take if EBD system fails
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,
the system stops working and the brake
system warning light and ABS warning
light come on simultaneously.
The EBD system may be faulty 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
applied harder than usual and the vehi-cle’s motion may therefore become some-
what harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS Starting and operating
7-23
– CONTINUED –
winter driving, stop when and where it is
safe to do so and check under the fenders
periodically. !Parking in cold weather
Do not use the parking brake when
parking for long periods in cold weather
since it could freeze in that position.
Instead, observe the following.
1. Place the shift lever in “1 ” or “R ” for
manual transmission vehicles, and in “P ”
for automatic transmission vehicles.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or
when it snows, raise the wiper blades off
the glass to prevent damage to them.
When the vehicle has been left parked
after use on roads heavily covered with
snow, or has been left parked during a
snowstorm, icing may develop on the
brake system, which could cause poor
braking action. Check for snow or ice
buildup on the suspension, disc brakes
and brake hoses underneath the vehicle.
If there is caked snow or ice, remove it,
being careful not to damage the disc
brakes and brake hoses and ABS har-ness.WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust
gases under your vehicle. Keep
snow clear of the exhaust pipe and
from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the enginerunning.
! Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in
the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,
use of an antifreeze additive in the fuel
tank is recommended during cold weather.
Use only additives that are specifically
designed for this purpose. When an
antifreeze additive is used, its effect lasts
longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used
for an extended period, it is best to have
the fuel tank filled to capacity. & Driving on snowy and icy roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid
sudden braking, abrupt acceleration, high-
speed driving, and sharp turning when
driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you to avoid the need for sudden braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the
engine brake effectively to control the
vehicle speed. (Shift into a lower gear
when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such beha-
vior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly
leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) en-
hances your vehicle
’s braking perfor-
mance on snowy and icy roads. Refer tothe “ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) ”sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on braking
on slippery surfaces.
NOTE
The following tires are summer tires.
Compared with winter and all-season
tires, summer tires give significantly
less grip on snowy and icy road
surfaces. Avoid driving on snowy and
icy road surface with summer tires. . 225/45R17 tires for WRX-STI
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control on
slippery roads such as snowy or icy
roads. This may cause loss of
vehicle control. Driving tips
8-9
– CONTINUED –
for a right turn. .If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed
immediately by the nearest SUBARU
dealer. ! Driving on grades
. Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. . When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating. . When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the water temperature gauge
pointer (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP
warning light (for AT vehicles) since the
engine and transmission are relatively
prone to overheating under these condi-
tions. If the water temperature gauge
pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone
or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates, immediately switch off the air
conditioner and stop the vehicle at the
nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine
overheating ”section in chapter 9, and
“ Warning and indicator lights ”section in
chapter 3. .
If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, avoid using the accelerator pedal
to stay stationary on an uphill slope
instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission
fluid to overheat. . If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the selector lever as follows:
Uphill slopes: “D ”position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking ! Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both
vehicle and trailer when parking. Apply
the parking brake firmly. You should not
park on a hill or slope. But if parking on a
hill or slope cannot be avoided, you
should take the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then
apply the parking brake; slowly release
the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission) or
“P ” (automatic transmis-
sion) and shut off the engine. Driving tips
8-27
11-14Maintenance and service
according to the maintenance schedule.
1. Remove the under cover.
2. Place a proper container under the
drain plug and loosen the drain plug.
3. Loosen the radiator cap to drain the
coolant from the radiator. Then drain the
coolant from the reserve tank. Tighten the
drain plug securely.
NOTE (Turbo model only)
The cap (without tabs) on top of the
radiator does not need to be removed.
To add coolant, remove the cap (with
tabs) on the coolant tank on top of theengine.
4. Install the under cover.
Non-turbo models
1) Filler neck
2) Fill up to this level
Turbo models
1) Filler neck
2) Fill up to this level
5. Slowly pour the coolant and fill up to
just below the filler neck, allowing enough
room to add genuine Subaru cooling
system conditioner in the radiator. Add
genuine Subaru cooling system condi-
tioner until the coolant level reaches the
filler neck. Do not pour the coolant too
quickly, as this may lead to insufficient air
bleeding and trapped air in the system. Guideline of coolant quantity (including
coolant in reservoir tank):
Non-turbo models:MT: 7.4 US qt (7.0 liters, 6.2 Imp qt)
AT: 7.3 US qt (6.9 liters, 6.1 Imp qt)
Turbo models: MT: 8.1 US qt (7.7 liters, 6.8 Imp qt)
AT: 8.0 US qt (7.6 liters, 6.7 Imp qt)
1) “FULL ”level mark
2) “LOW ”level mark
CAUTION
. Be careful not to spill engine
coolant when adding it. If coolant
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
&Recommended fluid
Use one of the following types of auto-
matic transmission fluid. “Dexron III ”Type Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid
Genuine Subaru Automatic Transmis-
sion Fluid Type-HP Brake fluid &
Checking the fluid level
1) “MAX ”level mark
2) “MIN ”level mark
Check the fluid level monthly.
Check the fluid level on the outside of the
reservoir. If the level is below “MIN ”, add
the recommended brake fluid to “MAX ”.
Use only brake fluid from a sealed
container.
WARNING
. Never let brake fluid contact your
eyes because brake fluid can be
harmful to your eyes. If brake
fluid gets in your eyes, immedi-
ately flush them thoroughly with clean water. For safety, when
performing this work, wearing
eye protection is advisable.
. Brake fluid absorbs moisture
from the air. Any absorbed moist-
ure can cause a dangerous loss
of braking performance.
. If the vehicle requires frequent
refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the
vehicle checked at your SUBARU
dealer.
CAUTION
. Never use different brands of
brake fluid together. Also, avoid
mixing DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake
fluids even if they are of the samebrand.
. When adding brake fluid, be care-
ful not to allow any dirt into the
reservoir.
. Never splash the brake fluid over
painted surfaces or rubber parts.
Alcohol contained in the brake
fluid may damage them.
. Be careful not to spill brake fluid
when adding it. If brake fluid
touches the exhaust pipe, it may Maintenance and service
11-25
– CONTINUED –
11-26Maintenance and service
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If brake fluid gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
& Recommended brake fluid
FMVSS No. 116, fresh DOT 3 or DOT 4
brake fluid Clutch fluid (MT vehicles) &
Checking the fluid level
Check the fluid level on the outside of the
reservoir. If the level is below “MIN ”level
mark, add the recommended clutch fluidto “MAX ”level mark.
Use only clutch fluid from a sealed
container.
WARNING
Never let clutch fluid contact your
eyes because clutch fluid can be
harmful to your eyes. If clutch fluid
gets in your eyes, immediately flush
them thoroughly with clean water.
For safety, when performing this
work, wearing eye protection is advisable.
CAUTION
. Clutch fluid absorbs moisture
from the air. Any absorbed moist-
ure can cause improper clutchoperation.
. If the vehicle requires frequent
refilling, there may be a leak. If
you suspect a problem, have the
vehicle checked at your SUBARU
dealer.
. Never use different brands of
clutch fluid together.
. When clutch fluid is added, be
careful not to allow any dirt into
the tank.
. Never splash the clutch fluid over
painted surfaces or rubber parts.
Alcohol contained in the clutch
fluid may damage them.
. Be careful not to spill clutch fluid
when adding it. If clutch fluid
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or
a fire. If clutch fluid gets on the
exhaust pipe, be sure to wipe itoff.
12-6Specifications
Fuses and circuits &Fuse panel located behind the coin trayFuse
panel Fuse
rating Circuit
1 15A .Heater fan
2 15A .Heater fan
3 15A .Power door lock
. Remote keyless entry
4 20A .Power outlet (front)
. Remote controlled rear
view mirrors
5 10A .Tail light
. Parking light
6 15A .SRS airbag
7 15A .Fog light
8 20A .ABS solenoid
9 15A .Radio
10 Empty
11 15A .Engine ignition system
. SRS airbag
. AT control system
12 10A .Illumination brightness
control