
Sedan models
Wagon models
CAUTION
. Do not allow the retractor to roll
up the seatbelt too quickly. 
Otherwise, 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
neatly stored. A hanging tongue
plate can swing and hit against
the trim during driving, causing
damage to the trim.
& Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength. 
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments 
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.CAUTION
. Keep 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.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-23   

2-10Keys and doors
when the “”button is pressed. This light
stays illuminated for approximately 30 
seconds if any of the doors or the rear
gate (Station wagon) is not opened. 
If the “
”button is pressed before 30
seconds have elapsed, this light will go 
out. The interior light must be set to the
middle position in order for this function
to operate. 
A SUBARU dealer can change the illumi- 
nation period setting of the interior light in
accordance with your preference. Contact
the nearest SUBARU dealer for details. & Vehicle finder function
Use this function to find your vehicle 
parked among many vehicles in a large
parking lot. Provided you are within 30 feet
(10 meters) of the vehicle, pressing the “
”
button three times in a five-second period 
will cause your vehicle ’s horn to sound
once and its turn signal lights to flash threetimes.
NOTE 
If the interval between presses is too 
short when you press the “
”button
three times, the system may not re- 
spond to the signals from the remote
transmitter. &
Sounding a panic alarm
A“PANIC ”button is located on the back of
the transmitter. 
To activate the alarm, press the “PANIC ”
button once.
The horn will sound and the turn signal 
lights will flash. 
To deactivate the panic alarm, press any 
button on the remote transmitter. Unless a
button on the remote is pressed, the alarm
will be deactivated after approximately 30seconds. & Selecting audible signal op- eration
Using an electronic chirp, the system will 
give you an audible signal when the doors
lock and unlock. If desired, you may turn the audible signal off. 
Do the following to deactivate the audible 
signal. You can also use the same steps
to restore the function. 
1. Sit in the driver
’s seat and shut all
doors and the rear gate.
2. Hold down the UNLOCK side of the 
power door locking switch. 
3. While holding down the “UNLOCK ”
side of the power door locking switch, pull 
the key out and re-insert it into the ignition
switch at least 6 times within 10 seconds
after Step 2. 
4. Open and close the driver ’s door once
within 10 seconds after Step 3.
5. The turn signal lights flash 3 times to 
indicate completion of the setting. 
You may have the above settings done by 
your SUBARU dealer.
& Replacing the battery
CAUTION
Do not let dust, oil or water get on or 
in the transmitter when replacing
the battery.
When the transmitter battery begins to get
weak, transmitter range will begin to
decrease. Replace the battery as soon  

.While the engine is running, if the
CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunc- 
tion indicator lamp comes on, the SI-
drive mode changes to the Sport (S)
mode. In this case, it is not possible to
change to the Sport Sharp (S#) mode or
Intelligent (I) mode.. If there is a possibility that the
engine could overheat because of a
temperature increase of the engine
coolant, it is not possible to change to
the Sport Sharp (S#) mode. While the
vehicle is in the Sport Sharp (S#) mode,
it changes to the Sport (S) mode when
the engine coolant temperature in-
creases. For 3.0-liter models, it also 
changes to the Sport (S) mode when 
the engine oil temperature increases. Rear viscous limited slip dif- 
ferential (LSD) (if equipped)
CAUTION
. Never start the engine while a tire
on one side is jacked up, as the 
vehicle may move.
. If one rear tire is spinning in mud,
avoid continued spinning at high
speed as this could adversely
affect the LSD.
. If a different size rear tire is
temporarily used (as in an emer-
gency), it will adversely affect the
LSD. Always replace it with a
regularsizetireassoonaspossible.
The LSD provides optimum distribution of
power according to the difference in
revolutions between the right and left rear
wheels that may be caused by certain
driving conditions, thereby improving driv-
ing stability on snow-covered, muddy or
other slippery roads. Power steering
CAUTION
Do not hold the steering wheel at the 
fully locked position left or right for
more than five seconds. This may
damage the power steering pump.
The power steering system operates only
when the engine is running. 
If you lose power steering assist because 
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but it will take
much more effort. NOTE 
Right after the engine has been started 
and before it has warmed up, you may
hear a noise coming from areas adja-
cent to the power steering pump which
is located at the right-front area of the
engine compartment. This noise is
normal. It does not indicate power
steering system trouble. Starting and operating
7-33 

11-10Maintenance and service
.Be careful not to spill engine oil
when adding it. If oil touches the 
exhaust pipe, it may cause a bad
smell, smoke, and/or a fire. If
engine oil gets on the exhaust
pipe, be sure to wipe it off.
If you check the oil level just after stopping
the engine, wait a few minutes for the oil to
drain back into the oil pan before checking
the level. 
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not 
add any additional oil above the upper
level when the engine is cold. 
In 2.5-liter-engine models, the dipstick has 
a notch above the upper level. 
Just after driving or while the engine is 
warm, the engine oil level reading may be 
in a range between the upper level and 
the notch mark. This is caused by thermal
expansion of the engine oil. & Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to
the maintenance schedule in the “War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be
changed more frequently than listed in
the maintenance schedule when driving
on dusty roads, when short trips are
frequently made, or when driving in extremely cold weather. 
1. Warm up the engine by letting the 
engine idle for approximately 10 minutes
to ease draining the engine oil. 
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and 
stop the engine. 
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
2.5-liter models
3.0-liter models
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing 
the drain plug while the engine is still
warm. The used oil should be drained into
an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with 
hot engine oil.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain
plug with a clean cloth and tighten it
securely with a new sealing washer after
the oil has completely drained out.   

.Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol 
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
! Changing the coolant
Always add genuine Subaru cooling sys-
tem conditioner whenever the coolant isreplaced. 
Change the engine coolant and add 
genuine Subaru cooling system condi-
tioner using the following procedures
according to the maintenance schedule
in the “Warranty and Maintenance Book-
let ”. 1. Remove the under cover.
2.5-liter models 
1) Drain plug
3.0-liter models 
1) Drain plug 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.
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia- 
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has cooled down
completely. Since the coolant is
under pressure, you may suffer
serious burns from a spray of boil-
ing hot coolant when the cap is removed.
4. Install the under cover. Maintenance and service
11-15
– CONTINUED –   

Aluminum wheels 
Aluminum wheels can be scratched and 
damaged easily. Handle them carefully to
maintain their appearance, performance,
and safety. .When any of the wheels is removed
and replaced for tire rotation or to change 
a flat, always check the tightness of the
wheel nuts after driving approximately 600
miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose,
tighten it to the specified torque. . Never apply oil to the threaded parts,
wheel nuts, or tapered surface of the wheel. . Never let the wheel rub against sharp
protrusions or curbs.. Be sure to fit tire chains on uniformly
and completely around the tire, otherwise 
the chains may scratch the wheel. . When wheel nuts, balance weights, or
the center cap is replaced, be sure to 
replace them with genuine SUBARU parts
designed for aluminum wheels. Windshield washer fluid
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer 
fluid because it could cause paintdamage.
If you spray washer fluid on the windshield 
but the supply of washer fluid appears to
diminish, check the level of washer fluid in
the tank.
Washer fluid level gauge
Remove the washer tank filler cap, then 
check the fluid level indicated by the level
gauge (attached to the inside of the cap).
If the level is near the “Low ”mark, add
fluid until it reaches the “Hi ”level on the
Maintenance and service
11-41
– CONTINUED –