
the“P ” position to any other position
before the brake pedal is depressed.
Depress the brake pedal first, and then
operate the select lever. . Only the “P ”position allows you to turn
the key from the “Acc ”position to the
“ LOCK ”position and remove the key from
the ignition key cylinder.. If the ignition switch is turned to the
“ LOCK ”position while the select lever is in
the “N ”position, the select lever may not
be moved to the “P ”position after a period
of time. Therefore, move the select lever
to the “P ” position with the brake pedal
depressed soon after the ignition switch is
turned to the “LOCK ”position.
! Shift lock release
If the select lever cannot be operated, turn
the ignition switch back to the “ON ”
position then move the select lever to the“ P ” position with the select lever button
pressed and brake pedal depressed.
If the select lever does not move after
performing the above procedure, perform
the following steps. . When the select lever cannot be
shifted from “P ” to “N ”:
Refer to “Shift lock release using the shift
lock release button ”F 7-15.
. When the select lever cannot be shifted from
“N ” to “R ” or “P ”:
Within 60 seconds after placing the igni-
tion switch in the “Acc ”position, move the
select lever to the “R ”or “P ”position with
the select lever button pressed and brake
pedal depressed.
If you must perform the above procedure,
the shift lock system (or the vehicle control
system) may be malfunctioning. Contact a
SUBARU dealer for an inspection as soon
as possible.
If the select lever does not move after
performing the above procedure, refer to“ Shift lock release using the shift lock
release button ”F 7-15.
! Shift lock release using the shift
lock release button
Perform the following procedure to release
the shift lock.
1. Apply the parking brake and stop the engine.
2. Remove the cover by prying on the
edge with a flat-head screwdriver. NOTE
To prevent damage to the cover, wrap
the tip of the flat-head screwdriver with
vinyl tape or a cloth before removing
the cover. Starting and operating
7-15
– CONTINUED –

constant brake pedal pressure.
Do not pump the brake pedal
since doing so may defeat the
operation of the ABS system.
The ABS system prevents the lock-up of
wheels which may occur during sudden
braking or braking on slippery road sur-
faces. This helps prevent the loss of
steering control and directional stability
caused by wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you
may hear a chattering noise or feel a slight
vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal
when the ABS operates.
The ABS system will not operate when the
vehicle speed is below approximately 6
mph (10 km/h). & ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake
pedal and hear the operating sound of
ABS from the engine compartment just
after the vehicle is started. 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 illuminates when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and turns off after approximately 2seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as
follows, the ABS system may not
be working properly.
When the warning light illuminates,
the ABS function shuts down; how-
ever, the conventional brake system
continues to operate normally. . The warning light does not illu- minate when the ignition switch
is turned to the
“ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates
when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position, but
it does not turn off even when the
vehicle speed exceeds approxi-
mately 8 mph (12 km/h).
. The warning light illuminates 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 illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light remains illumi-
nated after the engine has been started,
but it turns off when the vehicle speed
reaches approximately 8 mph (12km/h).. The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery Starting and operating
7-21
– CONTINUED –

is important that winter tires be used
when driving on snow-covered or icy
roads. (All four wheels should be fitted
with tires of the same size and brand). .It is always important to reduce
speed when approaching a corner,
even if the vehicle is equipped with
Vehicle Dynamics Control. . All four wheels should be fitted with
tires of the same size, type, and brand;
furthermore, the amount of wear
should be the same for all four tires. If
these precautions are not observed
and non-matching tires are used, it is
quite possible that the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system will be unable
to operate correctly as intended. . Always turn off the engine before
replacing a tire as failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly. &
Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor
! Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light
The indicator light illuminates when the
ignition key is turned to the ON position; it
turns off approximately 2 seconds later.
This indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and is
illuminated steadily during activation of the
traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate
a malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity. .The indicator light does not illuminate when the ignition key is turned to the ON position. .
The indicator light does not turn off
approximately 2 seconds after the ignition
key has been turned to the ON position. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Traction Control system OFF
indicator light
This single light has the function of
indicating malfunctions in the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the function
of indicating that the Traction Control
system is not operating. It illuminates in
the event of a malfunction in the system
and is illuminated whenever the system is
not operating. Starting and operating
7-25
– CONTINUED –

7-26Starting and operating
! Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light illuminates when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and turns off several seconds
after engine startup. This lighting pattern
indicates that the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system is operating normally.
The following situations could indicate a
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if any should occur, we
recommend that you have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
the system at the first available opportu-
nity. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition key is turned to the ON position. . The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is being driven.. When a malfunction has occurred in
the Vehicle Dynamics Control electrical
system, only the warning light will illumi-
nate. In such an event, the ABS will still be
operating normally. . The warning light will also illuminate
when a problem occurs with the ABS or
Vehicle Dynamics Control electronic con-
trol systems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system controls each brake through the
ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating due to a malfunction in that electrical
system, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will
also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus Vehicle Dynamics Control
system operation halts and the warning
light illuminates. Although both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will
still be possible to stop the vehicle using
normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the ABS do not
adversely affect operation of the vehicle
in any way when they are inoperable;
however should such a situation occur,
drive with care and have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
those systems at the first available oppor-
tunity. NOTE
When the warning light illuminates and
turns off in the following way, it in-
dicates that the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is operating normally. .
Although illuminating after the en-
gine has been started, the warning light
quickly turns off and remains off.. The warning light illuminates when
the vehicle is being driven; it then turns
off and remains off. !
Traction Control system OFF indica-
tor light
This light illuminates to indicate that the
Traction Control system is in non-opera-
tion mode. This does not constitute failure
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control system. NOTE . The indicator light may remain illu-
minated for a while after the engine has
been started, especially in cold weath-
er. This occurs because the engine has
not yet warmed up and is completely
normal. The light will turn off when the
engine has reached a suitable operat-
ing temperature.. When an engine problem occurs
and the malfunction indicator lamp
illuminates, the indicator light will alsoilluminate.
The following two situations could indicate
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity. . The indicator light does not illuminate
when the ignition key is turned to the ON position. . The indicator light fails to turn off after
the engine is started, even when several
minutes have passed to allow the engine

to heat up sufficiently. &Traction Control system OFF switch
Pressingtheswitchtodeactivatethe
Traction Control system can facilitate the
following operations. .a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or
otherwise slippery surface . extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the Traction Control system
OFF indicator light “
”on the combination
meter illuminates. The Traction Control
system will be deactivated and the vehicle
will behave like a model not equipped with the Traction Control system. When the
switch is pressed again to reactivate the
Traction Control system OFF indicatorlight
“
”turns off.
With the Traction Control system deacti-
vated, traction enhancement offered by
Traction Control system is unavailable.
Therefore you should not deactivate the
Traction Control system except under
above-mentioned situations. NOTE . When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Traction Control sys-
tem, the Traction Control system auto-
matically reactivates itself the next time
the ignition key is turned to the “LOCK ”
position and the engine is restarted.. If the switch is held down for 10
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Traction Control system
is activated, and the system ignores
any further pressing of the switch. To
make the switch usable again, turn the
ignition key to the “LOCK ”position and
restart the engine.. When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Traction Control system,
the vehicle ’s running performance is
comparable with that of a vehicle that
does not have a Traction Control
system. Do not deactivate the Traction Control system except when absolutely
necessary.
Starting and operating
7-27

7-30Starting and operating
To release the parking brake, hold down
the brake pedal while depressing the
parking brake pedal and slowly releasingit.
When the parking brake is set while the
engine is running, the brake system
warning light illuminates. After starting
the vehicle, be sure that the warning light
has turned off before the vehicle is driven.
Refer to “Brake system warning light ”F 3-
16.
& Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always set the
parking brake firmly and put the select
lever in the “P ”(Park) position. Always set
the parking brake firmly when parking your
vehicle. Never rely on the transmission
alone to hold the vehicle.When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel. When the vehicle is
headed up the hill, the front wheels should
be turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb. Cruise control
Cruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned
“OFF ”when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid
unintentionally setting the cruise control.
NOTE
If you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON ”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the cruise control indicator light
flashes. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”position, and
then turn it again to the “ON ”position.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions. This
may cause loss of vehicle control: . driving up or down a steep grade
. driving on slippery or winding
roads
. driving in heavy traffic

7-32Starting and operating
position.
The cruise control set indicator light on the
combination meter turns off when the
cruise control is canceled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever
upward in the “RES/ACC ”direction to
return to the original cruising speed auto-
matically.
The cruise control set indicator light on the
combination meter will automatically illu-
minate at this time. & To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control: . Push the main switch again.
. Turn the ignition switch to the “Acc ”or
“ LOCK ”position (but only when the
vehicle is completely stopped). &
To change the cruising speed
! To increase the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever upward in the “RES/
ACC ”direction and hold it until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed. Then, release
the control lever. The vehicle speed at that
moment will be memorized and treated as
the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever upward in the“ RES/ACC ”direction quickly. !
To increase the speed (by accel-
erator pedal)
1. Depress the accelerator pedal to
accelerate the vehicle to the desiredspeed.
2. Push the control lever downward in the “ SET/COAST ”direction once. Now the
desired speed is set and the vehicle will
keep running at that speed without de-
pressing the accelerator pedal.
NOTE
If the difference between the actual
vehicle speed when the control lever
is pushed downward and the speed last
time you set is less than 4 mph (6.8
km/h), the vehicle speed will be low-
ered by 1 mph (1.6 km/h). This occurs
because the cruise control system unit
regards this lever operation as that
intended to decrease the vehiclespeed.

!To decrease the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever downward in the “SET/COAST ”direction and hold it until
the vehicle reaches the desired speed.
Then, release the control lever. The
vehicle speed at that moment will be
memorized and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be lowered 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time by
pressing the control lever downward in the“ SET/COAST ”direction quickly. !
To decrease the speed (by brakepedal)
1. Depress the brake pedal to release
cruise control temporarily.
2. When the speed decreases to the
desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the “SET/COAST ”direction
once. Now the desired speed is set and
the vehicle will keep running at that speed
without depressing the accelerator pedal.
& Cruise control indicator light
The cruise control indicator light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and turns off after
approximately 3 seconds.
The light illuminates when the “CRUISE ”
main switch is pressed. If you move the cruise control lever while
turning the ignition switch
“ON ”, the cruise
control function is deactivated and the
cruise control indicator light flashes. To
reactivate the cruise control function, turn
the ignition switch back to the “Acc ”or
“ LOCK ”position, and then turn it again to
the “ON ”position.
& Cruise control set indicator light
The cruise control set indicator light
illuminates when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position and turns off
after approximately 3 seconds.
The light illuminates when vehicle speed
has been set. Starting and operating
7-33