2012 SUBARU OUTBACK tow

3-12Instruments and controls
indicators illuminates depending on the
status of the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag determined by the SUBARU ad-
vanced frontal airbag system monitoring.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain off.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON indicator will remain off while
the OFF indicator will illuminate.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON ”
position, if both the ON and OFF indica-
tors remain illuminated or off simulta-
neously even after the system check
period, the system is malfunctioning.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately for an inspection.
& CHECK ENGINE warn-
ing light/Malfunction
indicator light
CAUTION
If the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
malfunction indicator light illumi-
nates while you are driving, have
your vehicle checked/repaired by
your SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible. Continued vehicle opera- tion without having the emission
control system checked and re-
paired as necessary could cause
serious damage, which may not be
covered by your vehicle
’s warranty.
If this light illuminates steadily or blinks
while the engine is running, it may indicate
that there is a problem or potential
problem somewhere in the emission con-
trol system. ! If the light illuminates constantly
If the light illuminates constantly while
driving or does not turn off after the engine
starts, an emission control system mal-
function has been detected.
You should have your vehicle checked by
an authorized SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately.
NOTE
This light also illuminates when the fuel
filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.
If you have recently refueled your vehicle,
the cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator light coming on
could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.
Remove the cap and retighten it until it
clicks. Make sure nothing is interfering
with the sealing of the cap. Tightening the
cap will not make the CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunction indicator light
turn off immediately. It may take several
driving trips. If the light does not turn off,
take your vehicle to your authorized
SUBARU dealer immediately. !
If the light is blinking
If the light is blinking while driving, an
engine misfire condition has been de-
tected which may damage the emission
control system.
To prevent serious damage to the emis-
sion control system, you should conform
to the following instructions. . Reduce vehicle speed.
. Avoid hard acceleration.
. Avoid steep uphill grades.
. Reduce the amount of cargo, if possi-
ble.. Stop towing a trailer as soon as
possible.
The CHECK ENGINE warning light/mal-
function indicator light may stop blinking
and illuminate steadily after several driv-
ing trips. You should have your vehicle
checked by an authorized SUBARU deal-
er immediately.

function warning, refer to“Brake system
warning light ”F 3-17.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following conditions,
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
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-
nate. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will turn off. &
Brake system
warning light
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains illuminated,
have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately.
. If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair.
. If the brake system warning light
flashes, the electronic parking
brake system may be malfunc-
tioning. Immediately stop your
vehicle in a safe location, use
tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving
and contact your SUBARU deal-
er. For details, refer to “Electro-
nic parking brake ”F 7-31. NOTE .
When the ignition switch is turned to
the “LOCK ”position with the electronic
parking brake applied, the brake sys-
tem warning light remains illuminated
for approximately 30 seconds and then
turns off.. When the electronic parking brake
switch is pressed to apply the electro-
nic parking brake while the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK ”position, the
brake system warning light illuminates,
remains illuminated for approximately
30 seconds and then turns off.. Even if the brake system warning
light flashes, if the warning light beha-
vior is as described in the following
examples, the electronic parking brake
system is not malfunctioning.
–The warning light turns off when
the electronic parking brake is ap-
plied or released. – The warning light turns off when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position again.
. The brake system warning light may
flash immediately after the engine is
started. However, it is not malfunction-
ing if the warning light turns off after
the electronic parking brake is re-leased. . The brake system warning light may Instruments and controls
3-17
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3-18Instruments and controls
flash after the electronic parking brake
is frequently applied and released.
However, the electronic parking brake
system is not malfunctioning if the light
turns off for a short period of time.
This light has the following functions: ! Parking brake warning
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the “ON ”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is released. ! Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the “MIN ”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the “ON ”position and with the
parking brake released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake released and with the ignition switch
positioned in “ON ”), it could be an indica-
tion of leaking of brake fluid or worn brake
pads. If this occurs, immediately stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe place and
check the brake fluid level. If the fluid level
is below the “MIN ”mark in the reservoir,
do not drive the vehicle. Have the vehicle
towed to the nearest SUBARU dealer for
repair. !
Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning 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
warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,
flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be malfunctioning.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate again
and remain illuminated after the engine
has been restarted, shut down the engine again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level. Refer to
“Brake fluid ”
F 11-25.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the“ MIN ”mark, the EBD system may be
malfunctioning. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “ MIN ”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair. ! Electronic parking brake system warning
The brake system warning light flashes
when the electronic parking brake system
is malfunctioning. If the warning light
flashes, promptly park in a safe location
as soon as possible and contact your
SUBARU dealer.
The brake system warning light remains
illuminated when the parking brake cannot
be released even if the parking brake
switch is pulled. For details, refer to“ Electronic parking brake ”F 7-31.
! Parking brake apply inhibit warning
The brake system warning light flashes for
10 seconds and a chirp sound will be
heard if the parking brake switch is
operated when the parking brake cannot

3-28Instruments and controls
CAUTION
If any object is placed on or near the
sensor, the sensor may not detect
the level of the ambient light cor-
rectly and the auto on/off headlights
may not operate properly.
& High/low beam change (dimmer)
To change from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal lever forward. When
the headlights are on high beam, the high
beam indicator light “
”on the combina-
tion meter is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever
back to the detent position. &
Headlight flasher
CAUTION
Do not hold the lever in the flashing
position for more than just a fewseconds.
To flash the headlights, pull the lever
toward you and then release it. The high
beam will stay on for as long as you hold
the lever. The headlight flasher works
even though the lighting switch is in the“ OFF ”position.
When the headlights are on high beam,
the high beam indicator light “
”on the
combination meter also illuminates. &
Daytime running light system
WARNING
The brightness of the illumination of
the high beam headlights is reduced
by the daytime running light system.
The light switch must always be
turned to the “
”position when it
is dark outside.
The high beam headlights will automati-
cally illuminate at reduced brightness
when the engine has started, under the
following conditions. . The parking brake is fully released.
. The light switch is in the “OFF ”or “
”
position. . The light switch is in the “AUTO ”
position and the headlights do not turn
on automatically. . The select lever is in a position other
than the “P ” position (AT and CVT mod-
els).
NOTE
When the light switch is in the “
”
position, the front side marker lights,
tail lights and license plate lights areilluminated.

3-32Instruments and controls
& Windshield wiper and washer switches
The wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position.
! Windshield wipers
MIST : Mist (for a single wipe)
OFF : Off
INT: Intermittent
LO: Low speed
HI: High speed
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper
control lever down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to the “OFF ”position.
For a single wipe of the wipers, push the
lever up. The wipers operate until you
release the lever. !
Wiper intermittent time control
When the wiper switch is in the “INT ”
position, turn the dial to adjust the operat-
ing interval of the wiper. The operating
interval can be adjusted in five steps from
the shortest interval to the longest. !
Windshield washerTo wash the windshield, pull the wiper
control lever toward you. The washer fluid
sprays until you release the lever. The
wipers operate while you pull the lever.

ing, defogging or deicing is not complete,
you have to press the control switch to
turn them on again.
For models with the automatic climate
control system,it is possible for a
SUBARU dealer to set the defogger and
deicer system for the continuous opera-
tion mode. Contact your SUBARU dealer
for details.
CAUTION
. To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the
defogger and deicer system con-
tinuously for any longer than
necessary.
. Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface
of the rear window. They may
damage the conductors printed
on the window. NOTE .
Turn on the defogger and deicer
system if the wipers are frozen to the windshield.. If the windshield is covered with
snow, remove the snow so that the
windshield wiper deicer works effec-
tively.. While the defogger and deicer sys-
tem is in the continuous operation
mode, if the vehicle speed remains at
9 mph (15 km/h) or lower for 15
minutes, the windshield wiper deicer
automatically stops operating, though
the rear window defogger and outside
mirror defogger maintain continuous
operation in this condition.. While the defogger and deicer sys-
tem is in the continuous operation
mode, if the battery voltage drops
below the permissible level, continu-
ous operation of the defogger and
deicer system is canceled and the
system stops operating. Mirrors
Always check that the inside and outside
mirrors are properly adjusted before you
start driving. &
Type A inside mirror (if equipped)
The mirror has a day and night position.
Pull the tab at the bottom of the mirror
toward you for the night position. Push it
away for the day position. The night
position reduces glare from headlights. Instruments and controls
3-35
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The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. During
nighttime driving, these sensors detect
distracting glare from vehicle headlights
behind you and automatically dim the
mirror to eliminate glare and preserve
your vision. For this reason, use care not
to cover the sensors with stickers, or other
similar items. Periodically wipe the sen-
sors clean using a piece of dry soft cotton
cloth or an applicator. NOTE
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper
towel or similar item dampened with
glass cleaner. Do not spray glass
cleaner directly on the mirror surface.
By doing so, the sprayed glass cleaner
could enter the inside of the mirrorhousing. That may cause a malfunction
in the mirror. !
Rear view image display
When the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position and the transmission is in the “R ”
(reverse) position, the rear view camera
automatically displays the rear view image
behind the vehicle on the inside mirror.
Also, the following help lines are indicated
as a guide to help you realize the actual
distance from the display.1) Vehicle width line (oblique vertical line)
2) Approx. 10 feet (3 m) from the bumper (green horizontal line)
3) Approx. 6.5 feet (2 m) from the bumper (green horizontal line)
4) Approx. 3 feet (1 m) from the bumper (yellow horizontal line)
5) Approx. 1.5 feet (0.5 m) from the bumper (red horizontal line)
By pressing the power button while the
transmission is in the “R ” (reverse) posi-
tion, the rear view image display toggles to
the on or off mode.
Once the rear view image display is set to
the off mode, the display stays in the off
mode, with the function indicator in or-
ange, every time the transmission is
shifted into the “R ”(reverse) position.
Instruments and controls
3-37
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3-44Instruments and controls
is to ensure good reward visibility during reversing. . By pressing and releasing the switch
for 3 seconds, the compass display is
toggled on or off. When the compass is
on, an illuminated compass reading will
appear in the upper right corner of the
mirror.
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper
towel or similar material dampened with
glass cleaner. Do not spray glass cleaner
directly on the mirror as that may cause
theliquidcleanertoenterthemirror
housing and damage the mirror. ! Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
the front and back sides. During nighttime
driving, these sensors detect distracting glare from vehicle headlights behind you
and automatically dim the mirror to elim-
inate glare and preserve your vision. For
this reason, use care not to cover the
sensors with stickers, or other similar
items. Periodically wipe the sensors clean
using a piece of dry soft cotton cloth or an
applicator. !
Compass zone adjustment
Compass calibration zones
1. Refer to the “Compass calibration
zones ”map shown above to verify that
the compass zone setting is correct for
your geographical location.
2. Press and hold the switch for 6
seconds until the zone selection comes
up (a number will be displayed in the
mirror compass window). 3. Press the switch repeatedly until the
correct zone setting for your location isdisplayed.
4. Releasing the button for 10 seconds
will exit the zone setting mode. !
Compass calibration
1. If a “C ” is displayed in the compass
window, the compass needs to be cali- brated.
2. Drive the vehicle in a circle at 5 mph (8
km/h) or less until the display reads adirection.
3. You can also calibrate the compass by
driving your vehicle on your everyday
routine. The compass will be calibrated
once it has tracked a complete circle.
4. To recalibrate your compass, push and
hold the switch for 9 seconds until a “C ”
appears in the compass window.
5. Calibrate the compass according to
step 2 or step 3.