
7-8Starting and operating/Stopping the engine
started. The fuel injection system auto- 
matically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up. 
While the engine is warming up, make 
sure that the select lever is at the“P ” or
“ N ”position and that the parking brake is
applied. NOTE . The engine may be difficult to start
when the battery has been discon- 
nected and reconnected (for mainte-
nance or other purposes). This diffi-
culty 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.. To protect the engine while the
select lever is in the “P ” or “N ”
position, the engine is controlled so
that the engine speed may not become
too high even if the accelerator pedal is
depressed hard. Stopping the engine
WARNING
Do not stop the engine when the 
vehicle is moving. This will cause
loss of power to the power steering
and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It
could also result in accidental acti-
vation of the “LOCK ”position on the
ignition switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling. Remote engine start system 
(dealer option)
WARNING
. Do not start the engine using the
remote start system in an en- 
closed environment (e.g. closed
garage). Prolonged operation of
a motor vehicle in an enclosed
environment can cause a harmful
build-up of Carbon Monoxide.
Carbon Monoxide is harmful to
your health. Exposure to high
levels of Carbon Monoxide can
cause headaches, dizziness or in
extreme cases unconsciousness
and/or death.
. Before performing any servicing
of the vehicle, temporarily place
the remote engine start system in
service mode to prevent the
system from unexpectedly start-
ing the engine. 

7-10Starting and operating/Remote engine start system (dealer option)
transmitter within a few seconds immedi- 
ately following remote engine start shut-down. &Pre-heating or pre-cooling 
the interior of the vehicle
Before exiting the vehicle, set the tem- 
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
vehicle, the heater or air-conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting. & Service mode
In service mode, the remote start function 
is temporarily disabled to prevent the
system from unexpectedly starting the
engine while being serviced. ! To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake pedal 
then, press and release the “
”button on
the remote engine start transmitter three 
times. The system will pause for 1 second
and then flash the parking lights and honk 
the horn three times indicating that the 
system is in service mode. When attempt-
ing to activate the remote start system
while in service mode, the parking lights
will flash and the horn will honk two times
and will not start. !
To disengage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote engine start trans- 
mitter three times. The system will pause
for 1 second and flash the parking lights
one time indicating that the system has
exited service mode. NOTE 
When taking your vehicle in for service, 
it is recommended that you inform the
service personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with a remote engine startsystem. & Remote engine start trans- 
mitter programming and pro-
grammable feature option
New transmitters can be programmed to 
the remote engine start system in the
event that remote engine start transmitters
are lost, stolen or damaged. The remote
engine start system also has one pro-
grammable feature that can be adjusted
for user preference. 
The remote engine start system can be 
programmed to either make an audible
horn chirp upon remote start activation or
not. Remote engine start transmitter pro-
gramming and feature programming can be adjusted using the following procedure. 
1. Open the driver
’s door (the driver ’s
door must remain opened throughout the 
entire process). 
2. Insert the key into the vehicle ’s ignition
switch and turn to the “ON ”position.
3. Locate the small black programming 
button behind the fuse box cover, on the
driver ’s side left under the dashboard
panel. 
4. Press and hold the black programming 
button for 10 to 15 seconds. The horn will
honk and the parking lights will flash three
times to indicate that the system has
entered programming mode. At this point
you can perform either action (step 5 or 
step 6). 
5. To program a remote transmitter: 
press and release the “
”button on each
transmitter. The horn will honk and the 
parking lights will flash one time to indicate
a successful transmitter learn each timethe “
”button is pressed. You can
program up to eight transmitters. 
6. To toggle the Horn Confirmation chirps 
ON/OFF: press and release the brake to
toggle the feature. The horn will chirp and
the parking lights will flash one time to
indicate Confirmation Horn Chirps are“ OFF ”. The horn will honk and the parking
lights will flash 2 times to indicate Con-
firmation Horn Chirps are “ON ”. Depres- 

“R ” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely 
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever inthe “P ” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the select
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE . When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the automatic transmis- 
sion will upshift to higher engine
speeds than when the coolant tempera- 
ture is sufficiently high in order to 
shorten the warm-up time and improve
driveability. The gearshift timing will
automatically shift to the normal timing
after the engine has warmed up.. Immediately after ATF (automatic
transmission fluid) is replaced, you
may feel that the automatic transmis-
sion operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data
which the on-board computer has
collected and stored in memory to allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
& Select lever
: With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while pressing the button in.
: Shift while pressing the button in.: Shift without pressing the button.
The select lever has four positions, “P ”,
“ R ”, “N ”, “D ”and also has manual gate for
using “SPORT ”mode or manual mode.
1) Select lever button
! P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and 
starting the engine. 
In this position, the transmission is me- 
chanically locked to prevent the vehicle
from rolling freely. 
When you park the vehicle, first set the 
parking brake fully, then shift into the “P ”
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the transmission. 
To shift the select lever from the “P ”to any
other position, you have to depress the 
brake pedal fully then push the select
lever button on the lever knob when the
ignition switch is in the “ON ”position. This
prevents the vehicle from lurching when it
Starting and operating/Automatic transmission7-13
– CONTINUED –    

7-14Starting and operating/Automatic transmission
is started. 
If the select lever does not move from the “P ” position with the brake pedal de-
pressed, the select lever button pushed
in, and the ignition switch in the ON 
position, refer to “Shift lock function ”F 7-
14. ! R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle. 
To shift from the “N ” to “R ”position, stop
the vehicle completely then move the 
lever to the “R ” position while pushing
the select lever button. ! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled engine. 
In this position the wheels and transmis- 
sion are not locked. In this position, the
transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll
freely, even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or foot brake is applied. 
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral. 
During coasting, there is no engine brak- 
ing effect.
NOTE 
When the ignition switch has been 
turned to the “LOCK ”position, move-
ment of the select lever from the “N ” position to the
“R ” position is possible
for a limited time period by depressing 
the brake pedal and then becomes
impossible. If the select lever becomes
impossible to be moved after a limited
time period, turn the ignition switch tothe “ON ”position. You will then be able
to move the select lever to the “P ”
position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the 
select lever in the “N ” (Neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-creased.
! D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving. 
The transmission automatically shifts into 
a suitable gear from 1st to 5th according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require. 
When more acceleration is required in this 
position, depress the accelerator pedal
fully to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift
to 4th, 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you
release the pedal, the transmission will return to the original gear position. 
To use the SPORT mode, move the lever 
from this position into the manual gate. 
To use the manual mode, move the lever 
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the
“+ ” end or “  ”end.
! While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th or 5th gear is prevented from taking
place when the accelerator is released.
This minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated
upshifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTE 
The transmission may downshift to 2nd 
or 1st gear, depending on the way the
accelerator pedal is depressed to ac-
celerate the vehicle again. & Shift lock function
The shift lock function helps prevent the 
improper operation of the select lever. . The select lever cannot be operated
unless the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position and the brake pedal is
depressed. . The select lever cannot be moved from 

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/Automatic transmission7-15
– CONTINUED –  

Gearshifts can be performed using the 
select lever.
Shift to the next-higher gear by briefly 
pushing the select lever toward the“+ ”
end of the manual gate. 
Shift to the next-lower gear by briefly 
pulling the select lever toward the “  ”
end of the manual gate. NOTE 
Please read the following points care- 
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode. . When the temperature of the engine
oil is higher than normal, warning 
beeps are emitted and the shift position
indicator shows “  ”. If these warnings
are issued, deselect the manual mode
to protect the engine from damage. .
The transmission does not automa-
tically shift up in the manual mode.
Perform gearshifts in accordance with
road conditions so that the tachometer
needle does not enter the red zone. If
the engine speed reaches a predeter-
mined level, a fuel-cut function will
operate. Shift up if this happens. Also,
the transmission may automatically
shift up to protect the engine.. If you attempt to shift down when
the engine speed is too high, i.e., when
a downshift would push the tachometer
needle beyond the red zone, beeps will
be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible. . If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis- 
sion will not respond.. You can perform a skip-shift (for
example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the select lever twice in rapid succes-sion.. The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stopsmoving.. If the temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid becomes too high,the “AT OIL TEMP ”warning light will
illuminate and upshifts to 5th gear will
not be possible. Immediately stop the
vehicle in a safe place and let the
engine idle until the warning light turns off.
& Driving tips
. On a road surface where there is a risk
of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or
gravel-covered road), you can pull away
from a standstill safely and easily by first
selecting the 2nd gear of the manualmode. . Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the “D ”or
“ R ”position.
. Always set the parking brake when
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the 
vehicle with only the transmission. . Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the “ D ”position. Use the brake instead.
. The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate aproblem. . A slight reduction in output torque may
occur before the engine warms up.
Starting and operating/Automatic transmission7-17
– CONTINUED –  

warning light illuminate simultaneously, 
take the following steps. 
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe, 
flat location. 
2. Shut down the engine, apply the 
parking brake, and 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 11-17.
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.
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light illuminated is dan- gerous. This indicates your brake 
system may not be working
properly. If the light remains
illuminated, have the brakes in-
spected 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. Vehicle Dynamics Control system
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in driving –overconfidence because
you are driving with a Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system equipped
vehicle could easily lead to a ser-
ious accident.
CAUTION
. Even if your vehicle is equipped
with Vehicle Dynamics Control 
system, winter tires should be
used when driving on snow-cov- 
ered or icy roads; in addition, 
vehicle speed should be reduced
considerably. Simply having a
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem does not guarantee that the
vehicle will be able to avoid
accidents in any situation.
. Activation of the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system is an
indication that the road being
travelled on has a slippery sur-
face; since having Vehicle Dy-
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system7-23
– CONTINUED – 

7-28Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
CAUTION
Do not place metal film or any metal 
parts under the driver ’s seat. This
may cause poor reception of the
signals from the tire pressure sen-
sors, and the tire pressure monitor-
ing system will not function prop-
erly.
NOTE 
This device complies with Part 15 of 
the FCC Rules and with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation. 
Changes or modifications not ex- 
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void theuser ’s authority to operate the equip-
ment. Parking your vehicle
WARNING
. Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could 
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, the tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to
cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to them.
. Do not park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
. Be sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occu-
pants in the vehicle could die
from carbon monoxide (CO) con-
tained in the exhaust gas. &
Parking brakeCAUTION
. Never drive while the parking
brake is set because this will 
cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to
drive, always make sure that the
parking brake has been fullyreleased.
. Never drive with your foot on the
parking brake pedal.
To set the parking brake, hold down the 
brake pedal while depressing the parking
brake pedal as far as it will go.