
8
&Car phone/cell phone and driving
CAUTION
Do not use a car phone/cell phone 
while driving; it may distract your
attention from driving and can lead
to an accident. If you use a car
phone/cell phone, pull off the road
and park in a safe place before
using your phone. In some States/
Provinces, only hands-free phones
may legally be used while driving.
& Modification of your vehicle
CAUTION
Your vehicle should not be modified 
other than with genuine SUBARU
parts and accessories. Other types
of modifications could affect its
performance, safety or durability,
and may even violate governmental
regulations. In addition, damage or
performance problems resulting
from modification may not be cov-
ered under warranties. &
Driving a vehicle equipped 
with a navigation system
WARNING
Do not allow the monitor to distract 
your attention from driving. Also, do
not operate the controls of the
navigation system while driving.
The loss of attention to driving
could lead to an accident. If you
wish to operate the controls of the
navigation system, first take the
vehicle off the road and stop it in a
safe place.
& Driving with pets
Unrestrained pets can interfere with your
driving and distract your attention from
driving. In a collision or sudden stop,
unrestrained pets or cages can be thrown
around inside the vehicle and hurt you or
your passengers. Besides, the pets can
be hurt under these situations. It is also for
their own safety that pets should be
properly restrained in your vehicle. Re-
strain a pet with a special traveling
harness which can be secured to the rear
seat with a seatbelt or use a pet carrier
which can be secured to the rear seat by
routing a seatbelt through the carrier ’s handle. Never restrain pets or pet carriers
in the front passenger
’s seat. For further
information, consult your veterinarian,
local animal protection society or petshop. & Tire pressures
WARNING
Driving at high speeds with exces- 
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to anaccident.
Check and, if necessary, adjust the
pressure of each tire (including the spare)
at least once a month and before any long
journey. 
Check the tire pressure when the tires are 
cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust the
tire pressures to the values shown on the
tire placard. For detailed information, referto “Tires and wheels ”F 11-21. 

12
Illustrated index &Exterior1) Engine hood (page 11-4) 
2) Headlight switch (page 3-28) 
3) Bulb replacement (page 11-36) 
4) Wiper switch (page 3-34) 
5) Moonroof (page 2-25)
6) Roof rail (if equipped) (page 8-14) 
7) Door locks (page 2-5) 
8) Tire pressure (page 11-23) 
9) Flat tires (page 9-6) 
10) Tire chains (page 8-11) 
11) Fog light switch (page 3-32) 
12) Tie-down hooks (page 9-15)
13) Towing hook (page 9-15)  

1-28Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
pretensioners have no user-ser- 
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, see your nearest
SUBARU dealer.
. When discarding front seatbelt
retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& System monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The
seatbelt pretensioners share the control
module with the airbag system. Therefore,
if any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt
pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. For details,
refer to “SRS airbag system monitors ”F 1-
71.
& System servicing
WARNING
. When discarding a seatbelt re-
tractor assembly or scrapping the entire vehicle damaged by a 
collision, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
. Tampering with or disconnecting
the system ’s wiring could result
in accidental activation of the
seatbelt pretensioner and/or air-
bag or could make the system
inoperative, which may result in
serious injury. Do not use elec-
trical test equipment on any
circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and airbag sys-
tems. For required servicing of
the seatbelt pretensioner, see
your nearest SUBARU dealer.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located 
on both sides of the radiator panel,
and the airbag control module in-
cluding the impact sensors is lo-
cated under the center console. If
you need service or repair in those
areas or near the front seatbelt
retractors, we recommend that you
have an authorized SUBARU dealer
perform the work. NOTE 
If the front part of the vehicle is 
damaged in an accident to the extent
that the seatbelt pretensioner does not
operate, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible. &
Precautions against vehicle modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if 
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following 
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners. . Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow, 
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the door
pillar or specified for individual 

1-66Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
!Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS curtain airbag will most 
likely deploy1) A severe side impact near the front seat
or the second-row seat activates the 
SRS curtain airbag.
2) The vehicle rolls onto its side or the roof. 
3) If the angle of vehicle tip-up is marginal or if the skidding vehicle ’s tires hit a
curbstone laterally.  

or wiring of the SRS airbag system. 
This includes following modifica- tions. .Installation of custom steering
wheels
. Attachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
. Installation of custom seats
. Replacement of seat fabric or
leather
. Installation of additional fabric or
leather on the front seat
. Attachment of a hands-free mi-
crophone or any other accessory 
to a front pillar, a center pillar, a
rear pillar, the windshield, a side
window, an assist grip, or any
other cabin surface that would be
near a deploying SRS curtainairbag.
. Installation of additional electri-
cal/electronic equipment such as
a mobile two-way radio on or
near the SRS airbag system
components and/or wiring is not
advisable. This could interfere
with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system.CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following 
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the SRS airbag system. . Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow, 
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver ’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-er ’s Manual.
. Attachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors,
etc.) other than genuine SUBARU 
accessory parts to the side body.
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if 
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)1-73 

3-14Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
vehicle speed and stop the vehicle at the 
nearest safe place. 
Park the vehicle for several minutes. After 
the light turns off, you can start driving. 
If the light does not turn off, contact the 
nearest SUBARU dealer for service. NOTE .If the tire pressures are not correct
and/or the tires are not all the same 
size and brand, the rear differential will
be heavily loaded when the vehicle is
driven, resulting in an abnormally high
oil temperature.. The rear differential oil will deterio-
rate if its temperature increases en-
ough for the rear differential oil tem-
perature warning light to illuminate. It is
advisable to have the rear differential
oil replaced as soon as possible. & Low tire pressure 
warning light
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure 
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning 
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will turn off. 
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly when cold 
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for thosetires.) 
As an added safety feature, your vehicle 
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle
’s handling and
stopping ability. 
Please note that the TPMS is not a 
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale. Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re- 
placement or alternate tires or wheels on 
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly. 
Should the warning light illuminate stea- 
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon aspossible.  

WARNING
If this light does not illuminate 
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. 
If this light illuminates while driving, 
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur. 
If this light still illuminates while 
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, a tire may have significant
damage and a fast leak that causes 
the tire to lose air rapidly. If you have 
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible. 
When a spare tire is mounted or a 
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the Low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates that the TPMS is unable to monitor
all four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. If the light
illuminates steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU dealer
to have the system inspected.
CAUTION
The tire pressure monitoring system 
is NOT a substitute for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked peri-
odically (at least monthly) using a
tire gauge. After any change to tire
pressure(s), the tire pressure mon-
itoring system will not re-check tire
inflation pressures until the vehicle
is first driven more than 20 mph (32
km/h). Therefore, after adjusting the
tire pressures, increase the vehicle
speed to at least 20 mph (32 km/h) to
start the TPMS re-checking of the
tire inflation pressures. If the tire
pressures are now above the severe
low pressure threshold, the low tire 
pressure warning light should turn 
off a few minutes later. Therefore, be
sure to install the specified size for the front and rear tires.
& ABS warning light
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as 
follows, the ABS system may not
work 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 any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by
your SUBARU dealer.
The ABS warning light illuminates to-
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights3-15
– CONTINUED –  

3-18Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
&All-Wheel Drive warn- 
ing light
WARNING
Continued driving with the AWD 
warning light flashing can lead to
powertrain damage. If the AWD
warning light flashes, promptly park
in a safe place then check whether
all four tires are the same diameter
and whether any of the tires has a
puncture or has lost air pressure for
some other reason.
NOTE 
If the temporary spare tire is used, the 
AWD warning light may flash. Use of
the temporary spare tire should there-
fore be restricted to the minimum time
necessary. Replace the temporary
spare tire with a conventional tire as
soon as possible. 
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven 
with tires of different diameters fitted on its
wheels or with the air pressure exces-
sively low in any of its tires. &
Vehicle Dynamics 
Control warning light 
(U.S.-spec models and 
Canada-spec. models)/
Vehicle Dynamics Con- 
trol operation indicator 
light (all models)
!Vehicle Dynamics Control warning 
light (U.S.-spec models and
Canada-spec. models)
CAUTION
The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys- 
tem provides its ABS control
through the electrical circuit of the
ABS system. Accordingly, if the ABS
is inoperative, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system becomes unable to
provide ABS control. As a result, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
also becomes inoperative, causing 
the warning light to illuminate. 
Though both the Vehicle Dynamics
Control and ABS systems are inop-
erative in this case, the ordinary
functions of the brake system are
still available. You will be safe while
driving with this condition, but drive
carefully and have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
NOTE . If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself mal- 
functions, the warning light only illumi-
nates. At this time, the ABS (Anti-lock
Brake System) remains fully opera-tional.. The warning light illuminates when
the electronic control system of the
ABS/Vehicle Dynamics Control systemmalfunctions. 
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is 
probably inoperative under any of the 
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is running. NOTE 
If the warning light behavior is as 
described in the following examples,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
may be considered normal. . The warning light illuminates right