
10-2Appearance care
Exterior care
&Washing
CAUTION
.When washing the vehicle, thebrakes may get wet. As a result,the brake stopping distance willbe longer. To dry the brakes,drive the vehicle at a safe speedwhile lightly pressing the brakepedal to heat up the brakes.
.Do not wash the engine compart-ment and areas adjacent to it. Ifwater enters the engine air in-take, electrical parts or the powersteering fluid reservoir, it willcause engine trouble or a mal-functionof the power steering.
.Do not use any organic solventswhen washing the surface of thebulb assembly cover. However, ifa detergent with organic solventsis used to wash the cover sur-face, completely rinse off thedetergent with water. Otherwise,the cover surface may be da-maged.
.Since your vehicle is equippedwith a rear wiper, automatic car-wash brushes could become
tangled around it, damaging thewiper arm and other compo-nents. Ask the automatic car-wash operator not to let thebrushes touch the wiper arm orto fix the wiper arm on the rearwindow glass with adhesive tapebefore operating the machine.
NOTE
When having your vehicle washed inan automatic car wash, make surebeforehand that the car wash is ofsuitable type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’sbeauty is frequent washing. Wash thevehicleat least once a month to avoidcontamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plentyof lukewarm or cold water. Do not washthe vehicle with hot water and in directsunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot, treesap, and bird droppings should be washedoff by using a light detergent, as required.If you use a light detergent, make certainthat it is a neutral detergent. Do not usestrong soap or chemical detergents. Allcleaning agents should be promptlyflushed from the surface and not allowed
to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughlywith plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe theremaining water off with a chamois or softcloth.
!Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used fordeicing road surfaces are extremely cor-rosive, accelerating the corrosion of un-derbody components, such as the exhaustsystem, fuel and brake lines, brakecables, floor pan and fenders, and sus-pension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-side of the fenders with lukewarm or coldwater at frequent intervals to reduce theharmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbodycomponents may accelerate their corro-sion.
Afterdriving off-road or muddy or sandyroads, wash the mud and sand off theunderbody.
Carefully flushthe suspension and axleparts, as they are particularly prone tomud and sand buildup. Do not use asharp-edged tool to remove caked mud.
NOTE
Be careful not to damage brake hoses,sensor harnesses, and other partswhen washing suspension compo-

Tires and wheels
&Types of tires
You should be familiar with type of tirespresent on your vehicle.
!All season tires
The factory-installed tires on your newvehicle are all season tires.
All season tires are designed to providean adequate measure of traction, handlingand braking performance in year-rounddriving including snowy and icy roadconditions. However all season tires donot offer as much traction performance aswinter (snow) tires in heavy or loose snowor on icy roads.
All season tires are identified by“ALLSEASON”and/or“M+S”(Mud & Snow) onthe tire sidewall.
!Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed capabilitytires best suited for highway driving underdry conditions.
Summer tires are inadequate for drivingon slippery roads such as on snow-covered or icy roads.
If you drive your vehicle on snow-coveredor icy roads, we strongly recommend theuse of winter (snow) tires.
When installing winter tires, be sure to
replace all four tires.
!Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving onsnow-covered and icy roads. Howeverwinter tires do not perform as well assummer tires and all season tires on roadsother than snow-covered and icy roads.
&Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-vides the driver with a warning messageby sending a signal from a sensor that isinstalled in each wheel when tire pressureis severely low. The tire pressure monitor-ing system will activate only when thevehicle is driven. Also, this system maynot react immediately to a sudden drop intire pressure (for example, a blow-outcausedby running over a sharp object).
If you adjust the tire pressures in a warmgarage and will then drive the vehicle incold outside air, the resulting drop in tirepressures may cause the low tire pressurewarning light to illuminate. To avoid thisproblem when adjusting the tire pressuresin a warm garage, inflate the tires topressures higher than those shown on thetire placard. Specifically, inflate them by anextra 1 psi (6.9 kPa, 0.07 kgf/cm2) forevery difference of 108F (5.68C) between
the temperature in the garage and thetemperature outside. By way of example,the following table shows the required tirepressures that correspond to various out-side temperatures when the temperaturein the garage is 608F (15.68C).
Standard tire pressures:
Front: 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm2)
Rear: 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm2)
Garage temperature: 608F (15.68C)
OutsidetemperatureAdjusted pressure[psi (kPa, kgf/cm2)]
FrontRear
308F(!18C)36 (250, 2.5) 35 (240, 2.4)
108F(!128C)38(265, 2.65)37(255, 2.55)
!108F(!238C)40 (280, 2.8)39 (270, 2.7)
If the low tire pressure warning lightilluminates when you drive the vehicle incold outside air after adjusting the tirepressures in a warm garage, re-adjust thetire pressures using the method describedabove. Then, increase the vehicle speedto at least 20 mph (32 km/h) and check tosee that the low tire pressure warning lightturns off a few minutes later. If the low tirepressure warning light does not turn off,the tire pressure monitoring system may
Maintenance and service11-21
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11-22Maintenance and service
not be functioning normally. In this event,go to a SUBARU dealer to have thesystem inspected as soon as possible.
While the vehicle is driven, friction be-tween tires and the road surface causesthe tires to warm up. After illumination ofthe low tire pressure warning light, anyincrease in the tire pressures caused byan increase in the outside air temperatureor by an increase in the temperature in thetires can cause the low tire pressurewarning light to turn off.
System resetting is necessary when thewheels are changed (for example, aswitch to snow tires) and new TPMSvalves are installed on the newly fittedwheels. Have this work performed by aSUBARU dealer following wheel replace-ment.
It may not be possible to install TPMSvalves on certain wheels that are on themarket. Therefore, if you change thewheels (for example, a switch to snowtires), use wheels that have the same partnumber as the standard-equipmentwheels. Without four operational TPMSvalve/sensors on the wheels, the TPMSwill not fully function and the warning lightin the instrument panel will illuminatesteadily after blinking for approximatelyone minute.
When a tire is replaced, adjustments arenecessary to ensure continued normaloperation of the tire pressure monitoringsystem. As with wheel replacement, there-fore, you should have the work performedby a SUBARU dealer.
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning lightdoes not illuminate briefly after theignition switch is turned ON or thelight illuminates steadily after blink-ing for approximately one minute,you shouldhave your Tire PressureMonitoring System checked at aSUBARU dealer as soon as possi-ble.
If this light illuminates while driving,never brake suddenly and keepdriving straight ahead while gradu-ally reducing speed. Then slowlypull off the road to a safe place.Otherwise an accident involvingserious vehicle damage and seriouspersonal injury could occur.
If this light still illuminates whiledriving after adjusting the tire pres-sure, a tire may have significantdamage and a fast leak that causesthe tire to lose air rapidly. If you havea flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or awheel rim is replaced without theoriginal pressure sensor/transmitterbeing transferred, the low tire pres-sure warning light will illuminatesteadily after blinking for approxi-mately one minute. This indicatesthe TPMS is unable to monitor allfour road wheels. Contact yourSUBARU dealer as soon as possiblefor tire and sensor replacement and/or system resetting. If the lightilluminates steadily after blinkingfor approximately one minute,promptly contact a SUBARU dealerto have the system inspected.
&Tire inspection
Checkon a daily basis that the tires arefree from serious damage, nails, andstones. At the same time, check the tiresfor abnormal wear.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immedi-ately if you find any problem.
NOTE
.When the wheels and tires strikecurbs or are subjected to harsh treat-ment as when the vehicle is driven on arough surface, they can suffer damage

Folding down......................................................... 1-10Forward and backward adjustment............................. 1-8Head restraint adjustment....................................... 1-12Reclining................................................................. 1-9SecurityAlarm system........................................................ 2-16ID plate................................................................... 2-3Immobilizer.............................................................. 2-3Indicator light................................................... 2-4, 3-21Shock sensors....................................................... 2-20Select lever............................................................... 7-13Position indicator................................................... 3-21Shift lock function................................................... 7-14Shift lock release................................................... 7-14Shock sensors........................................................... 2-20Shopping bag hook.................................................... 6-13Snow tires........................................................ 8-10, 11-21Snowy and icy roads.................................................... 8-9Sounding a panic alarm.............................................. 2-11Spare tire.................................................................... 9-2Spark plugs...................................................... 11-13, 12-7Specifications............................................................ 12-2Speedometer............................................................... 3-6SPORT mode............................................................ 7-18Indicator light......................................................... 3-21SRSCurtain airbag........................................................ 1-60Frontal airbag........................................................ 1-49Side airbag........................................................... 1-60SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ... 5, 1-45
SRS airbag systemMonitors................................................................ 1-71Servicing............................................................... 1-72Warning light.......................................................... 3-11Starting the engine...................................................... 7-7State emission testing (U.S. only).................................. 7-5Steering wheelPower................................................................... 7-18Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44Stop light................................................................. 11-39Stopping the engine..................................................... 7-8Storage compartment................................................... 6-6Sun shade................................................................. 2-27Sun visors.................................................................. 6-4SupplementalRestraint System airbag (SRS)................ 1-45Synthetic leather upholstery......................................... 10-5
TTachometer................................................................. 3-7Temperature gauge...................................................... 3-8Temperature warning lightAT OIL TEMP......................................................... 3-13Rear differential oil.................................................. 3-13Temporary spare tire.................................................... 9-5Tether (child restraint system).............................. 1-37, 1-40Third-row seats.......................................................... 1-13Access to the third-row seat..................................... 1-14Folding down......................................................... 1-15Head restraint adjustment........................................ 1-16Tie-down hooks.......................................................... 9-15Tilt steering wheel....................................................... 3-44
Index14-9