
Preparing to drive
You should perform the following checksand adjustments every day before youstart driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, andlights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and conditionof the tires. Also check tires for properinflation.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign ofleaks.
4. Check that the hood and rear gate arefully closed.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat.
6. Check the adjustment of the insideand outside mirrors.
7. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that yourpassengers have fastened their seatbelts.
8. Check the operation of the warningand indicator lights when the ignitionswitch is turned to the“ON”position.
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warn-ing lights after starting the engine.
NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,washer fluid and other fluid levelsshould be checked daily, weekly or atfuel stops.
Starting the engine
CAUTION
.Do not operate the starter motorcontinuously for more than 10seconds. If the engine fails tostart after operating the starterfor 5 to 10 seconds, wait for 10seconds or more before tryingagain.
.If you restart the engine while thevehicle is moving, shift the selectlever into the“N”position. Donot attempt to place the selectlever of a moving vehicle into the“P”position.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac-cessories.
3. Shift the select lever to the“P”or“N”position (preferably“P”position). Thestarter will only operate when the selectlever is at the“P”or“N”position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”position and check the operation of thewarning and indicator lights. Refer to“Warning and indicator lights”F3-9.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the“START”positionwithoutdepressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediatelyafter the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try thefollowing.(1) Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”position and wait for at least10 seconds. After checking that theparking brake is firmly set, turn theignition switch to the“START”positionwhile depressing the accelerator pedalslightly (approximately a quarter of thefull stroke).Release the acceleratorpedal as soon as the engine starts.(2) If this fails to start the engine, turnthe ignition switch back to the“LOCK”position and wait for at least 10seconds.Then fully depress the accel-erator pedal and turn the ignitionswitch to the“START”position. If theengine starts, quickly release theaccelerator pedal.(3) If this fails to start the engine, turnthe ignition switch again to the“LOCK”position.After waiting for 10 secondsor longer, turn the ignition switch to the“START”position without depressingthe accelerator pedal.(4) If the engine still refuses to start,contact your nearest SUBARU dealerfor assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicatorlights have turned off after the engine has
Starting and operating7-7
–CONTINUED–

&Starting your vehicle
The remote engine start system is acti-vated by pressing the“”button twicewithin 3 seconds on your remote enginestart transmitter. The system will checkcertain pre-conditions before starting, andif all safety parameters are correct, theengine will start within 5 seconds. Whilethe vehicle is operating via remote enginestart, the vehicle’s power window featureswill be disabled. Also, the system has atimer and will shut down after 15 minutes ifyou do not operate the vehicle. Press andhold the“”button for 2 seconds again toturn the vehicle off. If the vehicle’s startercranks but does not start or starts andstalls, the remote engine start system willpower off then attempt to start the vehicle
an additional four times. If the vehicle failsto start after the additional attempts, theremote engine start system will abort andreturn to a non activated state.
&Remote start safety features
For safety and security reasons, thesystem will fail to start and beep the horntwice or shut down the engine duringremote start operation if any of thefollowing occur:
.The brake pedal is depressed beforethe vehicle ignition switch is turned“on”
.The key was already in the ignitionswitch
.The engine hood is opened
.The vehicle’s engine idle speed hasreached a level over 3,000 RPM
.The alarm is triggered by opening anyof the doors or the rear gate.
NOTE
.The security indicator light on thedashboard will stop flashing whileunder remote engine start operation,but the vehicle is still protected..If the vehicle is entered duringremote engine start operation, thesystem will not record entry in thealarm history.
&Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start
1. Unlock the vehicle doors using theremote keyless entry system. If the vehi-cle’s doors are unlocked manually usingthe key, the vehicle’s alarm system willtrigger and the remote engine start systemwill turn off. Inserting the key into theignition switch and turning it to the“ON”position or pressing the unlock button“”on the remote keyless entry transmitterwill disarm the alarm system. Refer to“Alarmsystem”F2-16.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not depress thebrake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition switchand turn to the“ON”position. If the ignitionswitch is accidentally turned to the“START”position, the system’s“starteranti-grind”feature will prevent the starterfrom re-cranking.
4. Depress the brake pedal. The remotestarter disengages, the vehicle’s powerwindow features are re-enabled and thevehicle will operate normally.
&Entering the vehicle follow-
ing remote engine start shut-
down
An alarm trigger may occur if the vehicle isopened by the remote keyless entry
Starting and operating7-9
–CONTINUED–

7-10Starting and operating
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 settingand operation. After the system starts thevehicle, the heater or air-conditioning willactivate and heat or cool the interior toyour setting.
&Service mode
In service mode, the remote start functionis temporarily disabled to prevent thesystem from unexpectedly starting theengine while being serviced.
!To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”position, depress and hold the brake pedalthen, press and release the“”button onthe remote engine start transmitter threetimes. The system will pause for 1 secondand then flash the parking lights and honkthe hornthree times indicating that thesystem is in service mode. When attempt-ing to activate the remote start systemwhile in service mode, the parking lightswill flash and the horn will honk two timesand will not start.
!To disengage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”position, depress and hold the brakepedal, then press and release the“”button on the remote engine start trans-mitter three times. The system will pausefor 1 second and flash the parking lightsone time indicating that the system hasexited service mode.
NOTE
When taking your vehicle in for service,it is recommended that you inform theservice personnel that your vehicle isequippedwith a remote engine startsystem.
&Remote engine start trans-
mitter programming and pro-
grammable feature option
New transmitters can be programmed tothe remote engine start system in theevent that remote engine start transmittersare lost, stolen or damaged. The remoteengine start system also has one pro-grammable feature that can be adjustedfor user preference.
The remote engine start system can beprogrammed to either make an audiblehorn chirp upon remote start activation ornot. Remote engine start transmitter pro-gramming and feature programming can
be adjusted using the following procedure.
1. Open the driver’s door (the driver’sdoor must remain opened throughout theentire process).
2. Insert the key into the vehicle’s ignitionswitch and turn to the“ON”position.
3. Locate the small black programmingbutton behind the fuse box cover, on thedriver’s side left under the dashboardpanel.
4. Press and hold the black programmingbutton for 10 to 15 seconds. The horn willhonk and the parking lights will flash threetimes to indicate that the system hasentered programming mode. At this pointyou can perform either action (step 5 orstep 6).
5. To program a remote transmitter:press and release the“”button on eachtransmitter. The horn will honk and theparking lights will flash one time to indicatea successful transmitter learn each timethe“”button is pressed. You canprogram up to eight transmitters.
6. To toggle the Horn Confirmation chirpsON/OFF: press and release the brake totoggle the feature. The horn will chirp andthe parking lights will flash one time toindicate Confirmation Horn Chirps are“OFF”. The horn will honk and the parkinglights will flash 2 times to indicate Con-firmation Horn Chirps are“ON”. Depres-

sing the brake pedal repeatedly will togglethe feature ON or OFF each time.
7. To exit the remote transmitter andfeature programming mode, turn the igni-tion switch to the“LOCK”position, removethe key from the ignition switch and testoperation of the remote transmitter(s) andhorn confirmation feature.
&System maintenance
!Changing the batteries
CAUTION
.Do not let dust, oil or water get onor in the remote engine starttransmitter when replacing thebattery.
.Be careful not to damage theprinted circuit board in the re-mote engine start transmitterwhen replacing the battery.
.Be careful not to allow children totouch the battery and any re-moved parts; children couldswallowthem.
.There is a danger of explosion ifan incorrect replacement batteryis used. Replace only with thesame or equivalent type of bat-tery.
.Batteries should not be exposedto excessive heat such as sun-shine, fire or the like.
The two 3-volt lithium batteries (modelCR-1220) supplied in your remote enginestart transmitter should last approximatelythree years, depending on usage. Whenthebatteries begin to weaken, you willnotice a decrease in range (distance fromthe vehicle that your remote engine startsystem operates). Follow the instructionsbelow to change the remote controlbatteries.1. Carefully pry the remote engine starttransmitter halves apart using a small flat-head screwdriver.
Starting and operating7-11
–CONTINUED–

the“P”position to any other positionbefore the brake pedal is depressed.Depress the brake pedal first, and thenoperate the select lever.
.Only the“P”position allows you to turnthe key from the“Acc”position to the“LOCK”position and remove the key fromthe ignition key cylinder.
.If the ignition switch is turned to the“LOCK”position while the select lever is inthe“N”position,the select lever may notbe moved to the“P”positionafter a periodof time. Therefore, move the select leverto the“P”position with the brake pedaldepressed soon after the ignition switch isturned to the“LOCK”position.
!Shift lock release
If the select lever cannot be operated, turnthe ignition switch back to the“ON”position then move the select lever to the“P”position with the select lever buttonpressed and brake pedal depressed.
If the select lever does not move afterperforming the above procedure, performthe following steps.
.When the select lever cannot beshifted from“P”to“N”:
Refer to“Shift lock release using the shiftlock release button”F7-15.
.When the select lever cannot beshifted from“N”to“R”or“P”:
Within 60 seconds after placing the igni-tion switch in the“Acc”position, move theselect lever to the“R”or“P”position withthe select lever button pressed and brakepedal depressed.
If you must perform the above procedure,the shift lock system (or the vehicle controlsystem) may be malfunctioning. Contact aSUBARU dealer for an inspection as soonas possible.
If the select lever does not move afterperforming the above procedure, refer to“Shift lock release using the shift lockrelease button”F7-15.
!Shift lock release using the shiftlock release button
Perform the following procedure to releasethe shift lock.
1. Apply the parking brake and stop theengine.
2. Remove the cover by prying on theedge with a flat-head screwdriver.
NOTE
To prevent damage to the cover, wrapthetip of the flat-head screwdriver withvinyl tape or a cloth before removingthe cover.
Starting and operating7-15
–CONTINUED–

7-26Starting and operating
Tr a c t i o n C on t r o l s y s t e m O F F i nd i c a t o rlight (Latin America-spec. models)
Traction Control system OFF switch
Pressing the switch to deactivate theTraction Control system can facilitate thefollowing operations.
.a standing start on a steeply slopingroad with a snowy, gravel-covered, orotherwise slippery surface
.extrication of the vehicle when itswheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engineoperation, the Traction Control systemOFF indicator light on the combinationmeter illuminates. The Traction Controlsystem willbe deactivated and the vehiclewill behave like a model not equipped withthe Traction Control system. When theswitch is pressed again to reactivate theTraction Control system OFF indicatorlight turns off.
With the Traction Control system deacti-vated, traction enhancement offered byTraction Control system is unavailable.Therefore you should not deactivate theTraction Control system except underabove-mentioned situations.
NOTE
.When the switch has been pressedto deactivate the Traction Control sys-tem, the Traction Control system auto-matically reactivates itself the next timethe ignition key is turned to the“LOCK”position and the engine is restarted..If the switch is held down for 10seconds or longer, the indicator lightturns off,the Traction Control system
is activated, and the system ignoresany further pressing of the switch. Tomake the switch usable again, turn theignition key to the“LOCK”position andrestart the engine..When the switch is pressed todeactivate the Traction Control system,the vehicle’s running performance iscomparable with that of a vehicle thatdoes not have a Traction Controlsystem. Do not deactivate the TractionControl system except when absolutelynecessary.

9-18In case of emergency
CAUTION
.If transmission failure occurs,transport your vehicle on a flat-bed truck.
.Do not run the engine while beingtowed using this method. Trans-mission damage could result ifthe vehicle is towed with theengine running.
.The traveling speed must belimited to less than 20 mph (30km/h) and the traveling distanceto less than 31 miles (50 km). Forgreater speeds and distances,transport your vehicle on a flat-bed truck.
1. Release the parking brake and put thetransmission in neutral.
2. The ignition switch should be in the“Acc”position whilethe vehicle is beingtowed.
3. Take up slack in the towline slowly toprevent damage to the vehicle.
Rear gate–if the rear gate
cannot be unlocked
In the event that you cannot unlock therear gate by operating the power doorlocking switches or the remote keylessentry system, you can unlock it from insidethe cargo area.
1. Remove the access cover at thebottom-center of the rear gate trim usingflat-head screwdriver.
2. Locate the rear gate lock release leverbehind the reargate trim panel.
3. Unlock the rear gate by moving thelever to the right.
4. Open the rear gate from outside byraisingthe rear gate handle.

11-4Maintenance and service
guard against getting oil or fluidsin your eyes. If something doesget in your eyes, thoroughlywash them out with clean water.
.Do not tamper with the wiring ofthe SRS airbag system or seat-belt pretensioner system, or at-tempt to take its connectorsapart, as that may activate thesystem or it can render it inop-erative. NEVER use a circuittester for these wiring. If yourSRS airbag or seatbelt preten-sioner needs service, consultyour nearest SUBARU dealer.
&Before checking or servicing
in the engine compartment
WARNING
.Always stop the engine and setthe parking brake firmly to pre-vent the vehicle from moving.
.Always let the engine cool down.Engine parts become very hotwhen the engine is running andremain hot for some time afterthe engine is stopped.
.Do not spill engine oil, enginecoolant, brake fluid or any other
fluid on hot engine components.This may cause a fire.
.Always remove the key from theignition switch. When the ignitionswitch is in the“ON”position,the cooling fan may operatesuddenly even when the engineis stopped.
&When you do checking or
servicing in the engine com-
partment while the engine is
running
WARNING
A running engine can be dangerous.Keep your fingers, hands, clothing,hair and tools away from the coolingfan, belts and any other movingengine parts. Removing rings,watches and ties is advisable.
Engine hood
To open the hood:
1. If the wiper blades are lifted off thewindshield, return them to their originalpositions.
2. Pull the hood release knob under theinstrument panel.