
constant brake pedal pressure.Do not pump the brake pedalsince doing so may defeat theoperation of the ABS system.
The ABS system prevents the lock-up ofwheels which may occur during suddenbraking or braking on slippery road sur-faces. This helps prevent the loss ofsteering control and directional stabilitycaused by wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, youmay hear a chattering noise or feel a slightvibration in the brake pedal. This is normalwhen the ABS operates.
The ABS system will not operate when thevehicle speed is below approximately 6mph (10 km/h).
&ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brakepedal and hear the operating sound ofABS from the engine compartment justafter the vehicle is started. This is causedby an automatic functional test of the ABSsystem being carried out and does notindicate any abnormal condition.
&ABS warning light
The ABS warning light illuminates whenthe ignition switch is turned to the“ON”position and turns off after approximately 2seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS systemis working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves asfollows, the ABS system may notbe working properly.
Whenthe warning light illuminates,the ABS function shuts down; how-ever, the conventional brake systemcontinues to operate normally.
.The warning light does not illu-minatewhen the ignition switch
is turned to the“ON”position.
.The warning light illuminateswhen the ignition switch isturned to the“ON”position, butit does not turn off even when thevehicle speed exceeds approxi-mately 8 mph (12 km/h).
.The warning light illuminates dur-ing driving.
If these occur, have the ABS systemrepaired at the first available oppor-tunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is asdescribed in the following, the ABSsystem may be considered normal.
.The warning light illuminates rightafterthe engine is started but turns offimmediately, remaining off..The warning light remains illumi-nated after the engine has been started,but it turns off when the vehicle speedreaches approximately 8 mph (12km/h)..The warning light illuminates duringdriving, but it turns off immediately andremains off.
When driving with an insufficient batteryvoltage suchas when the engine is jump
Starting and operating7-21
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7-22Starting and operating
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-nate. This is due to the low battery voltageand does not indicate a malfunction.When the battery becomes fully charged,the light will turn off.
Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) system
The EBD system maximizes the effective-ness of the brakes by allowing the rearbrakes to supply a greater proportion ofthe braking force. It functions by adjustingthe distribution of braking force to the rearwheels in accordance with the vehicle’sloading condition and speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of theABS system anduses some of the ABSsystem’s components to perform its func-tion of optimizing the distribution of brak-ing force. If any of the ABS componentsused by the EBD system malfunction, theEBD system also stops working.
Whenthe EBD system is operating, youmay hear a chattering noise or feel a slightvibration in the brake pedal. This is normaland does not indicate a malfunction.
&Steps to take if EBD system
malfunctions
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,the system stops working and the brakesystem warning light and ABS warninglightilluminate simultaneously.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning ifthebrake system warning light and ABSwarning light illuminate simultaneouslyduring driving.
Even if the EBD system malfunctions, theconventional braking system will still func-tion. However, the rear wheels will bemore prone to locking when the brakesare applied harder than usual and thevehicle’s motion may therefore becomesomewhat 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 location.
2. Shut down the engine, apply theparking brake, and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If bothwarning lights turn off, the EBD systemmay be malfunctioning.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARUdealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate againand remain illuminated after the enginehas been restarted, shut down the engineagain, apply the parking brake, and checkthe brake fluid level. Refer to“Brake fluid”F11-17.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the“MIN”mark, the EBD system may bemalfunctioning. Drive carefully to thenearest SUBARU dealer and have thesystem inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the“MIN”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.Instead, have the vehicle towed to thenearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
WARNING
.Driving with the brake systemwarning light illuminated is dan-
gerous. This indicates your brakesystem may not be workingproperly. If the light remainsilluminated, have the brakes in-spected by a SUBARU dealerimmediately.
.If at all in doubt about whetherthe brakes are operating prop-erly, do not drive the vehicle.Have your vehicle towed to thenearest SUBARU dealer for re-pair.
Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
WARNING
Always use the utmost care indriving–overconfidence becauseyou are driving with a Vehicle Dy-namics Control system equippedvehicle could easily lead to a ser-ious accident.
CAUTION
.Even if your vehicle is equippedwith Vehicle Dynamics Controlsystem, winter tires should beused when driving on snow-cov-ered or icy roads; in addition,vehicle speed should be reducedconsiderably. Simply having aVehicle Dynamics Control sys-tem does not guarantee that thevehicle will be able to avoidaccidents in any situation.
.Activation of the Vehicle Dy-namics Control system is anindication that the road beingtravelled on has a slippery sur-face; since having Vehicle Dy-namics Control is no guarantee
Starting and operating7-23
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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 monitoring system willactivate only when the vehicle is driven atspeeds above 20 mph (32 km/h). Also,this system may not react immediately to asudden drop in tire pressure (for example,a blow-out caused by running over asharp object).
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning lightilluminates while driving, neverbrake suddenly and keep drivingstraight ahead while gradually redu-cing speed. Then slowly pull off theroad to a safe place. Otherwise anaccident involving serious vehicledamage and serious personal injurycould occur.
Check the pressure for all four tiresand adjust the pressure to the COLDtire pressure shown on the tireplacard on the door pillar on thedriver’s side.
Even when the vehicle is driven avery short distance, the tires getwarm and their pressures increaseaccordingly. Be sure to let the tirescool thoroughly before adjustingtheir pressures to the standardvalues shown on the tire placard.Refer to“Tires and wheels”F11-21.The tire pressure monitoring systemdoes not function when the vehicleis stationary. After adjusting the tirepressures, increase the vehiclespeed to at least 20 mph (32 km/h)to start the TPMS re-checking of thetire inflation pressures. If the tirepressures are now above the severe
low pressure threshold, the low tirepressure warning light should turnoff a few minutes later.
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 tireas 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 dealeras soon as possiblefor tire and sensor replacement and/or system resetting.
Do not inject any tire liquid oraerosol tire sealant into the tires,as this may cause a malfunction ofthe tire pressure sensors. If the lightilluminates steadily after blinking forapproximately one minute, promptlycontact a SUBARU dealer to havethe system inspected.
Starting and operating7-27
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To release the parking brake, hold downthe brake pedal while depressing theparkingbrake pedal and slowly releasingit.
When the parking brake is set while theengine is running, the brake systemwarning light illuminates. After startingthe vehicle, be sure that the warning lighthas turned off before the vehicle is driven.Refer to“Brake system warning light”F3-16.
&Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always set theparking brake firmly and put the selectlever in the“P”(Park) position. Always setthe parking brake firmly when parking yourvehicle. Never rely on the transmissionalone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn thesteering wheel. When the vehicle isheadedup the hill, the front wheels shouldbe turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheelsshould be turned into the curb.
Cruise control
Cruise control enables you to maintain aconstant vehicle speed without holdingyour foot on the accelerator pedal and it isoperative when the vehicle speed is 25mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure themain switch is turned“OFF”whenthecruise control is not in use to avoidunintentionally setting the cruise control.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control underany of the following conditions.These may cause loss of vehiclecontrol.
.driving up or down a steep grade
.driving on slippery or windingroads
.driving in heavy traffic
.towing a trailer
NOTE
If you move the cruise control lever orpress the main switch button whileturning the ignition switch“ON”, thecruise control function is deactivatedand the cruise control indicator lightflashes.To reactivate the cruise controlfunction, turn the ignition switch back
Starting and operating7-29
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&To temporarily cancel the
cruise control
The cruise control can be temporarilycanceled in the following ways.
.Pull the control lever toward you.
.Depressthe brake pedal.
WARNING
Do not place the select lever in the“N”position while driving. If theselect lever is shifted into the“N”position, cruise control can be can-celed but the engine brake will nolonger work. This could result in anaccident.
The cruise control set indicator light on thecombination meter turns off when the
cruise control is canceled.
To resume the cruise control after it hasbeen temporarily canceled and with vehi-cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32km/h) or more, push the control leverupward in the“RES/ACC”direction toreturn to the original cruising speed auto-matically.
The cruise control set indicator light on thecombination meter will automatically illu-minate at this time.
&To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruisecontrol:
.Push the main switch again.
.Turn the ignition switch to the“Acc”or“LOCK”position (but only when thevehicle is completely stopped).
&To change the cruising speed
!To increase the speed (by controllever)
Push the control lever upward in the“RES/ACC”direction and hold it until the vehiclereaches the desired speed. Then, releasethe control lever. The vehicle speed at thatmoment will be memorized and treated asthe new set speed.
When the difference between the actualvehicle speed and the set speed is lessthan 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed canbe increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each timeby pressing the control lever upward in the“RES/ACC”direction quickly.
Starting and operating7-31
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8-20Driving tips
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriatefor the ball mount and your trailer. Thehitch ball must be securely installed on theball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch withsafety chains that will hold the trailer’smaximum gross weight. The chainsshould cross under the trailer tongue toprevent the tongue from dropping onto theground in case it should disconnect fromthe hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in thechains taking tight turn situations intoaccount; however, be careful not to letthem drag on the ground.
WARNING
Do not connect safety chains to partof the vehicle other than the safetychain hooks.
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’blackfour-pin wire connector to the towingtrailer’s wire harness.
9. Confirm proper function of the hitchwire harness by individually activating thebrake, right turn signal, left turn signal,stop,and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE
Always disconnectthe trailer wire har-ness before launching or retrieving a
watercraft.
&When you do not tow a trailer
.Remove the ball mount from the hitchreceiver tube and insert the receiver coveronto the hitch receiver tube.
.Place the dust cap over the four-pinconnectorof the hitch wire harness toprotect against possible damage.
.Occasionally lubricate terminals of thefour-pin connector using the terminalgrease.

8-26Driving tips
blind spots occur with the vehicle’s stan-dard side mirrors, use towing mirrors thatconform with Federal, state/province and/or other applicable regulations.
!Trailer lights
CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improperconnection of trailer lights maydamage your vehicle’selectricalsystem and cause a malfunction ofyour vehicle’s lighting system.
Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-cle’s electrical system requires modifica-tions to the vehicle’s lighting circuit toincrease its capacity and accommodatewiring changes. To ensure the trailer lightsare connected properly, please consultyour SUBARU dealer. Check for properoperation of the turn signals, stop lightsand parking lights each time you hitch up.
!Tires
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the tem-porary spare tire is used. The tem-porary spare tire is not designed tosustain the towing load. Use of thetemporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tireand/or less stability of the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicleare properly inflated. Refer to“Tires”F12-8.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating andproper inflation pressure should be inaccordance with the trailer manufacturer’sspecifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tirewhen towing a trailer, ask a commercialroad service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in yourvehicle or trailer as a precaution againstgetting a flat tire, be sure that the sparetire is firmly secured.
&Trailer towing tips
CAUTION
.Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)when towing a trailer in hillycountry on hot days.
.When towing a trailer, steering,stability, stopping distance andbraking performance will be dif-ferent from normal operation. Forsafety’s sake, you should employ
extra caution when towing atrailer and you should neverspeed. You should also keep thefollowing tips in mind:
!Before starting out on a trip
.Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-hitch mounting are in good condition. Ifany problems are apparent, do not tow thetrailer.
.Check that the vehicle sits horizontallywith the trailer attached. If the vehicle istippedsharply up at the front and down atthe rear, check the total trailer weight,GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, thenconfirm that the load and its distributionare acceptable.
.Check that the tire pressures arecorrect.
.Checkthat the vehicle and trailer areconnected properly. Confirm that–the trailer tongue is connectedproperly to the hitch ball.–the trailer lights connector is con-nected properly and trailer’s stop lightsilluminate when the vehicle’s brakepedal is pressed, and that the trailer’sturn signal lights flash when thevehicle’s turn signal lever is operated.–the safety chains are connectedproperly.