2016 SUBARU IMPREZA brake light

caused by an automatic functional test of
the ABS being carried out and does not
indicate a malfunction.
&ABS warning light
Refer to “ABS warning light ”F 3-21.
Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) system
The EBD system maximizes the effective-
ness of the brakes by allowing the rear
brakes to supply a greater proportion of
the braking force. It functions by adjusting
the distribution of braking force to the rear
wheels in accordance with the vehicle’ s
loading condition and speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of the
ABS and uses some of the ABS compo-
nents to perform its function of optimizing
the distribution of braking force. If any of
the ABS components used by the EBD
system malfunction, the EBD system also
stops working.
When the EBD system is operating, you
may hear a chattering noise or feel a slight
vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal
and does not indicate a malfunction.
& Steps to take if EBD system
malfunctions
Type A
Type B
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,
the system stops working and the brake
Starting and operating/Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system
–CONTINUED –7-33

Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
system warning light and ABS warning
light illuminate simultaneously.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning if
the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system malfunctions, the
conventional braking system will still func-
tion. However, the rear wheels will be
more prone to locking when the brakes
are applied harder than usual and the
vehicle’s motion may therefore become
somewhat 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. Apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine.
3. Restart the engine.
4. Release the parking brake.
Even if both warning lights turn off:
The EBD system may be malfunctioning.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have the system inspected.
If both warning lights illuminate again
and remain illuminated after restarting
the engine:
1. Turn off the engine again. 2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Check the brake fluid level. For details
about checking the brake fluid level, refer
to
“Checking the fluid level ”F 11-16.
. 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.
. 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
& Safety precautions
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence because
you are driving a vehicle with the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
could easily lead to a serious acci-
dent.
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-
7-34

face; since having Vehicle Dy-
namics Control is no guarantee
that full vehicle control will be
maintained at all times and under
all conditions, its activation
should be seen as a sign that
the speed of the vehicle should
be reduced considerably.
. Whenever suspension compo-
nents, steering components, or
an axle are removed from a
vehicle, have an inspection of
that system performed by an
authorized SUBARU dealer.
. The following precautions should
be observed in order to ensure
that the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system is operating properly:
– All four wheels should be
fitted with tires of the same
size, type, and brand. Further-
more, the amount of wear
should be the same for all
four tires.
– Keep the tire pressure at the
proper level as shown on the
vehicle placard attached to
the driver ’s side door pillar.
– Use only the specified tem-
porary spare tire to replace a
flat tire. With a temporary spare tire, the effectiveness of
the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is reduced and this
should be taken into account
when driving the vehicle in
such a condition.
. If non-matching tires are used,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system may not operate cor-
rectly.
. The Vehicle Dynamics Control
system helps prevent unstable
vehicle motion such as skidding
using control of the brakes and
engine power. Do not turn off the
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem unless it is absolutely ne-
cessary. If you must turn off the
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem, drive very carefully accord-
ing to the road surface condi-
tions.
& System features
In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding
on a slippery road surface and/or during
cornering and/or an evasive maneuver,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
adjusts the engine ’s output and the
wheels’ respective braking forces to help maintain traction and directional control.
.
Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to
prevent spinning of the driving wheels on
slippery road surfaces, thereby helping to
maintain traction and directional control.
Activation of this function is shown by
steady illumination of the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control operation indicator light.
. Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed
to help maintain directional stability by
suppressing the wheels’ tendency to slide
sideways during steering operations. Acti-
vation of this function is shown by flashing
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light.
NOTE
. The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem may be considered normal when
the following conditions occur.
–Slight twitching of the brake
pedal is felt.
– The vehicle or steering wheel
shakes to a small degree.
– An operating sound from the
engine compartment is heard
briefly when starting the engine
and when driving off after starting
the engine.
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
–CONTINUED –7-35

Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
–The brake pedal seems to jolt
when driving off after starting the
engine.
. In the circumstances shown in the
following list, the vehicle may be less
stable than it feels to the driver. The
Vehicle Dynamics Control System may
therefore operate. Such operation does
not indicate a system malfunction.
–on gravel-covered or rutted
roads
– on unfinished roads
– when the vehicle is towing a
trailer (trailer towing permitted with
Crosstrek models only)
– when the vehicle is fitted with
snow tires or winter tires
. Activation of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will cause operation of
the steering wheel to feel slightly
different compared to that for normal
conditions.
. It is always important to reduce
speed when approaching a corner,
even if your vehicle is equipped with
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system.
. Always turn off the engine before
replacing a tire. Failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly.& Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor
Refer to “Vehicle Dynamics Control warn-
ing light/Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light ”F 3-24 and “Vehicle
Dynamics Control OFF indicator light ”F 3-
25.
& Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switch
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch
Press the Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF
switch to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system. It may be useful to briefly
deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system under the following situations.
. a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or otherwise slippery surface
.
extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator
light (type A)
7-36

Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator
light (type B)
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF indicator light“
”on the combination
meter illuminates. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will be deactivated and the
vehicle will behave like a model not
equipped with the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system. When the switch is pressed
again to reactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF indicator light turns off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system except under above-mentioned situations.
NOTE
.
When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the “LOCK”/“OFF ”
position and the engine is restarted.
. If the switch is held down for 30
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the
“LOCK ”/“OFF ”position and restart the
engine.
. When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system, the vehicle ’s running per-
formance is comparable with that of a
vehicle that does not have a Vehicle
Dynamics Control system. Do not de-
activate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system except when absolutely neces-
sary.
. Even when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is deactivated, compo-
nents of the brake control system may
still activate. When the brake control
system is activated, the Vehicle Dy- namics Control operation indicator
light flashes.
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system7-37

Starting and operating/Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.–spec. models)
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec.
models)
Low tire pressure warning light (type A)
Low tire pressure warning light (type B)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message
when tire pressure is severely low.
The tire pressure monitoring system will
activate only when the vehicle is driven at
speeds above 20 mph (32 km/h). Also,
this system may not react immediately to a
sudden drop in tire pressure (for example,
a blow-out caused by running over a
sharp object).
WARNING
. If the low tire pressure warning
light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly. Instead,
perform the following procedure.
Otherwise, an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and ser- ious personal injury could occur.
(1) Keep driving straight ahead
while gradually reducing
speed.
(2) Slowly pull off the road to a safe location.
(3) Check the pressure for all four tires and adjust the pressure
to the COLD tire pressure
shown on the tire placard.
The tire placard is located on
the door pillar on the driver ’s
side.
Even when the vehicle is driven a very short distance, the tires get
warm and their pressures in-
crease accordingly. Be sure to
let the tires cool thoroughly be-
fore adjusting their pressures to
the standard values shown on
the tire placard. Refer to “Tires
and wheels” F11-21. The tire
pressure monitoring system
does not function when the ve-
hicle is stationary. After adjusting
the tire pressures, increase the
vehicle speed to at least 20 mph
(32 km/h) to start the TPMS
rechecking of the tire inflation
pressures. If the tire pressures
are now above the severe low
7-38

Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
Parking your vehicle
&Parking brake
To set the parking brake, depress the
brake pedal firmly and hold it down until
the parking brake lever is fully pulled up.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever
up slightly, press the release button, then
lower the lever while keeping the button
pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the
engine is running, the parking brake
warning light illuminates. After starting
the vehicle, be sure that the warning light
has turned off before the vehicle is driven.
Refer to “Brake system warning light (red) ”
F 3-21.
CAUTION
Never drive while the parking brake
is set because this will cause un-
necessary wear on the brake lin-
ings. Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake
has been fully released.
& Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always per-
form the following items.
. Apply the parking brake firmly.
. For MT models, put the shift lever in the
“1 ”(1st) for upgrade or “R”(Reverse) for a
downgrade.
. For CVT models, put the select lever in
the “P ”(Park) position.
Never rely on the mechanical friction of
the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel. When the vehicle is
headed up the hill, the front wheels should
be turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb.
7-40

Starting and operating/Hill start assist system
1) Starting forward facing uphill
2) Starting backward facing downhill
A) Brake pedal (both MT models and CVTmodels)
B) Clutch pedal (MT models only)
In both these cases, the Hill start assist
system operates under the following con- ditions.
.
when the clutch pedal is depressed
while the brake pedal is also depressed
(MT models)
. when the vehicle has stopped with the
brake pedal depressed (CVT models)
Braking power is maintained temporarily
(for approximately 2 seconds) by the Hill
start assist system after the brake pedal is
released. The driver is therefore able to
start the vehicle in the same way as on a
level grade, just using the clutch pedal
(MT models only) and accelerator pedal
(all models).
If the braking power of the Hill start assist
system is insufficient after the brake pedal
is released, apply more braking power by
depressing the brake pedal again.
The Hill start assist system may not
operate on slight grades. Also, the Hill
start assist system does not operate in the
following cases.
. when starting backward facing uphill
. when starting forward facing downhill
. while the parking brake is applied
. while the ignition switch is in the “ACC”
or “LOCK ”/“OFF ”position
. while the Hill start assist warning light/
7-42