2016 SUBARU IMPREZA towing

Illustrated index
&Exterior
1) Engine hood (page 11-5)
2) Wiper (page 3-97)
3) Headlight (page 3-89)
4) Replacing bulbs (page 11-36)
5) Moonroof (page 2-42)
6) Roof rails (page 8-14)
7) Outside mirror (page 3-108)
8) Door locks (page 2-5)
9) Tire pressure (page 11-23)
10) Flat tires (page 9-6)
11) Snow tires (page 8-10)
12) Fog light (page 3-94)
13) Tie-down hooks (page 9-14)
14) Towing hook (page 9-14)
10

1) Rear window defogger (page 3-108)
2) Fuel filler lid and cap (page 7-4)
3) Child safety locks (page 2-35)
4) Tie-down hole (page 9-14)
5) Trunk lid (page 2-38)
6) Rear gate (page 2-41)
7) Towing hook (page 9-14)–CONTINUED –
11

NOTE
This light also illuminates when the fuel
filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.
If you have recently refueled your vehicle,
the cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator light illuminating
could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.
Remove the cap and retighten it until it
clicks. Make sure nothing is interfering
with the sealing of the cap. Tightening the
cap will not make the CHECK ENGINE
warning light turn off immediately. It may
take several driving trips. If the light does
not turn off, take your vehicle to your
authorized SUBARU dealer immediately.
!If the light is blinking
If the light is blinking while driving, an
engine misfire condition has been de-
tected which may damage the emission
control system.
To prevent serious damage to the emis-
sion control system, you should do the
following.
. Reduce vehicle speed.
. Avoid hard acceleration.
. Avoid steep uphill grades.
. Reduce the amount of cargo, if possi-
ble.
. If towing a trailer, stop doing so as soon
as possible (trailer towing permitted with
Crosstrek models only). The CHECK ENGINE warning light may
stop blinking and illuminate steadily after
several driving trips. You should have your
vehicle checked by an authorized
SUBARU dealer immediately.
&Coolant temperature
low indicator light/Cool-
ant temperature high
warning light
CAUTION
.
After turning the ignition switch
to the “ON ”position, if this
indicator light/warning light be-
haves in any of the following
ways, the electrical system may
be malfunctioning. Contact your
SUBARU dealer immediately for
an inspection.
– It remains blinking in RED.
– It remains illuminated in RED
for more than 2 seconds.
– It remains blinking in RED and
BLUE alternately.
. While driving, if this indicator
light/warning light behaves in
any of the following ways, take
the specified appropriate mea-
sure listed below. –
Blinking or illuminated in
RED:
Safely stop the vehicle as
soon as possible, and refer
to the emergency steps to
take in the case of engine
overheating. After that, have
the system checked by your
nearest SUBARU dealer. Refer
to “Engine overheating ”F9-
13.
– Blinking in RED and BLUE
alternately:
The electrical system may be
malfunctioning. Contact your
SUBARU dealer for an inspec-
tion.
This coolant temperature low indicator
light/coolant temperature high warning
light has the following three functions.
. Illumination in BLUEindicates insuffi-
cient warming up of the engine
. Blinking in REDindicates that the
engine is close to overheating
. Illumination in REDindicates overheat-
ing condition of the engine
For a system check, this indicator light/
warning light illuminates in REDfor
approximately 2 seconds when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON”position.
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
–CONTINUED –3-17

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
mission.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the “P”position. Do not park for
a long time with the select lever
in any other position as doing so
could result in a dead battery.
& Continuously variable trans-
mission features
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. For some models, it also
has a manual mode or an “L”position.
NOTE
. When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift or downshift at higher engine
speeds than when the coolant tempera-
ture is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve
driveability. The gearshift timing will
automatically shift to the normal timing
after the engine has warmed up.
. Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
.
When driving a CVT model under
continuous heavy load conditions such
as when towing a camper or climbing a
long, steep hill, the engine speed or the
vehicle speed may automatically be
reduced. This is not a malfunction. This
phenomenon results from the engine
control function maintaining the cool-
ing performance of the vehicle. The
engine and vehicle speed will return to
a normal speed when the engine is able
to maintain the optimum cooling per-
formance after the heavy load de-
creases. Driving under a heavy load
must be performed with extreme care.
Do not try to pass a vehicle in front
when driving on an uphill slope while
towing. .
The continuously variable transmis-
sion is a chain type system that
provides superior transmission effi-
ciency for maximum fuel economy. At
times, depending on varying driving
conditions, a chain operating sound
may be heard that is characteristic of
this type of system.
& Select lever
! Select lever positions
1) Select lever button
7-24

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

Cruise control (if equipped)
NOTE
For models with EyeSight system:
Refer to the Owner’s Manual supple-
ment for the EyeSight system.
Cruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions.
These may cause loss of vehicle
control.
. driving up or down a steep grade
. driving on slippery or winding
roads
. driving in heavy traffic
. towing a trailer
NOTE
Make sure the cruise control system is
turned off when the cruise control is
not in use to avoid unintentionally
setting of the cruise control.
&To set cruise control
Cruise control main button (except Cross-
trek models)
Cruise control main button (Crosstrek
models)
1. Press the cruise control main button.
Cruise control indicator light (type A)
Cruise control indicator light (type B)
The cruise control indicator light on the
combination meter will illuminate.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the
vehicle reaches the desired speed.
Starting and operating/Cruise control
–CONTINUED –7-45

nation meter, and the BSD/RCTA is
deactivated.
Press the switch again to activate the
BSD/RCTA. The BSD/RCTA OFF indica-
tor will disappear.
NOTE
.In the following cases, the system
may not operate properly due to
blocked radar waves. Press the BSD/
RCTA OFF switch to deactivate the
system.
–When towing a trailer
– When a bicycle carrier or other
item is fitted to the rear of the
vehicle
– When using a chassis dynam-
ometer or free roller device, etc.
– When running the engine and
makingthewheelsrotatewhile
lifting up the vehicle
. If the ignition switch is turned to the
“LOCK ”/“OFF ”position, the last known
status of the system is maintained. For
example, if the ignition switch is turned
to the “LOCK ”/“OFF ”position with the
BSD/RCTA deactivated, the BSD/RCTA
will remain deactivated the next time
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON ”position.
. If the vehicle battery is disconnected
due to situations such as battery terminal or fuse replacement, after the
battery is reconnected, the BSD/RCTA
will be activated.
&
Certification for the BSD/
RCTA
FCC ID: OAYSRR2A
CAUTION
FCC WARNING
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party re-
sponsible for compliance could void
the user ’s authority to operate the
equipment.
This device complies with part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interfer-
ence received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
& Handling of radar sensors
Radar sensors
The radar sensors, one on each side of
the vehicle, are mounted inside the rear
bumper.
To ensure correct operation of the BSD/
RCTA, observe the following precautions.
. Always keep the bumper surface near
the radar sensors clean.
. Do not affix any stickers or other items
on the bumper surface near the radar
sensors.
. Do not modify the bumper near the
radar sensors.
. Do not paint the bumper near the radar
sensors.
. Do not expose the bumper near the
radar sensors to strong impacts. If a
Starting and operating/BSD/RCTA (5 –door models —if equipped)
–CONTINUED –7-57

New vehicle break-in driving–the first
1,000 miles (1,600 km) ..................................... 8-2
Fuel economy hints ............................................ 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ............ 8-2
Catalytic converter .............................................. 8-3
Periodic inspections ........................................... 8-4
Driving in foreign countries ............................... 8-4
Driving tips for AWD models .............................. 8-4
Off road driving ................................................... 8-6
Except Crosstrek models. .................................... 8-6
Crosstrek models ................................................ 8-6
Winter driving...................................................... 8-8Operation during cold weather ............................. 8-8
Driving on snowy and icy roads .......................... 8-9
Corrosion protection .......................................... 8-10
Snow tires ......................................................... 8-10
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-11
Rocking the vehicle ............................................ 8-11
Loading your vehicle ......................................... 8-12Vehicle capacity weight ...................................... 8-13
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........................ 8-13
Roof rail (if equipped) ........................................ 8-14
Roof molding and crossbar (5-door models —if
equipped) ........................................................ 8-15
Trailer hitch (Crosstrek models —dealer
option) ............................................................. 8-16
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-17
If not towing a trailer .......................................... 8-18
Trailer towing (Crosstrek models) .................... 8-18Warranties and maintenance.............................. 8-19
Maximum load limits .......................................... 8-19
Trailer Hitches ................................................... 8-22
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-23
Trailer towing tips .............................................. 8-24
Driving tips
8