2016 SUBARU LEGACY brake fluid

&Abbreviation list
You may find several abbreviations in this
manual. The meanings of the abbrevia-
tions are shown in the following list.
Abbreviation Meaning
A/C Air conditioner
ALR/ELRAutomatic locking retractor/
Emergency locking retractor
ABS Anti-lock brake system
AKI Anti knock index
ALR Automatic locking retractor
AWD All-wheel drive
BSD Blind Spot Detection
CVTContinuously variable trans-
mission
DRL Daytime running light
EBDElectronic brake force distri-
bution
ELR Emergency locking retractor
FWD Front-wheel drive
GAW Gross axle weight
GAWR Gross axle weight rating
GPS Global positioning system
GVW Gross vehicle weight
GVWR Gross vehicle weight rating
HID High intensity dischargeAbbreviation Meaning
INT Intermittent
LATCHLower anchors and tethers for
children
LCA Lane Change Assist
LED Light emitting diode
LSD Limited slip differential
MIL Malfunction indicator light
MMTMethylcyclopentadienyl man-
ganese tricarbonyl
MT Manual transmission
OBD On-board diagnostics
RON Research octane number
RCTA Rear Cross Traffic Alert
SRFSteering responsive fog lights
system
SRSSupplemental restraint sys-
tem
TIN Tire identification number
TPMSTire pressure monitoring sys-
tem
Vehicle symbols
There are some of the symbols you may
see on your vehicle.
For warning and indicator lights, refer to
“Warning and indicator lights”F23.
Mark Name
WARNING
CAUTION
Read these instructions care-
fully
Wear eye protection
Battery fluid contains sulfuric
acid
Keep children away
Keep flames away
Prevent explosions
3

General information
&California proposition 65
warning
WARNING
Engine exhaust, some of its consti-
tuents, and certain vehicle compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. In addi-
tion, certain fluids in vehicles and
certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to
the State of California to cause
cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
&California Perchlorate Advi-
sory
Certain vehicle components such as air-
bag modules, seatbelt pretensioners and
keyless entry transmitter batteries may
contain perchlorate material. Special
handling may apply for service or vehicle
end of life disposal. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/
hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
&Noise from under the vehicle
NOTE
You may hear a noise from under the
vehicle approximately 5 to 10 hours
after the engine is turned off. However,
this does not indicate a malfunction.
This noise is caused by the operation
of the fuel evaporation leakage check-
ing system and the operation is normal.
The noise will stop after approximately
15 minutes.
&Event data recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an event
data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of
an EDR is to record, in certain crash or
near crash-like situations, such as an air
bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle,
data that will assist in understanding how
a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for
a short period of time, typically 30 seconds
or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
.How various systems in your vehicle
were operating;
.Whether or not the driver and passen-
ger safety belts were buckled/fastened;
.How far (if at all) the driver was
depressing the accelerator and/or brakepedal; and,
.How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances in
which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle
only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash
location) are recorded. However, other
parties, such as law enforcement, could
combine the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely ac-
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the
vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition
to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties,
such as law enforcement, that have the
special equipment, can read the informa-
tion if they have access to the vehicle or
the EDR.
8

Ignition switch (models without push-
button start system)......................................... 3-3
LOCK.................................................................. 3-3
ACC.................................................................... 3-4
ON...................................................................... 3-4
START ................................................................ 3-4
Key reminder chime............................................ 3-4
Ignition switch light............................................. 3-4
Push-button ignition switch (models with
push-button start system)............................... 3-5
Safety precautions.............................................. 3-5
Operating range for push-button start system...... 3-5
Switching power................................................. 3-6
When access key does not operate properly........ 3-7
Hazard warning flasher....................................... 3-7
Meters and gauges.............................................. 3-7
Combination meter illumination........................... 3-7
Canceling the function for meter/gauge needle
movement upon turning on the ignition
switch............................................................... 3-8
Speedometer....................................................... 3-8
Odometer............................................................ 3-8
Double trip meter................................................ 3-9
Tachometer......................................................... 3-9
Fuel gauge......................................................... 3-10
Temperature gauge............................................ 3-11
ECO gauge........................................................ 3-11
Warning and indicator lights............................. 3-12
Seatbelt warning light and chime........................ 3-12
SRS airbag system warning light........................ 3-14Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and OFF
indicators........................................................ 3-14
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction
indicator light.................................................. 3-15
Charge warning light.......................................... 3-15
Oil pressure warning light.................................. 3-15
Engine low oil level warning indicator................ 3-16
AT OIL TEMP warning light (CVT models)........... 3-16
Low tire pressure warning light (U.S. spec.
models)........................................................... 3-16
ABS warning light.............................................. 3-18
Brake system warning light................................ 3-18
Electronic parking brake indicator light.............. 3-20
Hill Holder indicator light................................... 3-21
Low fuel warning light....................................... 3-21
Door open indicator........................................... 3-22
Windshield washer fluid warning indicator.......... 3-22
All-Wheel Drive warning light (CVT models) ........ 3-22
Power steering warning light.............................. 3-22
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light/Vehicle
Dynamics Control operation indicator light ....... 3-23
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator light..... 3-24
Warning chimes and warning indicator of the
keyless access with push-button start system (if
equipped)........................................................ 3-24
Security indicator light....................................... 3-29
Select lever/gear position indicator..................... 3-30
Turn signal indicator lights................................. 3-30
High beam indicator light................................... 3-30
Cruise control indicator..................................... 3-30
Cruise control set indicator................................ 3-30
Instruments and controls
3

your vehicle in a safe location,
use tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving
and contact your SUBARU deal-
er. For details, refer to“Electro-
nic parking brake”F7-42.
NOTE
.Even if the brake system warning
light illuminates, if the warning light
behavior is as described in the follow-
ing examples, the electronic parking
brake system is not malfunctioning.
–The warning light turns off when
the electronic parking brake is ap-
plied or released.
–The warning light turns off when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON”position again.
.The brake system warning light may
illuminate immediately after the engine
is started. However, it is not malfunc-
tioning if the warning light turns off
after the electronic parking brake is
released.
.The brake system warning light may
illuminate after the electronic parking
brake is frequently applied and re-
leased. However, the electronic parking
brake system is not malfunctioning if
the light turns off after a short period oftime.
.When the engine is started while the
electronic parking brake is applied/
released, the system may judge an
abnormal situation and the warning
light may illuminate. If the warning light
illuminates, turn the ignition switch
once to the“LOCK”/“OFF”position
and then restart the engine. Then,
apply/release the electronic parking
brake. If the warning light turns off,
the system will be restored.
This light has the following functions.
!Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the“MIN”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the“ON”position and with the
parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake fully released and with the ignition
switch positioned in“ON”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the“MIN”mark in the
reservoir, do not drive the vehicle. Have
the vehicle towed to the nearest SUBARU
dealer for repair.!Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light.
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 fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are
applied harder than usual and the vehi-
cle’s motion may therefore become some-
what 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 place.
2. Shut down the engine, apply the
parking brake and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be malfunctioning. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate again
and remain illuminated after the engine
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
–CONTINUED–3-19

Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
has been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. 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.
6. 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.
!Electronic parking brake system
warning
The brake system warning light illumi-
nates when the electronic parking brake
system is malfunctioning. If the warning
light illuminates, promptly park in a safe
location as soon as possible and contact
your SUBARU dealer.
The brake system warning light remains
illuminated when the parking brake cannot
be released even if the parking brake
switch is pushed. For details, refer to
“Electronic parking brake”F7-42.
!Frequent operation warning
The brake system warning light illumi-
nates and a chirp sound will be heard if
the parking brake switch is operated too
frequently. In this case, the operation ofthe parking brake switch is restricted to
protect the electronic parking brake sys-
tem.
&Electronic parking
brake indicator light
!Parking brake indicator
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the“ON”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is fully released.
!Electronic parking brake system
warning
WARNING
.When you release the electronic
parking brake while the engine is
running, the electronic parking
brake indicator light will turn off.
However, if the light still illumi-
nates, stop the vehicle in a safe
location immediately and have
the system inspected by a
SUBARU dealer.
.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..If the electronic parking brake
indicator light flashes, the elec-
tronic parking brake system may
be malfunctioning. Immediately
stop your vehicle in a safe loca-
tion, use tire stops under the
tires to prevent the vehicle from
moving and contact your
SUBARU dealer. For details, refer
to“Electronic parking brake”
F7-42.
NOTE
.When the ignition switch is turned to
the“LOCK”/“OFF”position with the
electronic parking brake applied, the
electronic parking brake indicator light
remains illuminated for approximately
30 seconds and then turns off.
.When the electronic parking brake
switch is pulled to apply the electronic
parking brake while the ignition switch
is in the“LOCK”/“OFF”position, the
electronic parking brake indicator light
illuminates, remains illuminated for
approximately 30 seconds and then
turns off.
.Even if the electronic parking brake
indicator light flashes, if the warning
light behavior is as described in the
following examples, the electronic
parking brake system is not malfunc-
3-20

CAUTION
Trapping small animals in the cool-
ing fan and belts of the engine may
result in a malfunction. Check that
no small animal enters the engine
compartment and under the vehicle
before starting the engine.
NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,
washer fluid and other fluid levels
should be checked daily, weekly or at
fuel stops.
Starting and stopping the
engine (models without
push-button ignition switch)
&Starting engine
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter motor
continuously for more than 10 sec-
onds. If the engine fails to start after
operating the starter for 5 to 10
seconds, wait for 10 seconds or
more before trying again.
NOTE
It may be difficult to start the engine
when the battery has been discon-
nected and reconnected (for mainte-
nance or other purposes). This diffi-
culty is caused by the electronically
controlled throttle’s self-diagnosis
function. To overcome it, keep the
ignition switch in the“ON”position
for approximately 10 seconds before
starting the engine.!General precautions when starting
engine
WARNING
.Never start the engine from out-
side the vehicle (except when
using the remote engine start
system). It may result in an
accident.
.Do not leave the engine running
in locations with poor ventilation,
such as a garage and indoors.
The exhaust gas may enter the
vehicle or indoors, and it may
result in carbon monoxide poi-
soning.
.Do not start the engine near dry
foliage, paper, or other flam-
mable substances. The exhaust
pipe and exhaust emissions can
create a fire hazard at high
temperatures.
CAUTION
.If the engine is stopped during
driving, the catalyst may over-
heat and burn.
.When starting the engine, be sure
to sit in the driver’s seat (except
Starting and operating/Starting and stopping the engine (models without push–button ignition switch)
–CONTINUED–7-9

Continuously variable trans-
mission
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. It also has a manual mode.
WARNING
Do not shift from the“P”or“N”
position into the“D”or“R”position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to lurch forward or backward.
CAUTION
.Shift into the“P”or“R”position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
.Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the“N”or“P”position
when the brake is applied or
when chocks are used in the
wheels. This may cause the
transmission fluid to overheat.
.Do not shift from the“D”positioninto the“R”position or vice
versa until the vehicle has com-
pletely stopped. Such shifting
may cause damage to the trans-
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.
NOTE
.When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift to higher engine speeds than
when the coolant temperature is suffi-
ciently 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 currentcondition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
.When driving under continuous hea-
vy load conditions such as 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 func-
tion maintaining the cooling perfor-
mance of the vehicle. The engine and
vehicle speed will return to a normal
speed when the engine is able to
maintain the optimum cooling perfor-
mance after the heavy load decreases.
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 noise
may be heard that is characteristic of
this type of system.
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED–7-25

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
shift paddle behind the steering wheel.
To upshift to the next higher gear position,
pull the shift paddle that has“+”indicated
on it. To downshift to the next lower gear
position, pull the shift paddle that has“–”
indicated on it.
To deselect the manual mode, return the
select lever to the“D”position from the“M”
position.
While driving with the select lever in the
“D”position, if you change gears by
operating the shift paddle, the gear posi-
tion indicator light illuminates and shows
the current gear condition.
CAUTION
Do not place or hang anything on
the shift paddles. Doing so may
result in accidental gear shifting.
NOTE
Please read the following points care-
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode.
.If you attempt to shift down when
the engine speed is too high, i.e., when
a downshift would push the tachometer
needle beyond the red zone, beeps will
be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible.
.If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-
sion will not respond.
.You can perform a skip-shift (for
example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the shift paddle twice in rapid succes-
sion.
.The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops
moving.
.If the temperature of the transmis-
sion fluid becomes too high, the“AT
OIL TEMP”warning light will illuminate.
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe
place and let the engine idle until thewarning light turns off.
&Driving tips
.On a road surface where there is a risk
of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or
gravel-covered road), you can pull away
from a standstill safely and easily by first
selecting the 2nd gear of the manual
mode.
.Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the“D”or
“R”position.
.Always apply the parking brake when
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the
vehicle with only the transmission.
.Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the
“D”position. Use the brake instead.
.The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate a
malfunction.
.A slight reduction in output torque may
occur in the models with a 3.6 L engine
before the engine warms up.
7-30