& Car phone/cell phone and
driving CAUTIONDo not use a car phone/cell phone
while driving; it may distract your
attention from driving and can lead
to an accident. If you use a car
phone/cell phone, pull off the road
and park in a safe place before
using your phone. In some States/
Provinces, only hands-free phones
may legally be used while driving.
& Driving vehicles equipped
with navigation system
WARNING
Do not allow the monitor to distract
your attention from driving. Also, do
not operate the controls of the
navigation system while driving.
The loss of attention to driving
could lead to an accident. If you
wish to operate the controls of the
navigation system, first take the
vehicle off the road and stop it in a
safe place. & Driving with pets Unrestrained pets can interfere with your
driving and distract your attention from
driving. In a collision or sudden stop,
unrestrained pets or cages can be thrown
around inside the vehicle and hurt you or
your passengers. Besides, the pets can
be hurt under these situations. It is also for
their own safety that pets should be
properly restrained in your vehicle. Re-
strain a pet with a special traveling
harness which can be secured to the rear
seat with a seatbelt or use a pet carrier
which can be secured to the rear seat by
routing a seatbelt through the carrier ’ s
handle. Never restrain pets or pet carriers
in the front passenger ’ s seat. For further
information, consult your veterinarian,
local animal protection society or pet
shop.
& Tire pressures Check and, if necessary, adjust the
pressure of each tire (including the spare)
at least once a month and before any long
journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are
cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust the
tire pressures to the values shown on the
tire placard. For detailed information, refer
to “ Tires and wheels ” F 11-31. WARNINGDriving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to an
accident.7
& Low tire pressure
warning light (U.S.-spec.
models)When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ ON ” position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will turn off.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under- inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle ’ s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver ’ s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
Should the warning light illuminate stea-
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNINGIf this light does not illuminate
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, a tire may have significant
damage and a fast leak that causesInstruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
– CONTINUED –3-19
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
the tire to lose air rapidly. If you have
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the Low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates
the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting.
If the light illuminates steadily after
blinking for approximately one min-
ute, promptly contact a SUBARU
dealer to have the system inspected.
CAUTION
The tire pressure monitoring system
is NOT a substitute for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked peri-
odically (at least monthly) using a
tire gauge. After any change to tire
pressure(s), the tire pressure mon-
itoring system will not re-check tire
inflation pressures until the vehicle is first driven to a vehicle speed of at
least 20 mph (32 km/h). After adjust-
ing the tire pressures, increase the
vehicle speed to at least 20 mph (32
km/h) to start the TPMS re-checking
of the tire inflation pressures. If the
tire pressures are now above the
severe low pressure threshold, the
low tire pressure warning light
should turn off a few minutes later.
Therefore, be sure to install the
specified size for the front and rear
tires.
& ABS warning light
CAUTION. If any of the following conditions
occur, we recommend that you
have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by
your SUBARU dealer.
– The warning light does not
illuminate when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ ON ”
position.
– The warning light illuminates
when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ ON ” position,
but it does not turn off even after starting the vehicle.
– The warning light illuminates
during driving.
. When the warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is
off), the ABS function shuts
down. However, the conventional
brake system continues to oper-
ate normally.
The ABS warning light illuminates to-
gether with the brake system warning light
if the EBD system malfunctions. For
further details of the EBD system mal-
function warning, refer to “ Brake system
warning light ” F 3-21.
NOTE If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following conditions,
the ABS system may be considered
normal.
. The warning light illuminates when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ ON ” position and turns off approxi-
mately 2 seconds after the engine has
started.
. The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.
. The warning light remains illumi-
nated after the engine has been started,3-20
– When a temporary spare tire
is installed
– When your vehicle is towed
– When the vehicle is stopped
with the manual mode se-
lected
NOTE . A higher initial LSD torque setting
gives the vehicle greater traction when
driving straight ahead but makes cor-
nering more difficult. Remember this
when adjusting the initial LSD torque.
In general, higher initial LSD torque
settings assist driving on slippery
roads and lower settings for non-slip-
pery roads. When the vehicle is stuck
in snow or mud, setting the initial LSD
torque to the maximum will help to free
the vehicle.
. The setting of the initial LSD torque
will remain even when the auto mode is
selected or the ignition switch is turned
to the “ LOCK ” / “ OFF ” position. How-
ever, the initial LSD torque will be
minimized when the battery is discon-
nected and reconnected.
. During cornering or when making
turns (especially when going into the
garage), the rotational difference be-
tween the front and rear wheels may cause a braking effect accompanied by
vibration and noise. This does not
indicate a problem. The phenomenon
will disappear when setting the initial
LSD torque to the minimum.
In the auto mode, it controls the initial
LSD torque automatically. While in the
auto mode, this phenomenon some-
times occurs depending on the driving
condition, however, it does not indicate
a problem.
. Use the center differential indicator
only as a rough indication of the initial
LSD torque.
. If you operate the center differential
control switch while quickly accelerat-
ing or turning a tight corner, you may
feel slight shocks. This is due to
differential action by the center differ-
ential and does not indicate a problem.
& Temporary release When the driver stops the vehicle and
pulls the parking brake lever after manu-
ally setting the initial LSD torque, the LSD
torque is temporarily minimized. However
the indicator on the combination meter
continues to show the driver ’ s selected
initial LSD torque. When the driver re-
leases the parking brake lever, the initial
LSD torque set by the driver is restored. 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.
WARNINGDo 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 jump 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.
. Never move the vehicle rearwardStarting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
– CONTINUED –7-23
other than Sport Sharp (S#) mode is
selected.
NOTE . The next time you turn on the
engine, after you turned off the engine
in the Sport Sharp (S#) mode, the SI-
DRIVE mode changes to the Sport (S)
mode.
. The next time you turn on the
engine, after you turned off the engine
in the Sport (S) mode or Intelligent (I)
mode, the SI-DRIVE mode will stay in
the same mode as when the engine
was turned off.
. While the engine is running, if the
CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunc-
tion indicator light illuminates, the SI-
DRIVE mode changes to the Sport (S)
mode. In this case, it is not possible to
change to another mode.
. If there is a possibility that the
engine could overheat because of a
temperature increase of the engine
coolant, it is not possible to change to
the Sport Sharp (S#) mode. While the
vehicle is in the Sport Sharp (S#) mode,
it changes to the Sport (S) mode when
the engine coolant temperature in-
creases.
. While the engine is cool, you cannot
change to Sport Sharp (S#) mode. Limited slip differential (LSD)
(STI) The LSD provides optimum distribution of
power according to the difference in
revolutions between the right and left
wheels that may be caused by certain
driving conditions, thereby improving driv-
ing stability on snow-covered, muddy or
other slippery roads or when high speed
driving.
CAUTION. Never start the engine while a tire
on one side is jacked up, as the
vehicle may move.
. If one tire is spinning in mud,
avoid continued spinning at high
speed as this could adversely
affect the LSD.
. If you use a temporary spare tire
to replace a flat tire, be sure to
use the original temporary spare
tire stored in the vehicle. Using
other sizes will adversely affect
the LSD. Power steering & STI The vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic
power steering system. The power steer-
ing system operates only when the engine
is running.
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but it will take
much more effort.
CAUTIONDo not hold the steering wheel at the
fully locked position left or right for
more than 5 seconds. This may
damage the power steering pump.
NOTE Right after the engine has been started
and before it has warmed up, you may
hear a noise coming from areas adja-
cent to the power steering pump which
is located at the right-front area of the
engine compartment. This noise is
normal. It does not indicate power
steering system trouble.Starting and operating/Limited slip differential (LSD) (STI)
– CONTINUED –7-33
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 Con-
trol system is reduced and
this should be taken into ac-
count when driving the vehi-
cle 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 condition.
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
flashing the Vehicle Dynamics 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.
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation indi-
cator light
NOTE
. The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem may be considered normal whenStarting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
– CONTINUED –7-39
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
pressure threshold, the low tire
pressure warning light should
turn off a few minutes later.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire
pressure, a tire may have signifi-
cant damage and a fast leak that
causes the tire to lose air rapidly.
If you have a flat tire, replace it
with a spare tire as soon as
possible.
. When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/trans-
mitter being transferred, the low
tire pressure warning light will
illuminate steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute.
This indicates the TPMS is un-
able to monitor all four road
wheels. Contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible for
tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting.
. When a tire is repaired with liquid sealant, the tire pressure warning
valve and transmitter may not
operate properly. If a liquid sea-
lant is used, contact your nearest
SUBARU dealer or other qualified
service shop as soon as possi-
ble. Make sure to replace the tire
pressure warning valve and
transmitter when replacing the
tire. You may reuse the wheel if
there is no damage to it and if the
sealant residue is properly
cleaned off. Do not inject any tire
liquid or aerosol tire sealant into
the tires, as this may cause a
malfunction of the tire pressure
sensors. If the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for ap-
proximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU
dealer to have the system in-
spected.
CAUTION
Do not place metal film or any metal
parts in the trunk. This may cause
poor reception of the signals from
the tire pressure sensors, and the
tire pressure monitoring system will
not function properly. FCC ID: CWTWD1U781
NOTE This device complies with part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This de-
vice may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
FCC CAUTION
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void the
user ’ s authority to operate the equip-
ment.Starting and operating/Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S. – spec. models)
7-43
Driving tips for AWD models WARNING. Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-
tions.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving – overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive vehicle could easily
lead to a serious accident.
. When you replacing or installing
tire(s), all four tires must be the
same for following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear
For the items (a) to (d), you must
obey the specification that is printed on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the
bottom of driver ’ s door pillar.
If all of four tires are not the same
for items (a) to (h), there is a
possibility that serious mechan-
ical damage could occur to the
drive train of your car, and affect
the following.
— Ride
— Handling
— Braking
— Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
— Clearance between the body
and tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
CAUTION
If you use a temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored
in the vehicle. Using other sizes may
result in severe mechanical damage
to the drive train of your vehicle. All-Wheel Drive distributes the engine
power to all four wheels. AWD models
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during acceleration
and added engine braking force during
deceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging
the AWD system, you should keep the
following tips in mind.
. An AWD model is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery Driving tips/Driving tips for AWD models
– CONTINUED –8-5