
Maintenance and service/Aluminum wheels
Aluminum wheels
Aluminum wheels can be scratched and
damaged easily. Handle them carefully to
maintain their appearance, performance,
and safety.
.When any of the wheels are removed
and replaced for tire rotation or to change
a flat tire, always check the tightness of
the wheel nuts after driving approximately
600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose,
tighten it to the specified torque.
.Never apply oil to the threaded parts,
wheel nuts, or tapered surface of the
wheel.
.Never let the wheel rub against sharp
protrusions or curbs.
.When wheel nuts, balance weights, or
the center cap is replaced, be sure to
replace them with genuine SUBARU parts
designed for aluminum wheels.
Windshield washer fluid
Windshield washer fluid warning light
(type A)
Windshield washer fluid warning light
(type B)
When there is only a small amount of
washer fluid remaining, the windshield
washer fluid warning light will illuminate.
When this occurs, refill the washer fluid.
&Adding the windshield
washer fluid
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer
fluid because it could cause paint
damage.
Remove the washer tank filler cap, then
add windshield washer fluid until it
reaches the“FULL”mark on the tank.
11-28

4. Align the claws of the plastic support
with the grooves in the blade rubber
assembly, then slide the blade rubber
assembly into place.
Securely retain both ends of the rubber
with the stoppers on the plastic supportends. If the rubber is not retained properly,
the wiper may scratch the rear window
glass.
5. Install the wiper blade assembly to the
wiper arm. Make sure that it locks in place.
6. Hold the wiper arm by hand and slowly
lower it in position.
Battery
WARNING
.Before beginning work on or near
any battery, be sure to extinguish
all cigarettes, matches, and light-
ers. Never expose a battery to an
open flame or electric sparks.
Batteries give off a gas which is
highly flammable and explosive.
.For safety, in case an explosion
does occur, wear eye protection
or shield your eyes when work-
ing near any battery. Never lean
over a battery.
.Do not let battery fluid contact
eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint be-
cause battery fluid is a corrosive
acid. If battery fluid gets on your
skin or in your eyes, immediately
flush the area with water thor-
oughly. Seek medical help imme-
diately if acid has entered the
eyes.
If battery fluid is accidentally
swallowed, immediately drink a
large amount of milk or water,
and seek medical attention im-
mediately.
.To lessen the risk of sparks,
Maintenance and service/Battery
–CONTINUED–11-33

Maintenance and service/Installation of accessories
Installation of accessories
Always consult your SUBARU dealer
before installing fog lights or any other
electrical equipment in your vehicle. Such
accessories may cause the electronic
system to malfunction if they are incor-
rectly installed or if they are not suited for
the vehicle.
Replacing bulbs
WARNING
Bulbs may become very hot while
illuminated. Before replacing bulbs,
turn off the lights and wait until the
bulbs cool down. Otherwise, there is
a risk of sustaining a burn injury.
CAUTION
.Replace any bulb only with a new
bulb of the specified wattage.
Using a bulb of different wattage
could result in a fire. For the
specified wattage of each bulb,
refer to“Bulb chart”F12-13.
.Do not touch the glass portion of
the light bulb with bare hands.
When holding the glass portion
is unavoidable, hold it using a
clean dry cloth to avoid getting
moisture and oils on the bulb.
Also, if the bulb is scratched or
dropped, it may blow out or
crack.
&Headlights (models with HID
headlights)
WARNING
High-intensity-discharge (HID) bulbs
are used for the low beams of the
headlights. These HID bulbs use an
extremely high voltage. To avoid the
risk of an electric shock that could
result in serious injury, observe the
following precautions.
.Do not replace any headlight
bulbs (both low beam and high
beam) by yourself.
.Do not remove/restore the head-
light assemblies by yourself.
.Do not remove any headlight-
assembly components by your-
self.
For replacement, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
11-36

Bulb chart
&Safety precautions
WARNING
.Bulbs may become very hot while
illuminated. Before replacing
bulbs, turn off the lights and wait
until the bulbs cool down. Other-
wise, there is a risk of sustaining
a burn injury.
.For models with HID low beam
headlights, observe the following
precautions. Not doing so carries
the risk of an electric shock that
could result in serious injury
because the HID bulbs use an
extremely high voltage.
–Do not replace any headlight
bulbs (both low beam and
high beam) by yourself.
–Do not remove/restore the
headlight assemblies by your-
self.
–Do not remove any headlight-
assembly components by
yourself.For replacement, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
CAUTION
Replace any bulb only with a new
bulb of the specified wattage. Using
a bulb of different wattage could
result in a fire.
Specifications/Bulb chart
–CONTINUED–12-13

Example:
(6) Load Index: A numerical code
which specifies the maximum load
a tire can carry at the speed
indicated by its speed symbol, at
maximum inflation pressure.
For example,“90”means 1,323 lbs
(600 kg),“89”means 1,278 lbs (580
kg).
WARNING
Load indices apply only to the
tire, not to the vehicle. Putting
a load rated tire on any vehicle
does not mean the vehicle can
be loaded up to the tire’s rated
load.
(7) Speed Rating: An alphabetical
system describing a tire’s capability
to travel at established and prede-
termined speeds.
For example,“V”means 149 mph
(240 km/h)
WARNING
.Speed ratings apply only to
the tire, not to the vehicle.
Putting a speed rated tire on
any vehicle does not mean
the vehicle can be operated
at the tire’s rated speed.
.The speed rating is void if
the tires are worn out, da-
maged, repaired, retreaded,
or otherwise altered from
their original condition. If
tires are repaired, re-
treaded, or otherwise al-
tered, they may not be sui-
table for original equipment
tire designed loads and
speeds.
!Tire Identification Number (TIN)
Tire Identification Number (TIN) is
marked on the intended outboard
sidewall. The TIN is composed of
four groups. Here is a brief review
of the TIN with a breakdown of its
individual elements.
(1) Manufacturer’s Identification
Mark
(2) Tire Size
(3) Tire Type Code
(4) Date of Manufacture
The first two figures identify the
week, starting with“01”to represent
the first full week of the calendar
year; the second two figures repre-
sent the year. For example, 0101
means the 1st week of 2001.
!Other markings
The following makings are also
placed on the sidewall.
!Maximum permissible infla-
tion pressure
The maximum cold inflation pres-
sure to which this tire may be
inflated. For example,“300 kPa
(44 PSI) MAX. PRESS”
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects/Tire information
–CONTINUED–13-3

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects/Tire information
!Maximum load rating
The load rating at the maximum
permissible weight load for this tire.
For example,“MAX. LOAD 580 kg
(1279 LBS) @ 300 kPa (44 PSI)
MAX. PRESS.”
WARNING
Maximum load rating applies
only to the tire, not to the
vehicle. Putting a load rated
tire on any vehicle does not
mean the vehicle can be
loaded up to the tire’s rated
load.
!Construction type
Applicable construction of this tire.
For example,“TUBELESS STEEL
BELTED RADIAL”
!Construction
The generic name of each cord
material used in the plies (both
sidewall and tread area) of this tire.
For example,“PLIES: TREAD 2STEEL + 2 POLYESTER SIDE-
WALL 2 POLYESTER”
!Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG)
For details, refer to“Uniform tire
quality grading standards”F13-15.
&Recommended tire inflation
pressure
!Recommended cold tire infla-
tion pressure
For recommended cold tire inflation
pressure for your vehicle’s tires,
refer to“Tires”F12-8.
!Vehicle placard
The vehicle placard is attached to
the driver’s side door pillar.
Example:
The vehicle placard shows original
tire size, recommended cold tire
inflation pressure on each tire at
maximum loaded vehicle weight,
seating capacity and loading infor-
mation.
!Adverse safety consequences
of under-inflation
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to flex severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
13-4

Uniform tire quality grading
standards
This information indicates the rela-
tive performance of passenger car
tires in the area of treadwear,
traction, and temperature resis-
tance. This is to aid the consumer
in making an informed choice in the
purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall be-
tween tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Tem-
perature A
The quality grades apply to new
pneumatic tires for use on passen-
ger cars. However, they do not
apply to deep tread, winter type
snow tires, space-saver or tempor-
ary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 12 inches
or less, or to some limited produc-
tion tires.
All passenger car tires must con-form to Federal Safety Require-
ments in addition to these grades.
&Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear one and one-half (1-
1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
&Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spe-cified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accel-
eration, cornering, hydroplan-
ing, or peak traction charac-
teristics.
&Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled con-
ditions on a specified indoor labora-
tory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects/Uniform tire quality grading standards
–CONTINUED–13-15

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects/Reporting safety defects (U.S.A.)
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perfor-
mance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire
that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or ex-
cessive loading, either sepa-
rately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possi-
ble tire failure.
Reporting safety defects
(U.S.A.)
If you believe that your vehicle has
a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in-
form the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Subaru of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com-
plaints, it may open an investiga-
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehi-
cles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved
in individual problems between
you, your dealer, or Subaru of
America, Inc. To contact NHTSA,
you may call the Vehicle Safety
Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
http://www.safercar.gov; or write
to: Administrator, NHTSA, 1200New Jersey Avenue, SE, West
Building, Washington, DC 20590.
You can also obtain other informa-
tion about motor vehicle safety
from http://www.safercar.gov.
13-16