Starting and operating/Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system
pump the brake pedal since
doing so may defeat the opera-
tion of the ABS.
The ABS prevents the lock-up of wheels
which may occur during sudden braking or
braking on slippery road surfaces. This
helps prevent the loss of steering control
and directional stability caused by wheel
lock-up.
When the ABS is operating, you may hear
a chattering noise or feel a slight vibration
in the brake pedal. This is normal when
the ABS operates.
The ABS will not operate when the vehicle
speed is below approximately 6 mph (10
km/h).
& ABS self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake
pedal and hear the operating noise of the
ABS from the engine compartment just
after the vehicle is started. This is caused
by an automatic functional test of the ABS
being carried out and does not indicate
any abnormal condition.
&ABS warning light
Refer to “ABS warning light ”F 3-19.
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
function fails, 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
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,
the system stops working and the brake
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 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.
7-34
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 11-20.
. 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 on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected 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
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence because
you are driving with a Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system equipped
vehicle could easily lead to a ser-
ious accident.
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-
face; since having Vehicle Dy-
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
–CONTINUED –7-35
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
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 under the driver’s seat. This
may cause poor reception of the
signals from the tire pressure sen-
sors, and the tire pressure monitor-
ing system will not function prop-
erly.
FCC ID: CWTWD1U848
NOTE
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 inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding 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.
Parking your vehicle
WARNING
. Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, the tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to
cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to them.
. Do not park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
. Be sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occu-
pants in the vehicle could die
from carbon monoxide (CO) con-
tained in the exhaust gas.
7-42
&Electronic parking brake
CVT models
1) Parking brake switch
2) Indicator light
3) Release the electronic parking brake
4) Apply the electronic parking brake
MT models
1) Parking brake switch
2) Indicator light
3) Release the electronic parking brake
4) Apply the electronic parking brake
WARNING
. Before exiting the vehicle, make
sure that you turn off the engine.
Otherwise, the parking brake
may be released and an accident
may occur.
. If the brake system warning light
turns on, the electronic parking
brake system may be malfunc-
tioning. Immediately stop your
vehicle in a safe location, use
tire stops under the tires to prevent the vehicle from moving
and contact your SUBARU deal-
er.
. If the electronic parking brake is
operated under the following
conditions, the electronic park-
ing brake indicator light may
flash.
– the brake is overheated
– the vehicle is on a steep slope
In such cases, the vehicle may
start to move which may lead to
an accident. Always use the tire
stops.
CAUTION
. When the electronic parking
brake cannot be applied due to
a malfunction, contact your
SUBARU dealer immediately for
an inspection. If you have to park
your vehicle in such conditions,
perform the following procedure.
– Stop your vehicle in a flat
location.
– Shift the shift lever in the “1 ”
or reverse position (MT mod-
els).
– Shift the select lever in the “P ”
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
–CONTINUED –7-43
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
position (CVT models). When
the select lever cannot be
shifted into the“P ” position,
you must release shift lock.
Refer to “Shift lock function ”
F 7-28.
– Use tire stops under the tires
to prevent the vehicle from
moving.
. Never drive with the parking
brake applied in order to avoid
unnecessary wear on the brake
linings. Before starting to drive,
always make sure that the park-
ing brake has been released and
that the electronic parking brake
indicator light has turned off.
. The braking power of the electro-
nic parking brake may not be
sufficient when strong braking
power is needed (e.g., when
parking on a steep slope while
towing a trailer (Outback)).
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic
parking brake. You can apply/release the
parking brake by operating the parking
brake switch.
To apply: Depress the brake pedal and
pull up the parking brake switch.
To release: Press the parking brake switch firmly while the ignition switch is
in the
“ON”position and the brake pedal is
depressed.
Electronic parking brake indicator light
When the parking brake is applied while
the ignition switch is in the “ON”position,
the following indicator lights illuminate.
. the indicator light on the parking brake
switch
. the electronic parking brake indicator
light on the combination meter (for details,
refer to “Electronic parking brake indicator
light ”F 3-21.)
NOTE
. The parking brake will not be re-
leased under the following conditions
even if the parking brake switch is
pressed. –
Theignitionswitchisinthe
“ ACC ”or “LOCK ”/“ OFF ”position.
– The brake pedal (all models) and/
or clutch pedal (MT models) are not
depressed.
. The electronic parking brake system
uses motors to apply the parking
brake. Therefore, operating sounds
from the motors will be heard when
applying or releasing the parking
brake. Make sure that the motor
sounds are heard when applying or
releasing the parking brake.
. When the electronic parking brake
system has a malfunction or the elec-
tronic parking brake operation is pro-
hibited temporarily, if the parking brake
switch is operated, a chirp sound is
heard and the electronic parking brake
indicator light flashes.
. When you cannot release the park-
ing brake due to, for example, a system
malfunction, contact your SUBARU
dealer and have your SUBARU dealer
release the parking brake.
. If the operation of the electronic
parking brake switch is stopped mid-
way or performed extremely slowly, the
system may detect an error and turn on
the brake system warning light. How-
ever, this does not indicate a malfunc-
tion if the warning light turns off after
7-44
operating the switch.
.When the electronic parking brake
has not been used for a long period of
time, the electronic parking brake may
operate automatically after the ignition
switch is turned to the “LOCK ”/“ OFF ”
position. This occurs due to checking
the proper operation of the electronic
parking brake and does not indicate a
malfunction.
. If the electronic parking brake
switch is malfunctioning and the elec-
tronic parking brake cannot be re-
leased, refer to the instructions de-
scribed in “Automatic release function
by accelerator pedal ”F 7-45.
. After activating the electronic park-
ing brake, you may hear a short sound
several minutes after the electronic
parking brake indicator light and the
indicator light on the electronic parking
brake switch illuminate as the system
confirms proper engagement. This
sound is different from the apply and
release sound.
This can occur:
–If the brakes are extremely hot.
– If the car is parked on a steep
incline.
– If the electronic parking brake is
applied after the ignition switch is
turned OFF. This is a normal operating sound under
any of these conditions.
!
Automatic release function by ac-
celerator pedal
The electronic parking brake system has
an automatic release function. The park-
ing brake will be automatically released by
depressing the accelerator pedal. How-
ever, the automatic release function does
not operate under the following conditions.
. Any door (other than the trunk lid or
rear gate) is open.
. The driver ’s seatbelt is not fastened.
. The clutch pedal is released from the
fully depressed position to partially en-
gaged position (MT models).
If the parking brake is automatically
released, the electronic parking brake
indicator light and the indicator light on
the parking brake switch turn off.
NOTE
Even if you have applied the parking
brake, the parking brake will be auto-
matically released when the accelera-
tor pedal is depressed. !
Hill Holder function
The electronic parking brake system has a
Hill Holder function. If the Hill Holder
function is activated, the parking brake
will be automatically applied when stop-
ping on an uphill slope with the brake
pedal depressed. In this case, the electro-
nic parking brake indicator light and the
indicator light on the parking brake switch
illuminate.
The Hill Holder function also operates
while driving uphill in reverse.
NOTE
. The Hill Holder function may not
activate on a gentle uphill slope. In this
case, manually apply the electronic
parking brake.
. If you do not depress the brake
pedal sufficiently, the Hill Holder func-
tion may not operate properly. How-
ever, this is not a malfunction. When
stopping on an uphill slope, depress
the brake pedal firmly and release it
after the electronic parking brake in-
dicator light illuminates.
. Depending on the condition of the
road surface and braking force, the
brakes operate temporarily and feel
different than usual.
. When the electronic parking brake
system has a malfunction while the Hill
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
–CONTINUED –7-45
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
Holder function is activated, a chirp
sound is heard, the Hill Holder indica-
tor light turns off and the brake system
warning light turns on.
.When the hill holder activates on a
slope, the electronic parking brake is
engaged. The electronic parking brake
will release when you accelerate from
the stop. If you manually release the
electronic parking brake while the hill
holder is activated, the hill holder
function is canceled and will not re-
engage until the vehicle has moved
some distance. In that case, you will
need to manually engage the electronic
parking brake if needed. !
Hill Holder switch
WARNING
When stopping on an uphill slope
with the Hill Holder function acti-
vated, release the brake pedal after
the electronic parking brake indica-
tor light has illuminated. Otherwise,
the Hill Holder function may not
operate properly and an accident
may occur.
CVT models
MT models
You can activate/deactivate the Hill Holder
function by pressing the Hill Holder switch.
To activate: Press the Hill Holder switch.
To deactivate: Press the Hill Holder
switch again.
Deactivate the Hill Holder function under
the following conditions.
. When towing a trailer (Outback)
. When carrying a heavy load
. When you do not frequently use the
parking brake when stopping on an uphill
slope
NOTE
. If the Hill Holder switch is pressed
for more than 30 seconds, the Hill
Holder indicator light turns off and the
7-46
system ignores any further pressing of
the switch. To activate the switch again,
turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK ”/
“ OFF ”position and restart the engine.
. When the Hill Holder function is
deactivated while the Hill Holder func-
tion has a malfunction, if you press the
Hill Holder switch, a chirp sounds.
!Hill Holder indicator light
When the Hill Holder function is activated,
the Hill Holder indicator light illuminates.
Refer to “Hill Holder indicator light ”F 3-22. !
Emergency brake
CAUTION
Use the emergency brake only in
case of an emergency. If the emer-
gency brake is excessively used,
the brake parts will wear down
faster or the brake may not work
sufficiently due to brake overheat-
ing.
NOTE
.While using the emergency brake,
the electronic parking brake indicator
light and the indicator light on the
parking brake switch illuminate and a
chirp sounds.
. While using the emergency brake, a
sound may be heard from the engine
compartment. This is the operating
sound of the brake that is activated by
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system,
and does not indicate a malfunction.
If the foot brake has a malfunction, you
can stop the vehicle by pulling the parking
brake switch continuously.
While applying the emergency brake, the
electronic parking brake indicator light and
the indicator light on the parking brake
switch illuminate and a chirp sounds. !
Electronic parking brake system
warning
CAUTION
If the brake system warning light
turns on, the electronic parking
brake system may be malfunction-
ing. Immediately stop your vehicle
in the nearest safe location and
contact your SUBARU dealer.
If a malfunction occurs in the electronic
parking brake system, the brake system
warning light turns on. Refer to “Electronic
parking brake system warning ”F 3-21.
& Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always per-
form the following items.
. Apply the parking brake.
. For MT models, place the shift lever in
the “1”(1st) for upgrade or “R”(Reverse)
for a downgrade.
. For CVT models, place the select lever
in the “P ”(Park) position.
Never rely on the transmission alone to
hold the vehicle.
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
–CONTINUED –7-47