
gate. Doing so may damage the rear
wiper when it operates.
! Washer
To wash the rear window while the rear
wiper is operating, turn the knob switch
upward to the “
”position. The washer
fluid sprays until you release the knob.
To wash the rear window when the rear
wiper is not in use, turn the knob switch
downward to the “
”position. The washer
fluid sprays and the wiper operates until
you release the knob.
NOTE
When the amount of washer fluid is
getting low, the rear washer fluid will
first be stopped. This means that the
amount of washer fluid is low, and it
should be added immediately.
Defogger and deicer
1) Rear window defogger
2) Outside mirror defogger (if equipped)
3) Windshield wiper deicer (if equipped)
The defogger and deicer system is acti- vated only when the ignition switch is in
the
“ON ”position.
Control switch (type A)
1) Models without outside mirror defogger
2) Models with outside mirror defogger
Instruments and controls/Defogger and deicer
–CONTINUED –
3-61

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.
. When towing a trailer, refer to “Trai-
ler hitch (Outback —if equipped) ”F 8-
19.
Starting and stopping the
engine (models without
push-button ignition switch)
& General precautions when
starting/stopping 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
when using the remote engine
start system).
NOTE
. Avoid rapid racing and rapid accel-
eration immediately after the engine
has started.
. For a short time after the engine has
started, the engine speed is kept high.
When the warm-up is completed, the
engine speed lowers automatically.
. On rare occasions, it may be difficult
to start the engine depending on the
fuel and the usage condition (repeated
driving of a distance in which the
engine has not warmed up sufficiently).
In such a case, it is recommended that
you change to a different brand of fuel.
. On rare occasions, transient knock-
ing may be heard from the engine when
the accelerator is operated rapidly
such as a rapid start-up and a rapid
acceleration. This is not a malfunction.
. The engine starts more easily when
the headlights, air conditioner and rear
window defogger are turned off.
Starting and operating/Starting and stopping the engine (models without push –button ignition switch)
–CONTINUED –7-9

Driving tips/Winter driving
select lever back and forth between“1 ”/
“D ”and “R”repeatedly. Do not race the
engine. For the best possible traction,
avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle.
. When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and CVT). For
CVT models, refer to “Selection of manual
mode ”F 7-29.
! After driving
. Always check your brakes for effec-
tiveness immediately after driving in sand,
mud or water. Do this by driving slowly
and stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat
that process several times to dry out the
brake discs and brake pads.
. After driving through tall grass, mud,
rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there
is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones,
sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from
the underbody. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhering to the
underbody, a mechanical breakdown or
fire could occur. .
Wash the vehicle’ s underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are
particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.Winter driving
& Operation during cold
weather
Carry some emergency equipment, such
as a window scraper, a bag of sand,
flares, a small shovel and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold
temperatures reduce battery capacity.
The battery must be in good condition to
provide enough power for cold winter
starts.
It normally takes longer to start the engine
in very cold weather conditions. Use an
engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity
for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil
will make it harder to start the engine.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage
or separate the rubber weather strips
around the door. If the door is frozen,
use hot water to melt the ice, and after-
wards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that con-
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes
because they may damage the paint of
the vehicle.
8-8

SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid con-
tains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the following
table.
Washer Fluid Con-centration Freezing Temperature
30% 10.4 8F( −12 8C)
50% −48F( −20 8C)
100% −49
8F( −45 8C)
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with
a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
thepipingistoolowfortheoutside
temperature, it may freeze and block the
nozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concen-
tration appropriately for the out- side temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed
washer fluid may freeze on the
windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in
the reservoir tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle ’s paint, wiper blades
or washer system.
! Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that
could make the pedals slippery and
driving dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before
driving, check that the accelerator pedal,
brake pedal, and all other controls operate
smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has
accumulated under the fenders to avoid
making steering difficult. During severe winter driving, stop when and where it is
safe to do so and check under the fenders
periodically.
!
Parking in cold weather
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust
gases under your vehicle. Keep
snow clear of the exhaust pipe and
from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine
running.
CAUTION
.Do not use the parking brake
when parking for long periods in
cold weather since it could freeze
in that position.
. When the vehicle is parked in
snow or when it snows, raise the
wiper blades off the glass to
prevent damage to them.
. Under either of the following
conditions, icing may develop
on the brake system, which could
cause poor braking action.
– When the vehicle has been left
parked after use on roads
heavily covered with snow
Driving tips/Winter driving
–CONTINUED –8-9

Maintenance and service
Wheel replacement........................................... 11-31
Aluminum wheels............................................. 11-32
Windshield washer fluid .................................. 11-32
Replacement of wiper blades .......................... 11-33
Windshield wiper blade assembly ..................... 11-34
Windshield wiper blade rubber ......................... 11-34
Rear window wiper blade assembly (Outback) ....................................................... 11-35
Rear window wiper blade rubber (Outback) ... .... 11-36
Battery............................................................... 11-37
Fuses ................................................................ 11-38
Installation of accessories ............................... 11-40
Replacing bulbs ............................................... 11-40
HID headlights (if equipped) ............................. 11-40
Halogen headlights .......................................... 11-41 Front turn signal light
...................................... 11-42
Front side marker light ..................................... 11-42
Front fog light (if equipped) .............................. 11-42
Rear combination lights ................................... 11-44
Backup light .................................................... 11-46
License plate light ........................................... 11-47
Dome light ....................................................... 11-48
Map light ......................................................... 11-48
Door step light ................................................. 11-49
Cargo area light (Outback) ............................... 11-49
Trunk light (Legacy) ......................................... 11-49
Other bulbs ..................................................... 11-49
Replacing battery ............................................. 11-50Replacing battery of access key ....................... 11-50
Replacing battery of transmitter ....................... 11-51

Engine compartment overview
&2.5 L models
1) Brake fluid reservoir/Clutch fluid reservoir
(MT) (page 11-20)
2) Fuse box (page 11-38)
3) Windshield washer tank (page 11-32)
4) Battery (page 11-37)
5) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-11)
6) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-15)
7) Radiator cap (page 11-15)
8) Engine oil filter (page 11-13)
9) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-11)
10) Air cleaner case (page 11-15)
Maintenance and service/Engine compartment overview
–CONTINUED –
11-9

Maintenance and service/Engine compartment overview
&3.6 L models1) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11-20)
2) Fuse box (page 11-38)
3) Windshield washer tank (page 11-32)
4) Battery (page 11-37)
5) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-11)
6) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-15)
7) Radiator cap (page 11-15)
8) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-11)
9) Air cleaner case (page 11-15)
11-10

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 is removed
and replaced for tire rotation or to change
a flat, 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
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer
fluid because it could cause paint
damage.
Windshield washer fluid warning indicator
When there is only a small amount of
washer fluid remaining, the windshield
washer fluid warning indicator will appear.
When this occurs, refill the washer fluid as
follows.
1) “FULL ”mark
Remove the washer tank filler cap, then
add fluid until it reaches the “FULL”mark
on the tank.
Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield
washer fluid is unavailable use clean
water.
In areas where water freezes in winter,
use an anti-freeze type windshield washer
fluid. SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the following
table.
11-32