warning light SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G User Guide

3-14CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS system may not
work properly.When the warning light is on, the ABS function shuts down; how-
ever, the conventional brake system continues to operate normal-
ly. The warning light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
The warning light comes on when the ignition switch is turned
to the “ON” position, but it does not go out even when the vehicle
speed exceeds approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light comes on during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at the first available
opportunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as shown below, the ABS system may be considered normal. The warning light comes on right after the engine is started but
goes out immediately, remaining off. The warning light remains on after the engine has been started,
but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches about 8 mph (12km/h). The warning light comes on during driving, but it goes out
immediately and remains off.
When d riving with an insuffic ient b attery voltag e s uc h as when the en-
g ine is jump started , the ABS warning lig ht may c om e on. This is d ue to
the low b attery voltag e and d oes not ind ic ate a mal func tion. When the
b attery b ec omes fully c harg ed , the lig ht will g o ou t.

Instruments and controls3-15
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VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) warning light (if equipped)
This warning lig ht c omes on when the ig nition switc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition and g oes out after the eng ine has started . It ind ic ates that
the VDC system is op erational.
The VDC system is p rob ab ly inop erative und er any of the following
c ond itions. Immed iately have your vehic le c hec ked a t a SUBARU d ealer.
The VDC warning lig ht d oes not c ome on when the ig n ition switc h is
turned to the “ON ” p osition.
The VDC warning lig ht remains on after the eng ine h as started and
stays lit even when the vehic le sp eed reac hes ab out 8 mp h (12 km/h).
The VDC warning lig ht c omes on while the vehic le is running .
If the elec tric al c irc uit of the VDC system itself b ec omes faulty, the
VDC warning lig ht only c omes on. At this time, the ABS (Anti-loc k Brake
System) remains fully op erational. The warning lig ht c omes on when the elec tronic c ont rol system of the
ABS/VDC system b ec omes faulty.
The VDC system p rovid es its ABS c ontrol throug h the elec tric al c irc uit of
the ABS system. Ac c ord ing ly, if the ABS is inop erat ive, the VDC system
also b ec omes unab le to p rovid e ABS c ontrol. As a re sult, the VDC sys-
tem b ec omes inop erative, c ausing the VDC warning li g ht to c ome on.
Thoug h b oth the VDC and ABS systems are inop erative in this c ase, the
ord inary func tions of the b rake system are still av ailab le. You will b e safe
while d riving with this c ond ition, b ut you should h ave your vehic le
c hec ked at a SUBARU d ealer as soon as p ossib le. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as shown below, the VDC system may be considered normal. The warning light comes on right after the engine is started but
goes out immediately, remaining off. The warning light remains on after the engine has been started,
but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches 8 mph about (12km/h). The warning light comes on during driving, but it goes out im-
mediately and remains off.

3-16
Brake system warning light
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 repair.
This lig ht has the following two func tions: Parking brake warning
The lig ht c omes on with the p arking b rake ap p lied w hile the ig nition
switc h is in the “ON ” p osition. It g oes out when the p arking b rake is
fully released . Brake fluid level warning
This lig ht c omes on when the b rake fluid level has d rop p ed to near
the “MIN ” level of the b rake fluid reservoir with the ig niti on switc h in
the “ON ” p osition and with the p arking b rake fully released .
If the b rake system warning lig ht should c ome on wh ile d riving (with
the p arking b rake fully released and with the ig nit ion switc h p osi-
tioned in “ON ”), it c ould b e an ind ic ation of leaking of b rake fl uid or
worn b rake p ad s. Have your vehic le c hec ked b y a SUB ARU d ealer
immed iately.
Door open warning lights
The sp ec ific d oor op en warning lig ht c omes on if an y d oor or the rear
g ate is not fully c losed .
Always make sure this lig ht is out b efore you start to d rive.
Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning lig ht c omes on when the tank i s nearly emp ty ab out
2.6 U.S. g al. (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp . g al.). It o nly op erates when the ig ni-(U.S.)
(Canada)

Instruments and controls3-17
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tion switc h is in the
“ON ” p osition.
NOTE This light does not go out unless the tank is replenished up to an internal fuel quantity of about 3.7 U.S. gal. (14 liters, 3.1 Imp. gal.). Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles)
This lig ht c omes on when All Wheel Drive is d iseng a g ed and the d rive
mec hanism is switc hed to Front Wheel Drive for main tenanc e or similar
p urp oses. VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) operation indicator light (if equipped)
This lig ht c omes on when the ig nition switc h is ON and g oes out ab out 2
sec ond s later.
It b links when the VDC func tion is ac tivated . It il luminates when only the
TCS (trac tion c ontrol) func tion is op erating .
The VDC system is p rob ab ly faulty und er any of the following c ond itions.
Have your vehic le c hec ked at a SUBARU d ealer immed i ately.
The lig ht d oes not c ome on when the ig nition switc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition.
The lig ht d oes not g o out even after a p eriod of ab out 2 sec ond s after
the ig nition switc h has b een turned to the “ON ” p osition.
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) OFF indicator light (if equipped)
This ind ic ator lig ht c omes on when the ig nition swi tc h is turned ON
and g oes out ab out 6 sec ond s after the eng ine has s tarted .
It c omes on when the VDC and TCS (trac tion c ontrol) func tions are
d eac tivated (in the stand b y state). NOTE It may take some time before the light goes out (the engine
warms up) after the engine has been started in cold weather. This does not indicate the existence of a problem. The light should goout as soon as the engine has warmed up.

3-18
The “VDC OFF ” indicator light comes on when the engine has de-
veloped a problem and the CHECK ENGINE warning light is on. Depending on the type of gasoline used, the “VDC OFF ” indicator
light may not go out soon after the engine has been started.
The VDC system is p rob ab ly faulty und er any of the following c ond itions.
Have your vehic le c hec ked at a SUBARU d ealer as soo n as p ossib le.
The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht d oes not c ome on when t he ig nition
switc h is turned to the “ON ” p osition.
The lig ht d oes not g o out even after several minute s have p assed (the
eng ine has warmed up ) after the eng ine has b een sta rted .
Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This lig ht is found at the b ottom c enter of the c om b ination meter p anel.
On vehic les eq uip p ed with a sec urity system, it b li nks to show the d river
the op erational status of the sec urity system. For d etailed information, re-
fer to the “Sec urity system ” in Chap ter 2.
Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles)
This ind ic ator shows the p osition of the shift leve r.
Turn signal indicator lights
These lig hts show the op eration of the turn sig nal or lane c hang e sig nal.
If the ind ic ator lig hts d o not b link or b link rap id ly, the turn sig nal b ulb
may b e b urned out. Rep lac e the b ulb as soon as p oss ib le. Refer to the
“ Rep lac ing b ulb s ” sec tion in c hap ter 11.
High beam indicator light
This lig ht shows that the head lig hts are in the hig h b eam mod e.
This ind ic ator lig ht also c omes on when op erating h ead lig ht flasher.

Instruments and controls3-19
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Clock
HB2013BA
To set the time, turn the setting knob c loc kwise to
ad vanc e and c ounter-
c loc kwise to retard the time.
Light control switch
WARNING
To prevent battery discharge resulting from accidentally leaving your lights on when your vehicle is parked, the light switch oper-ates only when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. In any
other position, the vehicle ’s lights will be out.
If you park your vehicle on a roadside at night, use the hazardwarning flasher to alert the other drivers.

Instruments and controls3-21
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To flash the head lig hts, p ull the lever toward you
and then release it.
The hig h b eam will stay on for as long as you hold the lever. The
head lig ht flasher works even thoug h the lig hting sw itc h is in the “OFF ”
p osition.
When the head lig hts are on hig h b eam, the hig h b eam ind ic ator lig ht
“ a ” on the instrument p anel also c omes on.
Daytime running light system
WARNING
The tail lights, parking lights, and side marker lights are not turned on by the daytime running light system. The light switchmust always be turned to the “a ” position when it is dark out-
side.
The low b eam head lig hts will automatic ally c ome on at red uc ed b rig ht-
ness when the eng ine has started , und er the followi ng c ond itions:
The p arking b rake is fully released .
The lig ht switc h is in the “OFF ” or “p ” p osition.
Turn signal lever
HB2015BB
Right turn Left turn
To ac tivate the rig ht turn sig nal, p ush the turn si g nal lever up . To ac tivate
the left turn sig nal, p ush the turn sig nal lever d o wn. When the turn is fin-

3-24Fog light switch (if equipped)
The fog lig hts op erate only when the head lig hts are
on low b eam. Push
the fog lig ht switc h to turn the fog lig hts on.
Press the switc h ag ain to turn them off.
HB2025BB
The ind ic ator lig ht loc ated on the switc h will illu minate when the fog
lig hts are on.
Wiper and washer
WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use the windshield washer until the
windshield is sufficiently warmed by the defroster.Otherwise the washer fluid can freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
CAUTION
Do not operate the washer continuously for more than ten se-
conds, or when the washer fluid tank is empty. This may cause
overheating of the washer motor. Check the washer fluid level fre-
quently, such as at fuel stops.

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Cigarette lighter (if equipped)
CAUTION
The electrical power socket located on the lower part of the instrument panel is designed to use only a SUBARU genuine cig-arette lighter plug. Do not use non-genuine cigarette lighter plugsor any “plug-in” type electrical accessories in the socket. Doing
so may cause a short-circuit and overheating, resulting in a fire.
HB6011BA
The elec tric al p ower soc ket loc ated on the lower p a rt of the instrument
p anel c an only b e used as c ig arette lig hter soc ket. A c ig arette lig hter
p lug is an op tional ac c essory. It is availab le from your SUBARU d ealer.
If smoking is not d esired , always p ut the c ap on th e soc ket to p revent
any foreig n ob jec t from entering it.
Cigarette lighter (if equipped)
WARNING
To avoid being burned, never grasp the lighter by the end with the heating element. Doing so could result in injury and couldalso damage the heating element.
CAUTION
Do not hold the lighter pushed in, because it will overheat.

7-4In ad d ition, some g asoline sup p liers are now p rod uc
ing reformulated
g asolines, whic h are d esig ned to red uc e vehic le emi ssions. SUBARU
ap p roves the use of reformulated g asoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel c ontains, you sho uld ask your servic e
station op erators if their g asolines c ontain d eterg ents and oxyg enates
and if they have b een reformulated to red uc e vehic l e emissions.
As ad d itional g uid anc e, only use fuels suited for y our vehic le as ex-
p lained b elow. Fuel should b e unlead ed and have an oc tane rating n o lower than
that sp ec ified in this manual. Methanol (methyl or wood alc ohol) is sometimes mixe d with un-
lead ed g asoline. Methanol c an b e used in your vehic le ONLY if it
d oes not exc eed 5% of the fuel mixture AND if it is ac c omp anied b y
suffic ient q uantities of the p rop er c osolvents and c orrosion inhib itors
req uired to p revent d amag e to the fuel system. Do n ot use fuel c on-
taining methanol EXCEPT und er these c ond itions.
If und esirab le d riveab ility p rob lems are exp erienc e d and you sus-
p ec t they may b e fuel related , try a d ifferent b ran d of g asoline b efore
seeking servic e at your SUBARU d ealer. Fuel system d amag e or d riveab ility p rob lems whic h r esult from the
use of imp rop er fuel are not c overed und er the SUBA RU Limited War-
ranty.
Fuel filler lid and cap Refueling
WARNING
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. Before refueling, always
first stop the engine and make sure that there are no lighted ciga- rettes, open flames or electrical sparks in the adjacent area. When opening the cap, do not remove the cap quickly. Fuel
may be under pressure and spray out of the fuel filler neck espe-
cially in hot weather, which may cause injury.