ignition SUBARU OUTBACK 2003 3.G Owner's Guide

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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 driving with an insufficient battery voltage such as when the en-
gine is jump started, the ABS warning light may come on. This is due to
the low battery voltage and does not indicate a malfunction. When the
battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out. VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) warning light (if equipped)
This warning light comes on when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes out after the engine has started. It indicates that
the VDC system is operational.
The VDC system is probably inoperative under any of the following
conditions. Immediately have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer. The VDC warning light does not come on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
The VDC warning light remains on after the engine has started and
stays lit even when the vehicle speed reaches about 8 mph (12 km/h). The VDC warning light comes on while the vehicle is running.
If the electrical circuit of the VDC system itself becomes faulty, the
VDC warning light only comes on. At this time, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) remains fully operational. The warning light comes on when the electronic control system of the
ABS/VDC system becomes faulty.
The VDC system provides its ABS control through the electrical circuit of
the ABS system. Accordingly, if the ABS is inoperative, the VDC system
also becomes unable to provide ABS control. As a result, the VDC sys-
tem becomes inoperative, causing the VDC warning light to come on.
Though both the VDC and ABS systems are inoperative in this case, the
ordinary functions of the brake system are still available. You will be safe

3-16while driving with this condition, but you should have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. 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. 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 light has the following two functions: Parking brake warning
The light comes on with the parking brake applied while the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. It goes out when the parking brake is
fully released. Brake fluid level warning
This light comes on when the brake fluid level has dropped to near the “MIN” level of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition switch in
the “ON” position and with the parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should come on while driving (with
the parking brake fully released and with the ignition switch posi- (U.S.)
(Canada)

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tioned in
“ON”), it could be an indication of leaking of brake fluid or
worn brake pads. Have your vehicle checked by a SUBARU dealer
immediately.
Door open warning lights
The specific door open warning light comes on if any door or the rear gate is not fully closed.
Always make sure this light is out before you start to drive. Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light comes on when the tank is nearly empty about 2.6 U.S. gal. (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp. gal.). It only operates when the igni-
tion switch is in the “ON” position.
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 except GT and vehicle with VDC)
This light comes on when All Wheel Drive is disengaged and the drive
mechanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive for maintenance or similarpurposes. VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) operation indicator light (if equipped)
This light comes on when the ignition switch is ON and goes out about 2
seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression function is activated. It illuminates
when only the traction control function is operating.
The VDC system is probably faulty under any of the following conditions.
Have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer immediately. The light does not come on when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position.
The light does not go out even after a period of about 2 seconds after

3-18the ignition switch has been turned to the
“ON” position.
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) OFF indicator light (if equipped)
This indicator light comes on when the ignition switch is turned ON
and goes out about 6 seconds after the engine has started. It comes on when the VDC system is deactivated (by operating “VDC
OFF” switch or in the standby state).
NOTE The light may stay on for a while after the engine has been
started, especially in cold weather. This does not indicate the exis- tence of a problem. The light should go out as soon as the enginehas warmed up. The “VDC OFF ” indicator light comes on when the engine has de-
veloped a problem and the CHECK ENGINE warning light is on.
The VDC system is probably faulty under any of the following conditions. Have your vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. The VDC OFF indicator light does not come on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position.
The light does not go out even after several minutes have passed (the
engine has warmed up) after the engine has been started. Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This light is found at the bottom center of the combination meter panel. On vehicles equipped with a security system, it blinks to show the driver
the operational status of the security system. For detailed information, re-fer to the “Security system ” in Chapter 2.
Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the shift lever.
If the transmission has a Sport Shift mode, the position of the shift lever is
shown by another indicator during Sport Shift mode operation. For de-
tails, refer to Chapter 7, “Automatic transmission ”.

3-20Light 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.
HB2014BB
HB2007BA
The light switch operates only when the ignition switch is in the “ON”
position.
Headlights
To turn on the headlights, turn the knob on the end of the turn signal
lever.
first position
Parking lights, instrument panel illumination, tail lights and license
plate light are on.
second position
Headlights, parking lights, instrument panel illumination, tail lights,
and license plate light are on.

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When the lighting switch is in the
“p ” or “a ” position, you can adjust
brightness of the instrument panel illumination for better visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial counterclockwise.
To darken, turn the control dial clockwise.
Parking light switch
HB2018BA
The parking light switch operates regardless of the ignition switch posi- tion.
By pushing the front end of this switch, following lights will come on. – Parking lights
– Front and rear side marker lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the parking light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long time because that will run down
the battery.

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Do not operate the wipers when the windshield or rear window
is dry. This may scratch the glass, damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper motor to burn out. Before operating the wiper on
a dry windshield or rear window, always use the windshield
washer. In freezing weather, be sure that the wiper blades are not fro-
zen to the windshield or rear window before switching on thewipers. Attempting to operate the wiper with the blades frozen tothe window glass could cause not only the wiper blades to be
damaged but also the wiper motor to burn out. If the wiper blade
is frozen to the window glass, be sure to operate the defroster,wiper deicer (if equipped) or rear window defogger before turning
on the wiper. If the wipers stop during operation because of ice or some oth-
er obstruction on the window, the wiper motor could burn outeven if the wiper switch is turned off. If this occurs, promptly stopthe vehicle in a safe place, turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK”
position and clean the window glass to allow proper wiper opera-tion. Use clean water if windshield washer fluid is unavailable. In
areas where water freezes in winter, use SUBARU Windshield
Washer Fluid or the equivalent. (See “Windshield washer fluid ”
section in chapter 11.)Also, when driving the vehicle when there are freezing tempera-tures, use non-freezing type wiper blades. Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline or a solvent, such
as paint thinner or benzene. This will cause deterioration of thewiper blades.
NOTE The wiper operates only when the ignition switch is in the “ON”
or “ACC” position.
Clean your wiper blades and window glass periodically with a
washer solution to prevent streaking, and to remove accumulations
of road salt or road film. Keep the washer button depressed at leastfor 1 second so that washer solution will be sprinkled all over the

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Rear window defogger switch
CAUTION
Do not use sharp instruments or window cleaner containing
abrasives to clean the inner surface of the rear window. They may
damage the conductors printed on the window. To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not operate
the defogger continuously for any longer than necessary.
The rear window defogger operates only when the ignition switch is inthe “ON” position.
The rear window defogger switch is located on the climate control panel.
The defogger will automatically shut off after about 15 minutes. If the win-
dow clears before that time, push the switch to turn it off. It also turns off
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If
defrosting or defogging is desired when you restart your vehicle, you
have to push the switch to turn it on again.
For vehicles with manual heating and air conditioning systems
HB5009BB
To turn on the defogger, push the switch. To turn it off, push the switch again.
The indicator light located on the switch lights up while the rear win-dow defogger is operating.

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The windshield wiper deicer operates only when the ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
Before turning on the windshield wiper deicer, remove any snow from the
windshield. To turn on the windshield wiper deicer, push the switch. The
indicator light located on the switch lights up while the windshield wiper
deicer is operating.
The windshield wiper deicer will automatically shut off after about 15 min-
utes. If the wiper blades have been deiced completely before that time,
push the switch to turn it off. It also turns off when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If deicing is not complete when
you restart your vehicle, you have to push the switch to turn the deiceron again. Mirrors
Always check that the inside and outside mirrors are properly adjusted
before you start driving. Inside mirror
HB4003BB
The inside mirror has a day and night position. Pull the tab at the bottom
of the mirror toward you for the night position. Push it away for the day
position. The night position reduces glare from headlights.

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n
Photosensors
HB6020BA
The mirror has a photosensor attached on both the front and back
sides. If the glare from the headlights of vehicles behind you strikes
the mirror, these sensors detect it and make the reflection surface of
the mirror dimmer to help prevent you from being blinded. For this
reason, use care not to cover the sensors with stickers, or other simi-
lar items. Periodically wipe the sensors clean using a piece of dry soft
cotton cloth or an applicator. nCompass calibration
1. For optimum calibration, switch off all nonessential electrical ac-
cessories (rear window defogger, heater/air conditioning system,
spotlight, etc.) and ensure all doors are shut.
2. Drive to an open, level area away from large metallic objects or
structures and make certain the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
3. Press and hold the left button for 3 seconds then release, and thecompass will enter the calibration mode. “CAL” and direction will be
displayed.
4. Drive slowly in a circle until “CAL” disappears from the display
(about two or three circles).
5. The compass is now calibrated. Further calibration is not required.
The compass will automatically calibrate from this point forward.