SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owners Manual

3-16 Instruments and controls
the device to fail.
y Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
y Do not store a heavy load in the seat-
back pocket.
y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front
passenger’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback.
y Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure, refer to
the “Manual seat” in the front seats sec-
tion in chapter 1 in this owner’s manual.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If the seatbelt warning device for the front
passenger’s seat does not function cor-
rectly (e.g., it is activated even when the
front passenger’s seat is empty or it is de-
activated even when the front passenger
has not fastened his/her seatbelt), take
the following actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than a child restraint system
and its child occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
If still the seatbelt warning device for front
passenger’s seat does not function cor-
rectly after taking re levant corrective ac-
tions described above, immediately con-
tact your SUBARU dealer for an inspec-
tion.
„ SRS airbag system
warning light When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, t he SRS airbag system
warning light will come on for approxi-
mately seven seconds and go out. This
shows the SRS frontal airbag and SRS
side airbag and SRS curtain airbag and
seatbelt pretensioners are in normal oper-
ation. If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt pre-
tensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle
to your nearest SUBARU dealer to
have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g.
SRS airbags may inflate in a very mi-
nor collision or not inflate in a se-
vere collision), which may increase
the risk of injury.
y Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
y No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON” position
y Continuous illumination of the
warning light
y Illumination of the warning light
while driving

Instruments and controls
3-17
– CONTINUED –„ Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON and OFF indicators
or : Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator
or : Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag OFF indicator
The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located between the
map lights.
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, both the ON and OFF indi-
cators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. After that, one of
the indicators illuminates depending on the status of the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag determined by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system monitor-
ing.
If the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain extinguished.
If the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator will remain extinguished
while the OFF indicator will illuminate.
If both the ON and OFF indicators remain
lit or extinguished simultaneously, the sys-
tem is faulty. Contact your SUBARU deal-
er immediately for an inspection. „ CHECK ENGINE warn-
ing light/Malfunction in-
dicator lamp
If this light comes on steadily or blinks
while the engine is running, it may indicate
that there is a prob lem or potential prob-
lem somewhere in the emission control
system.
T If the light comes on steadily:
If the light comes on steadily while driving
or does not go out after the engine starts,
an emission contro l system malfunction
has been detected.
You should have your vehicle checked by
an authorized SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately.100663
If the CHECK ENGINE light comes
on while you are driving, have your
vehicle checked/repaired by your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-
ble. Continued vehicle operation
without having the emission control
system checked and repaired as
necessary could cause serious
damage, which may not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty.

3-18 Instruments and controls
NOTE This light also comes on when the fuel
filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.
If you have recently refueled your vehicle,
the cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator lamp coming on
could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.
Remove the cap and retighten it until it
clicks. Make sure no thing is interfering
with the sealing of the cap. Tightening the
cap will not make the CHECK ENGINE
warning light turn off immediately. It may
take several driving trips. If the light does
not go out, take your vehicle to your au-
thorized SUBARU dealer immediately.
T If the light is blinking:
If the light is blinking while driving, an en-
gine misfire condition has been detected
which may damage the emission control
system.
To prevent serious damage to the emis-
sion control system, you should do the fol-
lowing.
y Reduce vehicle speed.
y Avoid hard acceleration.
y Avoid steep uphill grades.
y Reduce the amount of cargo, if possi-
ble.
y Stop towing a trailer as soon as possi-
ble. The CHECK ENGINE warning light may
stop blinking and come on steadily after
several driving trips. You should have
your vehicle checked by an authorized
SUBARU dealer immediately.
„ Charge warning light If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the charging
system is not working properly.
If the light comes on while driving or does
not go out after the e ngine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the alternator belt. If the belt is
loose, broken or if the belt is in good con-
dition but the light remains on, contact
your nearest SUBARU dealer immediate-
ly.
„ Oil pressure warning
light
If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the engine oil
pressure is low and the lubricating system is not working properly.
If the light comes on while driving or does
not go out after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the engine oil level. If the oil level is
low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil
is at the proper level but the light remains
on, contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
immediately.
„ AT OIL TEMPerature
warning light (AT vehi-
cles) The AT oil temperature warning light
comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position and goes out
after approximately two seconds.
If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light comes on while driving, it is un-
necessary to stop the vehicle, but avoid
driving up steep grades or in stop and go
traffic.
„ Low tire pressure warn-
ing light (if equipped) When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will come on for approximately 2Do not operate the engine with the
oil pressure warning light on. This
may cause serious engine damage.

Instruments and controls
3-19
– CONTINUED –seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will go out.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure rec-
ommended by the vehicle manufacturer
on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a
different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the prop-
er inflation pressure for those tires.) As an
added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure moni-
toring system (TPMS) that illuminates a
low tire pressure telltale when one or more
of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure
telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them to the proper pressure. Driv-
ing on a significantly under-inflated tire
causes the tire to overheat and can lead to
tire failure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle’s handling and stopping
ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver’s responsibility to main-
tain correct tire pre ssure, even if under-in- flation has not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure
telltale.
The TPMS gives warning both when a tire
is significantly under-inflated and when
there is a problem in the TPMS. The low
tire pressure warning light operates differ-
ently according to these conditions as fol-
lows:
When a tire is significantly under-inflat-
ed: Steady illumination
When there is a problem in the TPMS:
Flashing
Should the warning light flash, have the
system inspected by your nearest
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
If this light does not come on briefly
after the ignition switch is turned
ON or the light is flashing, you
should have your Tire Pressure
Monitoring System checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-
ble. If this light comes on while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep driv-
ing straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off
the road to a safe place. Otherwise
an accident involving serious vehi-
cle damage and serious personal in-
jury could occur.
If this light still comes on while driv-
ing after adjusting the tire pressure,
a tire may have significant damage
and a fast leak that causes the tire to
lose air rapidly. If you have a flat
tire, replace it with a spare tire as
soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the Low tire pres-
sure warning light will flash. This in-
dicates the TPMS is unable to moni-
tor all four road wheels. Contact
your SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible for tire and sensor replace-
ment and/or system resetting. If the
light flashes, promptly contact a
SUBARU dealer to have the system
inspected.

3-20 Instruments and controls
„ ABS warning light The ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion and goes out after approximately two
seconds.
This is an indicati on that the ABS system
is working properly. The ABS warning light comes on together
with the brake system wa rning light if the
EBD system becomes faulty. For further
details of the EBD system fault warning,
refer to “Brake syst em warning light”.
NOTE If the warning light behavior is as de-
scribed in the following, the ABS sys-
tem may be considered normal.
y The warning light comes on right af- ter the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
y The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).
y 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 engine 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.
„ Brake system
warning lightThe tire pressure monitoring system
is NOT a substitu te for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked period-
ically (at least mo nthly) using a tire
gauge. After any change to tire pres-
sure(s), the tire pressure monitoring
system will not re-check tire infla-
tion pressures until the vehicle is
first driven more than 20 mph (32
km/h). Be sure to install the speci-
fied size for the front and rear tires.
If the warning light behaves as fol-
lows, the ABS system may not work
properly. (U.S.)
(Canada) When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally.
y The warning light does not come
on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
y 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).
y The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by
your SUBARU dealer.
y 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. (U.S.)
(Canada)

Instruments and controls
3-21
– CONTINUED –This light has the following three func-
tions:
T 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 park-
ing brake is fully released.
T 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 positioned in “ON”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the “MIN” mark in the reser-
voir, do not drive the vehicle. Have the ve-
hicle towed to the nearest SUBARU deal- er for repair.
T Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warnin g light also illu-
minates if a malfunction occurs in the EBD
system. In that event, it comes on together
with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be faulty if the brake
system warning light and ABS warning
light illuminate simultaneously during driv-
ing.
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 ap-
plied harder than usual and the vehicle’s
motion may therefore become somewhat
harder to control.
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
place.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights go ou t, the EBD system
may be faulty.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have t he system inspected.
4. If both warning lights come on again
and stay illuminated after the engine has been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the
“MIN” mark, the EBD system may be
faulty. Drive carefully to the nearest
SUBARU dealer and have the system in-
spected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the
“MIN” mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle. In-
stead, have the vehicle towed to the near-
est SUBARU dealer for repair.
„ Low fuel warning light The low fuel warning light comes on when
the tank is nearly em pty approximately 2.6
US gal (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp gal). It only
operates when the ignition 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 approximately 3.7 US
gal (14 liters, 3.1 Imp gal).y If at all in doubt about whether the
brakes are operating properly, do
not drive the vehicle. Have your
vehicle towed to the nearest
SUBARU dealer for repair.

3-22 Instruments and controls
„ Door open warning light When any of the doors or the rear gate
(Station wagon) or trunk lid (Sedan) is not
fully closed, it is indicated by the corre-
sponding part of the door warning light.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive.
„ All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (AT vehicles) The All-Wheel Drive warning light comes
on when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes out after the en-
gine has started.
T For 5-speed automatic transmission
vehicles
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of different diameters fitted on its
wheels or with the air pressure excessive-
ly low in any of its tires.
T For 4-speed automatic transmission
vehicles
This light comes on when All-Wheel Drive
is disengaged and the drive mechanism is
switched to Front Wheel Drive for mainte-
nance or similar purposes.
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of different diameters fitted on its
wheels or with the air pressure excessive-
ly low in any of its tires.
„ Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol operation indicator
light (if equipped) This light comes on when the ignition
switch is ON and goes out approximately
2 seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression func-
tion is activated. It illuminates when only
the traction control function is operating. The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably faulty under any of the following
conditions. Have your vehicle checked at
a SUBARU dealer immediately.
y The light does not come on when the ig-
nition switch is turned to the “ON” position.
y The light does not go out even after a
period of approximately 2 seconds after
the ignition switch has been turned to the
“ON” position.
„ Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol warning light (if
equipped)/Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF indicator
light (if equipped) This warning light has both the function of
indicating faults in the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the function of indicat-
ing that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem has been deactivated.
It comes on in the event of a fault in the
system and is on when the system is not
operating.
This warning light comes on when the ig-
nition switch is turned to the “ON” position
and goes out after the engine has started.
It indicates that the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is in normal operation.(Turbo model only) Promptly put
fuel in the tank whenever the low
fuel warning light comes on. Engine
misfires as a result of an empty tank
could cause damage to the engine.
Continued driving with the AWD
warning light flashing can lead to
powertrain damage. If the AWD
warning light flashes, promptly park
in a safe place then check whether
all four tires are the same diameter
and whether any of the tires has a
puncture or has lost air pressure for
some other reason.

Instruments and controls
3-23
– CONTINUED –T Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light
The Vehicle Dynami cs Control system is
probably inoperative under any of the fol-
lowing conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immediate-
ly.
y The warning light does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position.
y The warning light comes on while the
vehicle is running.
y If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system itself becomes
faulty, the warning light only comes on. At
this time, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem) remains fully operational.
y The warning light comes on when the
electronic control sys tem of the ABS/Vehi-
cle Dynamics Control system becomes
faulty.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system
provides its ABS control through the elec-
trical circuit of the ABS system. Accord-
ingly, if the ABS is in operative, the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system becomes un-
able to provide ABS c ontrol. As a result,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system also
becomes inoperative, causing the warning
light to come on. Though both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control and ABS systems are
inoperative in this case, the ordinary func- tions of the brake system are still avail-
able. You will be safe while driving with
this condition, but have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible.
NOTE If the warning light behavior is as
shown in the following, the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system may be consid-
ered normal.
y The warning light comes on right af-
ter the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
y The warning light comes on after en-
gine startup and goes off while the ve-
hicle is subsequently being driven.
y The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately
and remains off.
T Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indi-
cator light
y It comes on when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF switch is pressed.
y It also comes on when the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system is deactivated.
NOTE y The light may stay on for a while after
the engine has been started, especially
in cold weather. This does not indicate
the existence of a problem. The light should go out as soon as the engine
has warmed up.
y The indicator light comes on when
the engine has developed a problem
and the Malfunction indicator light is
on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably faulty under the following condi-
tion. Have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
y The light does not go out even after the
lapse of several minutes (the engine has
warmed up) after the engine has started.
„ Security indicator light This indicator light shows the status of the
alarm system. It also indicates operation
of the immobilizer system.
T Alarm system
It blinks to show the driver the operational
status of the alarm system. For detailed
information, refer to the “Alarm system”
section in chapter 2.
T Immobilizer system
This light blinks approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from
“ON” position to the “ACC” or “LOCK” po-
sition or immediately after the key is pulled
out. (Refer to the “Door locks” section in

3-24 Instruments and controls
chapter 2.)
If the indicator light does not flash, it may
indicate that immobilizer system may be
faulty. Contact your nearest SUBARU
dealer immediately.
In the event that an unauthorized key (for
example, an unauthorized duplicate) is
used, the security indicator light comes
on.
„ SPORT mode indicator
light (AT vehicles)This light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and
goes out after the engine has started.
When the selector lever is moved to the
manual gate, the SPORT mode is select-
ed and the indicator light comes on. (Refer
to the “Automatic transmission – 4-speed”
or “Automatic transmission – 5-speed”
section in chapter 7.)
T Automatic transmission control
system warning
If the light flashes after the engine starts,
it may indicate that the automatic trans-
mission control system is not working
properly. Contact your nearest SUBARU
dealer for service immediately. „ Selector lever position indi-
cator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the
selector lever. „ Gear position indicator (AT
vehicles)
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator (which shows the
current gear selectio n) and the upshift/
downshift indicator light up. (Refer to the
“Automatic transmission – 4-speed” or
“Automatic transmission – 5-speed” sec-
tion in chapter 7.)
„ Turn signal indicator
lights These lights show the operation of the
turn signal or lane change signal.
If the indicator lights do not blink or blink
rapidly, the turn signal bulb may be
burned out. Replace the bulb as soon as 300192 300266

Instruments and controls
3-25
– CONTINUED –possible. Refer to the “Replacing bulbs”
section in chapter 11.
„ High beam indicator
lightThis light shows that the headlights are in
the high beam mode.
This indicator light also comes on when
the headlight flasher is operated.
„ Cruise control indica-
tor lightThe cruise control indicator light comes on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes out after approxi-
mately three seconds.
This light comes on when the “CRUISE”
main switch is pressed.
NOTE If you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the “CRUISE” indicator light flash-
es. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ig nition switch back
to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position, and
then turn it again to the “ON” position. „ Cruise control set indica-
tor light The cruise control set indicator light
comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position and goes out
after approximately three seconds.
This light comes on when vehicle speed
has been set.
„ Headlight indicator light This indicator light comes on when the
light switch is turned to the “ ” posi-
tion (to turn on the parking lights) or to the
“ ” position (to turn on the headlights).
„ Front fog light indicator
light This indicator light is on while the front fog
lights are on. Clock NOTE If your vehicle is equipped with a navi-
gation system, refer to the separate
“Operating Instructions for Monitor
System”.
The clock shows the time while the igni-
tion switch is in the “ACC” or “ON” posi-
tion. 400257