chapter 11 SUBARU IMPREZA 2002 2.G User Guide

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-40
strained at all times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate forthe child’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices
(including forward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rearseating positions than in the front seatingpositions.For instructions and precautions concerningthe child restraint system, see the “Child re-
straint systems ” section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel
on the front passenger ’s seat, or never hold a
child on your lap or in your arms. The SRS air- bag deploys with considerable force and caninjure or even kill the child.CAUTION
When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke
will be released. This smoke could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. If you oryour passengers have breathing problems af-
ter SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air promptly. A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas.
Occupants could get burnt if they come into direct contact with the hot gas.
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to ex- plain to the buyer that it is equipped with SRS
airbags by alerting him to the applicable sectionin this owner ’s manual.

Keys and doors
2-27
– CONTINUED –
If the latch is not released, contact your SUBARU
dealer.
In that case, use the key to release the latch, thenclose the trunk lid.
Also, if the movements of the release handle feel re-
stricted or not entirely smooth during operation, or the handle and/or handle base is cracked, contact
your SUBARU dealer. Rear gate (Wagon)
HGF013EB
1) Lock 2) Unlock
To unlock the rear gate, insert the key in the keyhole
and turn it clockwise. To lock the rear gate, insert
the key in the keyhole and turn it counterclockwise. If your vehicle is equipped with power door locking
switches, the rear gate can also be locked and
unlocked through use of the power door lockingswitches. Refer to the “Power door locking switches ”
section in this chapter.
To open the rear gate, first unlock the rear gate lock
then pull the outside handle up. To close the rear
gate, lower it slowly and push down firmly until the

Instruments and controls
3-9
– CONTINUED –
and high revving operation when engine is not
warmed up enough should be avoided.
CAUTION
If the pointer exceeds the normal operating range, safely stop the vehicle as soon as pos- sible. See the “In case of emergency ” in chapter 9.
Outside temperature indicator (if equipped)
The outside temperature indicator shows the outside
temperature in a range from –22°F to 122 °F ( –30 °C
to 50 °C).
The indicator can give a false reading under any of the following conditions: When there is too much sun.
During idling; while running at low speeds in a
traffic jam; when the engine is restarted immediately
following a shutdown. When the actual outside temperature falls outside
the specified indicator range. Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and indicator lights come on
momentarily and then go out when the ignition
switch is initially turned to the
“ON” position. This
permits checking the operation of the bulbs.
Apply the parking brake and turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position. The following lights come on:
Seatbelt warning light
SRS airbag system warning light
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indica- tor lamp
Charge warning light
Oil pressure warning light
AT OIL temperature warning light (AT vehicles)
ABS warning light
Brake system warning light
If any lights fail to come on, it indicates a burned-out
bulb or a malfunction of the corresponding system.
Consult your authorized SUBARU dealer for repair. Seatbelt warning light and chime
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion, the seatbelt warning light will come on and the
reminder chime will sound for about six seconds to
remind the driver to fasten the seatbelt.

Instruments and controls
3-14
Always make sure this light is out before you start to drive. Front-wheel drive warning light
(for AT vehicles – if equipped)
This light comes on when All Wheel Drive is disen-
gaged and the drive mechanism is switched to FrontWheel Drive for maintenance or similar purposes. Shift position indicator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the shift lever. 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 thebulb as soon as possible. Refer to the “Replacing
bulbs” section in chapter 11.
High beam indicator light
This light shows that the headlights are in the highbeam mode.This indicator light also comes on when operating
headlight flasher. Clock
HG3009BB
1) “S”
button
2) “H” button 3) “M”
button
To set the hour, press the “H” button. To set the min-
utes, press the “M” button. To reset the minutes the
“00” with a radio time signal, push the “S” button.
CAUTION
To ensure safety, do not attempt to set the time during driving, as an accident from inad- equate steering operation could result.

Instruments and controls
3-20
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 seconds, or when the washer
fluid tank is empty. This may cause overheat-
ing of the washer motor. Check the washer
fluid level frequently, such as at fuel stops. Do not operate the wipers when the wind-
shield or rear window is dry. This may scratchthe glass, damage the wiper blades and causethe 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 frozen to the windshield or rear window before switching on the wipers.Attempting to operate the wiper with the
blades frozen to the window glass could
cause not only the wiper blades to be dam-aged but also the wiper motor to burn out. Ifthe wiper blade is frozen to the window glass,
be sure to operate the defroster, windshield wiper deicer (if equipped) or rear window
defogger before turning on the wiper.
If the wipers stop during operation because
of ice or some other obstruction on the win-
dow, the wiper motor could burn out even if the wiper switch is turned off. If this occurs, promptly stop the vehicle in a safe place, turnthe ignition switch to the “LOCK” position and
clean the window glass to allow proper wiperoperation. Use clean water if windshield washer fluid is
unavailable. In areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluidor the equivalent. (See the “Windshield wash-
er fluid ” section in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle when there are
freezing temperatures, use non-freezing type wiper blades. Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline
or a solvent, such as paint thinner or benzene.

Instruments and controls
3-21
– CONTINUED –
This will cause deterioration of the wiper 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 roadsalt or road film. Keep the washer button
depressed at least for 1 second so that washersolution will be sprinkled all over the windshield
or rear window. Grease, wax, insects or other material on the
windshield or the wiper blade results in jerky wiper operation and streaking on the glass. Ifyou cannot remove those streaks after operating
the washer or if the wiper operation is jerky,
clean the outer surface of the windshield or rear
window and the wiper blades using a sponge or
soft cloth with a neutral detergent or mild-abra-
sive cleaner. After cleaning, rinse the window
glass and wiper blades with clean water. The
glass is clean if no beads form on the glass
when you rinse with water. If you cannot eliminate the streaking even after
following this procedure, replace the wiper blades with new ones. Refer to the
“Wiper blade
replacement” section (chapter 11) for replace-
ment instructions. Windshield wiper and washer switches
Windshield wipers
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper control lever down.
HG3010BB
1) OFF
2) : Intermittent
3) LO : Low speed
4) HI : High speed

Instruments and controls
3-30
Tilt steering wheel
HB4002BA
1. Adjust the seat position. Refer to the “Front seat ”
section (chapter 1).
2. Pull the tilt lock lever down.
3. Move the steering wheel to the desired level.
4. Push the lever up to lock the steering wheel inplace.
5. Make sure that the steering wheel is securely locked by moving it up and down.
WARNING
Do not adjust the steering wheel tilt position while driving. This may cause loss of vehicle
control and result in personal injury.

Climate control
4-4
Climate control system Control panel
HG4021BB
1) Air inlet selection lever
2) Air conditioner button (if equipped)
3) Rear window defogger button (Refer to
the “ Rear window defogger ” in chapter
3.)
4) Air flow control dial
5) Fan speed control dial
6) Temperature control dial
Temperature control dial
This dial regulates the temperature of air flow from
the air outlets over a range from the blue side (cool) to red side (warm).
Fan speed control dial
The fan operates only when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position. The fan speed control
dial is used to select four fan speeds.
Air flow control dial
This dial has the following five positions:
: Air flows through the instrument panel out-lets.
: Air flows through the instrument panel outlets and the foot outlets.
: Air flows through the foot outlets and some through the windshield defroster outlets.
: Air flows through the windshield defroster outlets and foot outlets.
: Air flows through the windshield defroster outlets.

Interior equipment
6-8
sory power socket for a long period of time while the engine is not running can cause bat-tery discharge.Before driving your vehicle, make sure that
the plug and the cord on your electrical ap-
pliance will not interfere with your shifting gears and operating the accelerator and brake
pedals. If they do, do not use the electrical ap-
pliance while driving.
HG6013BA
Electrical power (12V DC) from the battery is on tap at the socket when the ignition switch is either in the
“ACC” or “ON” position.
You can use an in-car use electrical appliance by
connecting it to the socket.
Electrical power socket located on the lower part of the instrument panel
CAUTION
The electrical power socket located on the lower part of the instrument panel is designedto use only a SUBARU genuine cigarettelighter plug. Do not use non-genuine cigarettelighter plugs or any “plug-in” type electrical
accessories in the socket. Doing so may
cause a short-circuit and overheating, result-ing in a fire.Refer to the “Cigarette lighter ” section in this
chapter.

Starting and operating
7-5
– CONTINUED –
2. Remove the fuel filler cap by turning it slowly
counterclockwise.
WARNING
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. Before
refueling, always first stop the engine and
make sure that there are no lighted cigarettes,open flames or electrical sparks in the adja-cent area. When opening the cap, do not remove the
cap quickly. Fuel may be under pressure andspray out of the fuel filler neck especially in
hot weather, which may cause injury.
3. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler pump auto-
matically stops. Do not add any more fuel.
4. Put the cap back on, turn it clockwise until you
hear a clicking noise. Be certain not to catch the
tether under the cap while tightening.
5. Close the fuel filler lid completely.
If you spill any fuel on the painted surface, rinse it
off immediately. Otherwise, the painted surface
could be damaged. NOTE If the fuel filler cap is not tightened until it clicks or if the tether is caught under the cap, the CHECK ENGINE warning light may come on. Re-fer to the
“Warning and indicator lights ” section
located in chapter 3.CAUTION
Never add any cleaning agents to the fuel
tank. The addition of a cleaning agent may
cause damage to the fuel system. Make sure that the cap is tightened until it
clicks to prevent fuel spillage in the event ofan accident. Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces
of the vehicle.Fuels may cause paint damage, which is not
covered under the SUBARU Limited Warranty. Always use a genuine SUBARU fuel filler
cap. If you use the wrong cap, it may not fit orhave proper venting, and your fuel tank and
emission control system might be damaged.