wheel SUBARU IMPREZA 2004 2.G User Guide

1-68
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
C) After deployment, SRS side airbag starts to deflate im-
mediately.
The SRS side airbag can function only when the igni-
tion switch is in the “ON” position.
The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS side airbags
deploy independently of each other since each has its
own impact sensor. Also, the SRS side airbag deploys
independently of the frontal airbags in the steering
wheel and instrument panel.
An impact sensor is incorporated into each of the ve-
hicle’s center pillars. If either sensor detects a certain
predetermined amount of force during a side impact
collision, the control module sends a signal to the side
airbag module on the impacted side of the vehicle, in-
structing it to inflate the SRS side airbag. Then the
side airbag module produces gas, which instantly in-
flates the SRS side airbag. After the deployment, the
SRS side airbag immediately starts to deflate. The
time required from detecting impact to the deflation of
the SRS side airbag after deployment is shorter than
the blink of an eye.
The SRS side airbag deploys even when no one occu-
pies the seat on the side on which an impact is ap-
plied. When the SRS side airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly
loud inflation noise will be heard and some smoke will
be released. These occurrences are normal result of
the deployment. This smoke does not indicate a fire in
the vehicle.
Do not touch the SRS side airbag system com-
ponents around the front seatback with bare
hands right after deployment. Doing so can
cause burns because the components can be
very hot as a result of deployment.
The SRS side airbag is designed to deploy in the event
of an accident involving a moderate to severe side im-
pact collision. It is basically not designed to deploy in
lesser side impact. Also, it is basically not designed to
deploy in frontal or rear impacts because SRS side air-
bag deployment would not help the occupant in those
situations.
Each SRS side airbag is designed to function on a one-time-only basis.
SRS side airbag deployment depends on the level of
force experienced in the passenger compartment dur-
ing a side impact collision. That level differs from one

1-74
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
"
Under the center console
" Inside each front fender
" Steering wheel and column and nearby areas
" Top of the dashboard on front passenger’s
side and nearby areas " Each front seat and nearby area (only for ve-
hicles with SRS side airbags)
" Inside each center pillar
In the event that the SRS airbag is deployed, re-
placement of the system should be performed
only by an authorized SUBARU dealer. When the
components of the SRS airbag system are re-
placed, use only genuine SUBARU parts.
To ensure their long-term reliability, the SRS airbags
must be inspected by a SUBARU dealer ten years af-
ter the date of manufacture, which is shown on the cer-
tification plate attached to the driver’s door jamb.
NOTE
In the following cases, contact your SUBARU deal-
er as soon as possible. " The front part of the vehicle was involved in an
accident in which the SRS frontal airbags did not
deploy. " The pad section of the steering wheel or front passenger’s frontal airbag cover is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
In addition, if your vehicle is equipped with SRS
side airbags, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible in the following cases. "
Either center pillar or a nearby area of the vehi-
cle was involved in an accident in which the SRS
side airbag did not deploy. " The fabric or leather of either front seatback is
cut, frayed, or otherwise damaged. ! Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
"To avoid accidental activation of the system
or rendering the system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any components or wiring of
the SRS airbag system.
This includes following modifications: "Installation of custom steering wheels
" Attachment of additional trim materials to
the dashboard " Installation of custom seats (for vehicles

3-1
3
Instruments and controls
Ignition switch .............................................. 3-3 LOCK .................................................................. 3-3
ACC .................................................................... 3-4
ON ....................................................................... 3-4
START ................................................................ 3-4
Key reminder chime .......................................... 3-4
Ignition switch light (if equipped) .................... 3-5
Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) ........ 3-5
Hazard warning flasher ................................ 3-6
Meters and gauges (WRX-STi) .................... 3-7 Combination meter illumination ...................... 3-7
Cancelling sequential illumination of the combination meter ......................................... 3-7
Speedometer ..................................................... 3-7
Odometer/Trip meter ........................................ 3-8
Tachometer ........................................................ 3-9
Fuel gauge ......................................................... 3-9
Temperature gauge ........................................... 3-10
Ambient temperature gauge ............................ 3-11
REV indicator light and buzzer (WRX-STi) . 3-12 Setting the alarm-level engine speed .............. 3-13
Deactivating the REV alarm system ................ 3-14
Meters and gauges (Except WRX-STi) ........ 3-15 Speedometer ..................................................... 3-15
Odometer/Trip meter ........................................ 3-15
Tachometer ........................................................ 3-16
Fuel gauge ......................................................... 3-16
Temperature gauge ........................................... 3-17
Ambient temperature gauge (if equipped) ...... 3-18
Warning and indicator lights ....................... 3-19 Seatbelt warning light and chime .................... 3-19 SRS airbag system warning light .................... 3-20
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction
indicator lamp ................................................. 3-20
Charge warning light ........................................ 3-21
Oil pressure warning light ............................... 3-21
AT OIL TEMPerature warning light (for AT vehicles) ............................................. 3-22
Rear differential oil temperature warning light
(WRX-STi) ........................................................ 3-22
ABS warning light ............................................. 3-23
Brake system warning light ............................. 3-24
Door open warning lights ................................ 3-25
Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles – if equipped) ...................... 3-25
Intercooler water spray warning light
(WRX-STi) ........................................................ 3-25
Selector lever position indicator (AT vehicles) 3-26
Turn signal indicator lights .............................. 3-26
High beam indicator light ................................. 3-26
Cruise control indicator light ........................... 3-26
Cruise control set indicator light .................... 3-26
Driver’s control center differential auto indicator light (WRX-STi) ............................... 3-26
Driver’s control center differential indicator
lights (WRX-STi) ............................................. 3-27
Headlight indicator light (WRX-STi) ................ 3-27
REV indicator light (WRX-STi) ......................... 3-27
Clock .............................................................. 3-28
Light control switch ...................................... 3-29 Headlights ......................................................... 3-29
High/low beam change (dimmer) .................... 3-30
Headlight flasher ............................................... 3-30

3-2
Instruments and controls
Daytime running light system (except U.S. spec. WRX-STi) .............................................. 3-31
Turn signal lever ........................................... 3-31
Illumination brightness control ................... 3-32
Illumination brightness control (WRX-STi) 3-33
Headlight beam leveler (U.S. spec. WRX-STi) ................................ 3-33
Parking light switch ..................................... 3-34
Fog light switch (if equipped) ..................... 3-35
Wiper and washer ......................................... 3-35 Windshield wiper and washer switches ......... 3-37
Rear window wiper and washer switch – Wagon .......................................................... 3-39
Rear window defogger switch ..................... 3-40
Windshield wiper deicer (if equipped) ....... 3-42
Intercooler water spray switch (WRX-STi) . 3-43
Mirrors ........................................................... 3-44 Inside mirror ...................................................... 3-44
Outside mirrors ................................................. 3-47
Tilt steering wheel ........................................ 3-49
Horn ............................................................... 3-50

3-3
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED –
Instruments and controlsIgnition switch
The ignition switch has four positions: LOCK, ACC,
ON and START. !LOCK
The key can only be inserted or removed in this posi-
tion. The ignition switch will lock the steering wheel
when you remove the key.
If turning the key is difficult, turn the steering wheel
slightly to the right and left as you turn the key. !
Automatic transmission vehicles
HS3014BA
HS3015BA
HS2020CA

3-4
Instruments and controls
The key can be turned from “ACC” to “LOCK” only
when the selector lever is in the “P” position. !
Manual transmission vehicles
The key can be turned from “ACC” to “LOCK” only
when the key is pushed in while turning it.
Never turn the ignition switch to “LOCK” while
the vehicle is being driven or towed because
that will lock the steering wheel, preventing
steering control. And when the engine is turned
off, it takes a much greater effort than usual to
steer.
! ACC
In this position the electrical accessories (radio, ciga-
rette lighter, etc.) can be used. ! ON
This is the normal operating position after the engine
is started. ! START
The engine is started in this position. The starter
cranks the engine to start it. When the key is released
(after the engine has started), the key automatically
returns to the “ON” position.
Do not turn the ignition switch to the “START”position while the engine is running.
! Key reminder chime
The reminder chime sounds when the driver’s door
HS2020DA

3-24
Instruments and controls
as when the engine is jump started, the ABS warning
light may come on. This is due to the low battery volt-
age and does not indicate a malfunction. When the
battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out. !
Brake system warning light
"Driving with the brake system warning light
on is dangerous. This indicates your brake sys-
tem may not be working properly. If the light re-
mains on, have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately." 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.
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 res-
ervoir 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 near-
est safe place and check the brake fluid level. If the flu-
id level is below the “MIN” mark in the reservoir, do not
drive the vehicle. Have the vehicle towed to the near-
est SUBARU dealer for repair. ! Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) sys-
tem warning (for vehicles with ABS)
The brake system warning light also illuminates 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 malfunctioning if the brake
system warning light and ABS warning light illuminate
simultaneously during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conventional braking
system will still function. However, the rear wheels will
be more prone to locking when the brakes are applied
harder than usual and the vehicle’s motion may there-
(U.S.) (Canada)

3-25
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED –
fore 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
out, the EBD system may be faulty. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and have the system in-
spected.
4. If both warning lights come on again and stay illu-
minated 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 inspect-
ed.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “MIN” mark, DO
NOT drive the vehicle. Instead, have the vehicle towed
to the nearest SUBARU dealer for repair. !Door open warning lights
The 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. !
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 Front
Wheel Drive for maintenance or similar purposes. ! Intercooler water spray warning
light (WRX-STi)
This light comes on when the water level in the inter-
cooler water spray tank falls to the lower limit (about
0.4 U.S. qt, 0.4 liter, 0.4 Imp qt.).

3-27
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED –
!Driver’s control center differential indi-
cator lights (WRX-STi)
These indicator lights show the current differential-ac-
tion limiting factor (torque-distribution ratio between
the front and rear wheels) of the center differential.
The bottom indicator light “ ” flashes in the event of
failure of the driver’s control center differential. For de-
tails, refer to Chapter 7, “Driver’s Control Center Dif-
ferential (DCCD) (WRX-STi)”. ! Headlight indicator light (WRX-
STi)
This light comes on when the headlight switch is placed in the “ ” or “ ” position. !
REV indicator light (WRX-STi)
This light comes on when the engine speed reaches a
level set by the user and when the tachometer needle
enters the red zone.
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3-49
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED –
frosting or defogging is desired when you restart your
vehicle, you have to push the switch to turn it on again.
NOTE
While the outside mirror defogger is operating, the
rear window defogger also operates.
To prevent the battery from being discharged,
do not operate the defogger continuously for
any longer than necessary.
Tilt steering wheel
1. Adjust the seat position. Refer to the “Front seats”
section (chapter 1).
2. Push the tilt lock lever down.
3. Move the steering wheel to the desired level.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
5. Make sure that the steering wheel is securely
locked by moving it up and down.
Do not adjust the steering wheel tilt position
while driving. This may cause loss of vehicle
HS3043BA