warning light SUBARU OUTBACK 2009 5.G Service Manual

&AT OIL TEMP warning
light (AT models)
The AT oil temperature warning light “AT
OIL TEMP ”illuminates when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON ”position and
goes out after approximately 2 seconds.
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light illuminates while driving, im-
mediately stop the vehicle in a safe place
and let the engine idle until the warning
light goes off. ! Automatic transmission control
system warning
If the “AT OIL TEMP ”warning light flashes
after the engine has started, it may
indicate that the automatic transmission
control system is not working properly.
Contact your nearest SUBARU dealer for
service immediately.
& Low tire pressure
warning light (U.S.-spec. models)
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
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
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure 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
proper inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring 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. Driving 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
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
Should the warning light illuminate stea-
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon aspossible.Instruments and controls
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3-34Instruments and controls
WARNING
If this light does not illuminate
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, 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 illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. If the light
illuminates steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU dealer
to have the system inspected.
CAUTION
The tire pressure monitoring system
is NOT a substitute for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked peri-
odically (at least monthly) using a
tire gauge. After any change to tire
pressure(s), the tire pressure mon-
itoring system will not re-check tire
inflation pressures until the vehicle
is first driven more than 20 mph (32
km/h). After adjusting the tire pres-
sures, increase the vehicle speed to
at least 20 mph (32 km/h) to start the
TPMS re-checking of the tire infla-
tion pressures. If the tire pressures
are now above the severe low
pressure threshold, the low tire
pressure warning light should turn
off a few minutes later. Therefore, be
sure to install the specified size for the front and rear tires.
& ABS warning light
The ABS warning light illuminates when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and goes out after approximately
2 seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
CAUTION
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; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally. . The warning light does not illu-
minate when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates
when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position, but
it does not go out even when the
vehicle speed exceeds approxi-
mately 8 mph (12 km/h).
. The warning light illuminates dur-
ing driving.

If any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by
your SUBARU dealer.
The ABS warning light illuminates to-
gether with the brake system warning light
if the EBD system becomes faulty. For
further details of the EBD system fault
warning, refer to “Brake system warning
light ”.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following conditions,
the ABS system may be considerednormal. . The warning light illuminates 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
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).. The warning light illuminates 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 illumi-
nate. 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 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 re-
pair.
This light has the following three functions: ! Parking brake warning
The light illuminates 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 illuminates 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
illuminate 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
reservoir, do not drive the vehicle. Have
the vehicle towed to the nearest SUBARU
dealer for repair. ! Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
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 driving.
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
applied harder than usual and the vehi-cle ’s motion may therefore become some- Instruments and controls
3-35
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3-36Instruments and controls
what 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 inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate 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 systeminspected.
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.
& Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light illuminates
when the tank is nearly empty approxi- mately 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).
CAUTION
Promptly put fuel in the tank when-
ever the low fuel warning light
illuminates. Engine misfires as a
result of an empty tank could cause
damage to the engine.
& Door open warning light
When any of the doors, the rear gate
(Station wagon) or the trunk lid (Sedan) is
not fully closed, the door open warning
light illuminates.
For a vehicle without SI-DRIVE, the
open door is indicated by the correspond-
ing part of the door open warning light.
For a vehicle with SI-DRIVE, the opening
door is indicated on the multi-information
display. Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive. &
All-Wheel Drive
warning light
(AT models)
WARNING
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.
The All-Wheel Drive warning light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and goes out after the
engine has started. ! For 5-speed automatic transmis-
sion vehicles
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of different diameters fitted on its
wheels or with the air pressure exces-
sively low in any of its tires.

!For 4-speed automatic transmis-
sion vehicles
This light illuminates when All-Wheel
Drive is disengaged and the drive me-
chanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive
for maintenance 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 exces-
sively low in any of its tires. & Vehicle Dynamics
Control operation indi-
cator light (if equipped)
This light illuminates 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. .The light does not illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position.. 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
Control warning light (if
equipped)/Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF in-
dicator 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
system has been deactivated.
It illuminates in the event of a fault in the
system and is on when the system is notoperating.
This warning light illuminates when the
ignition 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 normaloperation. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably inoperative under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position. .
The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is running. . If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself becomes
faulty, the warning light only illuminates. At
this time, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem) remains fully operational. . The warning light illuminates when the
electronic control system of the ABS/
Vehicle Dynamics Control system be-
comes faulty.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system
provides its ABS control through the
electrical circuit of the ABS system.
Accordingly, if the ABS is inoperative, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system be-
comes unable to provide ABS control. As
a result, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system also becomes inoperative, caus-
ing the warning light to illuminate. Though
both the Vehicle Dynamics Control and
ABS systems are inoperative in this case,
the ordinary functions of the brake system
are still available. 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
described in the following examples,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system Instruments and controls
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3-38Instruments and controls
may be considered normal. . The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light illuminates after
engine startup and goes off while the
vehicle is subsequently being driven.. The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it goes out immediately and
remains off. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF in-
dicator light
. It illuminates when the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF switch is pressed. . It also illuminates when the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system is deactivated. NOTE . 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.. The indicator light illuminates when
the engine has developed a problem
and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
malfunction indicator lamp 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. .
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. !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. ! Immobilizer system
This light blinks approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from“ ON ”position to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”
position or immediately after the key is
pulled out. Refer to the “Door locks ”
section in 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 illumi-nates. &
SPORT mode indicator
light (4-speed AT mod-els)
This light illuminates 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 se-
lected and the indicator light illuminates.
Refer to the “Automatic transmission –4-
speed ”section in chapter 7.
& Shift-up indicator light
(MT models with SI- DRIVE)
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”position, the indicator light illumi-
nates for 3 seconds, and then turns off.
While selecting the Intelligent (I) mode of
SI-DRIVE, this indicator light illuminates
and informs the upshift timing to the driver
for fuel-efficient driving.

3-40Instruments and controls
& Selector lever and gear posi-
tion indicator (AT models) (if equipped)
This indicator shows the position of the
selector lever.
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator (which shows the
current gear selection) and the upshift/
downshift indicator light up. Refer to the“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 possible.
Refer to the
“Replacing bulbs ”section in
chapter 11.
& High beam indicator light
This light shows that the headlights are in
the high beam mode.
This indicator light also illuminates when
the headlight flasher is operated. &Cruise control indica-
tor light
The cruise control indicator light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and goes out after
approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates 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
flashes. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”position, and
then turn it again to the “ON ”position.
. If this indicator light and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunction in-
dicator lamp flash simultaneously dur-
ing driving, have the vehicle checked
by your nearest SUBARU dealer. &
Cruise control set in-
dicator light
The cruise control set indicator light
illuminates when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position and goes out
after approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates when vehicle speed
has been set. & Headlight indicator light
This indicator light illuminates when the
light switch is turned to the “”position
(to turn on the parking lights) or to the “
” position (to turn on the headlights).
& Front fog light indicator
light (if equipped)
This indicator light is on while the front fog
lights are on.

3-44Instruments and controls
last reset.
Pressing the trip knob toggles the indica-
tion between the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the A trip meter
indication and the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the B trip meterindication.
When either of the trip meter indications is
reset, the corresponding average fuel
consumption value is also reset. NOTE . The indicated values vary in accor-
dance with changes in the vehicle ’s
running conditions. Also, the indicated
values may differ slightly from the
actual values and should thus be
treated only as a guide.. When either trip meter indication is
reset, the average fuel consumption
corresponding to that trip meter indica-
tion is not shown until the vehicle has
subsequently covered a distance of 1
mile (or 1 km). &
Driving range on remaining fuel
U.S.-spec. models
Canada-spec. models
The driving range indicates the distance that can be driven taking into account the
amount of fuel remaining in the tank and
the average rate of fuel consumption.
When the low fuel warning light illumi-
nates, the driving range indication flashes
for 5 seconds. (The display first switches
to the driving range indication if it was
originally giving some other indication.)
U.S.-spec. models

Canada-spec. models
If the driving range is shown as “
”,
there is only a tiny amount of fuel left in the
tank. You must refuel the vehicle immedi-
ately. NOTE
The driving range on remaining fuel is
only a guide. The indicated value may
differ from the actual driving range on
remaining fuel, so you must immedi-
ately fill the tank when the low fuel
warning light illuminates. &
Journey timeThe journey time shows the time that has
elapsed since the ignition switch was
turned to the “START ”position.
The journey time indication flashes each
time a complete hour has elapsed. If the display is giving an indication other than
the journey time, the display switches to
the journey time, flashes for 5 seconds,
and returns to its original indication each
time a complete hour has elapsed. NOTE
The journey time is reset when the
ignition switch is turned to the
“LOCK ”
position. It is also reset if the ignition
switch is turned to the “LOCK ”or
“ Acc ”position prior to restarting of
the engine. Instruments and controls
3-45

3-46Instruments and controls
Light control switch
WARNING
To prevent battery discharge result-
ing from accidentally leaving your
lights on when your vehicle is
parked, the light switch operates
only when the ignition switch is inthe “ON ”position. In any other
position, the vehicle ’s lights will be
out.
If you park your vehicle on a road-
side at night, use the hazard warn-
ing flasher to alert the other drivers.
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 illumina-
tion, front side marker lights and license
plate lights are on.
second position
Headlights, parking lights, instrument pa-
nel illumination, front side marker lights,
tail lights and license plate lights are on. &
High/low beam change (dimmer)
To change from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal lever forward. When
the headlights are on high beam, the high
beam indicator light “
”on the instru-
ment panel is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever
back to the detent position.