2004 Subaru Impreza Owner's Manual - Page 290

Starting and operating mode. Automatic transmission The automatic transmission is electronically controlled with 4-forward speeds and 1-reverse speed. NOTE " If the differential-limiting factor is large during cornering maneuvers, a small speed difference between the front and rear wheels may cause tight corner braking (a phenomenon accompanied by vibration and noise). This phenomenon does not indicate a problem. It will disappear if the differential-action limiting factor is reduced. " Use the center-differential indicator light only as a rough indication of the differential-action limiting factor. NOTE ! Temporary release When the driver stop the vehicle and pulls the parkingbrake lever after manually setting the differential-action limiting factor, the factor is temporarily minimized. The indicator in the combination meter continues to show the driver's selected differential-action limiting factor. When the driver releases the parking-brake lever, the factor set by the driver is restored. Immediately after a disconnected battery is reconnected or ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the automatic transmission operation is somewhat unusual. This results from erasure or invalidation of data the on-board computer has collected and stored in memory to allow the transmission to shift at the most appropriate times for the current condition of your vehicle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehicle continues to be driven for a while. Do not shift from the "P" or "N" position into the "D", "3", "2", "1" or "R" position while depressing the accelerator pedal. This may cause the vehicle to jump forward or backward. " Shift into the "P" or "R" position only after - CONTINUED - 7-21