OBD Check During State I/M Program
NUMBER: 11-49-97RDATE 9/2/98
STATE I/M PROGRAM ADVISORY BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY
1996 Model Year Legacy, Impreza & SVX
SUBJECT
OBD Check During State I/M Program
This bulletin is a reprint of Bulletin 11-49-97 dated 3/24/97, and serves as advisory information for state Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs.
Both the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have issued regulations requiring manufacturers of passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles to install an enhanced On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system for emission control systems on 1994 and later model year vehicles with exemption provisions. Our 1995 model year vehicles with a 2.2 liter engine and all 1996 and later model year Subaru vehicles are equipped with this type of OBD system.
The U.S. EPA has published regulations requiring state I/M programs to perform OBD testing on all 1996 and newer model year vehicles beginning January 1, 1998. At this time, the U.S. EPA has not provided I/M programs with their OBD testing guidance procedures.
This notice is to advise you that our 1996 model year vehicles may experience a "not ready" condition during the readiness code check of the OBD test, since our 1996 model readiness code is reset at each engine key-off or engine stall event. This condition may result in 1996 Subaru vehicles being rejected by state I/M facility inspectors. In our approved 1996 model year OBD systems, when the system detects a malfunction, it stores the identified diagnostic trouble code(s) and illuminates the malfunction indicator light (MIL) regardless of the readiness code status. Any malfunction can be confirmed by the existence of a trouble code and MIL illumination. Even if the readiness code is observed in a "not ready" condition, our vehicles will meet the I/M emissions standard.
The U.S. EPA has been informed of the 1996 model year Subaru vehicle readiness code issue and plans to release I/M OBD guidance procedures to the states in the future. Until publication of the agency's guidance document, we request that state I/M facility inspectors not notify the affected 1996 model year Subaru vehicle owners/drivers of the readiness code condition nor refer these owners to an authorized Subaru dealer because it will only lead to unnecessary confusion.