Subaru OBD2 Decoding

In 1994, CARB issued a complete set of required diagnostic parameters for vehicles sold in California for the 1996 model year. These new “OBD2” standards, including the standardized DLC and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), were adopted by the U.S. government for vehicles sold in all states for 1996.

Automobile manufacturers were allowed to establish or keep their own proprietary codes, but were mandated to also align those dealing with emissions as  OBD2 DTCs.

It is at that point that we begin our look at how Subaru vehicles use Subaru OBD2 codes and how the systems have developed up to 2008.

Note: This article will deal only with Subaru OBD2 diagnostics which were mandated in all vehicles starting with 1996 models.