2003 SUBARU BAJA spare tire location

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NOTE
Confirm no looseness exists after securing the jack. Looseness may cause a rattle while the vehicle is moving.CAUTION
After the jack and the tool bag have been restored in the rearquarter pocket, make sure that the rear seatback has been
securely locked. When securely locked, the red marks on thelocking knobs are no longer visible.
Spare tire
HB9053BA
The spare tire is stored in the spare tire holder located under the rear of the cargo bed.
The spare tire holder has a hoist mechanism that can lower and raise the
spare tire easily. The spare tire holder is designed to carry only the tem-
porary spare tire that comes with your vehicle.
Before using the temporary spare tire, see the “Temporary spare tire ”
section in this Chapter for instructions and precautions.
Removing the spare tire
1. Take the wheel nut wrench out of the tool bag. Refer to the “Jack
and tools ” section in this Chapter for its storage location.

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Re-storage of spare tire
1. Turn the spare tire hoist shaft end counterclockwise with the wheel
nut wrench to loosen the cable sufficiently enough to allow the cable
end retainer go through center hole of the temporary spare tire.
2. Insert the retainer through the center hole of the temporary tire
(with the outside of the tire facing up).
3. Turn the hoist shaft end clockwise with the wheel nut wrench towind the cable up completely until you hear a few clicking sounds.
Confirm that the temporary spare tire holding cable has been wound
up completely by shaking the temporary tire.
CAUTION
If the temporary spare tire is not stored securely, it could damage
adjacent areas of the vehicle and make an abnormal noise.
4. Put the rubber cap on the hoist shaft end hole.
5. Place the wheel nut wrench back into the tool bag and store thejack and tool bag in their storage locations.
Temporary spare tire Using the temporary spare tire
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not designed to sustain the towing load.
Use of the temporary spare tire when towing can result in failureof the spare tire and/or less stability of the vehicle and may leadto an accident.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire other than the original. Usingother sizes may result in severe mechanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle.

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The temporary spare tire is smaller and lighter than a conventional tire
and is designed for emergency use only. Remove the temporary spare
tire and re-install the conventional tire as soon as possible because the
spare tire is designed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the temporary spare tire periodically to
keep the tire ready for use. The correct pressure is 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2
kg/cm 2
).
When using the temporary spare tire, note the following: Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
Do not put a tire chain on the temporary spare tire. Because of the
smaller tire size, a tire chain will not fit properly. Do not use two or more temporary spare tires at the same time.
Do not drive over obstacles. This tire has a smaller diameter, so
road clearance is reduced. When the wear indicator appears on the tread, replace the tire.
HB8003BB
HG0106
Indicator location mark
Tread wear indicator bar
NOTE [Automatic transmission vehicle] Before driving your vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connectorlocated in the engine compartment and confirm that the Front-wheeldrive warning light comes on. The all wheel drive capability of the
vehicle has now been deactivated. After re-installing the convention-al tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to
reactivate all wheel drive.

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4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear of the tire diagonally opposite
the flat tire.
5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel nut wrench. Refer to the sections “Spare tire ” and “Jack and tools ” in this chapter for
their location, instructions and precautions.
After the spare tire is removed from the spare tire holder, the cable must
be wound up completely by turning the hoist nut shaft clockwise until
you hear a clicking sound. Also visually inspect the cable to make cer-
tain that there is no longer any slack present.
Removing the flat tire and installing the spare tire
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1. Loosen the wheel nuts using the wheel nut wrench but do not re- move the nuts.

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HB9063BA
5. Secure the flat tire by tightening the tire holding rod.
The tire holding rod and retainer are designed solely to secure a flat
tire in emergency. Do not use them for another purpose such as se-
curing cargo.
6. Store the jack and wheel nut wrench in their storage locations.
7. Put the rubber cap back in its original position after everything has
been restored. Driving with the temporary spare tire
Your spare tire is only a temporary spare which is designed for tem-
porary emergency use only. When driving with the temporary spare
tire, follow the instructions and precautions described in the “Tempo-
rary spare tire ” section in this Chapter.
Replace the temporary spare tire with a conventional tire as soon asyou can.