2004 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

7-40
Starting and operating
off, the VDC system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the VDC OFF
switch. To make the VDC OFF switch usable again,
turn the ignition key to the OFF position and re-
start the engine.Parking your vehicle
y
Never leave unattended children or pets in
the vehicle. They could accidentally injure
themselves or others through inadvertent oper-
ation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days,
the temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe
or possibly fatal injuries to them. y Do not park the vehicle over flammable mate-
rials such as dry grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come near hot en-
gine or exhaust system parts.y Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in
the vehicle. If engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occupants in the ve-
hicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO)
contained in the exhaust gas.
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause this will cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to drive, always

7-41
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
make sure that the parking brake has been fully
released.
To set the parking brake, press the brake pedal firmly
and hold it down while fully pulling up the parking
brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly,
press the release button, then lower the lever while
keeping the button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is run-
ning, the parking brake warning light comes on. After
starting the vehicle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section (chapter 3).
When parking your vehicle, always set the parking
brake firmly and put the shift lever in the “1” (1st) for an
upgrade or “R” (Reverse) for a downgrade for manual
transmission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) position for
automatic transmission vehicles. Always set the park-
ing brake firmly when parking your vehicle. Never rely
on the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the steering wheel.
When the vehicle is headed up the hill, the front
wheels should be turned away from the curb.
UB4001BA
UB4014AA

7-42
Starting and operating
When facing downhill, the front wheels should be
turned into the curb.
Cruise control (if equipped)
Do not use the cruise control under any of the
following conditions. This may cause loss of
vehicle control: y
driving up or down a steep grade
y driving on slippery or winding roads
ydriving in heavy traffic
Cruise control enables you to maintain a constant ve-
hicle speed without holding your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal and it is operative when the vehicle speed is
25 mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the main switch
is turned “OFF” when the cruise control is not in use to
avoid unintentionally setting the cruise control.
UB4015AA

7-43
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„To set cruise control0
Main switch Cruise control lever
1. Push the “CRUISE” main switch. The indicator light
on the switch will come on.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed.
3. Push the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction and release it. Then release the ac-
celerator pedal.
The vehicle will maintain the desired speed.
UB7038BA
ACC RES
CANCEL SET
COAST
HS7018BA

7-44
Starting and operating
At this time, the “ ” indicator light is illuminated in
the combination meter.
The vehicle will maintain the desired speed.
Vehicle speed can be temporarily increased while
driving with the cruise control activated. Simply de-
press the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
When the accelerator pedal is released, the vehicle
will return to and maintain the previous cruising speed. „
To temporarily cancel the cruise con- trol
There are four ways to cancel the cruise control tem-
porarily: y
Depress the brake pedal.
y Pull the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction. (if
so equipped) y Depress the clutch pedal (manual transmission ve-
hicles only). y Shift the selector lever into the “N” position (auto-
matic transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combination meter
goes off when the cruise control is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has been tempo-
rarily canceled and with vehicle speed of about 20
mph (32 km/h) or more, push the control lever upward
in the “ACCEL, RESUME” direction to return to the
original cruising speed automatically.
The “ ” indicator light in the combination meter
will automatically come on at this time. „ To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control: y Push the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” position (but
only when the vehicle is completely stopped).
UB4010KA

7-45
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„To change the cruising speed
T To increase the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever upward in the “ACCEL, RE-
SUME” direction and hold it until the vehicle reaches
the desired speed. Then, release the control lever.
The vehicle speed at that moment will be memorized
and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the
set speed can be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each
time by pressing the control lever upward in the “AC-
CEL, RESUME” direction quickly within a half second. T To increase the speed (by accelerator pedal)
1. Depress the accelerator pedal to accelerate the ve-
hicle to the desired speed.
2. Push the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction once. Now the desired speed is set
and the vehicle will keep running at that speed without
depressing the accelerator pedal.
NOTE
If the difference between the actual vehicle speed
when the control lever is pushed downward and
the speed last time you set is less than 4 mph (6.8
km/h), the vehicle speed will be lowered by 1 mph (1.6 km/h). This occurs because the cruise control
system unit regards this lever operation as that in-
tended to decrease the vehicle speed. T
To decrease the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever downward in the “SET, COAST”
direction and hold it until the vehicle reaches the de-
sired speed. Then, release the control lever. The vehi-
cle speed at that moment will be memorized and treat-
ed as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the
set speed can be lowered 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction quickly within a half second. T To decrease the speed (by brake pedal)
1. Depress the brake pedal to release cruise control
temporarily.
2. When the speed decreases to the desired speed,
press the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction once. Now the desired speed is set
and the vehicle will keep running at that speed without
depressing the accelerator pedal.

8-1
8
Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) .............................. 8-2
Fuel economy hints ...................................... 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .... 8-3
Catalytic converter ....................................... 8-4
Periodic inspections .................................... 8-5
Driving in foreign countries ......................... 8-6
Driving tips for AWD vehicles ..................... 8-6
Off road driving ............................................ 8-8
Winter driving ............................................... 8-11 Operation during cold weather ........................ 8-11
Driving on snowy and icy roads ...................... 8-12
Corrosion protection ........................................ 8-13
Snow tires .......................................................... 8-14
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-15
Rocking the vehicle .......................................... 8-16
Loading your vehicle ................................... 8-17 Vehicle capacity weight .................................... 8-18
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........ 8-19
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) ............... 8-20
Trailer hitch (if equipped) ............................ 8-25 Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-25
When you do not tow a trailer .......................... 8-27
Trailer towing ................................................ 8-28 Warranties and maintenance ........................... 8-28
Maximum load limits ......................................... 8-29
Trailer hitches ................................................... 8-34
Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-35 Trailer towing tips ............................................. 8-37