
11
–
 CONTINUED  –
!Driving with pets
Unrestrained pets can interfere with your driving and 
distract your attention from driving. In a collision or 
sudden stop, unrestrained pets or cages can be
thrown around inside the vehicle and hurt you or your 
passengers. Besides, the pets can be hurt under 
these situations. It is also for their own safety that pets
should be properly restrained in your vehicle. Restrain 
a pet with a special traveling harness which can be se- 
cured to the rear seat with a seatbelt or use a pet car-
rier which can be secured to the rear seat by routing a 
seatbelt through the carrier’s handle. Never restrain 
pets or pet carriers in the front passenger’s seat. For
further information, consult your veterinarian, local an- 
imal protection society or pet shop.  ! Tire pressures
Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire 
pressures can cause the tires to deform severe- 
ly and to rapidly become hot. A sharp increase 
in temperature could cause tread separation,
and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss
of vehicle control could lead to an accident. Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of each 
tire (including the spare) at least once a month and be-
fore any long journey. 
Check the tire pressure when the tires are cold. 
Use a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to
the values shown on the tire placard. 
Refer to the “Tires and wheels” section in chapter 11 
for detailed information. !
California proposition 65 warning
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and 
certain vehicle components contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to 
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro- 
ductive harm. In addition, certain fluids in vehi-
cles and certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to the State of 
California to cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. 

25
–
 CONTINUED  –
!Trunk/cargo area
1
3
2
2
3 1
UBF206BB
1) Jack handle (page 9-34) 
2) Jack (page 9-33) 
3) Spare tire (page 9-3) 

3-27
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED  –
lubricating system is not working properly. 
If the light comes on while driving or does not go out
after the engine starts, stop the engine at the first safe 
opportunity and check the engine oil level. If the oil lev- 
el is low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is at the
proper level but the light remains on, contact your 
nearest SUBARU dealer immediately. !AT OIL TEMPerature warning  
light (AT vehicles)
The AT oil temperature warning light comes on when 
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and
goes out after about two seconds. 
If this light comes on when the engine is running, it 
may indicate that the automatic transmission fluid tem-
perature is too hot. 
If the light comes on while driving, it is unnecessary to 
stop the vehicle, but avoid driving up steep grades or
in stop and go traffic. ! Automatic transmission control system warn- ing
If the light flashes after the engine starts, it may indi-cate that the automatic transmission control system is 
not working properly. Contact your nearest SUBARU 
dealer for service immediately. !
Low tire pressure warning light (if  
equipped)
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position, 
the low tire pressure warning light will come on for 
about 2 seconds to check that the tire pressure moni-
toring system (TPMS) is functioning properly. If there 
is no problem and all tires are properly inflated, the 
light will go out.
When the tire pressure monitoring system warning 
light is lit, one or more of your tires is significantly un- 
der-inflated. You should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the proper pres- 
sure as indicated on the vehicle’s tire information plac- ard.
Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the 
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-in- 
flation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle’s handling and stopping 
ability. Each tire, including the spare, should be 
checked monthly when cold and set to the recom-
mended inflation pressure as specified in the vehicle 
placard and owner’s manual.
If this light does not come on briefly after the ig- 
nition switch is turned ON or the light is flash- 

3-28
Instruments and controls
ing, you should have your Tire Pressure Moni- 
toring System checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. 
If this light comes on while driving, never brake 
suddenly and keep driving straight ahead while
gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off 
the road to a safe place. Otherwise an accident 
involving serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur.  
If this light still comes on while driving after ad- 
justing the tire pressure, a tire may have signif-
icant damage and a fast leak that causes the 
tire to lose air rapidly.   If you have a flat tire, re- 
place it with a spare tire as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a wheel rim is 
replaced without the original pressure sensor/ 
transmitter being transferred, the Low tire pres-
sure warning light will flash.  This indicates the 
TPMS is unable to monitor all four road wheels. 
Contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-
ble for tire and sensor replacement and/or sys- 
tem resetting. If the light flashes, promptly con- 
tact a SUBARU dealer to have the system in-
spected.
The tire pressure monitoring system is NOT a 
substitute for manually checking tire pressure. 
The tire pressure should be checked periodical- 
ly (at least monthly) using a tire gauge. After
any change to tire pressure(s), the tire pressure 
monitoring system will not re-check tire infla- 
tion pressures until the vehicle is first driven
more than 20 mph (32 km/h). Be sure to install
the specified size for the front and rear tires.
! ABS warning light                    
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition 
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after 
about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working 
properly.
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS 
system may not work properly. 
When the warning light is on, the ABS function
shuts down; however, the conventional brake 
system continues to operate normally.
(U.S.) (Canada) 

7-50
Starting and operating
off a few minutes later. 
If this light still comes on while driving after ad- 
justing the tire pressure, a tire may have signif- 
icant damage and a fast leak that causes the 
tire to lose air rapidly. If you have a flat tire, re-
place it with a spare tire as soon as possible. 
When a spare tire is mounted or a wheel rim is 
replaced without the original pressure sensor/
transmitter being transferred, the low tire pres- 
sure warning light will flash. This indicates the 
TPMS is unable to monitor all four road wheels.
Contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as possi- 
ble for tire and sensor replacement and/or sys- tem resetting.
Do not inject any tire liquid or aerosol tire seal- ant into the tires, as this may cause a malfunc- 
tion of the tire pressure sensors. If the light
flashes, promptly contact a SUBARU dealer to
have the system inspected.
Do not place metal film or any metal parts under 
the driver’s seat. This may cause poor recep- 
tion of the signals from the tire pressure sen-
sors, which are located there, and the tire pres-
sure monitoring system will not function prop-
erly.
NOTE 
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC 
Rules and with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Oper-ation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) 
This device may not cause harmful interference, 
and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause 
undesired operation. 
Changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could 
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. 

8-8
Driving tips
All wheel drive distributes the engine power to all four 
wheels. AWD vehicles provide better traction when 
driving on slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand. By shifting 
power between the front and rear wheels, SUBARU 
AWD can also provide added traction during acceler-
ation, and added engine braking force during deceler- 
ation. 
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle may handle
differently than an ordinary two wheel drive vehicle 
and it contains some features unique to AWD. For 
safety purposes as well as to avoid damaging the
AWD system, you should keep the following tips in mind:
"
An AWD vehicle is better able to climb steeper
roads under snowy or slippery conditions than a two 
wheel drive vehicle. There is little difference in han- 
dling, however, during extremely sharp turns or sud- 
den braking. Therefore, when driving down a slope or
turning corners, be sure to reduce your speed and 
maintain an ample distance from other vehicles. " When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the
same size, circumference, construction, brand, and 
load range as the original tires listed on the tire plac- 
ard. Using other sizes, circumferences or construction
may result in severe mechanical damage to the drive 
train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, 
braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and
clearance between the body and tires. It also may be 
dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. " If you use a temporary spare tire to replace a flat
tire, be sure to use the original temporary spare tire 
stored in the vehicle. Using other sizes may result in 
severe mechanical damage to the drive train of yourvehicle. " Always check the cold tire pressure before starting
to drive. The recommended tire pressure is provided 
on the tire placard, which is located under the door 
latch on the driver’s side. " Tire chains should always be placed on the front
wheels only.
HS8003BA 

8-17
Driving tips
–  CONTINUED  –
!Tire chains
Tire chains cannot be used on tires listed below 
because of lack of clearance between the tires 
and vehicle body. "2.5-liter non-turbo models (except OUT-
BACK): P205/55R16 tires " 2.5-liter turbo models (except OUTBACK):
215/45ZR17 tires " 2.5-liter non-turbo models (OUTBACK): P225/
60R16 tires" 2.5-liter turbo and 3.0-liter models (OUT-
BACK): P225/55R17 tires " 2.5-liter non-turbo and 3.0-liter models (OUT-
BACK): P225/60R16 winter (snow) tires " 2.5-liter non-turbo and 3.0-liter models (OUT-
BACK): P215/60R16 winter (snow) tires " 2.5-liter turbo and 3.0-liter models (OUT-
BACK): P215/55R17 winter (snow) tires
Driving on snowy grades or icy roads may require the 
use of tire chains, in which case put the chains on the 
front wheels only. Use only SAE class S type chains
that are of the correct size for your tires so as not to 
damage the vehicle body or suspension. When driving with tire chains, drive at speeds below 
19 mph (30 km/h). When a temporary spare tire is on
a front wheel, replace the temporary spare tire with the 
rear tire on the same side of the vehicle, and then fit 
chains on the front tires. 
Always use the utmost care when driving with tire 
chains – overconfidence because you are driving with 
tire chains could easily lead to a serious accident. !
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand, 
or mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and 
move the selector lever back and forth between “D” 
and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when 
trying to free the vehicle. 
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can 
obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with the 
transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). 
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” section in chap- 
ter 7 for information on holding the transmission in 2nd 
position. 

8-39
Driving tips
–  CONTINUED  –
!Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle, check that the 
standard side mirrors provide a good rearward field of 
view without significant blind spots. If significant blind
spots occur with the vehicle’s standard side mirrors, 
use towing mirrors that conform with Federal, state/ 
province and/or other applicable regulations. ! Trailer lights
Direct splicing or other improper connection of 
trailer lights may damage your vehicle’s electri- cal system and cause a malfunction of your ve-
hicle’s lighting system.
Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle’s electrical 
system requires modifications to the vehicle’s lighting
circuit to increase its capacity and accommodate wir- 
ing changes. To ensure the trailer lights are connected 
properly, please consult your SUBARU dealer. Check
for proper operation of the turn signals, the brake 
lights and parking lights each time you hitch up. ! Tires
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare 
tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not de- 
signed to sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing can result in 
failure of the spare tire and/or less stability of
the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle are properly 
inflated. 
The recommended cold tire pressure under trailer tow- 
ing conditions is shown in chapter 12, “Specifications”
UB8501BA