2006 SUBARU BAJA Owners Manual

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Interior and exterior equipments
Cargo bed
y
Never fill gasoline containers on the cargo
bed. Static electricity may ignite gasoline vapor
when filling portable containers. Approved
containers must be removed from the vehicle
and placed on the ground when filling.
Do not fill any portable container on a vehicle.y Never allow anyone to ride in the cargo bed.
It is not designed for passengers. They should
ride in the seats with the seatbelts securely fas-
tened. Otherwise they are much more likely to suffer serious injury or death in a sudden brak-
ing or in a collision.
y
Do not exceed the cargo load rating of your
vehicle. Refer to the “Loading your vehicle”
section in chapter 8.y Be sure cargo is secured properly. Unse-
cured cargo in the cargo bed can be thrown
around during sudden braking, in a sharp turn
or during rapid acceleration, which could cre-
ate a dangerous road hazard. y To avoid creating a dangerous road hazard or
causing personal injury, cargo must not stick
out beyond the tailgate. y Never drive the vehicle with the tailgate open
unless the optional SUBARU Bed Extender is
used.
Cargo should be placed in the cargo bed. Make sure
all items are secured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle balanced. Locating the
weight as low and far forward as possible helps main-
tain balance.
There are two water drain holes at both sides of the
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front end of the cargo bed. Keep those holes clear and
free from obstructions. „Cargo tie-down hooks
The cargo bed is equipped with four tie-down hooks so
that cargo can be secured with a luggage net or ropes.Bed extender (if equipped)
The bed extender is designed to increase the usable
cargo area of the bed.
y When the tailgate and bed extender are in the
“open/outward” position, the license plate
bracket must be lowered and locked into posi-
tion before the vehicle is driven (see section
“License plate bracket” under the heading of
“Tailgate” in chapter 2 for more information onthe function of the license plate bracket). In or-
der to avoid damaging the license plate bracket
or the bumper, make certain that the license
plate bracket is in its fully lowered/open posi-
tion before the ta ilgate is lowered.
y Do not exceed the cargo load rating of your
vehicle. Refer to “Loading your vehicle” sec-
tion in chapter 8. y Locking buckles must be engaged into the
tailgate latch while the vehicle is in motion.
y When the bed extender is not in use, the tail-
gate should be closed.y Do not use the bed extender or tailgate to se-
cure cargo.
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Interior and exterior equipments
y
Remove the bed extender for vehicle “Off
Road” use. y To avoid creating a dangerous road hazard or
causing personal injury, cargo must not stick
out beyond the bed extender.y To avoid damage, the tailgate and bed ex-
tender must remain in the closed/inward posi-
tion when towing with a trailer hitch.y To avoid damage, clean the bed extender
only with soap, water and a soft brush.
„ Operation Open/Outward Position
– To use the bed extender in
the open/outward position, simply lower your license
plate bracket (see section “License plate bracket” un-
der heading of “Tailgate” in chapter 2), open your tail-
gate, and rotate the bed extender until it sits on the tail-gate.
After you have rotated the bed extender, lock the black
buckle pin into the tailgate latch by pushing downward
until you hear two clicks. Then tighten the tether
straps. Repeat this process for the other side. When
you want to return the tailgate and the bed extender to
the closed/inward position, pull on the tailgate release
handle to disengage the tethers.
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NOTE
Use care when rotating bed extender. Do not per-
mit the buckles to come in contact with vehicle
sheet metal and bed trim.
Closed/Inward Position – With the tailgate closed
and the bed extender in the inward position, small
loads can be placed inside the vehicle bed between
the tailgate and the extender (groceries, ice chests, etc.).
The bed extender should be secured to the rear set of
vehicle cargo hooks. Latch the buckle onto the rear
cargo hooks and then tighten the tether straps. To dis-
engage the tethers, loosen the tether straps and de- press the latch pin. „
Bed extender removal
The bed extender can be removed from the vehicle by
rotating the extender into a vertical position then lifting
straight up.
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Interior and exterior equipments
Cargo lamp
The cargo lamp comes on and goes off whenever the
cargo lamp switch is pushed regardless of the position
of the ignition switch. The cargo lamp indicator light lo-
cated in the meter panel will illuminate when the cargo
lamp is on.
When leaving your vehicle, make sure the lamp is
turned off to avoid battery discharge.
Do not switch on the cargo lamp while drivingto avoid distracting other drivers.
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Soft bed cover (if equipped)
Before installing the soft bed cover, carefully
read the warning labels on the inside wall of the
cargo bed.
yDo not place cargo on top of the bed cover.
y Do not use the hard bed cover section as a
step. y
Do not use the bed cover to secure cargo.
y To avoid damage, clean the bed cover with
only soap, water and a soft brush. y Remove the soft portion of the bed cover be-
fore taking the vehicle through a car wash.
The bed cover is designed to cover the cargo area of
the bed. The bed cover is water resistant, but not wa- terproof. „ Securing the cover
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To secure the soft portion of the bed cover to the bed,
simply start from either si
de of the vehicle and place
the plastic strip under the rail. Slide your hand down
the side of the vehicle pushing the plastic strip under
the rail as you go. Contin ue this around the entire
length of the bed. Fasten both closeout wraps with
Velcro around the rear chrome bars so that they are
secure. Your cover should be tight and ready to con-
ceal items in the bed from view. „
Cover removal
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The soft portion of the bed cover can be removed from
the bed cover’s hard section for cleaning or storage.
Unfasten the Velcro on the tube closeout wraps and
firmly pull the cover out to one side. „Cover reinstallation
The soft portion of the bed cover can be reinstalled
onto the bed cover’s hard section. Start by inserting
the left front edge of the soft portion into the right side
of the hard cover. This area is flared out to ease instal-
lation. As you insert (and pull) the soft portion of the bed cov-
er into the bed cover’s hard section, make sure the next 10 to 15 inches (250
to 380 mm) of the soft por-
tion are straight and ready to enter the flared out por-
tion of the hard section.
Once you have pulled the soft portion of the bed cover
onto the bed cover’s hard section, make sure the soft
portion is equally centered on both sides. To complete
the installation, refer to “Securing the cover” section in
this chapter.
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