2006 SUBARU BAJA stop start

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Starting and operating
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locked to prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the parking brake
fully, then shift into the “P” position. Do not hold the ve-
hicle with only the transmission.
A shift interlock function is employed in the automatic
transmission system to ensure safe starting of the ve-
hicle.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to any other po-
sition, you have to depress the brake pedal fully then
push the release button on the selector lever when the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position. This prevents
the vehicle from lurching when it is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the “P” position
with the brake pedal depressed, the release button
pushed in, and the ignition switch in the ON position,
refer to the “Shift lock release” section in this chapter. T R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.To shift from the “N” to “R” position, first stop the vehi-
cle completely then move the lever to the “R” position
while pressing the release button. T
N (Neutral)
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever
in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk of an
accident is consequently increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine.
In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine braking effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the “N” position when you
stop the engine for parking, you may not subse-
quently be able to move it to the “R” and “P” posi-
tions. If this happens, tu rn the ignition switch to
the “ON” position. You wi ll then be able to move
the selector lever to the “P” position.
T D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.

7-28
Starting and operating
matic transmission from damage. y
The transmission does not automatically shift
up in the SPORTSHIFT mo de. Perform gearshifts
in accordance with road conditions so that the ta-
chometer needle does not enter the red zone. If the
engine speed reaches a predetermined level, a
fuel-cut function will operate. Shift up if this hap-
pens.y If you attempt to shi ft down when the engine
speed is too high, i.e., when a downshift would
push the tachometer needle beyond the red zone,
beeps will be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible. y If you attempt to shift up when the vehicle speed
is too low, the transmission will not respond. y You can perform a skip-shift (for example, from
4th to 2nd or from 2nd to 4th) by operating the se-
lector lever twice in rapid succession. y The transmission automatically selects 1st gear
when the vehicle stops moving. It will not permit a
standing start in 2nd gear. T Maximum speeds
When down shifting a gear, ensure that the ve-
hicle is not travelling at a speed exceeding the Maximum Allowable Speed for the gear which
is about to be selected. Failure to observe this
precaution can lead to engine over-revving and
this in turn can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of engine brak-
ing caused by downshifting when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can lead to
wheel locking; as a consequence, control of the
vehicle may be lost and
the risk of an accident
increased.
The following tables show the maximum speeds that
are possible with each different gear.
When down shifting, it is im portant to confirm that the
current vehicle speed is not in excess of the Maximum
Allowable Speed of the gear which is about to be se- lected. mph (km/h)
*: SPORTSHIFT mode Position Turbo models
1 29 (47), 36 (58) *
2 60 (96), 62 (100) *
3 102 (164), 102 (164) *

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Starting and operating
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Never exceed posted speed limits.
NOTE yIn order to prevent over-revving during acceler-
ation of the vehicle, the transmission will automat-
ically shift to the next higher gear if the Maximum
Allowable Speed for the current gear is reached. y Similarly, in order to prevent over-revving dur-
ing deceleration of the ve hicle, the transmission
will remain in the current gear if the speed of the
vehicle is in excess of the Maximum Allowable
Speed for the gear to which the selector lever has
been moved. „ Driving tips
y Always apply the foot or parking brake when the ve-
hicle is stopped in the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1”, or “R” position. y Always set the parking brake when parking your ve-
hicle. Do not hold the vehicle with only the transmis-
sion. y Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary position on
an uphill grade by using the “D”, “3”, “2” or “1” position.
Use the brake instead. y The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the
vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away from
a standstill. This phenomenon does not indicate a fault. „
Shift lock release
Perform the following steps if the selector lever does
not move from the “P” position even with the release
button pressed, the brake pedal depressed and the ig-
nition switch in the “ON” position:
To override the shift lock:
1. Set the parking brake and stop the engine.
2. Take out the screwdriver from the tool bag.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the edge with the
flat-head screwdriver.
UB7041BA

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Starting and operating
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Power steering
Do not hold the steering wheel at the fully
locked position left or right for more than five
seconds. This may damage the power steering
pump.
The power steering system operates only when the
engine is running.
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system fails to function, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
NOTE
Right after the engine has been started and before
it has warmed up, you may hear a noise coming
from areas adjacent to the power steering pump
which is located at the right-front area of the en-
gine compartment. This noise is normal. It does
not indicate power steering system trouble.
Braking „Braking tips
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This can cause dangerous overheating
of the brakes and needless wear on the brake
pads and linings.
T When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehi-
cle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake
pedal to heat up the brakes. T Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addition
to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the
foot brake is used, the brakes may start working im-
properly because of brake fluid overheating, caused
by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift
into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking.

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Starting and operating
T
Braking when a ti re is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire
is punctured. This could c ause a loss of control of the
vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place. „ Brake system
T Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has a dual circuit brake systems. Each
circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one cir-
cuit of the brake system shou ld fail, the other half of
the system still works. If one circuit fails, the brake
pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual
and you will need to press it down much harder. And a
much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehi- cle. T Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to
assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while
driving because that will turn off the brake booster, re-
sulting in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even when the brake
booster completely stops functioning. If this happens,
however, you will have to push the pedal much harder than normal and the braking distance will increase. „
Disc brake pad wear warning indica- tors
The disc brake pad wear warning indicators on the
disc brakes give a warning noise when the brake pads
are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard from the disc
brakes while braking, immediately have your vehicle
inspected by the nearest SUBARU dealer.
HS7012BA

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Starting and operating
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ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Always use the utmost care in driving – over-
confidence because you are driving with an
ABS equipped vehicle could easily lead to a se-
rious accident.
yThe ABS system does not always decrease
stopping distance. You should always maintain
a safe following distance from other vehicles. y When driving on badly surfaced roads, gravel
roads, icy road, or over deep newly fallen snow,
stopping distances may be longer for a vehicle
with the ABS system than one without. When
driving under these conditions, therefore, re-
duce your speed and leave ample distance from
other vehicles. y When you feel the ABS system operating,
you should maintain constant brake pedal pres-
sure. Do not pump the brake pedal since doing
so may defeat the operation of the ABS system. The ABS system prevents the lock-up of wheels which
may occur during sudden braking or braking on slip-
pery road surfaces. This helps prevent the loss of
steering control and directional stability caused by
wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you may hear a
chattering noise or feel a slight vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal when the ABS operates. The ABS system will not ope
rate when the vehicle
speed is below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). „ ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and hear the opera ting sound of ABS from the engine com-
partment just after the vehi cle is started. This is
caused by an automatic functional test of the ABS sys-
tem being carried out and does not indicate any abnor-
mal condition.

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Starting and operating
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age and does not indicate a malfunction. When the
battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out.Parking your vehicle
yNever 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

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Starting and operating
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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 five ways to cancel the cruise control tem-
porarily: y Depress the brake pedal.
y Pull the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction.
y Depress the clutch pedal (manual transmission ve-
hicles only). y Shift the selector lever into the “N” position (auto-
matic transmission vehicles only). y Shift the shift lever into neutral position (manual
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 approximate-
ly 20 mph (32 km/h) or more , push the control lever up-
ward 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). „ 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. 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