2006 SUBARU OUTBACK light

In case of emergency
9-9
„ Tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem (TPMS) (if equipped)
The tire pressure mo nitoring system pro-
vides the driver with the warning message
indicated by sending a signal from a sen-
sor that is installed in each wheel when
tire pressure is severely low.
The tire pressure monitoring system will activate only when the vehicle is driven.
Also, this system may not react immedi-
ately to a sudden drop in tire pressure (for
example, a blow-out caused running over
a sharp object).Never place a tire or tire changing
tools in the passenger compartment
after changing wheels. In a sudden
stop or collisions, loose equipment
could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in
the proper place.
700352If the low tire pressure warning 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 acci-
dent involving serious vehicle dam-
age and serious personal injury
could occur.
Check the pressure for all four tires
and adjust the pressure to the COLD
tire pressure shown on the vehicle
placard on the door pillar on the
driver’s side. If this light still comes
on while driving after adjusting 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 , replace 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 in-
dicates the TPMS is unable to moni-
tor all four road wheels. Contact
your SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible for tire and sensor replace-
ment and/or system resetting.
Do not inject any tire liquid or aero-
sol tire sealant into the tires, as this
may cause a malfunction of the tire
pressure sensors.
If the light flashes, promptly contact
a SUBARU dealer to have the sys-
tem inspected.

9-10 In case of emergency
Jump starting
When your vehicle does not start due to a
run down (discharged) battery, the vehicle
may be jump started by connecting your
battery to another battery (called the
booster battery) with jumper cables. „ How to jump start 1. Make sure the booster battery is 12
volts and the negative terminal is ground-
ed.
2. If the booster battery is in another vehi-
cle, do not let the two vehicles touch.
3. Turn off all unnecessary lights and ac-
cessories.
4. Connect the jumper cables exactly in
the sequence illustrated.y Battery fluid is SULFURIC ACID.
Do not let it come in contact with
the eyes, skin, clothing or the ve-
hicle.
If battery fluid gets on you, thor-
oughly flush the exposed area
with water immedi ately. Get medi-
cal help if the fluid has entered
your eyes.
If battery fluid is accidentally
swallowed, immediately drink a
large amount of milk or water, and
obtain immediate medical help.
Keep everyone including children
away from the battery.
y The gas generated by a battery ex-
plodes if a flame or spark is
brought near it. Do not smoke or
light a match while jump starting.
y Never attempt jump starting if the
discharged battery is frozen. It
could cause the battery to burst or
explode. y Whenever working on or around a
battery, always wear suitable eye
protectors, and remove metal ob-
jects such as rings, bands or oth-
er metal jewelry.
y Be sure the jumper cables and
clamps on them do not have loose
or missing insulation.
Do not jump start unless cables in
suitable condition are available.
y A running engine can be danger-
ous. Keep your fingers, hands,
clothing, hair and tools away from
the cooling fan, belts and any oth-
er moving engine parts. Remov-
ing rings, watches and ties is ad-
visable.
y Jump starting is dangerous if it is
done incorrectly. If you are unsure
about the proper procedure for
jump starting, consult a compe-
tent mechanic.

In case of emergency
9-13
– CONTINUED –Towing
If towing is necessary, it is best done by
your SUBARU dealer or a commercial
towing service. Observe the following pro-
cedures for safety. „ Towing and tie-down hooks The towing hooks should be used only in
an emergency (e.g., to free a stuck vehicle
from mud, sand or snow).
Front towing hook (OUTBACK models):
1. Take out the towing hook, screwdriver
and wheel nut wrench from the on board
tool bucket. 2. Wrap a flat-head screwdriver in a vinyl
tape or cloth, insert it into the gap between
the cover and the front bumper, and use it
to lever the cover open.
3. Pull the entire front fog light cover to-
ward you.Never tow AWD vehicles (both AT
and MT) with the front wheels raised
off the ground while the rear wheels
are on the ground, or with the rear
wheels raised off the ground while
the front wheels are on the ground.
This will cause the vehicle to spin
away due to the operation or deteri-
oration of the center differential.
900030y Use only the specified towing
hooks and tie-down hooks. Never
use suspension parts or other
parts of the body for towing or tie-
down purposes.
y Never use the tie-down hook clos-
est to the muffler under the vehi-
cle for towing purposes.
y To prevent deformation to the
bumper and the towing hook, do
not apply excessive lateral load to
the towing hooks. 900246
900247

9-14 In case of emergency
4. Screw the towing hook into the thread
hole until the threads can no longer be
seen.
5. Tighten the towing hook securely using
a wheel nut wrench.
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Fit the towing hook cover on the bumper.
Front towing hook (except OUTBACK
models):
1. Take out the towing hook, screwdriver
and wheel nut wrench from the on board
tool bag. 2. Wrap a flat-head screwdriver with cloth
or vinyl. Then, insert the screwdriver into
the gap between the front fog light cover
and the bumper, and pry out the cover.
3. Pull the entire front fog light cover to-
ward you. 4. Likewise, insert the screwdriver still
wrapped with cloth or vinyl into the cutout
between the towing hook cover and the
bumper. Pry out the cover.
5. Screw the towing hook into the thread
hole until the threads can no longer be
seen.900248 900249
900250 900251

In case of emergency
9-15
– CONTINUED –6. Tighten the towing hook securely using
a wheel nut wrench.
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Fit the fog light cover and towing hook
cover on the bumper. Rear towing hook:
The rear towing hook is located below the
center of the rear bumper.
Front tie-down hooks: The front tie-down hooks are located be-
tween each of the front tires and the front
bumper.
Rear tie-down hooks:
The rear tie-down hooks are located neary Do not use the towing hook ex-
cept when towing your vehicle.
y Be sure to remove the towing
hook after towing. Leaving the
towing hook mounted on the vehi-
cle could interfere with proper op-
eration of the SRS airbag system
in a frontal collision. 900252
Never use the rear towing hook to tie
the vehicle down. 600150 900253
900032

10-2 Appearance care Appearance care
Exterior care „ Washing
NOTE When having your vehicle washed in
an automatic car wash, make sure be-
forehand that the car wash is of suit-
able type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s
beauty is frequent washing. Wash the ve-
hicle at least once a month to avoid con-
tamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty
of lukewarm or cold water. Do not wash
the vehicle with hot water and in direct
sunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot, tree
sap, and bird droppings should be washed
off by using a light detergent, as required.
If you use a light detergent, make certain that it is a neutral detergent. Do not use
strong soap or chemical detergents. All
cleaning agents should be promptly
flushed from the surface and not allowed
to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly
with plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe the
remaining water off with a chamois or soft
cloth.
T Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for deic-
ing road surfaces are extremely corrosive,
accelerating the corrosion of underbody
components, such as the exhaust system,
fuel and brake lines, brake cables, floor
pan and fenders, and suspension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-
side of the fenders with lukewarm or cold
water at frequent intervals to reduce the
harmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbody
components may accelerate their corro-
sion.
After driving off-road or muddy or sandy
roads, wash the mud and sand off the un-
derbody.
Carefully flush the suspension and axle
parts, as they are particularly prone to
mud and sand buildup. Do not use a
sharp-edged tool to remove caked mud.y When washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result,
the brake stopping distance will
be longer. To dry the brakes, drive
the vehicle at a safe speed while
lightly pressing the brake pedal to
heat up the brakes.
y Do not wash the engine compart-
ment and areas adjacent to it. If
water enters the engine air intake,
electrical parts or the power steer-
ing fluid reservoir, it will cause en-
gine trouble or faulty power steer-
ing respectively. y Since your vehicle is equipped
with a rear wiper, automatic car-
wash brushes could become tan-
gled around it, damaging the wip-
er arm and other components.
Ask the automatic car-wash oper-
ator not to let the brushes touch
the wiper arm or to fix the wiper
arm on the rear window glass with
adhesive tape before operating
the machine. (S tation wagon mod-
els only)

Appearance care
10-3NOTE Be careful not to damage brake hoses,
sensor harnesses, and other parts
when washing suspension compo-
nents.
T Using a warm water washer
y Keep a good distance of 12 in (30 cm)
or more between the washer nozzle and
the vehicle.
y Do not wash the same area continuous-
ly.
y If a stain will not come out easily, wash
by hand. Some warm water washers are
of the high temperature, high pressure
type, and they can damage or deform the
resin parts such as mouldings, or cause
water to leak in to the vehicle.
„ Waxing and polishingAlways wash and dry the vehicle before
waxing and polishing.
Use a good quality polish and wax and ap-
ply them according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. Wax or polish when the paint-
ed surface is cool.
Be sure to polish and wax the chrome trim,
as well as the painted surfaces. Loss of
wax on a painted surface leads to loss of
the original luster and also quickens the
deterioration of the su rface. It is recom- mended that a coat of wax be applied at
least once a month, or whenever the sur-
face no longer repels water.
If the appearance of the paint has dimin-
ished to the point where the luster or tone
cannot be restored, lightly polish the sur-
face with a fine-grained compound. Never
polish just the affected area, but include
the surrounding area as well. Always pol-
ish in only one direction. A No. 2000 grain
compound is recommended. Never use a
coarse-grained compound. Coarser
grained compounds have a smaller grain-
size number and could damage the paint.
After polishing with a compound, coat with
wax to restore the original luster. Frequent
polishing with a compound or an incorrect
polishing technique will result in removing
the paint layer and exposing the under-
coat. When in doubt, it is always best to
contact your SUBARU dealer or an auto
paint specialist.
NOTE Be careful not to block the windshield
washer nozzles with wax when waxing
the vehicle.
„ Cleaning aluminum wheels y Promptly wipe the aluminum wheels
clean of any kind of gr ime or agent. If dirt is left on too long, it may be difficult to
clean off.
y Do not use soap containing grit to clean
the wheels. Be sure to use a neutral clean-
ing agent, and later rinse thoroughly with
water. Do not clean the wheels with a stiff
brush or expose them to a high-speed
washing device.
y Clean the vehicle (including the alumi-
num wheels) with water as soon as possi-
ble when it has been splashed with sea
water, exposed to sea breezes, or driven
on roads treated with salt or other agents.

Appearance care
10-5
Cleaning the interior Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches. (Do not use or-
ganic solvents.)
„ Seat fabricRemove loose dirt, dust or debris with a
vacuum cleaner. If the dirt is caked on the
fabric or hard to remove with a vacuum
cleaner, use a soft blush then vacuum it.
Wipe the fabric surface with a tightly
wrung cloth and dry the seat fabric thor-
oughly. If the fabric is still dirty, wipe using
a solution of mild soap and lukewarm wa-
ter then dry thoroughly.
If the stain does not come out, try a com-
mercially-available fabric cleaner. Use the
cleaner on a hidden place and make sure
it does not affect the fabric adversely. Use
the cleaner according to its instructions.
NOTE When cleaning the seat, do not use
benzine, paint thinner, or any similar
materials.
„ Leather seat materials
The leather used by SUBARU is a high quality natural product which will retain its
distinctive appearance and feel for many
years with proper care.
Allowing dust or road dirt to build up on the
surface can cause the material to become
brittle and to wear prematurely. Regular
cleaning with a soft, moist, natural fiber
cloth should be performed monthly, taking
care not to soak the leather or allow water
to penetrate the stitched seams.
A mild detergent suitable for cleaning
woolen fabrics may be used to remove dif-
ficult dirt spots, ru bbing with a soft, dry
cloth afterwards to restore the luster. If
your SUBARU is to be parked for a long
time in bright sunlight, it is recommended
that the seats and headrests be covered,
or the windows shaded, to prevent fading
or shrinkage.
Minor surface blemishes or bald patches
may be treated with a commercial leather
spray lacquer. You will discover that each
leather seat section will develop soft folds
or wrinkles, which is characteristic of gen-
uine leather.
„ Synthetic leather upholstery The synthetic leather material used on the
SUBARU may be cleaned using mild soap
or detergent and water, after first vacuum-
ing or brushing away loose dirt. Allow the
soap to soak in for a few minutes and wipe off with a clean, damp cloth. Commercial
foam-type cleaners suitable for synthetic
leather materials may be used when nec-
essary.
NOTE Strong cleaning agents such as sol-
vents, paint thinners, window cleaner
or gasoline must never be used on
leather or synthetic interior materials.
„ Climate control panel, audio
panel, instrument panel, con-
sole panel, switches, combi-
nation meter, and other plas-
tic surface Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches.
NOTE Do not use organic solvents such as
paint thinners or gasoline, or strong
cleaning agents that contain those sol-
vents.