8-6Driving tips
Off road driving
WARNING
. Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-tions.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive vehicle could easily
lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
Do not drive on rough roads or over
curbs in a vehicle that has 17-inch
or other ultra-low-profile tires. The
wheels and tires could be damaged
by shock forces, leading to abnor-
mal vibration or poor straight-line
tracking. Driving would then be
more difficult. &
All AWD models except
OUTBACK SPORT
Your AWD vehicle is neither a conven-
tional off-road vehicle nor an all terrain
vehicle. It is a passenger vehicle designed
primarily for on-road use. The AWD
feature gives it some limited off-road
capabilities in situations in which driving
surfaces are relatively level, obstruction-
free and otherwise similar to on-road
driving conditions. Operating it under other
than those conditions could subject the
vehicle to excessive stress which might
result in damage not eligible for repair
under warranty. If you do take your
SUBARU off-road, you should review the
common sense precautions in the next
section (applicable to the OUTBACK
SPORT) for general guidance. But please
keep in mind that your vehicle ’s off-road
capabilities are more limited than those of
the OUTBACK SPORT.
Never attempt to drive through pools and
puddles, or roads flooded with water.
Water entering the engine air intake or
the exhaust pipe or water splashing onto
electrical parts may damage your vehicle
and may cause it to stall. & OUTBACK SPORT
Your Subaru can be driven on ordinary roads or off-road. But please keep in mind
that an AWD SUBARU is a passenger
vehicle and is neither a conventional off-
road vehicle nor an all-terrain vehicle. If
you do take your SUBARU off-road,
certain common sense precautions such
as the following should be taken: .
Make certain that you and all of your
passengers are wearing seatbelts.. Carry some emergency equipment,
such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,
wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or
citizens band radio. . Drive carefully. Do not take unneces-
sary risks by driving in dangerous areas or
over rough terrain. . Slow down and employ extra caution at
all times. When driving off-road, you will
not have the benefit of marked traffic
lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like. . Do not drive across steep slopes.
Instead, drive either straight up or straight
down the slopes. A vehicle can much
more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or
down slopes that are too steep. . Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, espe-
cially at higher speeds.. Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the
wheel and injure your hands. Instead drive
If you park your vehicle in case of anemergency ........................................................ 9-2
Temporary spare tire ........................................... 9-2
Flat tires ............................................................... 9-4
Changing a flat tire .............................................. 9-4
Jump starting ...................................................... 9-8
How to jump start ................................................ 9-9
Engine overheating ............................................ 9-11
If steam is coming from the engine compartment .................................................... 9-11 If no steam is coming from the engine
compartment ................................................... 9-11
Towing ................................................................ 9-11
Towing and tie-down hooks. ............................... 9-12
Using a flat-bed truck. ........................................ 9-13
Towing with all wheels on the ground ................. 9-14
Rear gate –if the rear gate cannot be
unlocked .......................................................... 9-14
Moonroof –if the moonroof cannot be
closed .............................................................. 9-15
Maintenance tools ............................................. 9-16
Jack and jack handle ......................................... 9-16
In case of emergency
9
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
. When the wear indicator appears on
the tread, replace the tire. . The temporary spare tire must be used
only on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tire
gets punctured, replace the wheel with a
rear wheel and install the temporary spare
tire in place of the removed rear wheel.1) Spare fuse
2) FWD connector
NOTE
Before driving your vehicle (if your
vehicle is AWD with automatic trans-
mission, except Turbo models) with the
temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse
inside the FWD connector in the main
fuse box located in the engine com-
partment and confirm that the All-
Wheel Drive warning light “AWD ”in
the combination meter comes on. The
All-Wheel Drive capability of the vehi-
cle has now deactivated. After re-
installing the conventional tire, remove
the spare fuse from the FWD connector
in order to reactivate All-Wheel Drive.
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the tem-
porary spare tire is used. The tem-
porary spare tire is not designed 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
and may lead to an accident.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire
other than the original. Using other
sizes may result in severe mechan-
ical damage to the drive train of yourvehicle. In case of emergency
9-3
Engine overheating
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-
tor cap until the engine has been
shut off and has fully cooled down.
When the engine is hot, the coolant
is under pressure. Removing the
cap while the engine is still hot
could release a spray of boiling hot
coolant, which could burn you very
seriously.
If the engine overheats, safely pull off the
road and stop the vehicle in a safe place. & If steam is coming from the
engine compartment
Turn off the engine and get everyone
away from the vehicle until it cools down. & If no steam is coming from
the engine compartment
1. Keep the engine running at idling speed.
2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine compartment.
Confirm that the cooling fan is turning. If
the fan is not turning, immediately turn off the engine and contact your authorized
dealer for repair.
3. After the engine coolant temperature
has dropped, turn off the engine.
If the temperature gauge stays at the
overheated zone, turn off the engine.
4. After the engine has fully cooled down,
check the coolant level in the reservetank.
If the coolant level is below the
“LOW ”
mark, add coolant up to the “FULL ”mark.
5. If there is no coolant in the reserve
tank, add coolant to the reserve tank.
Then remove the radiator cap and fill the
radiator with coolant.
If you remove the radiator cap from a hot
radiator, first wrap a thick cloth around the
radiator cap, then turn the cap counter-
clockwise slowly without pressing down
until it stops. Release the pressure from
the radiator. After the pressure has been
fully released, remove the cap by pressing
down and turning it. Towing
If towing is necessary, it is best done by
your SUBARU dealer or a commercial
towing service. Observe the following
procedures for safety.
WARNING
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 dete-
rioration of the center differential. In case of emergency
9-11
– CONTINUED –
9-12In case of emergency
&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:
1. Take the towing hook and screwdriver
out of the tool bag. Take the jack handle
out of the trunk (Sedan) or cargo area
(Wagon).
2. Pry off the cover on the front bumper
using a screwdriver, and you will find a
threaded hole for attaching the towinghook.
3. Screw the towing hook into the thread
hole until its thread can no longer be seen.
4. Tighten the towing hook securely
using the jack handle.
After towing, remove the towing hook from the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Fit the fog light cover on the bumper.
WARNING
. Do not use the towing hook
except when towing your vehicle.
. Be sure to remove the towing
hook after towing. Leaving the
towing hook mounted on the
vehicle could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbag
system in a frontal collision.
Rear towing hook:
CAUTION
To prevent deformation to the front
bumper and the towing hook, do not
apply excessive lateral load to the
towing hook.
Tie-down hooks:
1) Tie-down hook
2) Towing and tie-down hook
CAUTION
. Use only the specified towing
hook and tie-down hook. Never
use suspension parts or other
parts of the body for towing or
tie-down purposes.
. Never use the tie-down hook on
the underside of the vehicle
closest to the muffler for towingpurposes.
& Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your
vehicle. Use the following procedures to
ensure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P ”
position for automatic transmission vehi- cles or
“1st ”for manual transmission
vehicles.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier
properly with safety chains. Each safety
chain should be equally tightened and
care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out.
CAUTION
If your vehicle has a front under-
spoiler and rear underspoiler (both
optional), be careful not to scrape
them when placing the vehicle on
the carrier and when removing the
vehicle from the carrier. In case of emergency
9-13
– CONTINUED –
9-14In case of emergency
&Towing with all wheels on the ground
1. Check the transmission and differen-
tial oil levels and add oil to bring it to the
upper level if necessary.
2. Release the parking brake and put the
transmission in neutral.
3. The ignition switch should be in the “Acc ”position while the vehicle is being
towed.
4. Take up slack in the towline slowly to
prevent damage to the vehicle.
WARNING
. Never turn the ignition switch to
the “LOCK ”position while the
vehicle is being towed because the steering wheel and the direc-
tion of the wheels will be locked.
. Remember that the brake booster
and power steering do not func-
tion when the engine is not
running. Because the engine is
turned off, it will take greater
effort to operate the brake pedal
and steering wheel.
CAUTION
. If transmission failure occurs,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.
. Do not run the engine while being
towed using this method. Trans-
mission damage could result if
the vehicle is towed with the
engine running.
. For vehicles with automatic
transmission, the traveling speed
must be limited to less than 20
mph (30 km/h) and the traveling
distance to less than 31 miles (50
km). For greater speeds and
distances, transport your vehicle
on a flat-bed truck. Rear gate
–if the rear gate
cannot be unlocked
In the event that you cannot unlock the
rear gate by operating the power door
locking switches or the remote keyless
entry system, you can unlock it from inside
the cargo area.
1. Remove the access cover at the
bottom-center of the rear gate trim.
2. Locate the rear gate lock release lever
behind the rear gate trim panel.
9-16In case of emergency
Maintenance tools
Your vehicle is equipped with the following
maintenance tools:
Wheel cover remover (only for vehicleswith wheel covers)
Screwdriver
Towing hook (eye bolt)
Wheel nut wrench
Hex-head wrench (only for vehicles with moonroof) &
Jack and jack handle
The jack is stored on the left side of the
trunk (Sedan) or cargo area (Wagon).
To take out the jack, turn the jackscrew
counterclockwise to loosen it, then re-
move the jack.
Sedan
1) Jack
2) Jack handle
3) Spare tire