2007 SUBARU TRIBECA Owners Manual

13-8 Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
„Vehicle load limit – how to de- termine
The load capacity of your vehicle is
determined by weight, not by avail-
able cargo space. The load limit of
your vehicle is shown on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver’s side
B-pillar. Locate the statement “The
combined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs” on your vehicle’s placard.
The vehicle placard also shows seat-
ing capacity of your vehicle.
The total load capacity includes the
total weight of driver and all passen-
gers and their belongings, any cargo,
any optional equipment such as a
trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier,
etc., and the tongue load of a trailer.
Therefore cargo capacity can be cal-
culated by the following method.
Cargo capacity = Load limit – (total
weight of occupants + total weight of
optional equipment + tongue load of a trailer (if applicable))
For towing capacity information and
weight limits, refer to “Trailer towing”
in chapter 8. T
Calculating total and load capac-
ities varying seating configura-
tions
Calculate the available load capacity
as shown in the following examples:
Example 1A
Vehicle capacity weight of the vehicle
is 1,157 lbs (525 kg), which is indicat-
ed on the vehicle placard with the
statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never
exceed 525 kg or 1,157 lbs”.
For example, if the vehicle has one
occupant weighing 154 lbs (70 kg)
plus cargo weighing 1,212 lbs (550 kg). 1. Calculate the total weight.
2. Calculate the available load capac-
ity by subtracting the total weight from
the vehicle capacity weight of 800 lbs
(363 kg).
3. The result of step 2 shows that a
further 121 lbs (55 kg) of cargo can be carried.
D00101
Total weight = 154 lbs (70 kg) + 882 lbs (400 kg) =
1,036 lbs (470 kg)(Occupant) (Cargo)
Available Load Capacity
(Vehicle
capacity weight) (Total weight)
= 121 lbs (55 kg) 1,157 lbs
(525 kg) 1,036 lbs
(470 kg)
–
=

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-9
– CONTINUED –
Example 1B
For example, if a person weighing 176
lbs (80 kg) now enters the same vehi-
cle (bringing the number of occupants
to two), the calculations are as fol-
lows:
1. Calculate the total weight.
2. Calculate the available load capac- ity.
3. The total weight now exceeds the
capacity weight by 55 lbs (25 kg), so
the cargo weight must be reduced by
55 lbs (25 kg) or more.
Example 2A
Vehicle capacity weight of the vehicle
is 1,157 lbs (525 kg), which is indicat-
ed on the vehicle placard with the
statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never
exceed 525 kg or 1,157 lbs”.
For example, the vehicle has one oc-
cupant weighing 165 lbs (75 kg) plus
cargo weighing 705 lbs (320 kg). In
addition, the vehicle is fitted with a
trailer hitch weighing 22 lbs (10 kg), to
which is attached a trailer weighing
1,764 lbs (800 kg). 10% of the trailer
weight is applied to the trailer tongue
(i.e. Tongue load = 176 lbs (80 kg)).
1. Calculate the total weight.
2. Calculate the available load capac-
ity.
D00102
Total weight = 154 lbs (70 kg) + 176 lbs (80 kg) + 882 lbs (400 kg) =
1,212 lbs (550 kg) (Occupant)
(Cargo)
Available Load Capacity
(Vehicle
capacity weight) (Total weight)
1,157 lbs
(525 kg) 1,212 lbs
(550 kg)
= –55 lbs (–25 kg) –
=
D00103
Total weight
= 165 lbs (75 kg) + 705 lbs (320 kg)
+ 22 lbs (10 kg) + 176 lbs (80 kg) = 1,069 lbs (485 kg)(Occupant) (Cargo)
(Trailer hitch) (Tongue load)

13-10 Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
3. The result of step 2 shows that a
further 88 lbs (40 kg) of cargo can becarried.
Example 2B
For example, if a person weighing 143
lbs (65 kg) and a child weighing 40 lbs
(18 kg) now enter the same vehicle
(bringing the number of occupants to three), and a child restraint system
weighing 11 lbs (5 kg) is installed in
the vehicle for the child to use, the cal-
culations are as follows:
1. Calculate the total weight.
2. Calculate the available load capac- ity.
3. The total weight now exceeds the
capacity weight by 105 lbs (48 kg), so
the cargo weight must be reduced by
105 lbs (48 kg) or more.
„ Determining compatibility of
tire and vehicle load capaci-ties
The sum of four tires’ maximum load
ratings must exceed the maximum
loaded vehicle weight (“GVWR”). In
addition, sum of the maximum load
ratings of two front tires and of two
rear tires must exceed each axle’s
maximum loaded capacity (“GAWR”).
Original equipment tires are designed to fulfill those conditions.
The maximum loaded vehicle weight
is referred to Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR). And each axle’s
Available Load Capacity
(Vehicle
capacity weight) (Total weight)
1,157 lbs
(525 kg) 1,069 lbs
(485 kg)
= 88 lbs (40 kg) –
=
D00104
Total weight
(Occupant) (Cargo)
(Trailer hitch)
(Child restraint)
(Tongue load)
165 lbs
(75 kg) 143 lbs
(65 kg) 40 lbs
(18 kg)
++
11 lbs (5 kg) 705 lbs (320 kg)
22 lbs (10 kg) 176 lbs (80 kg)
= 1,263 lbs (573 kg)
+
+
+
+
=
Available Load Capacity
(Vehicle
capacity weight) (Total weight)
1,157 lbs
(525 kg) 1,263 lbs
(573 kg)
= –105 lbs (–48 kg) –
=

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-11
maximum loaded capacity is referred
to Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR). The GVWR and each axle’s
GAWR are shown on the vehicle cer-
tification label affixed to the driver’s
door.
The GVWR and front and rear
GAWRs are determined by not only
the maximum load rating of tires but
also loaded capacities of the vehicle’s
suspension, axles and other parts of
the body.
Therefore, this means that the vehicle
cannot necessarily be loaded up to
the tire’s maximum load rating on the
tire sidewall. „Adverse safety consequenc-
es of overloading on handling
and stopping and on tires
Overloading could affect vehicle han-
dling, stopping distance, vehicle and
tire as shown in the following. This
could lead to an accident and possibly result in severe personal injury.y Vehicle stability will deteriorate.
y Heavy and/or high-mounted loads
could increase the risk of rollover.y Stopping distance will increase. y
Brakes could overheat and fail.
y Suspension, bearings, axles and
other parts of the body could break or
experience accelerated wear that will
shorten vehicle life. y Tires could fail.
y Tread separation could occur.
y Tire could separate from its rim.
„ Steps for Determining Cor-
rect Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX pounds” on
your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1,400 lbs
(635 kg). and there will be five- 150
lbs (68 kg) passengers in your vehi-
cle, the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1,400 – 750 (5
× 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safe-
ly exceed the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail-
er, load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduc-
es the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.

13-12 Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
Uniform tire quality grading
standards
This information indicates the relative
performance of passenger car tires in
the area of treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance. This is to aid
the consumer in making an informed
choice in the purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall be-
tween tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Tem- perature A
The quality grades apply to new pneu-
matic tires for use on passenger cars.
However, they do not apply to deep
tread, winter type snow tires, space-
saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 12
inches or less, or to some limited pro-
duction tires.
All passenger car tires must confirm
to Federal Safety Requirements in
addition to these grades. „
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlled con-
ditions on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would
wear one and one-half (1-1/2) times
as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative perfor-
mance of tires depends upon the ac-
tual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving hab-
its, service practices and differences
in road characteristics and climate. „ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Thosegrades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on speci-
fied government test surfaces of as-
phalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
„ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high tempera-
ture can cause the material of the tire
to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corre-
sponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards No. 109. Grades B
and A represent higher levels of per-
formance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning, or
peak traction characteristics.

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-13
Reporting safety defects
(USA)
If you believe that your vehicle has
a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in-
form the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Subaru of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com-
plaints, it may open an investiga-
tion, and if it finds that a safety de-
fect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedycampaign. However, NHTSA can-
not become involved in individual
problems between you, your deal-
er, or Subaru of America, Inc. To
contact NHTSA, you may either
call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-
free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-
0123 in the Washington D.C. area)
or write to: NHTSA, U.S. Depart-
ment of Transportation, Washing-
ton, D.C. 20590. You can also ob-tain other information about motor
vehicle safety from the Hotline.The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, under-
inflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combina-
tion, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.

Index
14