2008 SUBARU TRIBECA ABS

Fuel................................................................... 7-2
Fuel requirements ............................................ 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap ........................................ 7-3
State emission testing (U.S. only) ................... 7-5
Preparing to drive ............................................ 7-7
Starting the engine ........................................... 7-7
Stopping the engine ......................................... 7-8
Remote engine start system (dealer option) ............................................... 7-8
Starting your vehicle ........................................ 7-9
Remote start safety features ............................. 7-9
Entering the vehicle while it is running via remote start ............................................................... 7-9
Entering the vehicle following remote engine start shutdown ....................................................... 7-9
Pre-heating or pre-cooling the interior of the vehicle ......................................................... 7-10
Service mode ................................................. 7-10
Remote transmitter programming and programmable feature option ........................ 7-10
System maintenance ....................................... 7-11
Automatic transmission ................................. 7-12
Selector lever................................................. 7-13
Selector lever reverse inhibiting function . ....... 7-14
Selection of manual mode .............................. 7-15
Maximum speeds ........................................... 7-16
Driving tips .................................................... 7-16
SPORT mode ................................................. 7-17 Shift lock release
............................................ 7-17
Power steering............................................... 7-18
Braking ........................................................... 7-18
Braking tips .................................................... 7-18
Brake system ................................................. 7-19
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators .......... 7-19
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)...................... 7-20
ABS system self-check................................... 7-20
ABS warning light ........................................... 7-21
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
system ......................................................... 7-22
Steps to take if EBD system fails .................... 7-22
Vehicle Dynamics Control system ................ 7-23
Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor....... 7-25
Traction Control system OFF switch ................ 7-26
Tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) ......................................................... 7-27
Parking your vehicle ..................................... 7-29
Parking brake................................................. 7-29
Parking tips .................................................... 7-29
Cruise control ................................................ 7-30
To set cruise control ....................................... 7-30
To temporarily cancel the cruise control .......... 7-31
To turn off the cruise control ........................... 7-31
To change the cruising speed .. ....................... 7-32
Cruise control indicator light ........................... 7-33
Cruise control set indicator light ..................... 7-33
Starting and operating
7
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7-20
Starting and operating
the nearest SUBARU dealer.
ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem)
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in
driving–overconfidence because
youaredrivingwithanABS
equipped vehicle could easily lead
to a serious accident.
CAUTION
. The ABS system does not always
decrease stopping distance. You
should always maintain a safe
following distance from other
vehicles.
. When driving on badly surfaced
roads, gravel roads, icy roads, or
over deep newly fallen snow,
stopping distances may be long-
er for a vehicle with the ABS
system than one without. When
driving under these conditions,
therefore, reduce your speed and
leave ample distance from other
vehicles.
. When you feel the ABS system
operating, you should maintain constant brake pedal pressure.
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 slippery road sur-
faces. 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 operate when the
vehicle speed is below approximately 6
mph (10 km/h).
& ABS system self-checkYou may feel a slight shock in the brake
pedal and hear the operating sound of
ABS from the engine compartment just
after the vehicle is started. This is caused
by an automatic functional test of the ABS
system being carried out and does not
indicate any abnormal condition.
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&ABS warning lightThe ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and goes out after approximately
2 seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as
follows, the ABS system may not
be working properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally.
. The warning light does not come on when the ignition switch is
turned to the
“ON ”position.
. The warning light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to
the “ON ”position, but it does not
go out even when the vehicle
speed exceeds approximately 8
mph (12 km/h).
. The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system
repaired at the first available oppor-
tunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTEIf the warning light behavior is as
described in the following, the ABS
system may be considered normal.
. The warning light comes on right
after the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
. The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).
. The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump started, the ABS warning light may come
on. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will go out.
Starting and operating
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7-22
Starting and operating
Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) systemThe EBD system maximizes the effective-
ness of the brakes by allowing the rear
brakes to supply a greater proportion of
the braking force. It functions by adjusting
the distribution of braking force to the rear
wheels in accordance with the vehicle’s
loading condition and speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of the
ABS system and uses some of the ABS
system ’s components to perform its func-
tion of optimizing the distribution of brak-
ing force. If any of the ABS components
used by the EBD function fails, the EBD
system also stops working.
When the EBD system is operating, you
may hear a chattering noise or feel a slight
vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal
and does not indicate a malfunction.
& Steps to take if EBD system
failsIf a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,
the system stops working and the brake
system warning light and ABS warning
light come on simultaneously.
The EBD system may be faulty if the
brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are
applied harder than usual and the vehi-
cle’s motion may therefore become some-
what harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,
flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, apply the
parking brake, and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights go out, the EBD system
may be faulty.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights come on again
and stay illuminated after the engine has
been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the
“MIN
”mark, the EBD system may be
faulty. Drive carefully to the nearest
SUBARU dealer and have the system
inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the
“MIN ”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
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&Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor! Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator lightThe indicator light turns on when the
ignition key is turned to the ON position;
it turns off approximately 2 seconds later.
This indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and is
illuminated steadily during activation of the
traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate
a malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity.
.The indicator light does not turn on when the ignition key is turned to the ON
position.
.
The indicator light does not turn off
approximately 2 seconds after the ignition
key has been turned to the ON position.
! Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Traction Control system OFF
indicator light
This single light has the function of
indicating malfunctions in the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the function
of indicating that the Traction Control
system is not operating. It comes on in
the event of a malfunction in the system
and is illuminated whenever the system is
not operating. !
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and goes off several seconds
after engine startup. This lighting pattern
indicates that the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system is operating normally.
The following situations could indicate a
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if any should occur, we
recommend that you have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
the system at the first available opportu-
nity.
. The warning light does not turn on
when the ignition key is turned to the ON
position.
. The warning light turns on while the
vehicle is being driven.
. When a malfunction has occurred in
the Vehicle Dynamics Control electrical
system, only the warning light will turn on.
In such an event, the ABS will still be
operating normally.
. The warning light will also turn on when
a problem occurs with the ABS or Vehicle
Dynamics Control electronic control sys-
tems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system controls each brake through the
ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating
Starting and operating
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7-26
Starting and operating
due to a malfunction in that electrical
system, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will
also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus Vehicle Dynamics Control
system operation halts and the warning
light turns on. Although both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will
still be possible to stop the vehicle using
normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the ABS do not
adversely affect operation of the vehicle
in any way when they are inoperable;
however should such a situation occur,
drive with care and have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
those systems at the first available oppor-
tunity.NOTEWhen the warning light turns on and off
in the following way, it indicates that
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
is operating normally.
.Although turning on after the engine
has been started, the warning light
quickly turns off and stays off.
. The warning light turns on when the
vehicle is being driven; it then turns off
and stays off. !
Traction Control system OFF indica-
tor light
This light comes on to indicate that the
Traction Control system is in non-opera-
tion mode. This does not constitute failure
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control system.
NOTE. The indicator light may stay on for a
while after the engine has been started,
especially in cold weather. This occurs
because the engine has not yet
warmed up and is completely normal.
The light will turn off when the engine
has reached a suitable operating tem-
perature.
. When an engine problem occurs
and the malfunction indicator lamp
turns on, the indicator light will also
come on.
The following two situations could indicate
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity.
. The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition key is turned to the ON
position.
. The indicator light fails to turn off after
the engine is started, even when several
minutes have passed to allow the engine to heat up sufficiently.
&
Traction Control system OFF
switchPressing the switch to deactivate the
Traction Control system can facilitate the
following operations:
. a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or
otherwise slippery surface
. extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the “
”indicator light in the
combination meter illuminates. The Trac-
tion Control system will be deactivated
and the vehicle will behave like a model
not equipped with the Traction Control
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system. When the switch is pressed again
to reactivate the Traction Control system,
the“
”indicator light goes off.
With the Traction Control system deacti-
vated, traction enhancement offered by
Traction Control system is unavailable.
Therefore you should not deactivate the
Traction Control system except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTE. When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Traction Control sys-
tem, the Traction Control system auto-
matically reactivates itself the next time
the ignition key is turned to the “LOCK ”
position and the engine is restarted.
. If the switch is held down for 10
seconds or longer, the indicator light
goes off, the Traction Control system is
activated, and the system ignores any
further pressing of the switch. To make
the switch usable again, turn the igni-
tion key to the “LOCK ”position and
restart the engine.
. When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Traction Control system,
the vehicle ’s running performance is
comparable with that of a vehicle that
does not have a Traction Control
system. Do not deactivate the Traction
Control system except when absolutely necessary.
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS)The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message
by sending a signal from a sensor 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 at
speeds above 20 mph (32 km/h). Also,
this system may not react immediately to a
sudden drop in tire pressure (for example,
a blow-out caused by running over a
sharp object).
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning light
Starting and operating
7-27
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power to all four wheels. AWD vehicles
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during accelera-
tion, and added engine braking force
during deceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging
the AWD system, you should keep the
following tips in mind:
.An AWD vehicle is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery
conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle.
There is little difference in handling,
however, during extremely sharp turns or
sudden braking. Therefore, when driving
down a slope or turning corners, be sure
to reduce your speed and maintain an
ample distance from other vehicles.
. When replacing a tire, make sure you
use only the same size, circumference,
construction, brand, and load range as the
original tires listed on the tire placard.
Using other sizes, circumferences or
construction may result in severe mechan-
ical damage to the drive train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling,
braking, speedometer/odometer calibra-
tion, and clearance between the body
and tires. It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control.
.
If you use a temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored in the
vehicle. Using other sizes may result in
severe mechanical damage to the drive
train of your vehicle.
. Always check the cold tire pressure
before starting to drive. The recom-
mended tire pressure is provided on the
tire placard, which is located under the
door latch on the driver ’s side.
. Tire chains should always be placed on
the front wheels only.
. There are some precautions that you
must observe when towing your vehicle.
Refer to the “Towing”section in chapter 9
for detailed information.
On-pavement and off road
driving
WARNING
. In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wear-
ing a seat belt. You the driver and
all your passengers should fas-
ten the seatbelts before starting
to drive in order to minimize the
chance of serious injury or death.
. Do not make sharp turns and
quick maneuvers unless abso-
lutely unavoidable. Such actions
are dangerous as you may lose
control, possibly resulting in a
rollover which could cause death
or serious injury.
. 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.
. Whenever strong crosswinds are
present, slow down sufficiently
to maintain control of your vehi-
cle. Remember that your vehicle,
Driving tips
8-5
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