2008 SUBARU TRIBECA traction control

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
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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
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8-10
Driving tips
wiper blades (winter blades) during the
seasons you could have snow and sub-
zero temperatures. Blades of this type
give superior wiping performance in
snowy conditions. Be sure to use blades
that are suitable for your vehicle.
CAUTION
During high-speed driving, non-
freezing type wiper blades may not
perform as well as standard wiper
blades. If this happens, reduce the
vehicle speed.NOTEWhen the season requiring non-freez-
ing type wiper blades is over, replace
them with standard wiper blades.&Corrosion protectionRefer to the “Corrosion protection ”section
in chapter 10.& Snow tires
WARNING
. When replacing original tires with
winter (snow) tires, make sure
you use only the same size and construction as recommended.
Using other sizes or construction
may affect speedometer/od-
ometer calibration and clearance
between the body and tires. It
also may be dangerous and lead
to loss of vehicle control.
. You must install four winter tires
that are of the same size, circum-
ferences, construction, brand,
andloadrange.Mixingother
sizes, circumferences or con-
structions may result in severe
mechanical damage to the drive
train of your vehicle and may
affect ride, handling, braking and
speedometer/odometer calibra-
tion. It also may be dangerous
and lead to loss of vehicle con-
trol.
. Do not use a combination of
radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous
handling characteristics and lead
to an accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with “all season
tires ”which are designed to provide an
adequate measure of traction, handling
and braking performance in year-round
driving. In winter, it may be possible to
enhance performance through use of tires designed specifically for winter driving
conditions.
If you choose to install winter tires on your
vehicle, be sure to use the correct tire size
and type. You must install four winter tires
that are of the same size, construction,
brand and load range and you should
never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires
since this may result in dangerous hand-
ling characteristics. When you choose a
tire, make sure that there is enough
clearance between the tire and vehicle
body.
Remember to drive with care at all times
regardless of the type of tires on your
vehicle.
Your vehicle comes with P255/55R18
“
all season tires ”as original equip-
ment. You should be aware that some
winter tires with that same size desig-
nation may actually be too large for the
vehicle and may cause rubbing on
sharp turns. Listed in the following is
the winter tire size that we recommend.
Recommended winter (snow) tire size
P255/55R18 stud less
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&Tire chains
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be used on tires
listed in the following because of
lack of clearance between the tires
and vehicle body.
All model: P255/55R18 tires&Rocking the vehicleIf you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the accel-
erator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D”and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st.
Refer to the “Automatic transmission ”
section in chapter 7 for information on
holding the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
WARNING
Never allow passengers to ride on a
folded rear seatback or in the cargo
area. Doing so may result in serious
injury.
WARNING
. Never stack luggage or other
cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble
forward and injure passengers in
the event of a sudden stop or
accident. Keep luggage or cargo
low, as close to the floor as possible.
. When you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can to prevent it from being
thrown around inside the vehicle
during sudden stops, sharp turns
or in an accident.
. Do not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle ’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
. Secure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
. Never exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle
handles. This could result in loss
of control and cause personal
injury. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.
. Do not place anything on the
extended luggage cover. Such
items could tumble forward in
the event of a sudden stop or a
collision. This could cause ser-
ious injury.
Driving tips
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13-12
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
4.
The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For exam-
ple, if the “XXX ”amount equals
1,400 lbs (635 kg) and there will be
five- 150 lbs (68 kg) passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capa-
city is 650 lbs. (1,400 −750 (5 6
150) = 650 lbs).
5.
Determine the combined weight
of luggage and cargo being loaded
on the vehicle. That weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calcu-
lated in Step 4.
6.
If your vehicle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your ve-
hicle.
Uniform tire quality grading
standardsThis information indicates the rela-
tive performance of passenger car
tires in the area of treadwear,
traction, and temperature resis-
tance. 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 maxi-
mum section width. For example:Treadwear 200 Traction AA Tem-
perature AThe quality grades apply to new
pneumatic tires for use on passen-
ger cars. However, they do not
apply to deep tread, winter type
snow tires, space-saver or tempor-
ary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 12 inches
or less, or to some limited produc-
tion tires.
All passenger car tires must con- form to Federal Safety Require-
ments in addition to these grades.
&
TreadwearThe treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions 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 performance of tires de-
pends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.&Traction AA, A, B, CThe traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire ’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spe-
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cified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accel-
eration, cornering, hydroplan-
ing, or peak traction charac-
teristics.&Temperature A, B, CThe 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 con-
ditions on a specified indoor labora-
tory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature 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 corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perfor-
mance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire
that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or ex-
cessive loading, either sepa-
rately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possi-
ble tire failure.
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
13-13
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High beam indicator light............................................ 3-20
High/low beam change (dimmer) .................................. 3-27
Horn ........................................................................\
. 3-42
Hose and connections .............................................. 11-11
I
Ignition switch ............................................................. 3-3
Light ...................................................................... 3-4
Illuminated entry ......................................................... 2-9
Illumination brightness control ...................................... 3-28
Immobilizer. ................................................................ 2-3
Indicator light .......................................................... 2-4
Immobilizer system Indicator light ......................................................... 3-19
Indicator light Cruise control ........................................................ 3-20
Cruise control set ................................................... 3-21
Front fog ............................................................... 3-21
Headlight .............................................................. 3-21
High beam ............................................................ 3-20
Security ................................................................ 3-19
Selector lever/Gear position .................................... 3-20
SPORT mode ........................................................ 3-20
Traction Control system OFF ................................... 3-18
Turn signal ............................................................ 3-20
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation ......................... 3-18
Indicator lights Vehicle Dynamics Control ............................... 7-25, 7-25
Inside mirror .............................................................. 3-38
Interior light ................................................................ 6-2 J
Jack and jack handle
................................................. 9-19
Jump starting ............................................................ 9-11
K
Key Keyless entry system ............................................... 2-7
Number .................................................................. 2-2
Reminder chime ...................................................... 3-4
Replacement. .......................................................... 2-4
Keys ........................................................................\
.. 2-2
L
Leather seat materials ................................................ 10-5
Light Cargo area ............................................................. 6-2
Control switch ....................................................... 3-26
Dome ..................................................................... 6-2
Map ....................................................................... 6-3
Rear gate ............................................................... 6-3
Loading your vehicle .................................................. 8-11
Low fuel warning light .......................................... 3-8, 3-17
Low tire pressure warning light .................................... 3-14
Lower and tether anchorage ....................................... 1-37
Lumbar support ........................................................... 1-6
M
Main fuse ................................................................ 11-39
Maintenance Precautions .......................................................... 11-3
Schedule .............................................................. 11-3
Index
14-5
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