8-16Driving tips
Trailer hitch (dealer option)
WARNING
. Never exceed the maximum
weight specified for the trailer
hitch. Exceeding the maximum
weight could cause an accident
resulting in serious personal in-
juries. Permissible trailer weight
changes depending on the situa-
tion. For possible recommenda-
tions and limitations, refer to“ Trailer towing ”F 8-18.
. Trailer brakes are required when
the towing load exceeds 1,000
lbs (453 kg). Be sure your trailer
has safety chains and that each
chain will hold the trailer ’s max-
imum gross weight. Towing trai-
lers without safety chains could
create a traffic safety hazard if
the trailer separates from the
hitch due to coupling damage or
hitch ball damage.
. Be sure to check the hitch pin
and safety pin for positive lock-
ing placement before towing a
trailer. If the ball mount comes off
the hitch receiver, the trailer
could get loose and create a traffic safety hazard.
. Use only the ball mount supplied
with this hitch. Use the hitch only
as a weight carrying hitch. Do not
use with any type of weight
distributing hitch.
. The standard bumper beam must
be installed after you remove the
trailer hitch. Consult a SUBARU
dealer for purchase of a standard
bumper beam if you do not have
the original.
. Safety performance is decreased
and there is increased risk of
injury to passengers in the case
of an accident if the trailer hitch
or a standard bumper beam is
not installed. One of them must
always be installed on the vehi-cle.
. If a trailer hitch is installed, it is
not possible to install the rear
towing hook.
When you tow a trailer, refer to “Trailer
towing ”F 8-18.
& Connecting a trailer
1. Remove the receiver cover from the
hitch receiver tube. Then insert the ball
mount into the hitch receiver tube.
2. Insert the hitch pin into the hole on the
hitch receiver tube so that the pin passes
through the ball mount.
3. Insert the safety pin securely into the
hitch pin.
4. Pull the ball mount to make sure it
mission, avoid using the accelerator pedal
to stay stationary on an uphill slope
instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission
fluid to overheat. .If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the select lever as follows.
Uphill slopes: “D ”position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking ! Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both
vehicle and trailer when parking. Apply
the parking brake firmly. You should not
park on a hill or slope. But if parking on a
hill or slope cannot be avoided, you
should take the following steps.
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then
apply the parking brake; slowly release
the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual
transmission models) or the “P ” position
(automatic transmission models) and shut
off the engine. Driving tips
8-25
install the conventional tire as soon as
possible because the spare tire is de-
signed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tem-
porary spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use. The correct pressure is
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kg/cm
2).
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following. . Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
. Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire size,
a tire chain will not fit properly. . Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time.. Do not drive over obstacles. This tire
has a smaller diameter, so road clearance
is reduced.
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. &
Precautions for AWD models
with automatic transmission
Your vehicle is equipped with the AWD
(All-Wheel Drive) system. In addition, if
your vehicle is an AT model, before driving
your vehicle with the temporary spare tire,
deactivate the AWD capability of the
vehicle as follows.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position.
2. Pull any one spare fuse out of the
spare fuse holder in the engine compart-
ment. Spare fuses are attached on the
back side of the fuse holder cover. You
may pick up any one fuse in the spare
fuse holder. In case of emergency
9-3
– CONTINUED –
9-6In case of emergency
Flat tires
If you have a flat tire while driving, never
brake suddenly; keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing speed.
Then slowly pull off the road to a safeplace. &Changing a flat tire
WARNING
. Do not jack up the vehicle on an
incline or a loose road surface.
The jack can come out of the
jacking point or sink into the
ground and this can result in a
severe accident.
. Use only the jack provided with
your vehicle. The jack supplied
with the vehicle is designed only
for changing a tire. Never get
under the vehicle while support-
ing the vehicle with this jack. .
Always turn off the engine before
raising the flat tire off the ground
using the jack. Never swing or
push the vehicle supported with
the jack. The jack can come out
of the jacking point due to a jolt
and this can result in a severeaccident.
1. Park on a hard, level surface, when-
ever possible, then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and
shift the shift lever in reverse (MT models)
or the select lever in the “P ”(Park) position
(AT models).
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher
and have everyone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire. 5. Take out the jack, jack handle and
wheel nut wrench.
The tools and the spare tire are stored
under the floor of the cargo area. Refer to“
Maintenance tools ”F 9-4.
NOTE
Make sure that the jack is well lubri-
cated before using it.
6. Take out the tool bucket and turn the
attaching bolt counterclockwise, then take
the spare tire out. NOTE
If the spare tire provided in your vehicle
is a temporary spare tire, carefully read“ Temporary spare tire ”F9-2 and
strictly follow the instructions.
9-8In case of emergency
12. Before putting the spare tire on, clean
the mounting surface of the wheel and hub
with a cloth.
13. Put on the spare tire. Replace the
wheel nuts. Tighten them by hand.
WARNING
Do not use oil or grease on the
wheel studs or nuts when the spare
tire is installed. This could cause the
nuts to become loose and lead to anaccident.
14. Turn the jack handle counterclockwise
to lower the vehicle.
15. Use the wheel nut wrench to securely
tighten the wheel nuts to the specified
torque, following the tightening order in theillustration.
The torque for tightening the nuts is 58 to
72 lbf·ft (80 to 100 N·m, 8 to 10 kgf·m).
This torque is equivalent to applying
approximately 88 to 110 lbs (40 to 50 kg)
at the top of the wheel nut wrench. Never
use your foot on the wheel nut wrench or a
pipe extension on the wrench because
you may exceed the specified torque.
Have the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service facility.16. Store the flat tire in the spare tire
compartment. Put in the spacer and tight-
en the attaching bolt firmly.
Also store the jack, jack handle and wheel
nut wrench in their storage locations.
WARNING
Never place a tire or tire changing
tools in the passenger compartment
after changing wheels. In a sudden
stop or collision, loose equipment
could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in
the proper place.
9-12In case of emergency
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 coolant temperature high warning
light illuminates, 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 models (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.
9-16In case of emergency
CAUTION
If your vehicle has a front under-
spoiler and rear underspoiler (if
equipped), be careful not to scrape
them when placing the vehicle on
the carrier and when removing the
vehicle from the carrier.
& Towing with all wheels on the ground
1. Release the parking brake and put the
transmission in neutral.
2. The ignition switch should be in the “Acc ”position while the vehicle is being
towed.
3. 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 models with automatic trans-
mission, 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 opened
In the event that you cannot open the rear
gate by operating the power door locking
switches or the remote keyless entry
system, you can open 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.
CAUTION
Never operate the rear gate lock
release lever with fingers because
doing so may cause an injury. Al-
ways use a screwdriver or a similartool.
3. Turn the lever to the right position
using a screwdriver.
4. Open the rear gate from outside by
holding the rear gate with your hands. Moonroof
–if the moonroof
cannot be closed
If the moonroof cannot be closed with the
moonroof switch, you can close the moon-
roof manually.
1. Remove the plug on the roof trim of the
cargo area by inserting the end of the flat-
head screwdriver between the roof and
plug and prying it off. In case of emergency
9-17
– CONTINUED –