
7-30Starting and operating
To release the parking brake, hold down 
the brake pedal while depressing the
parking brake pedal and slowly releasingit. 
When the parking brake is set while the 
engine is running, the brake system
warning light illuminates. After starting
the vehicle, be sure that the warning light
has turned off before the vehicle is driven.
Refer to “Brake system warning light ”F 3-
16.
& Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always set the
parking brake firmly and put the select
lever in the “P ”(Park) position. Always set
the parking brake firmly when parking your
vehicle. Never rely on the transmission
alone to hold the vehicle.When parking on a hill, always turn the 
steering wheel. When the vehicle is
headed up the hill, the front wheels should
be turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels 
should be turned into the curb. Cruise control 
Cruise control enables you to maintain a 
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned
“OFF ”when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid
unintentionally setting the cruise control.
NOTE 
If you move the cruise control lever or 
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON ”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the cruise control indicator light 
flashes. To reactivate the cruise control 
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”position, and
then turn it again to the “ON ”position.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under 
any of the following conditions.
These may cause loss of vehiclecontrol. . driving up or down a steep grade
. driving on slippery or winding
roads
. driving in heavy traffic    

8-8Driving tips
Forcing a frozen door open may damage 
or separate the rubber weather strips
around the door. If the door is frozen,
use hot water to melt the ice, and after-
wards thoroughly wipe the water away. 
Use a windshield washer fluid that con- 
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes
because they may damage the paint of
the vehicle. 
SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid con- 
tains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the followingtable.
Washer Fluid Con- centration Freezing Temperature
30% 10.4 8F(  12 8C)
50%  48F(  20 8C)
100%  
49 8F(  45 8C)
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature. 
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with 
a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block thenozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concen-
tration appropriately for the out- 
side temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed
washer fluid may freeze on the
windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in 
the reservoir tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may 
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle ’s paint, wiper blades
or washer system.
! Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that could make the pedals slippery and
driving dangerous. 
While warming up the vehicle before 
driving, check that the accelerator pedal,
brake pedal, and all other controls operate 
smoothly. 
Clear away ice and snow that has 
accumulated under the fenders to avoid
making steering difficult. During severe
winter driving, stop when and where it is
safe to do so and check under the fenders
periodically. !
Parking in cold weather
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust 
gases under your vehicle. Keep
snow clear of the exhaust pipe and
from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the enginerunning.
Do not use the parking brake when
parking for long periods in cold weather
since it could freeze in that position.
Instead, you should observe the followingtips. 
1. Place the select lever in “P ”position.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to 
prevent the vehicle from moving. 

3. Insert the safety pin into the hitch pin 
securely. 
4. Pull the ball mount to make sure it 
does not come off the hitch receiver.
1) Hitch ball installation point 
2) Hooks for safety chains5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriate 
for the ball mount and your trailer. The
hitch ball must be securely installed on the
ball mount. 
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch with 
safety chains that will hold the trailer
’s
maximum gross weight. The chains
should cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping onto the
ground in case it should disconnect from
the hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in the
chains taking tight turn situations into
account; however, be careful not to let
them drag on the ground.
WARNING
Do not connect safety chains to part 
of the vehicle other than the safety 
chain hooks.
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness ’black
four-pin wire connector to the towing trailer ’s wire harness.
9. Confirm proper function of the hitch
wire harness by individually activating the
brake, right turn signal, left turn signal,
stop, and parking lights on the trailer. NOTE 
Always disconnect the trailer wire har- 
ness before launching or retrieving a Driving tips
8-19
– CONTINUED –     

create a traffic safety hazard. 
For safety, always connect the towing 
vehicle and trailer with trailer safety
chains. Pass the chains crossing each
other under the trailer tongue to prevent
the trailer from dropping onto the ground
in case the trailer tongue should discon-
nect from the hitch ball. Allow sufficient
slack in the chains taking tight turn
situations into account; however, be care-
ful not to let them drag on the ground. 
For more information about the safety 
chain connection, refer to the instructions
for your hitch and trailer. !Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle, 
check that the standard side mirrors
provide a good rearward field of view
without significant blind spots. If significant blind spots occur with the vehicle
’s stan-
dard side mirrors, use towing mirrors that
conform with Federal, state/province and/
or other applicable regulations. ! Trailer lights
CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improper 
connection of trailer lights may
damage your vehicle ’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction of
your vehicle ’s lighting system.
Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-cle ’s electrical system requires modifica-
tions to the vehicle ’s lighting circuit to
increase its capacity and accommodate
wiring changes. To ensure the trailer lights
are connected properly, please consult
your SUBARU dealer. Check for proper
operation of the turn signals, the brake
lights and parking lights each time you 
hitch up. ! Tires
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.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle
are properly inflated. 
The recommended cold tire pressure 
under trailer towing conditions is shownin “Tires ”F 12-8 and in “GAS STATION
REFERENCE ”at the end of this manual.
Adjust the rear tire pressure to the
recommended pressure when the tires
are cold. Normal pressure should be
maintained in the front tires. 
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and 
proper inflation pressure should be in
accordance with the trailer manufacturer ’s
specifications. 
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tire 
when towing a trailer, ask a commercial
road service to repair the flat tire. 
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your 
vehicle or trailer as a precaution against
getting a flat tire, be sure that the spare
tire is firmly secured. Driving tips
8-25
– CONTINUED –  

.Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a 
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn. . If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing 
the trailer and have repairs performed
immediately by the nearest SUBARU
dealer. ! Driving on grades
. Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces- 
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. . When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically 
to protect the engine from overheating. . When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the water temperature gauge 
pointer and AT OIL TEMP warning light
because the engine and transmission are
relatively prone to overheating under
these conditions. If the water temperature
gauge pointer approaches the OVER-
HEAT zone or the AT OIL TEMP warning
light illuminates, immediately turn off the air conditioner and stop the vehicle in the
nearest safe location. For further instruc-
tions and additional information, refer to
the following sections.
–“If you park your vehicle in an
emergency ”F 9-2
–“ Engine overheating ”F 9-14
–“ Temperature gauge ”F 3-9
–“ AT OIL TEMP warning light ”F 3-13
NOTE 
The temperature of engine coolant is 
less likely to rise to the OVERHEAT
zone in the “D ” position than in the
manual mode position. . 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 tooverheat. ! 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
“P ”and shut off the engine. Driving tips
8-27 

.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 in the “P ”(Park) position.
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.
1) Jack handle 
2) Jack 
3) Spare tire
5. Take out the jack and jack handle. 
The jack and jack handle are stored under 
the floor of the cargo area. 
6. Remove the spare tire.
Refer to “Spare tire ”F 9-2 for its location,
instructions and precautions. 
Carefully read “Temporary spare tire ”F 9-
5 and strictly follow the instructions.
NOTE 
Make sure the jack is well lubricated 
before using it.Chrome plated wheels
7. Insert the tip (wrapped in vinyl tape or 
a cloth) of a flat-head screwdriver into the
slot between the wheel and cap. Use it to
remove the cap. (Only vehicle equipped
with chrome plated wheels)
In case of emergency 9-7
– CONTINUED –     

The front tie-down hooks are located 
between each of the front tires and the
front bumper. 
Rear tie-down hooks:
The rear tie-down hooks are located near 
each of the jack-up reinforcements.
WARNING
Use the rear tie-down hooks only for 
downward anchoring. If they are
used to anchor the vehicle in any
other direction, cables may slip off
the hooks, possibly causing a dan-
gerous situation. &
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 select lever into the “P ”
position.
2. Press the parking brake pedal 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. &
Towing with all wheels on the ground
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. In case of emergency
9-17
– CONTINUED –    

9-18In case of emergency
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.
. 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.
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. 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 using
flat-head screwdriver. 
2. Locate the rear gate lock release lever 
behind the rear gate trim panel.
3. Unlock the rear gate by moving the 
lever to the right. 
4. Open the rear gate from outside by 
raising the rear gate handle.