2011 SUBARU TRIBECA towing

8-26Driving tips
&Trailer towing tips
CAUTION
. Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)
when towing a trailer in hilly
country on hot days.
. When towing a trailer, steering,
stability, stopping distance and
braking performance will be dif-
ferent from normal operation. Forsafety ’s sake, you should employ
extra caution when towing a
trailer and you should never
speed. You should also keep the
following tips in mind:
! Before starting out on a trip
. Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-
hitch mounting are in good condition. If
any problems are apparent, do not tow the
trailer. . Check that the vehicle sits horizontally
with the trailer attached. If the vehicle is
tipped sharply up at the front and down at
the rear, check the total trailer weight,
GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, then
confirm that the load and its distribution
are acceptable. . Check that the tire pressures are
correct. .
Check that the vehicle and trailer are
connected properly. Confirm that
–the trailer tongue is connected
properly to the hitch ball. – the trailer lights connector is con-
nected properly and trailer ’sbrake
lights illuminate when the vehicle ’s
brake pedal is pressed, and that the trailer ’s turn signal lights flash when
the vehicle ’s turn signal lever is oper-
ated. – the safety chains are connected
properly.– all cargo in the trailer is secured
safely in position.– the side mirrors provide a good
rearward field of view without a sig-
nificant blind spot.
. Sufficient time should be taken to learn
the “feel ”of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up. ! Driving with a trailer
. You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may
result in skidding or jackknifing and loss ofcontrol. . Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes. .
Slow down before turning. Make a
longer than normal turning radius because
the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. In
a tight turn, the trailer could hit yourvehicle. . Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down
immediately but gradually. . When passing other vehicles, consid-
erable distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by
attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn

.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

If you park your vehicle in an emergency......... 9-2
Spare tire ............................................................. 9-2
Removing the spare tire ...................................... 9-3
Re-storage of spare tire ....................................... 9-4
Temporary spare tire ........................................... 9-5
Flat tires ............................................................... 9-6
Changing a flat tire .............................................. 9-6
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) . ........... 9-10
Jump starting ..................................................... 9-11
How to jump start ............................................... 9-12 Engine overheating
........................................... 9-14
If steam is coming from the engine compartment ................................................... 9-14
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment ................................................... 9-14
Towing ................................................................ 9-14
Towing and tie-down hooks. ............................... 9-15
Using a flat-bed truck. ........................................ 9-17
Towing with all wheels on the ground ................. 9-17
Rear gate –if the rear gate cannot be
unlocked .......................................................... 9-18
Maintenance tools ............................................. 9-19
Jack and jack handle ......................................... 9-19
In case of emergency
9

of the tire facing up).
3. Turn the hoist shaft end clockwise with
the wheel nut wrench to wind the cable up
completely until you hear a few clicking
sounds. Confirm that the temporary spare
tire holding cable has been wound up
completely by shaking the temporary tire.
CAUTION
If the temporary spare tire is not
stored securely, it could damage
adjacent areas of the vehicle and
make an abnormal noise.
4. Place the wheel nut wrench and
extension back into the tool bag and store
the jack and tool bag in their storagelocations. 5. Fit the lid of the cargo area.
CAUTION
. When stowing a flat tire in the
spare tire holder, turn the hoist
shaft end only slowly. If it is
turned quickly, the wheel disc of
the flat tire could be damaged.
. A full-size flat tire should be
stowed in the spare tire holder
in an emergency only. After hav-
ing the flat tire repaired, immedi-
ately swap it with the temporary
spare tire.
. Remember that the tread width of
a flat tire is wider than that of the
temporary spare tire. When car-
rying a flat tire stowed in the
spare tire holder, make sure the
tire does not touch any obsta-cles. Temporary spare tire
WARNING
. Never tow a trailer when the
temporary spare tire is used.
The temporary 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 and
may lead to an accident.
. When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/trans-
mitter being transferred, the low
tire pressure warning light will
illuminate steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute.
This indicates the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is un-
able to monitor all four road
wheels. Contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible for
tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. In case of emergency
9-5
– CONTINUED –

9-10In case of emergency
holder.
Refer to “Spare tire ”F 9-2 for its location,
instructions and precautions.
CAUTION
. When stowing a flat tire in the
spare tire holder, turn the hoist
shaft end only slowly. If it is
turned quickly, the wheel disc of
the flat tire could be damaged.
. A full-size flat tire should be
stowed in the spare tire holder
in an emergency only. After hav-
ing the flat tire repaired, immedi-
ately swap it with the temporary
spare tire.
. Remember that the tread width of
a flat tire is wider than that of the
temporary spare tire. When car-
rying a flat tire stowed in the
spare tire holder, make sure the
tire does not touch any obsta-cles.
WARNING
Never place a tire or tire changing
tools in the passenger compartment
after changing wheels. In a sudden
stop or collisions, loose equipment could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in
the proper place.
& Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with the warning message
indicated 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.
Also, this system may not react immedi-
ately to a sudden drop in tire pressure (for
example, a blow-out caused running over
a sharp object).
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning light
illuminates while driving, never
brake suddenly and keep driving
straight ahead while gradually redu-
cing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe place. Otherwise an
accident involving serious vehicle
damage and serious personal injury
could occur.
Check the pressure for all four tires
and adjust the pressure to the COLD
tire pressure shown on the vehicle
placard on the door pillar on thedriver ’s side. If this light still illumi-
nates while driving after adjusting
the tire pressure, a tire may have
significant damage and a fast leak
that causes the tire to lose air
rapidly. If you have a flat tire, replace
it with a spare tire as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates
the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your

9-14In 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
NOTE
For details about how to check the
coolant level or how to add coolant,
refer to “Engine coolant ”F 11-10.
1. Keep the engine running at idlingspeed. 2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine
compartment. Refer to
“Engine hood ”
F 11-4.
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 temperature gauge stays at the
overheated zone, 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. TowingWARNING
Never tow AWD models 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 deterioration of
the center differential.
If towing is necessary, it is best done by
your SUBARU dealer or a commercial
towing service. Observe the following
procedures for safety.

&Towing and tie-down hooks
The towing hooks should be used only in
an emergency (e.g., to free a stuck vehicle
from mud, sand or snow).
CAUTION
. Use only the specified towing
hooks and tie-down hooks. Never
use suspension parts or other
parts of the body for towing or
tie-down purposes.
. Never use the tie-down hook
closest to the muffler under the
vehicle for towing purposes.
. To prevent deformation to the
bumper and the towing hook, do
not apply excessive lateral load
to the towing hooks.
Front towing hook:
1. Take out the towing hook, screwdriver
and wheel nut wrench from the tool bag.
2. Wrap a flat-head screwdriver in vinyl
tape or cloth, insert it into the gap between
the cover and the front bumper, and use it
to pry the cover open. NOTE . The cover is attached to the front
bumper with five lugs. . Do not remove the cover while
holding the slit.3. Screw the towing hook into the thread
hole until the threads can no longer beseen.
4. Tighten the towing hook securely
using a jack handle. In case of emergency
9-15
– CONTINUED –

9-16In case of emergency
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Fit the towing hook cover on the bumper.
WARNING
. Do not use the towing hook
except when towing your vehicle.
. Be sure to remove the towing
hook after towing. Leaving the
towing hook mounted on the
vehicle could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbag
system in a frontal collision.
Rear towing hook:
1. Take out the towing hook, screwdriver
and wheel nut wrench from the on board
tool bag.
2. Pry off the cover on the rear bumper
using a screwdriver, and you will find a
threaded hole for attaching the towinghook.
3. Screw the towing hook into the thread
hole until its thread can no longer be seen.
4. Tighten the towing hook securely
using a wheel nut wrench.
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Put the thread hole cover on the rear
bumper.
WARNING
. Do not use the towing hook
except when towing your vehicle.
. Be sure to remove the towing
hook after towing. Leaving the
towing hook mounted on the
vehicle could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbag
system in a frontal collision.
Front tie-down hooks: