2012 SUBARU OUTBACK towing

9-14In case of emergency
&Towing and tie-down hooks/ holes
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/holes.
Never use suspension parts or
other parts of the body for towing
or tie-down purposes.
. Never use the tie-down hole clo-
sest 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 and screw-
driver from the on board tool bucket. Take
out the jack handle from the trunk (Le-
gacy) or cargo area (Outback).
2. Pry off the cover on the front bumper
using a screwdriver, and you will find a
threaded hole for attaching the towinghook.
3. Screw the towing hook into the
threaded hole until the threads can no longer be seen.
4. Tighten the towing hook securely
using the jack handle.
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bucket.
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 the towing hook out of the tool
bucket and take the screwdriver out of the
tool bucket. Take the jack handle out of
the trunk (Legacy) or cargo area (Out-back).
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
threaded hole until its thread can no
longer be seen.
4. Tighten the towing hook securely
using the jack handle.After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bucket.
Fit the towing hook cover on the bumper.
WARNING
Do not use the towing hook except
when towing your vehicle.
Front tie-down hooks:
The front tie-down hooks are located
between each of the front tires and the
front bumper. In case of emergency
9-15
– CONTINUED –

9-16In case of emergency
Rear tie-down holes:
1) Rear tie-down hole
The rear tie-down holes are located near
each of the jack-up reinforcements.
WARNING
Use the rear tie-down holes only for
downward anchoring. If they are
used to anchor the vehicle in any
other direction, cables may slip out
of the holes, possibly causing a
dangerous 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 for AT and CVT models or the
shift lever into “1st ”for MT models.
2. Apply the parking brake.
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

13-10Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
. To maximize the life of each tire
and ensure that the tires wear
uniformly, it is best to rotate the
tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km).
Rotating the tires involves switch-
ing the front and rear tires on the
right-hand side of the vehicle and
similarly switching the front and
rear tires on the left-hand side of
the vehicle. (Each tire must be kept
on its original side of the vehicle.)
Replace any damaged or unevenly
worn tire at the time of rotation.
After tire rotation, adjust the tire
pressures and make sure the wheel
nuts are correctly tightened. For
information about the tightening
torque and tightening sequence
for the wheel nuts, refer to “Flat
tires ”F 9-6 .
& Vehicle load limit –how to
determine
The load capacity of your vehicle is
determined by weight, not by avail-
able cargo space. The load limit of
your vehicle is shown on the
vehicle placard attached to the driver
’s side B-pillar. Locate the
statement “The combined weight
of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs ”
on your vehicle ’s placard.
Thevehicleplacardalsoshows
seating capacity of your vehicle.
The total load capacity includes the
total weight of driver and all pas-
sengers and their belongings, any
cargo, any optional equipment such
as a trailer hitch, roof rack or bike
carrier, etc., and the tongue load of
a trailer. Therefore cargo capacity
can be calculated by the following method.
Cargo capacity = Load limit (total
weight of occupants + total weight
of optional equipment + tongue
load of a trailer (if applicable))
For towing capacity information and
weight limits, refer to “Trailer tow-
ing ”F 8-19 . !
Calculating total and load ca-
pacities varying seating con-
figurations
Calculate the available load capa-
city as shown in the followingexamples:
Example 1A
Vehicle capacity weight of the
vehicle is 800 lbs (363 kg), which
is indicated on the vehicle placard
with the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed 363 kg or
800 lbs ”.
For example, if the vehicle has one

13-14Consumer 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 standards
This 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 A
The 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. &
Treadwear
The 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 govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends 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, C
The 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-

14-6Index
Control switch ........................................................ 3-27
Flasher ................................................................. 3-28
Indicator light ......................................................... 3-23
High beam indicator light ............................................ 3-22
High/low beam change (dimmer) .................................. 3-28
Hill Holder ................................................................. 7-32
Indicator light ......................................................... 3-19
Switch .................................................................. 7-32
HomeLink
®........................................................ 3-36, 3-45
Hook Coat ..................................................................... 6-13
Convenient tie-down ............................................... 6-17
Shopping bag ........................................................ 6-13
Towing and tie-down ............................................... 9-14
Horn ......................................................................... 3-52
Hose and connections ............................................... 11-17
I
Ignition switch .............................................................. 3-3
Light ....................................................................... 3-4
Illumination brightness control ...................................... 3-29
Immobilizer. ................................................................. 2-3
Indicator light (security indicator light) ....................... 3-21
Indicator light
Coolant temperature low ......................................... 3-13
Cruise control ........................................................ 3-23
Cruise control set ................................................... 3-23
Door open ............................................................. 3-19
Front fog light ........................................................ 3-23
Headlight .............................................................. 3-23
High beam ............................................................ 3-22 Hill Holder
............................................................. 3-19
Immobilizer ............................................................ 3-21
Security ................................................................. 3-21
Select lever/Gear position ........................................ 3-22
Turn signal ............................................................ 3-22
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF ................................. 3-21
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation .. ........................ 3-21
Inside mirror ..................................... 3-35, 3-36, 3-43, 3-45
Interior lights ............................................................... 6-2
Internal trunk lid release handle .................................... 2-24
iiPod
®operations ........................................................ 5-33
J
Jack-up point .............................................................. 9-6
Jump starting ............................................................. 9-10
K
Key............................................................................ 2-2 Number .................................................................. 2-2
Reminder chime ...................................................... 3-4
Replacement. .......................................................... 2-4
Keyless entry system ................................................... 2-7
L
Leather seat materials ................................................. 10-5
License plate light ..................................................... 11-52
Light
Back-up (Legacy) ................................................. 11-49

14-10Index
SRS Frontal airbag ........................................................ 1-45
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ... 4, 1-36
SRS airbag system Monitors. ............................................................... 1-62
Servicing ............................................................... 1-63
Warning light ......................................................... 3-11
Starting the engine ....................................................... 7-8
State emission testing (U.S. only) .................................. 7-6
Steering wheel Power ................................................................... 7-23
Tilt/telescopic ......................................................... 3-52
Stopping the engine ................................................... 7-10
Storage compartment ................................................... 6-5
Sun shade ................................................................ 2-29
Sun visors ................................................................... 6-4
Supplemental Restraint System airbag (SRS) ................ 1-36
Synthetic leather upholstery ........................................ 10-5
T
Tachometer ................................................................. 3-7
Temperature warning light AT OIL TEMP ........................................................ 3-14
Coolant ................................................................. 3-13
Temporary spare tire .................................................... 9-2
Tether (child restraint system) .............................. 1-30, 1-33
Tie-down hooks ......................................................... 9-14
Tire ................................................................. 11-30, 12-9 Chains .................................................................. 8-12
Inspection ............................................................ 11-32
Pressures and wear .............................................. 11-32 Replacement.
....................................................... 11-36
Rotation .............................................................. 11-35
Size and pressure .................................................. 12-9
Types .................................................................. 11-30
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) ....... 7-29, 9-9, 11-30
Warning light .......................................................... 3-15
Tires and wheels ...................................................... 11-30
Tools .......................................................................... 9-3
Top tether anchorages ........................................ 1-30, 1-33
Towing ...................................................................... 9-13
All wheels on the ground ......................................... 9-16
Flat-bed truck ......................................................... 9-16
Hooks ................................................................... 9-14
Weight .................................................................. 8-20
Trailer Connecting ............................................................ 8-18
Hitch ............................................................. 8-17, 8-23
Towing .................................................................. 8-19
Towing tips ............................................................ 8-25
Trip meter ................................................................... 3-6
Trunk lid ............................................................ 2-23, 9-19
Release handle ...................................................... 2-24
Trunk light ............................................................... 11-55
Turn signal Indicator lights ........................................................ 3-22
Lever .................................................................... 3-29
U
Under-floor storage compartment .................................. 6-18
USB storage device operations .................................... 5-33