2012 SUBARU OUTBACK hood open

4
Mark Name
Turn signal
Illumination brightness
Engine hood
Trunk lid (Legacy)
Fan speed
Instrument panel outlets
Instrument panel outlets and
foot outlets
Foot outlets
Windshield defroster and foot outlets
Windshield defroster
Rear window defogger/Out-
side mirror defogger/Wind-
shield wiper deicerMark Name
Air recirculation
Engine oil
Washer
Door lock (transmitter)
Door unlock (transmitter)
Trunk lid open (Legacy) or
rear gate unlock (Outback) (transmitter)
Safety precautions when driving &
Seatbelt and SRS airbag
WARNING
. All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE
the vehicle starts to move. Other-
wise, the possibility of serious
injury becomes greater in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-dent.
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seat-
belts when the vehicle is moving.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) airbag does not do away
with the need to fasten seatbelts.
In combination with the seat-
belts, it offers the best combined
protection in case of a seriousaccident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.

&Instrument panel1) Door locks (page 2-4)
2) Electronic parking brake switch
(page 7-31)
3) Hill Holder switch (page 7-32)
4) Trunk lid opener switch (page 2-24)
5) Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch (page 7-28)
6) Remote control mirror switch (page 3-51)
7) Illumination brightness control (page 3-29)
8) Light control switch (page 3-27)
9) Audio control buttons (page 5-41)
10) Combination meter (page 3-5)
11) Cruise control (page 7-35)
12) Paddle shift (page 7-21)
13) Wiper control lever (page 3-30)
14) Horn (page 3-52)
15) SRS airbag (page 1-36)
16) Fuse box (page 11-44)
17) Hood lock release knob (page 11-7)
18) Power windows (page 2-20) 15
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2-16Keys and doors
1 second, and wait 10 seconds without
releasing the switch. The setting will then
be changed as follows:
If the system was previously activated:
The trip meter screen displays “AL oF ”
and the horn sounds twice, indicating that
the system is now deactivated.
If the system was previously deacti- vated:
The trip meter screen displays “AL on ”and
the horn sounds once, indicating that the
system is now activated.
NOTE
You may have the above setting
change done by your SUBARU dealer. & If you have accidentally trig-
gered the alarm system
! To stop the alarm
Perform any of the following operations. . Press any button on the remote trans-
mitter.. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position. &
Arming the system
! To arm the system using remote transmitter
1. Close all windows and the moonroof (ifequipped).
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Open the doors and get out of the vehicle.
4. Make sure that the engine hood (and
the trunk lid (Legacy)) are locked.
5. Close all doors (and the rear gate (Outback)).
: Press to Arm the system.: Press to Disarm the system.
Security indicator light
6. Briefly press the “
”button (for less
than 2 seconds). All doors (and the rear
gate (Outback)) will lock, an electronic
chirp will sound once, the turn signal lights
will flash once, and the security indicator
light will start flashing rapidly. After rapid
flashing for 30 seconds (standby time), the
security indicator l ight will then flash
slowly (twice approximately every 2 sec-
onds), indicating that the system has been
armed for surveillance.
If any of the doors (rear gate or trunk lid) is
not fully closed, an electronic chirp sounds
five times, the turn signal lights flash five
times to alert you that the doors (or the
rear gate) are not properly closed. When
you close the door, the system will
automatically arm and doors will automa-

tically lock. !To arm the system using power
door locking switch
1. Close all windows.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Open the doors and get out of the vehicle.
4. Make sure that the engine hood is locked.
5. Close the doors (and the rear gate
(Outback)) but leave only the driver ’s door
or the front passenger ’s door open.
6. Press the front side ( “LOCK ”side) of
the power door locking switch to set the
door locks.
7. Close the door. An electronic chirp will
sound once, the turn signal lights will flash once and the security indicator light will
start flashing rapidly. After rapid flashing
for 30 seconds (standby time), the security
indicator light will then flash slowly (twice
approximately every 2 seconds), indicat-
ing that the system has been armed forsurveillance.
NOTE . The system can be armed even if the
engine hood, the windows and/or
moonroof are open. Always make sure
that they are fully closed before arming
the system.. The 30-second standby time can be
eliminated if you prefer. Have it per-
formed by your SUBARU dealer.. If your vehicle is a Legacy and you
open the trunk using the remote trans-mitter ’s “
”button with the alarm
system armed, the system will be
temporarily placed in a standby state.
The system will go back to the surveil-
lance state upon locking the trunk.. The system is in the standby mode
for a 30-second period after locking the
doors with the remote transmitter. The
security indicator light will flash at
short intervals during this period.. If any of the following actions is
done during the standby period, the
system will not switch to the surveil- lance state.
–Doors are unlocked using the
remote transmitter. – Any door (including the rear gate
(Outback) or the trunk (Legacy)) is opened. – Ignition switch is turned to the
“ ON ”position.
& Disarming the system
Briefly press the “
”button (for less than
2 seconds) on the remote transmitter. The
driver ’s door will unlock, an electronic
chirp will sound twice, the turn signal
lights will flash twice and the security
indicator light will turn off.
To unlock all other doors and the rear gate
(Outback), briefly press the “
”button a
second time within 5 seconds. ! Emergency disarming
If you cannot disarm the system using the
transmitter (i.e. the transmitter is lost,
broken or the transmitter battery is too
weak), you can disarm the system without
using the transmitter.
The system can be disarmed if you turn
the ignition switch from the “LOCK ”to the
“ ON ”position with a registered key. Keys and doors
2-17
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7-10Starting and operating
Stopping the engine
WARNING
Do not stop the engine when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause
loss of power to the power steering
and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It
could also result in accidental acti-
vation of the “LOCK ”position on the
ignition switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling. Remote engine start system
(dealer option)
WARNING
. Do not remote start a vehicle in
an enclosed environment (e.g.
closed garage). Prolonged opera-
tion of a motor vehicle in an
enclosed environment can cause
a harmful build-up of Carbon
Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is
harmful to your health. Exposure
to high levels of Carbon Monox-
ide can cause headaches, dizzi-
ness or in extreme cases uncon-
sciousness and/or death.
. Before performing any servicing
of the vehicle, temporarily place
the remote engine start system in
service mode to prevent the
system from unexpectedly start-
ing the engine.
& Starting your vehicle
NOTE
All vehicle doors, the engine hood and
trunk / rear gate must be closed prior to
activating the remote engine start sys-
tem. Any open entry point will prevent
starting or cause the system to shutdown.
The remote engine start function is acti-
vated by pressing the “
”button twice
within 3 seconds on your remote engine
start transmitter. Upon successful activa-
tion the remote start confirming transmitter
button will flash once* and the vehicle will
honk the horn and flash the side marker
lights, tail lights and front position lights
once. The system will check certain

preconditions before starting, and if all
safety parameters are correct, the engine
will start within 5 seconds. Upon success-
ful engine start, the remote start confirma-
tion transmitter button will flash twice
every 5 seconds* and the vehicle will
honk the horn and flash the side marker
lights, tail lights and the front position
lights once, then the lights will illuminate
and remain illuminated, indicating that the
engine is running. While the vehicle is
operating via the remote engine start
function, the power window features will
be disabled. Also, the system has a timer
and will shut down after 15 minutes if you
do not operate the vehicle. Press and hold the“
”button for 2 seconds to turn the
engine off. The remote start confirmation
transmitter button will flash three times*
indicating that the engine has shut down.
If the starter cranks but does not start or
starts and stalls, the remote engine start
system will power off and then attempt to
start the engine an additional three times
unless the remote engine start system
determines that a vehicle malfunction is
preventing the system from starting. If the
engine does not start after additional
attempts, the remote engine start system
will abort and return to a non-activatestate.
*: Provided that the remote engine start transmitter is within the operating range of
the system. &
Remote start safety features
For safety and security reasons, the
system will fail to start and honk the horn
twice or shut down the engine during
remote start operation if any of the
following occur: . Any of the doors or the trunk / rear gate
are open / opened (*the vehicle ’s horn will
honk six times and the side marker lights,
tail lights and the front position lights will
flash six times indicating that a vehicle
door or trunk / rear gate was open when
the remote engine start system wasactivated). . The brake pedal is depressed
. The key was already in the ignition
switch. The engine hood is opened
. The remote start system “Service
mode ”is engaged
. The vehicle ’s engine idle speed has
reached a level over 3,500 RPM. The alarm is triggered by opening a
door or the rear gate.. The select lever is not in the “P ”
position (AT and CVT models)
In addition to the items above, if the vehicle
’s engine management system
determines there is a safety risk due to a
vehicle related problem, the vehicle will
shut down and the vehicle ’s horn will honk
three times.
NOTE . If the alarm system is armed at the
time of remote engine start activation
(the security indicator light on the
combination meter is flashing), the
alarm system will remain armed
throughout the remote start run cycle.. If the alarm system is disarmed at
the time of remote engine start activa-
tion (the security indicator light on the
combination meter is not flashing), the
alarm system will remain disarmed
throughout the remote start run cycle. & Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start
1. Unlock the vehicle doors using the
remote keyless entry system. If the vehi-cle ’s doors are unlocked manually using
the key, the vehicle ’s alarm system will
trigger (if the alarm system is armed prior
to activating the remote engine start
system) and the engine will turn off.
Inserting the key into the ignition switch
and turning it to the “ON ”position or
pressing the unlock button “
”on the
Starting and operating
7-11
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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, pull off the road
safely 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 11-17.
1. Keep the engine running at idlingspeed. 2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine
compartment. Refer to
“Engine hood ”
F 11-7.
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. Referto “Coolant temperature low indicator light/
Coolant temperature high warning light ”
F 3-13.
4. After the engine has fully cooled down,
check the coolant level in the reserve tank.
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 vehicles (including
AT, MT and CVT) 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. In case of emergency
9-13
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&Removing air intake duct
Use a screwdriver to undo the clips on the
air intake duct, then remove the air intake
duct. Refer to “Type A clips ”F 11-5.
& Pulling off the fender lining
It is necessary to pull off the fender lining
when replacing some bulbs.
1. Start the engine and turn the steering
wheel fully in the opposite direction of the
bulb to be replaced.
2. Stop the engine.
3. Remove the clip from the fender lining.
Refer to “Type B clips ”F 11-5.
4. Pull off the fender lining. Engine hood
To open the hood:
1. If the wiper blades are lifted off the
windshield, return them to their originalpositions.
2. Pull the hood release knob under the
instrument panel.
Maintenance and service
11-7
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