7-24Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
namics Control is no guarantee
that full vehicle control will be
maintained at all times and under
all conditions, its activation
should be seen as a sign that
the speed of the vehicle should
be reduced considerably.
. Whenever suspension compo-
nents, steering components, or
an axle are removed from a
vehicle equipped with Vehicle
Dynamics Control system, have
an inspection of that system
performedbyanauthorized
SUBARU dealer.
. The following precautions should
be observed in order to ensure
that the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system is operating properly. – All four wheels should be
fitted with tires of the same
size, type, and brand. Further-
more, the amount of wear
should be the same for all
four tires.
– Keep the tire pressure at the
proper level as shown on the
vehicle placard attached to
the driver ’s side door pillar.
In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding on a slippery road surface and/or during
cornering and/or an evasive maneuver,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
adjusts the engine
’s output and the
wheels ’respective braking forces to help
maintain traction and directional control. . Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to
prevent spinning of the driving wheels on
slippery road surfaces, thereby helping to
maintain traction and directional control.
Activation of this function is shown by
flashing the Vehicle Dynamics Control
operation indicator light. . Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed
to help maintain directional stability by
suppressing the wheels ’tendency to slide
sideways during steering operations. Acti-
vation of this function is shown by flashing
the Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light.
NOTE . Slight twitching of the brake pedal
may be felt when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system operates; a small de-
gree of vehicle or steering wheel shak-
ing may also be noticed in this situa-
tion. These are normal characteristics
of Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
and are no cause for alarm. .
When driving off immediately after
starting the engine, a short operation
noise may be noticed coming from the
engine compartment. This noise is
generated as a result of a check being
performed on the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and is normal.. Depending on the timing of activa-
tion of the brakes, the brake pedal may
seem to jolt when you drive off after
starting the engine. This is a conse-
quence of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol operational check and is normal.. In the circumstances shown in the
following list, the vehicle may be less
stable than it feels to the driver. The
Vehicle Dynamics Control System may
therefore operate. Such operation does
not indicate a system malfunction.
–on gravel-covered or rutted
roads – on unfinished roads
– when the vehicle is towing a
trailer– when the vehicle is fitted with
snow tires or winter tires
. Activation of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will cause operation of
the steering wheel to feel slightly
different compared to that for normalconditions. . Even if the vehicle is equipped with
a Vehicle Dynamics Control system, it
is important that winter tires be used
when driving on snow-covered or icy
roads. (All four wheels should be fitted
with tires of the same size and brand). .It is always important to reduce
speed when approaching a corner,
even if the vehicle is equipped with
Vehicle Dynamics Control. . All four wheels should be fitted with
tires of the same size, type, and brand;
furthermore, the amount of wear
should be the same for all four tires. If
these precautions are not observed
and non-matching tires are used, it is
quite possible that the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system will be unable
to operate correctly as intended. . Always turn off the engine before
replacing a tire as failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly. &
Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor
Refer to the following sections. . “Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light (U.S.-spec models and Canada-
spec. models)/Vehicle Dynamics Control
operation indicator light (all models) ”F 3-
18 . “Traction Control system OFF indicator
light (U.S.-spec models and Canada-
spec. models) ”F 3-19
. “Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light (Latin America-spec. models)/Trac-
tion Control OFF indicator light (Latin
America-spec. models) ”F 3-19 &
Traction Control system OFF switch
Traction Control system OFF indicator
light (U.S.-spec. models and Canada-spec. models)
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system7-25
– CONTINUED –
7-26Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
Traction Control system OFF indicator
light (Latin America-spec. models)
Traction Control system OFF switch
Pressingtheswitchtodeactivatethe
Traction Control system can facilitate the
following operations. .
a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or
otherwise slippery surface . extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the Traction Control system
OFF indicator light on the combination
meter illuminates. The Traction Control
system will be deactivated and the vehicle
will behave like a model not equipped with
the Traction Control system. When the
switch is pressed again to reactivate the
Traction Control system OFF indicator
light turns off.
With the Traction Control system deacti-
vated, traction enhancement offered by
Traction Control system is unavailable.
Therefore you should not deactivate the
Traction Control system except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTE . When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Traction Control sys-
tem, the Traction Control system auto-
matically reactivates itself the next time
the ignition key is turned to the “LOCK ”
position and the engine is restarted.. If the switch is held down for 10
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Traction Control system is activated, and the system ignores
any further pressing of the switch. To
make the switch usable again, turn the
ignition key to the
“LOCK ”position and
restart the engine.. Whentheswitchispressedto
deactivate the Traction Control system,
the vehicle ’s running performance is
comparable with that of a vehicle that
does not have a Traction Control
system. Do not deactivate the Traction
Control system except when absolutely
necessary.
7-28Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
CAUTION
Do not place metal film or any metal
parts under the driver ’s seat. This
may cause poor reception of the
signals from the tire pressure sen-
sors, and the tire pressure monitor-
ing system will not function prop-
erly.
NOTE
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules and with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void theuser ’s authority to operate the equip-
ment. Parking your vehicle
WARNING
. Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, the tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to
cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to them.
. Do not park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
. Be sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occu-
pants in the vehicle could die
from carbon monoxide (CO) con-
tained in the exhaust gas. &
Parking brakeCAUTION
. Never drive while the parking
brake is set because this will
cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to
drive, always make sure that the
parking brake has been fullyreleased.
. Never drive with your foot on the
parking brake pedal.
To set the parking brake, hold down the
brake pedal while depressing the parking
brake pedal as far as it will go.
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.
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
. towing a trailer
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
Starting and operating/Cruise control7-29
– CONTINUED –
&To temporarily cancel the
cruise control
The cruise control can be temporarily
canceled in the following ways.
. Pull the control lever toward you.
. Depress the brake pedal.
WARNING
Do not place the select lever in the “ N ” position while driving. If the
select lever is shifted into the “N ”
position, cruise control can be can-
celed but the engine brake will no
longer work. This could result in anaccident.
The cruise control set indicator light on the
combination meter turns off when the cruise control is canceled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever
upward in the
“RES/ACC ”direction to
return to the original cruising speed auto-
matically.
The cruise control set indicator light on the
combination meter will automatically illu-
minate at this time. & To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control: . Push the main switch again.
. Turn the ignition switch to the “Acc ”or
“ LOCK ”position (but only when the
vehicle is completely stopped). &
To change the cruising speed
! To increase the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever upward in the “RES/
ACC ”direction and hold it until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed. Then, release
the control lever. The vehicle speed at that
moment will be memorized and treated as
the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever upward in the“ RES/ACC ”direction quickly.
Starting and operating/Cruise control7-31
– CONTINUED –
New vehicle break-in driving–the first
1,000 miles (1,600 km) ..................................... 8-2
Fuel economy hints ............................................ 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ............ 8-2
Catalytic converter .............................................. 8-3
Periodic inspections ........................................... 8-4
Driving in foreign countries ............................... 8-4
Driving tips for AWD models .............................. 8-4
On-road and off-road driving .............................. 8-6
Winter driving ...................................................... 8-8
Operation during cold weather ............................. 8-8
Driving on snowy and icy roads .......................... 8-9
Corrosion protection .......................................... 8-10
Snow tires ......................................................... 8-10
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-11
Rocking the vehicle ............................................ 8-11 Loading your vehicle
......................................... 8-12
Vehicle capacity weight ...................................... 8-12
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........................ 8-13
Roof rails and crossbar (if equipped) .................. 8-14
Roof molding and crossbar (if equipped) ............ 8-17
Trailer hitch (if equipped) .................................. 8-18
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-19
When you do not tow a trailer .. .......................... 8-20
Trailer towing ..................................................... 8-21
Warranties and maintenance .............................. 8-21
Maximum load limits .......................................... 8-21
Trailer hitches .................................................... 8-24
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-25
Trailer towing tips .............................................. 8-26Driving tips
8
8-2Driving tips/New vehicle break–in driving –the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600
km)
The performance and long life of your
vehicle are dependent on how you handle
and care for your vehicle while it is new.
Follow these instructions during the first
1,000 miles (1,600 km): . Do not race the engine. And do not
allow engine speed to exceed 4,000 rpm
except in an emergency. . Do not drive at one constant engine or
vehicle speed for a long time, either fast or
slow. . Avoid starting suddenly and rapid
acceleration, except in an emergency.. Avoid hard braking, except in an
emergency.
The same break-in procedures should be
applied to a newly installed or overhauled
engine or when brake pads or brake
linings are replaced with new ones. Fuel economy hints
The following suggestions will help to save
your fuel. .
Select the proper gear position for the
speed and road conditions.. Avoid sudden acceleration or decelera-
tion. Always accelerate gently until you
reach the desired speed. Then try to
maintain that speed for as long aspossible. . Do not pump the accelerator and avoid
racing the engine.. Avoid unnecessary engine idling.
. Keep the engine properly tuned.
. Keep the tires inflated to the correct
pressure shown on the tire placard, which
is located under the door latch on thedriver ’s side. Low pressure will increase
tire wear and fuel consumption. . Use the air conditioner only when
necessary.. Keep the front and rear wheels in
proper alignment.. Avoid carrying unnecessary luggage or
cargo. Engine exhaust gas (carbon
monoxide)
WARNING
. Never inhale engine exhaust gas.
Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless
and odorless gas which is dan-
gerous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
. Always properly maintain the en-
gine exhaust system to prevent
engine exhaust gas from enter-
ing the vehicle.
. Never run the engine in a closed
space, such as a garage, except
for the brief time needed to drive
the vehicle in or out of it.
. Avoid remaining in a parked
vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is
unavoidable, then use the venti-
lation fan to force fresh air into
the vehicle.
. Always keep the front ventilator
inlet grille free from snow, leaves
or other obstructions to ensure
that the ventilation system al-
ways works properly.
. If at any time you suspect that