
.Do not use a combination ofradial, belted bias or bias tiressince it may cause dangeroushandling characteristics and leadto an accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with“all seasontires”which are designed to provide anadequate measure of traction, handlingand braking performance in year-rounddriving. In winter, it may be possible toenhance performance through use of tiresdesigned specifically for winter drivingconditions.
If you choose to install winter tires on yourvehicle, be sure to use the correct tire sizeand type. You must install four winter tiresthat areof the same size, construction,brand and load range and you shouldnever mix radial, belted bias or bias tiressince this may result in dangerous hand-ling characteristics. When you choose atire, make sure that there is enoughclearance between the tire and vehiclebody.
Remember to drive with care at all timesregardless of the type of tires on yourvehicle.
Your vehicle comes with P255/55R18“all season tires”as original equip-ment. You should be aware that some
winter tires with that same size desig-nation may actually be too large for thevehicle and may cause rubbing onsharp turns. Listed in the following isthe winter tire size that we recommend.
Recommended winter (snow) tire size
P255/55R18 stud less
&Tire chains
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be used on yourvehicle because of the lack ofclearance between the tires andvehicle body.
&Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it fromsnow, sand, or mud, depress the accel-erator pedal slightly and move the selectlever back and forth between“D”and“R”repeatedly. Do not race the engine. Forthe best possible traction, avoid spinningthe wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremelyslippery, you can obtain better traction bystartingthe vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st.
For information about holding the trans-mission in the 2nd position, refer to“Selection of manual mode”F7-16 and“Driving tips”F7-17.
Driving tips8-11

8-20Driving tips
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriatefor the ball mount and your trailer. Thehitch ball must be securely installed on theball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch withsafety chains that will hold the trailer’smaximum gross weight. The chainsshould cross under the trailer tongue toprevent the tongue from dropping onto theground in case it should disconnect fromthe hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in thechains taking tight turn situations intoaccount; however, be careful not to letthem drag on the ground.
WARNING
Do not connect safety chains to partof the vehicle other than the safetychain hooks.
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’blackfour-pin wire connector to the towingtrailer’s wire harness.
9. Confirm proper function of the hitchwire harness by individually activating thebrake, right turn signal, left turn signal,stop,and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE
Always disconnectthe trailer wire har-ness before launching or retrieving a
watercraft.
&When you do not tow a trailer
.Remove the ball mount from the hitchreceiver tube and insert the receiver coveronto the hitch receiver tube.
.Place the dust cap over the four-pinconnectorof the hitch wire harness toprotect against possible damage.
.Occasionally lubricate terminals of thefour-pin connector using the terminalgrease.

8-26Driving tips
blind spots occur with the vehicle’s stan-dard side mirrors, use towing mirrors thatconform with Federal, state/province and/or other applicable regulations.
!Trailer lights
CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improperconnection of trailer lights maydamage your vehicle’selectricalsystem and cause a malfunction ofyour vehicle’s lighting system.
Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-cle’s electrical system requires modifica-tions to the vehicle’s lighting circuit toincrease its capacity and accommodatewiring changes. To ensure the trailer lightsare connected properly, please consultyour SUBARU dealer. Check for properoperation of the turn signals, stop lightsand 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 tosustain the towing load. Use of thetemporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tireand/or less stability of the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicleare properly inflated. Refer to“Tires”F12-8.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating andproper inflation pressure should be inaccordance with the trailer manufacturer’sspecifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tirewhen towing a trailer, ask a commercialroad service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in yourvehicle or trailer as a precaution againstgetting a flat tire, be sure that the sparetire is firmly secured.
&Trailer towing tips
CAUTION
.Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)when towing a trailer in hillycountry on hot days.
.When towing a trailer, steering,stability, stopping distance andbraking performance will be dif-ferent from normal operation. Forsafety’s sake, you should employ
extra caution when towing atrailer and you should neverspeed. You should also keep thefollowing tips in mind:
!Before starting out on a trip
.Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-hitch mounting are in good condition. Ifany problems are apparent, do not tow thetrailer.
.Check that the vehicle sits horizontallywith the trailer attached. If the vehicle istippedsharply up at the front and down atthe rear, check the total trailer weight,GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, thenconfirm that the load and its distributionare acceptable.
.Check that the tire pressures arecorrect.
.Checkthat the vehicle and trailer areconnected properly. Confirm that–the trailer tongue is connectedproperly to the hitch ball.–the trailer lights connector is con-nected properly and trailer’s stop lightsilluminate when the vehicle’s brakepedal is pressed, and that the trailer’sturn signal lights flash when thevehicle’s turn signal lever is operated.–the safety chains are connectedproperly.

–all cargo in the trailer is securedsafely in position.–the side mirrors provide a goodrearward field of view without a sig-nificant blind spot..Sufficient time should be taken to learnthe“feel”of the vehicle/trailer combinationbefore starting out on a trip. In an area freeof traffic, practice turning, stopping andbacking up.
!Driving with a trailer
.You should allow for considerably morestopping distance when towing a trailer.Avoid sudden braking because it mayresult in skidding or jackknifing and loss ofcontrol.
.Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns andrapid lane changes.
.Slow down before turning. Make alonger than normal turning radius becausethe trailer wheels will be closer than thevehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Ina tight turn, the trailer could hit yourvehicle.
.Crosswinds will adversely affect thehandling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-ing sway. Crosswinds can be due toweather conditions or the passing of largetrucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmlygrip the steering wheel and slow downimmediately but gradually.
.When passing other vehicles, consid-erable distance is required because of theadded weight and length caused byattaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn2) Right turn
.Backing up with a trailer is difficult andtakes practice. When backing up with atrailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.When turning back, grip the bottom of thesteering wheel with one hand and turn it tothe left for a left turn, and turn it to the rightfor a right turn.
.If the ABS warning light illuminateswhile the vehicle is in motion, stop towingthe trailer and have repairs performedimmediately by the nearest SUBARUdealer.
!Driving on grades
.Before going down a steep hill, slowdown and shift into lower gear (if neces-sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize theengine braking effect and prevent over-heating of your vehicle’s brakes. Do notmake sudden downshifts.
.When driving uphill in hot weather, theair conditioner may turn off automaticallyto protect the engine from overheating.
.When driving uphill in hot weather, payattention to the water temperature gaugepointer and AT OIL TEMP warning lightbecause the engine and transmission arerelatively prone to overheating underthese conditions. If the water temperaturegauge pointer approaches the OVER-HEAT zone or the AT OIL TEMP warninglight illuminates, immediately turn off theair conditioner and stop the vehicle in thenearest safe location. For further instruc-tions and additional information, refer tothe following sections.–“If you park your vehicle in anemergency”F9-2–“Engine overheating”F9-14–“Temperature gauge”F3-8–“AT OIL TEMP warning light”F3-13
NOTE
The temperature of engine coolant isless likely to rise to the OVERHEAT
Driving tips8-27
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of the tire facing up).
3. Turn the hoist shaft end clockwise withthe wheel nut wrench to wind the cable upcompletely until you hear a few clickingsounds.Confirm that the temporary sparetire holding cable has been wound upcompletely by shaking the temporary tire.
CAUTION
If the temporary spare tire is notstored securely, it could damageadjacent areas of the vehicle andmake an abnormal noise.
4. Place the wheel nut wrench andextension back into the tool bag and storethe jackand tool bag in their storagelocations.
5. Fit the lid of the cargo area.
CAUTION
.When stowing a flat tire in thespare tire holder, turn the hoistshaft end only slowly. If it isturned quickly, the wheel disc ofthe flat tire could be damaged.
.Afull-sizeflattireshouldbestowed in the spare tire holderin an emergency only. After hav-ingthe flat tire repaired, immedi-ately swap it with the temporaryspare tire.
.Remember that the tread width ofa flat tire is wider than that of thetemporary spare tire. When car-rying a flat tire stowed in thespare tire holder, make sure thetiredoes not touch any obsta-cles.
Temporary spare tire
WARNING
.Never tow a trailer when thetemporary spare tire is used.The temporary spare tire is notdesigned to sustain the towingload. Use of the temporary sparetire when towing can result infailure of the spare tire and/orless stability of the vehicle andmay lead to an accident.
.When a spare tire is mounted or awheel rim is replaced without theoriginal pressure sensor/trans-mitter being transferred, the lowtire pressure warning light willilluminate steadily after blinkingfor approximately one minute.This indicates the tire pressuremonitoring system (TPMS) is un-able to monitor all four roadwheels. Contact your SUBARUdealer as soon as possible fortire and sensor replacement and/or system resetting.
In case of emergency9-5
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9-6In case of emergency
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tireother than the original. Using othersizes may result in severe mechan-ical damage to the drive train of yourvehicle.
The temporary spare tire is smaller andlighter than a conventional tire and isdesigned for emergency use only. Re-move thetemporary spare tire and re-install the conventional tire as soon aspossible because the spare tire is de-signed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tem-porary spare tire periodically to keep thetire ready for use. The correct pressure is60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm2).
When using the temporary spare tire, notethe following.
.Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
.Do not put a tire chain on the temporaryspare tire.Because of the smaller tire size,a tire chain will not fit properly.
.Do not use two or more temporaryspare tires at the same time.
.Do not drive over obstacles. This tirehas a smaller diameter, so road clearanceis reduced.
1) Tread wear indicator bar2) Indicator location mark
.When the wear indicator appears onthe tread, replace the tire.
.The temporary spare tire must be usedonly on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tiregets punctured, replace the wheel with arear wheel and install the temporary sparetire in place of the removed rear wheel.
Flat tires
If you have a flat tire while driving, neverbrake suddenly; keep driving straightahead while gradually reducing speed.Then slowly pull off the road to a safeplace.
&Changing a flat tire
WARNING
.Do not jack up the vehicle on anincline or a loose road surface.The jack can come out of thejacking point or sink into theground and this can result in asevere accident.
.Use only the jack provided withyour vehicle. The jack suppliedwith the vehicle is designed onlyfor changing a tire. Never getunder the vehicle while support-ing the vehicle with this jack.

9-10In case of emergency
holder.
Refer to“Spare tire”F9-2 for its location,instructions and precautions.
CAUTION
.When stowing a flat tire in thespare tire holder, turn the hoistshaft end only slowly. If it isturned quickly, the wheel disc ofthe flat tire could be damaged.
.Afull-sizeflattireshouldbestowed in the spare tire holderin an emergency only. After hav-ing the flat tire repaired, immedi-ately swap it with the temporaryspare tire.
.Remember that the tread width ofa flat tire is wider than that of thetemporary spare tire. When car-rying a flat tire stowed in thespare tire holder, make sure thetire does not touch any obsta-cles.
WARNING
Never place a tire or tire changingtools in the passenger compartmentafter changing wheels. In a suddenstop or collisions, loose equipment
could strike occupants and causeinjury. Store the tire and all tools inthe proper place.
&Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-vides the driver with the warning messageindicated by sending a signal from asensor that is installed in each wheelwhen tire pressure is severely low.
The tire pressure monitoring system willactivate only when the vehicle is driven.Also, this system may not react immedi-ately to a sudden drop in tire pressure (forexample, a blow-out caused running overa sharp object).
WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning lightilluminates while driving, neverbrake suddenly and keep drivingstraight ahead while gradually redu-cing speed. Then slowly pull off theroad to a safe place. Otherwise anaccident involving serious vehicledamageand serious personal injurycould occur.
Check the pressure for all four tiresand adjust the pressure to the COLDtire pressure shown on the vehicleplacard on the door pillar on thedriver’s side. If this light still illumi-nates while driving after adjustingthe tire pressure, a tire may havesignificant damage and a fast leakthat causes the tire to lose airrapidly. If you have a flat tire, replaceit with a spare tire as soon aspossible.
When a spare tire is mounted or awheel rim is replaced without theoriginal pressure sensor/transmitterbeing transferred, the low tire pres-sure warning light will illuminatesteadily afterblinking for approxi-mately one minute. This indicatesthe TPMS is unable to monitor allfour road wheels. Contact your

SUBARU dealer as soon as possiblefor tire and sensor replacement and/or system resetting.
Do not inject any tire liquid oraerosol tire sealant into the tires,as this may cause a malfunction ofthe tire pressure sensors.
If the light illuminates steadily afterblinking for approximately one min-ute, promptly contact a SUBARUdealer to have the system inspected.
Jump starting
WARNING
.Battery fluid is SULFURIC ACID.Do not let it come in contact withthe eyes, skin, clothing or thevehicle.
If battery fluid gets on you,thoroughly flush the exposedarea with water immediately. Getmedical help if the fluid hasentered your eyes.
If battery fluid is accidentallyswallowed, immediately drink alarge amount of milk or water,and obtain immediate medicalhelp.
Keep everyone including chil-dren away from the battery.
.The gas generated by a batteryexplodes if a flame or spark isbrought near it. Do not smoke orlight a match while jump starting.
.Never attempt jump starting if thedischarged battery is frozen. Itcould cause the battery to burstor explode.
.Whenever working on or arounda battery, always wear suitable
eye protectors, and remove metalobjects such as rings, bands orother metal jewelry.
.Be sure the jumper cables andclamps on them do not haveloose or missing insulation.Do not jump start unless cablesin suitable condition are avail-able.
.A running engine can be danger-ous. Keep your fingers, hands,clothing, hair and tools awayfrom the cooling fan, belts andany other moving engine parts.Removing rings, watches andties is advisable.
.Jump starting is dangerous if it isdone incorrectly. If you are un-sure about the proper procedureforjump starting, consult a com-petent mechanic.
When your vehicle does not start due to arun down (discharged) battery, the vehiclemay be jump started by connecting yourbattery to another battery (called thebooster battery) with jumper cables.
In case of emergency9-11
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