2014 SUBARU TRIBECA Owners Manual

7-18Starting and operating
&SPORT mode
SPORT mode is used when power isneeded for rapid acceleration or for uphilldriving. To select this mode, move theselect lever from the“D”position to themanual gate.
When selected, the SPORT mode indica-tor light on the combination meter willilluminate.
To d e s e l e c t S P O R T m o d e , m o v e t h eselect lever to the“D”position or selectmanual mode. To subsequently reselectSPORT mode, move the select lever tothe“D”position and from there to themanual gate.
In this mode, the transmission shifts up athigher vehicle speeds and shifts downmore responsivelythan in normal mode.
Power steering
CAUTION
Do not hold the steering wheel at thefully locked position left or right formore than 5 seconds. This maydamage thepower steering pump.
The power steering system operates onlywhen the engine is running.
If you lose power steering assist becausethe engine stops or the system fails tofunction, you can steer but it will takemuch more effort.
NOTE
Right after the engine has been startedand before it has warmed up, you mayhear a noise coming from areas adja-centto the power steering pump whichis located at the right-front area of theengine compartment. This noise isnormal. It does not indicate powersteering system trouble.

Braking
&Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brakepedal whiledriving. This can causedangerous overheating of thebrakes and needless wear on thebrake pads and linings.
!When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing thevehicle, the brakes may get wet. As aresult, brake stopping distance will belonger. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicleat a safe speed while lightly depressingthe brake pedal to heat up the brakes.
!Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine brakingin addition to foot braking. When descend-ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,the brakes may start working improperlybecause of brake fluid overheating,caused by overheated brake pads. Tohelp prevent this, shift into a lower gear toget stronger engine braking.
!Brakingwhen a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenlywhen a tire is punctured. This could cause
a loss of control of the vehicle. Keepdriving straight ahead while graduallyreducing speed. Then slowly pull off theroad to a safe place.
&Brake system
!Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has a dual circuit brakesystem. Each circuit works diagonallyacross the vehicle. If one circuit of thebrake system should fail, the other half ofthe system still works. If one circuit fails,the brake pedalwill go down much closerto the floor than usual and you will need todepress it down much harder. And a muchlonger distance will be needed to stop thevehicle.
!Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifoldvacuum to assist braking force. If enginemanifold vacuum becomes insufficient,such as when driving at high altitude, avacuum pump assures a sufficient va-cuum to operate the brake booster. Do notturn off the engine while driving becausethat will turn off the brake booster, result-ing in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work evenwhen the brake booster completely stopsfunctioning. If this happens, however, youwill have to depress the pedal much
harder than normal and the braking dis-tance will increase.
NOTE
Some sound accompanying operationof the vacuum pump may be heardfrom the engine compartment duringdriving. This does not indicate a mal-function.
!Brake assist system
WARNING
Do not be overconfident about thebrake assist. It is not a system thatbrings more braking ability to thevehicle beyond its braking capabil-ity. Always use the utmost carewhen driving regarding vehiclespeed and safe distance.
CAUTION
When you need to brake suddenly,continue depressing the brake pedalstrongly to bring the effect of thebrake assist.
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7-20Starting and operating
NOTE
When you depress the brake pedalsuddenly, the brake pedal might wig-gle. This is a normal operation phe-nomenon, and it is not a malfunction.
Brake assist is a driver assistance system.It assists the brake power when the drivercannot depress the brake pedal stronglyand the brake power is insufficient.
Brake assist generates the brake poweraccording to the speed at which the driverdepresses the brake pedal.
&Disc brake pad wear warning
indicators
The disc brake pad wear warning indica-tors on the disc brakes give a warningnoise when the brake pads are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heardfrom the disc brakes while braking, im-mediately have your vehicle inspected bythe nearest SUBARU dealer.
ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem)
WARNING
Always use the utmost care indriving–overconfidence becauseyou are driving with an ABSequipped vehicle could easily leadto a serious accident.
CAUTION
.The ABSsystem does not alwaysdecrease stopping distance. Youshould always maintain a safefollowing distance from othervehicles.
.When driving on badly surfacedroads, gravel roads, icy roads, orover deep newly fallen snow,stopping distances may be long-er for a vehicle with the ABSsystem than one without. Whendriving under these conditions,therefore, reduce your speed andleave ample distance from othervehicles.
.When you feel the ABS systemoperating, you should maintain

constant brake pedal pressure.Do not pump the brake pedalsince doing so may defeat theoperation of the ABS system.
The ABS system prevents the lock-up ofwheels which may occur during suddenbraking or braking on slippery road sur-faces. This helps prevent the loss ofsteering control and directional stabilitycaused by wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, youmay hear a chattering noise or feel a slightvibration in the brake pedal. This is normalwhen the ABS operates.
The ABS system will not operate when thevehicle speed is below approximately 6mph (10 km/h).
&ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brakepedal and hear the operating sound ofABS from the engine compartment justafter the vehicle is started. This is causedby an automatic functional test of the ABSsystem being carried out and does notindicate any abnormal condition.
&ABS warning light
The ABS warning light illuminates whenthe ignition switch is turned to the“ON”position and turns off after approximately 2seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS systemis working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves asfollows, the ABS system may notbe working properly.
Whenthe warning light illuminates,the ABS function shuts down; how-ever, the conventional brake systemcontinues to operate normally.
.The warning light does not illu-minatewhen the ignition switch
is turned to the“ON”position.
.The warning light illuminateswhen the ignition switch isturned to the“ON”position, butit does not turn off even when thevehicle speed exceeds approxi-mately 8 mph (12 km/h).
.The warning light illuminates dur-ing driving.
If these occur, have the ABS systemrepaired at the first available oppor-tunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is asdescribed in the following, the ABSsystem may be considered normal.
.The warning light illuminates rightafterthe engine is started but turns offimmediately, remaining off..The warning light remains illumi-nated after the engine has been started,but it turns off when the vehicle speedreaches approximately 8 mph (12km/h)..The warning light illuminates duringdriving, but it turns off immediately andremains off.
When driving with an insufficient batteryvoltage suchas when the engine is jump
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7-22Starting and operating
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-nate. This is due to the low battery voltageand does not indicate a malfunction.When the battery becomes fully charged,the light will turn off.
Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) system
The EBD system maximizes the effective-ness of the brakes by allowing the rearbrakes to supply a greater proportion ofthe braking force. It functions by adjustingthe distribution of braking force to the rearwheels in accordance with the vehicle’sloading condition and speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of theABS system anduses some of the ABSsystem’s components to perform its func-tion of optimizing the distribution of brak-ing force. If any of the ABS componentsused by the EBD system malfunction, theEBD system also stops working.
Whenthe EBD system is operating, youmay hear a chattering noise or feel a slightvibration in the brake pedal. This is normaland does not indicate a malfunction.
&Steps to take if EBD system
malfunctions
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system,the system stops working and the brakesystem warning light and ABS warninglightilluminate simultaneously.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning ifthebrake system warning light and ABSwarning light illuminate simultaneouslyduring driving.
Even if the EBD system malfunctions, theconventional braking system will still func-tion. However, the rear wheels will bemore prone to locking when the brakesare applied harder than usual and thevehicle’s motion may therefore becomesomewhat harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS

warning light illuminate simultaneously,take the following steps.
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,flat location.
2. Shut down the engine, apply theparking brake, and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If bothwarning lights turn off, the EBD systemmay be malfunctioning.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARUdealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate againand remain illuminated after the enginehas been restarted, shut down the engineagain, apply the parking brake, and checkthe brake fluid level. Refer to“Brake fluid”F11-17.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the“MIN”mark, the EBD system may bemalfunctioning. Drive carefully to thenearest SUBARU dealer and have thesystem inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the“MIN”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.Instead, have the vehicle towed to thenearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
WARNING
.Driving with the brake systemwarning light illuminated is dan-
gerous. This indicates your brakesystem may not be workingproperly. If the light remainsilluminated, have the brakes in-spected by a SUBARU dealerimmediately.
.If at all in doubt about whetherthe brakes are operating prop-erly, do not drive the vehicle.Have your vehicle towed to thenearest SUBARU dealer for re-pair.
Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
WARNING
Always use the utmost care indriving–overconfidence becauseyou are driving with a Vehicle Dy-namics Control system equippedvehicle could easily lead to a ser-ious accident.
CAUTION
.Even if your vehicle is equippedwith Vehicle Dynamics Controlsystem, winter tires should beused when driving on snow-cov-ered or icy roads; in addition,vehicle speed should be reducedconsiderably. Simply having aVehicle Dynamics Control sys-tem does not guarantee that thevehicle will be able to avoidaccidents in any situation.
.Activation of the Vehicle Dy-namics Control system is anindication that the road beingtravelled on has a slippery sur-face; since having Vehicle Dy-namics Control is no guarantee
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7-24Starting and operating
that full vehicle control will bemaintained at all times and underall conditions, its activationshould be seen as a sign thatthe speed of the vehicle shouldbe reduced considerably.
.Whenever suspension compo-nents, steering components, oran axle are removed from avehicle equipped with VehicleDynamics Control system, havean inspection of that systemperformed by an authorizedSUBARU dealer.
.The following precautions shouldbe observed in order to ensurethat the Vehicle Dynamics Con-trol system is operating properly.
–All four wheels should befitted with tires of the samesize, type, and brand. Further-more, the amount of wearshould be the same for allfour tires.
–Keep the tire pressure at theproper level as shown on thevehicle placard attached tothe driver’s side door pillar.
In the event of wheelspin and/or skiddingon a slippery road surface and/or during
cornering and/or an evasive maneuver,the Vehicle Dynamics Control systemadjusts the engine’soutputandthewheels’respective braking forces to helpmaintain traction and directional control.
.Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed toprevent spinning of the driving wheels onslippery road surfaces, thereby helping tomaintain traction and directional control.Activation of this function is shown bysteady illumination of the Vehicle Dy-namics Control operation indicator light.
.Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designedto help maintain directional stability bysuppressing the wheels’tendency to slidesideways during steering operations. Acti-vation of this function is shown by flashingof the Vehicle Dynamics Control operationindicator light.
NOTE
.Slight twitching of the brake pedalmay be felt when the Vehicle DynamicsControl system operates; a small de-gree of vehicle or steering wheel shak-ingmay also be noticed in this situa-tion. These are normal characteristicsof Vehicle Dynamics Control operationand are no cause for alarm..When driving off immediately after
starting the engine, a short operationnoise may be noticed coming from theengine compartment. This noise isgenerated as a result of a check beingperformed on the Vehicle DynamicsControl system and is normal..Depending on the timing of activa-tion of the brakes, the brake pedal mayseem to jolt when you drive off afterstarting the engine. This is a conse-quence of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-trol operational check and is normal..In the circumstances shown in thefollowing list, the vehicle may be lessstable than it feels to the driver. TheVehicle Dynamics Control System maytherefore operate. Such operation doesnot indicate a system malfunction.–on gravel-covered or ruttedroads–on unfinished roads–when the vehicle is towing atrailer–when the vehicle is fitted withsnow tires or winter tires.Activation of the Vehicle DynamicsControl system will cause operation ofthe steering wheel to feel slightlydifferent compared to that for normalconditions.
.Even if the vehicle is equipped witha Vehicle Dynamics Control system, it

is important that winter tires be usedwhen driving on snow-covered or icyroads. (All four wheels should be fittedwith tires of the same size and brand).
.It is always important to reducespeed when approaching a corner,even if the vehicle is equipped withVehicle Dynamics Control.
.All four wheels should be fitted withtires of the same size, type, and brand;furthermore, the amount of wearshouldbe the same for all four tires. Ifthese precautions are not observedand non-matching tires are used, it isquite possible that the Vehicle Dy-namics Control system will be unableto operate correctly as intended.
.Always turn off the engine beforereplacing a tire as failure to do so mayrender the Vehicle Dynamics Controlsystem unable to operate correctly.
&Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor
Refer to the following sections.
.“Ve h i c l e D y n a m i c s C o n t r o l w a r n i n glight (U.S.-spec models and Canada-spec. models)/Vehicle Dynamics Controloperation indicator light (all models)”F3-18
.“Traction Control system OFF indicatorlight (U.S.-spec models and Canada-spec. models)”F3-19
.“Ve h i c l e D y n a m i c s C o n t r o l w a r n i n glight (Latin America-spec. models)/Trac-tion Control OFF indicator light (LatinAmerica-spec. models)”F3-19
&Traction Control system OFF
switch
Tract io n Cont rol sy stem OFF indic atorlight (U.S.-spec. models and Canada-spec.models)
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