2014 SUBARU TRIBECA Owners Manual

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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8-28Driving tips
zone in the“D”position than in themanual mode position.
.Avoid using the accelerator pedal tostay stationary on an uphill slope insteadof using the parking brake or foot brake.That may cause the transmission fluid tooverheat.
!Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under bothvehicle and trailer when parking. Applythe parking brake firmly. You should notpark on a hill or slope. But if parking on ahill or slope cannot be avoided, youshould take the following steps.
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedaldown.
2. Have someone place wheel blocksunder both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,release the regular brakes slowly until theblocks absorb theload.
4. Apply the regular brakes and thenapply the parking brake; slowly releasethe regular brakes.
5. Shift into“P”and shut off the engine.

If you park your vehicle in an emergency......... 9-2
Spare tire............................................................. 9-2Removing the spare tire...................................... 9-3Re-storage of spare tire....................................... 9-4
Temporary spare tire........................................... 9-5
Flat tires............................................................... 9-6Changing a flat tire.............................................. 9-6Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) ............ 9-10
Jump starting..................................................... 9-11How to jump start............................................... 9-12
Engine overheating........................................... 9-14If steam is coming from the enginecompartment................................................... 9-14If no steam is coming from the enginecompartment................................................... 9-14
Towing................................................................ 9-14Towing and tie-down hooks................................ 9-15Using a flat-bed truck......................................... 9-17Towing with all wheels on the ground................. 9-17
Reargate–if the rear gate cannot beunlocked.......................................................... 9-18
Maintenance tools............................................. 9-19Jack and jack handle......................................... 9-19
In case of emergency
9

9-2In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in an
emergency
The hazard warning flasher should beused in day or night to warn other driverswhen you have to park your vehicle underemergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best tosafely pull off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be acti-vated regardless of the ignition switchposition.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushingthe hazard warning flasher switch. Turn itoff by pushing the switch again.
NOTE
When the hazard warning flasher is on,the turn signals do not work.
Spare tire
The spare tire is stored in the spare tireholder located under the cargo area.
The spare tire holder has a hoist mechan-ism that can lower and raise the spare tireeasily.
The sparetire holder is designed to carryonly the following kinds of tires.
.the temporary spare tire that came withyour vehicle
.a full-size flat tire
A full size flat tire should be stowed in thespare tire holder in an emergency only.After having the full-size flat tire repaired,immediately swap it with the temporaryspare tire.
Before using the temporary spare tire,

carefully read“Temporary spare tire”F9-5for instructions and precautions.
&Removing the spare tire
1. Take the wheel nut wrench and exten-sion out of the tool bag. Refer to“Main-tenance tools”F9-19.
2. Remove the subfloor storage lid in thecargo area.
3. Take out the jack.
4. Locate the hex-head hoist shaft endinside the hole.
5. Fit the extension onto the hex-headhoist shaft end.
6. Fit the wheel nut wrench onto theextension.
7. Turn the hoist shaft end counterclock-wise with the wheel nut wrench until the
temporary spare tire is on the ground withenough cable slack to allow you to pull itout from under the vehicle.
CAUTION
.Be sure to remove (not simplykeep it open) the subfloor sto-ragelid before turning the wheelnut wrench, otherwise the lidmay be damaged.
.Do not put your fingers into thecenter hole of the temporaryspare tire while you pulling itout, because they might bepinched in between the wheelandthe retainer.
8. Tilt the retainer at the end of the cable
In case of emergency9-3
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9-4In case of emergency
and pull it through the center of thetemporary spare tire.
9. After the temporary spare tire isremoved from the cable, the cable mustbe wound up completely by turning thehoist nut shaft clockwise until you hear aclicking sound. Also visually inspect thecable to make certain that there is nolonger any slack present.
WARNING
.Do not use the extension whenturning the wheel nuts. If you did,you would not be able to achievesufficient tightening torque. Thewheel nuts could then comeloose, resulting in a seriousaccident.
.When using the spare tire hoist:
After the temporary spare tire isremoved from the cable, wind thecable up completely until theretainer at end of the cable sitsagainst the underside of thevehicle. Driving with the cablenot retracted fully could result indamage to the adjacent underfloor partsand lead to a seriousaccident.
.The spare tire holder is designedto carry only the following kindsof tires.
–the temporaryspare tire thatcame with your vehicle
–a full-size flat tire
A full size flat tire should bestowed in the spare tire holderin an emergency only. After hav-ing the full-sizeflat tire repaired,immediately swap it with thetemporary spare tire.
Never stow a full-size tire that isnot flat in the spare tire holder.Doing so can result in damage toadjacent under floor parts andcan lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
When using the spare tire hoist:
Do not use air tools or power toolsto turn the spare tire hoist shaft end.If you do, it could result in severemechanical damage to the spare tirehoist.
&Re-storage of spare tire
1. Turn the spare tire hoist shaft endcounterclockwise with the wheel nutwrench to loosen the cable sufficientlyenough to allow the cable end retainer gothrough center hole of the temporaryspare tire.
2. Insert the retainer through the centerhole of the temporary tire (with the outside

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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