Power steering
Power steering warning light
The vehicle is equipped with an electric
power steering system. When the ignition
switch is turned to the“ON”position, the
power steering warning light on the
combination meter illuminates to inform
the driver that the warning system is
functioning properly. Then, if the engine
started, the warning light turns off to inform
the driver that the steering power assist is
operational.
CAUTION
While the power steering warning
light is illuminated, there may be
more resistance when the steeringwheel is operated. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and
have the vehicle inspected immedi-
ately.
NOTE
If the steering wheel is operated in the
following ways, the power steering
control system may temporarily limit
the power assist in order to prevent the
system components, such as the con-
trol computer and drive motor, from
overheating.
.The steering wheel is operated fre-
quently and turned sharply while the
vehicle is maneuvered at extremely low
speeds, such as while frequently turn-
ing the steering wheel during parallel
parking.
.The steering wheel remains in the
fully turned position for a long period
of time.
At this time, there will be more resis-
tance when steering. However this is
not a malfunction. Normal steering
force will be restored after the steering
wheel is not operated for a while and
the power steering control system has
an opportunity to cool down. However,
if the power steering is operated in a
non-standard way which causes powerassist limitation to occur too fre-
quently, this may result in a malfunc-
tion of the power steering control
system.
Starting and operating/Power steering7-31
Starting and operating/Braking
Braking
&Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. This can cause
dangerous overheating of the
brakes and needless wear on the
brake pads and linings.
!When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the
vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a
result, brake stopping distance will be
longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle
at a safe speed while lightly depressing
the brake pedal to heat up the brakes.
!Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking
in addition to foot braking. When descend-
ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,
the brakes may start working improperly
because of brake fluid overheating,
caused by overheated brake pads. To
help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to
get stronger engine braking.
!Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly
when a tire is punctured. This could causea loss of control of the vehicle. Keep
driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe place.&Brake system
!Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has a dual circuit brake
system. Each circuit works diagonally
across the vehicle. If one circuit of the
brake system should fail, the other half of
the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer
to the floor than usual and you will need to
press it down much harder. And a much
longer distance will be needed to stop the
vehicle.
!Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold
vacuum to assist braking force. Do not
turn off the engine while driving because
that will turn off the brake booster, result-
ing in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even
when the brake booster completely stops
functioning. If this happens, however, you
will have to depress the pedal much
harder than normal and the braking dis-
tance will increase.!Brake assist system
WARNING
Do not be overconfident about the
brake assist. It is not a system that
brings more braking ability to the
vehicle beyond its braking capabil-
ity. Always use the utmost care
when driving regarding vehicle
speed and safe distance.
CAUTION
When you need to brake suddenly,
continue depressing the brake pedal
strongly to bring the effect of the
brake assist.
Brake assist is a driver assistance system.
It assists the brake power when the driver
cannot depress the brake pedal strongly
and the brake power is insufficient.
Brake assist generates the brake power
according to the speed at which the driver
depresses the brake pedal.
NOTE
When you depress the brake pedal
strongly or suddenly, the following
phenomena occur. However, even
though these occur, they do not indi-
7-32
Driving tips/Trailer towing (Outback)
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
.Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
.If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed
immediately by your nearest SUBARU
dealer.
!Driving on grades
.Before going down a steep hill, slow
down 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 not
make sudden downshifts.
.When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating.
.When driving uphill in hot weather,
because the engine and transmission are
relatively prone to overheating, pay atten-
tion to the following items.
–Temperature gauge
–AT OIL TEMP warning light (CVT
models)
.If any of the following conditions occur,
immediately turn off the air conditioner and
stop the vehicle in the nearest safe
location. Refer to“If you park your vehicle
in an emergency”F9-2 and“Engine
overheating”F9-13.
–Temperature gauge needle ap-
proaches the OVERHEAT zone. Refer
to“Temperature gauge”F3-11.
–AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates (CVT models). Refer to“AT OIL
TEMP warning light (CVT models)”
F3-16.
.For CVT models, do not use the
accelerator pedal to stay stationary on
an uphill slope instead of using the
parking brake or foot brake. That may
cause the transmission fluid to overheat.!Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both
vehicle and trailer when parking. Apply
the parking brake. You should not park on
a hill or slope. If parking on a hill or slope
cannot be avoided, you should take the
following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal
down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then
apply the parking brake; slowly release
the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (MT
models) or“P”(CVT models) and shut
off the engine.
8-28
If you park your vehicle in an emergency......... 9-2
Temporary spare tire........................................... 9-2
Maintenance tools............................................... 9-3
Legacy................................................................ 9-4
Outback.............................................................. 9-5
Flat tires............................................................... 9-5Changing a flat tire.............................................. 9-5
Storing a flat tire................................................. 9-8
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (if
equipped)......................................................... 9-10
Jump starting..................................................... 9-11How to jump start............................................... 9-11
Engine overheating............................................ 9-13
If steam is coming from the engine
compartment.................................................... 9-13
If no steam is coming from the engine
compartment.................................................... 9-13
Towing................................................................. 9-13Towing hooks and tie-down hooks/holes ............. 9-14
Using a flat-bed truck......................................... 9-16Towing with all wheels on the ground................. 9-17
Electronic parking brake–if the electronic
parking brake cannot be released................. 9-17
Access key–if access key does not
operate properly............................................. 9-18
Locking and unlocking....................................... 9-18
Switching power................................................ 9-18
Starting engine.................................................. 9-19
Trunk lid (Legacy)–if the trunk lid cannot
be opened....................................................... 9-19
Rear gate (Outback)–if the rear gate
cannot be opened........................................... 9-20
Power rear gate - if power rear gate does
not operate properly....................................... 9-21
When the power rear gate is deactivated............ 9-21
When the rear gate cannot be opened................ 9-22
When the rear gate cannot be closed................. 9-22
If your vehicle is involved in an accident........ 9-22
In case of emergency
9
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”F11-14.
1. Keep the engine running at idling
speed.2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine
compartment. Refer to“Engine hood”
F11-7.
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 temperature gauge stays in the
overheated zone, turn off the engine.
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.
Towing
WARNING
Never tow AWD vehicles 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, SUBARU recom-
mends it be done by your SUBARU dealer
or a commercial towing service.
In case of emergency/Engine overheating
–CONTINUED–9-13
Winter.................................................................... 8-8
E
ECO gauge............................................................... 3-11
Electrical system........................................................ 12-9
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system.......... 7-34
Warning................................................................ 3-19
Electronic parking brake.............................................. 7-42
Automatic release function by accelerator pedal......... 7-44
Hill Holder............................................................. 7-45
Indicator light......................................................... 3-20
Warning........................................................ 3-20, 7-47
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)............................. 1-17
Engine
Compartment overview........................................... 11-9
Coolant........................................................ 11-14, 12-8
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide)............................. 5, 8-2
Hood.................................................................... 11-7
Low oil level warning indicator................................. 3-16
Oil............................................................... 11-11, 12-4
Overheating.......................................................... 9-13
Starting & stopping........................................... 7-9, 7-12
Event data recorder......................................................... 8
Exterior care.............................................................. 10-2
F
Flat tires..................................................................... 9-5
Floor mat.................................................................. 6-15
Fluid level
Brake.................................................................. 11-19
Clutch.................................................................. 11-21Continuously variable transmission......................... 11-19
Fog light
Bulb.......................................................... 11-42, 12-14
Indicator light......................................................... 3-31
Steering responsive fog lights system....................... 3-49
Switch................................................................... 3-49
Front
Differential gear oil........................................ 11-19, 12-7
Seatbelt pretensioners............................................ 1-24
Side marker light.................................................. 11-42
Turn signal light.................................................... 11-42
Front seats................................................................. 1-2
Forward and backward adjustment............................ 1-4
Head restraint adjustment......................................... 1-8
Memory function...................................................... 1-6
Power seat............................................................. 1-5
Reclining................................................................ 1-4
Seat height adjustment (driver’s seat)........................ 1-4
Fuel........................................................................... 7-3
Consumption indicator............................................. 3-36
Economy hints........................................................ 8-2
Filler lid and cap...................................................... 7-4
Gauge................................................................... 3-10
Requirements................................................. 7-3, 12-3
Fuses
..................................................................... 11-38
Fuses and circuits.................................................... 12-10
G
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) ............................... 8-14
Glove box................................................................... 6-6
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)........................... 8-14
Index14-5
14-8Index
Mirror defogger.......................................................... 3-54
Mirrors...................................................................... 3-56
Moonroof.................................................................. 2-48
N
New vehicle break-in driving.......................................... 8-2
O
Odometer.................................................................... 3-8
Off road driving............................................................ 8-6
Oil filter.................................................................... 11-13
Oil level
Engine................................................................. 11-11
Manual transmission.............................................. 11-18
Warning light......................................................... 3-16
Oil pressure warning light............................................ 3-15
Outside
Mirror defogger...................................................... 3-54
Mirrors.................................................................. 3-62
Temperature indicator............................................. 3-33
Overhead console........................................................ 6-7
Overheating engine.................................................... 9-13
P
Parking..................................................................... 7-42
Brake................................................................... 7-42
Tips...................................................................... 7-47
Periodic inspections..................................................... 8-4
Petrol fuel................................................................... 7-3
PIN Code Access...................................................... 2-21
Pocket........................................................................ 6-7Power
Door locking switch.................................................. 2-9
Outlets.................................................................. 6-10
Outside mirrors...................................................... 3-62
Rear gate...................................................... 2-41, 9-21
Seat....................................................................... 1-5
Steering................................................................ 7-31
Steering warning light.............................................. 3-22
Windows............................................................... 2-33
Precautions against vehicle modification................ 1-27, 1-70
Preparing to drive........................................................ 7-8
Push-button
Ignition switch......................................................... 3-5
Starting and stopping engine.................................... 7-12
R
RCTA........................................................................ 7-54
Rear
Combination lights................................................ 11-43
Differential gear oil........................................ 11-19, 12-7
Gate..................................................................... 2-40
Turn signal light.................................................... 11-43
Rear seat.................................................................. 1-11
Armrest................................................................. 1-15
Folding down......................................................... 1-12
Head restraint adjustment........................................ 1-14
Reclining............................................................... 1-11
Rear view camera...................................................... 6-21
How to adjust the rear view image............................ 5-25
Rear window
Defogger............................................................... 3-54