Driving tips for AWD vehicles
WARNING
.Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-
tions.
.Always use the utmost care in
driving–overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive vehicle could easily
lead to a serious accident.
.When replacing or installing tire
(s), all four tires must be the
same for the following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear
For items (a) to (d), you mustobey the specification that is
printed on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the
driver’s door pillar.
If all four tires are not the same in
items (a) to (h), it may lead to
serious mechanical damage to
the drive train of your car and
affect the following factors.
—Ride
—Handling
—Braking
—Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
—Clearance between the body
and the tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
CAUTION
If you use a temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored
in the vehicle. Using other sizes may
result in severe mechanical damage
to the drive train of your vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive distributes the engine
power to all four wheels. AWD vehicles
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during accelera-
tion, and added engine braking force
during deceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging
the AWD system, you should keep the
following tips in mind:
.An AWD vehicle is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery
Driving tips/Driving tips for AWD vehicles
–CONTINUED–8-5
Driving tips/Trailer towing (Outback)
ground.
!Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle,
check that the standard side mirrors
provide a good rearward field of view
without significant blind spots. If significant
blind spots occur with the vehicle’s stan-
dard side mirrors, use towing mirrors that
conform with Federal, state/province and/
or other applicable regulations.
!Trailer lights
CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improper
connection of trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction of
your vehicle’s lighting system.Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-
cle’s electrical system requires modifica-
tions to the vehicle’s lighting circuit to
increase its capacity and accommodate
wiring changes. To ensure the trailer lights
are connected properly, please consult
your SUBARU dealer. Check for proper
operation of the turn signals and the stop
lights each time you connect a trailer to
your vehicle.
!Tires
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the tem-
porary spare tire is used. The tem-
porary spare tire is not designed to
sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tire
and/or less stability of the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle
are properly inflated. Refer to“Tires”F12-
9 and in“GAS STATION REFERENCE”at
the end of this manual.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and
proper inflation pressure should be in
accordance with the trailer manufacturer’s
specifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tirewhen towing a trailer, ask a commercial
road service representive or professional
to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your
vehicle or trailer as a precaution against
getting a flat tire, be sure that the spare
tire is firmly secured.
&Trailer towing tips
CAUTION
.For models equipped with the
BSD (Blind Spot Detection) and
RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic Alert)
driving support systems, when
towing a trailer, press the BSD/
RCTA OFF switch to deactivate
the system. The system may not
operate properly due to the
blocked radar waves. For details
about the BSD/RCTA OFF switch,
refer to“BSD/RCTA OFF switch”
F7-59.
.Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)
when towing a trailer in hilly
country on hot days.
.When towing a trailer, steering,
stability, stopping distance and
braking performance will be dif-
ferent when compared to normal
8-26
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
In case of emergency/If you park your vehicle in an emergency
If you park your vehicle in an
emergency
The hazard warning flasher should be
used in day or night to warn other drivers
when you have to park your vehicle under
emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to
safely pull off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be acti-
vated regardless of the ignition switch
position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pressing
the hazard warning flasher switch. Turn it
off by pressing the switch again.
NOTE
When the hazard warning flasher is on,
the turn signals do not work.Temporary spare tire
WARNING
.Never tow a trailer when the
temporary spare tire is used.
The temporary spare tire is not
designed to sustain the towing
load. Use of the temporary spare
tire when towing can result in
failure of the spare tire and/or
less stability of the vehicle and
may lead to an accident.
.When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/trans-
mitter being transferred, the low
tire pressure warning light will
illuminate steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute.
This indicates the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is un-
able to monitor all four road
wheels. Contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible for
tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting.
9-2
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire
other than the original. Using other
sizes may result in severe mechan-
ical damage to the drive train of your
vehicle.
The temporary spare tire is stored under
the under-floor storage compartment.
The temporary spare tire is smaller and
lighter than a conventional tire and is
designed for emergency use only. Re-
move the temporary spare tire and re-
install the conventional tire as soon as
possible because the spare tire is de-
signed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tem-
porary spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use. The correct pressure is
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm
2).
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following precautions.
.Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
.Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire size,
a tire chain will not fit properly.
.Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time.
.Do not drive over obstacles. This tirehas a smaller diameter, so road clearance
is reduced.
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
.When the wear indicator appears on
the tread, replace the tire.
.The temporary spare tire must be used
only on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tire
gets punctured, replace the wheel with a
rear wheel and install the temporary spare
tire in place of the removed rear wheel.
Maintenance tools
Your vehicle is equipped with the following
maintenance tools.
.Jack
.Jack handle
.Screwdriver
.Towing hook (eye bolt) (Outback)
.Wheel nut wrench
.Torque wrench (Outback)
CAUTION
The torque wrench is designed to be
used only when changing the posi-
tion of the crossbar. Do not use the
torque wrench in other cases. Other-
wise, the torque wrench may be
deformed.
In case of emergency/Maintenance tools
–CONTINUED–9-3
In case of emergency/Flat tires
.Always turn off the engine before
raising the flat tire off the ground
using the jack. Never swing or
push the vehicle supported with
the jack. The jack can come out
of the jacking point due to a jolt
and this can result in a serious
accident.
1. Park on a hard, level surface, when-
ever possible, then stop the engine.
2. Apply the parking brake and shift the
shift lever in reverse (MT models) or the
select lever in the“P”(Park) position (CVT
models).
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher
and have everyone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire.5. Take out the jack, jack handle and
wheel nut wrench.
The tools and the spare tire are stored
under the floor of the trunk (Legacy) or the
cargo area (Outback). Refer to“Mainte-
nance tools”F9-3.
NOTE
Make sure that the jack is well lubri-
cated before using it.
6. Take out the under-floor storage com-
partment and turn the attaching bolt
counterclockwise, then take the spare tire
out.
NOTE
Carefully read“Temporary spare tire”
F9-2 and strictly follow the instruc-
tions.
1) Notch
2) Valve hole
7. If your vehicle has wheel covers, insert
a flat-head screwdriver into the notch on
the opposite side of the valve hole and pry
the wheel cover to remove it.
9-6
8. Loosen the wheel nuts using the wheel
nut wrench but do not remove the nuts.
9. Place the jack under the side sill at the
front or rear jack-up point closest to the flat
tire.
Turn the jackscrew by hand until the jackhead engages firmly into the jack-up point.
10. Insert the jack handle into the hole of
the wheel nut wrench.
11. Insert the jack handle into the jack-
screw, and turn the handle until the tire
clears the ground. Do not raise the vehiclehigher than necessary.
12. Remove the wheel nuts and the flat
tire.13. Before putting the spare tire on, clean
the mounting surface of the wheel and hub
with a cloth.
In case of emergency/Flat tires
–CONTINUED–9-7
In case of emergency/Flat tires
14. Put on the spare tire. Replace the
wheel nuts. Tighten them by hand.
WARNING
Do not use oil or grease on the
wheel studs or nuts when the spare
tire is installed. This could cause the
nuts to become loose and lead to an
accident.
15. Turn the jack handle counterclockwise
to lower the vehicle.
16. Use the wheel nut wrench to securely
tighten the wheel nuts to the specified
torque, following the tightening order in the
illustration.
For the wheel nut tightening torque, refer
to“Tires”F12-9. Never use your foot onthe wheel nut wrench or a pipe extension
on the wrench because you may exceed
the specified torque. Have the wheel nut
torque checked at the nearest automotive
service facility.
17. Store the flat tire. For details, refer to
“Storing a flat tire”F9-8. Also store the
jack and jack handle in their storage
locations.
WARNING
Never place a tire or tire changing
tools in the passenger compartment
after changing wheels. In a sudden
stop or collision, loose equipment
could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in
the proper place.
&Storing a flat tire
!Storing in the spare tire compart-
ment (Legacy)
Store the flat tire in the spare tire
compartment. Put the spacer and tighten
the attaching bolt firmly.
9-8