maintenance SUBARU OUTBACK 2000 3.G Owners Manual

iii
± CONTINUED ±
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service


Chapter 12: Specifications
Chapter 13: Consumer information and Reporting safety defects

Chapter 14: Index

Safety warnings






WARNING
A WARNING indicates a situation in which serious injury or deathcould result if the warning is ignored.
CAUTION
A CAUTION indicates a situation in which injury or damage toyour vehicle, or both, could result if the caution is ignored.
NOTE A NOTE gives information or suggestions how to make better use of your vehicle.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Keys and doors
Instruments and controls
Climate control
2
3
4
Audio
Interior equipment
Starting and operating
In case of emergency
5 67 9
Appearance care
Maintenance and service
Specifications
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects13
Index14
10
11
12
1
Driving tips8
xi
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CONTINUED –
Table of contents

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags Front seats1-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat heater (if equipped) 1-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seats 1-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Armrest (if equipped) 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Folding down the rear seat — Station wagon 1-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelts 1-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt safety tips 1-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) function 1-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) function 1-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 1-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fastening the seatbelt 1-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting the front seat shoulder belt anchor height 1-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unfastening the seatbelt 1-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front seatbelt pretensioners 1-26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt maintenance 1-30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint systems 1-31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Top strap anchors 1-35
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Built-in child restraint (if equipped) 1-38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 1-48 . . . . . . . .
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS airbags and
lap/shoulder restraints 1-48
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS frontal airbag 1-53
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbag (if equipped) 1-60
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 1-67
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system servicing 1-68
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 1-69 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-30
Attachment of any equipment (bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than SUBARU genuine accessory parts to the front end. Modification of the suspension system or front end structure.
Installation of a tire of different size and construction from the
original tires listed on the tire placard attached to the door jamb.
Always c onsult your SUBARU d ealer if you want to in stall any ac c es-
sory p arts to your vehic le.
Seatbelt maintenance
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will pre-
vent the seatbelt from operating properly.
To c lean the seatb elts, use a mild soap and lukewar m water. Never
b leac h or d ye the b elts b ec ause this c ould seriousl y affec t their streng th.
Insp ec t the seatb elts and attac hments inc lud ing the web b ing and all
hard ware p eriod ic ally for c rac ks, c uts, g ashes, tea rs, d amag e, loose
b olts or worn areas. Rep lac e the seatb elts even if only minor d amag e is
found .

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-47
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CONTINUED –

Storing the built-in child restraint
Always p rop erly store the b uilt-in c hild restraint b efore using the reg u-
lar lap -should er b elt for the rear-c enter seating p osition.
HBS060BA
HBS066BA
1. Fasten the c hest c lip .
2. Stow the b elt b uc kle into the rec ess of the c hild restraint c ushion.
3. Fold the c hild restraint c ushion up into the seat b ac k.
Replacing restraint system parts after a collision
WARNING
Replace the built-in child restraint equipped vehicle seatback as-
sembly if the child restraint was in use during a serious collision.
The built-in restraint may be severely weakened. In a subsequent
accident, it might not be able to provide adequate protection. Theentire assembly should be replaced even if damage is not ob-vious.
Maintenance CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid as they may weaken the belts. Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will pre-
vent the built-in child restraint from operating properly.

3-8
This meter d isp lays the od ometer and trip meter whe
n the ig nition switc h
is in the “ON ” p osition.
To c hang e the mod e ind ic ation, b riefly p ush the kno b .
The od ometer shows the total d istanc e that the vehi c le has b een d riven.
The trip meter shows the d istanc e that the vehic le has b een d riven sinc e
you last set it to zero.
To set the trip meter to zero, selec t the ind ic atio n of the trip meter b y
p ushing the knob and keep the knob p ushed for more than 2 sec ond s.
NOTE If the connection between the combination meter and battery is bro-
ken for any reason such as vehicle maintenance or fuse replace-ment, the data recorded on the trip meter will be lost. Tachometer (if equipped)
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the pointer of the tachometer in
the red zone. In this range, fuel injection will be cut by the enginecontrol module to protect the engine from overrevving. Theengine will resume running normally after the engine speed isreduced below the red zone.
The tac hometer shows the eng ine sp eed in thousand s of revolutions p er
minute. Fuel gauge
The fuel g aug e shows the ap p roximate amount of fuel remaining in the
tank.
The g aug e d oes not return to “E ” even thoug h the ig nition switc h is in the
“ ACC ” or “LOCK ” p osition.
The g aug e may move slig htly d uring b raking , turning or ac c eleration d ue
to fuel level movement in the tank.

5-10Press the
“SCAN ” b utton ag ain to c anc el the SCAN mod e and to stop
on any d isp layed freq uenc y.
When the “SCAN ” b utton is p ressed for automatic tuning , stations a re
sc anned in the d irec tion of low freq uenc ies to hig h freq uenc ies only.
Automatic tuning may not func tion p rop erly if the s tation rec ep tion is
weakened b y d istanc e from the station or p roximity to tall b uild ing s
and hills. Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a “p reset b utton ”
5 allows you to selec t that
station in a sing le op eration. Up to six WB (if eq u ip p ed ), AM, FM1 and
FM2 stations eac h may b e p reset. How to preset stations
1. Press the “BAND ” b utton 3 to selec t FM1, FM2, AM or WB (if
eq uip p ed ) rec ep tion.
2. Press the “SCAN ” b utton or tune the rad io manually until the
d esired station freq uenc y is d isp layed .
3. Press one of the p reset b uttons for more than 2 s ec ond s to store
the freq uenc y. At this time, there will momentarily b e no sound from
the rad io. If the b utton is p ressed for less than 2 sec ond s, the p rec ed -
ing selec tion will remain in memory.
NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or radio removal, all stationsstored in the preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is neces-sary to reset the preset buttons.

Audio5-23
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CONTINUED –
Automatic tuning may not func tion p rop erly if the s
tation rec ep tion is
weakened b y d istanc e from the station or p roximity to tall b uild ing s and
hills. Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a p reset b utton 5 allows you to selec t that
station in a sing le op eration. Up to six AM, FM1, F M2 and WB stations
eac h may b e p reset. How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM ” selec tion b utton to selec t AM, FM1 or FM2 re-
c ep tion.
OR
Press the “WB ” b utton
3 to selec t the weather b and .
2. Press the “SCAN ” b utton 2 or tune the rad io manually until the d e-
sired station freq uenc y is d isp layed .
3. Press one of the p reset b uttons 5 for at least 1.5 seconds to store
the freq uenc y. The freq uenc y of the station will fl ash onc e on the d is-
p lay at this time. If the b utton is p ressed for les s than 1.5 sec ond s, the
p rec ed ing selec tion will remain in memory. NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or radio removal, all stationsstored in the preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is neces-sary to reset the preset buttons.

5-36
Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a p reset b utton 4 allows you to selec t that
station in a sing le op eration. Up to six AM, FM1 an d FM2 stations
eac h may b e p reset. How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM ” selec tion b utton
3 to selec t FM1, FM2 or AM
rec ep tion.
2. Press the “SCAN ” b utton 2 or tune the rad io manually until the d e-
sired station freq uenc y is d isp layed .
3. Press one of the p reset b uttons 4 for at least two seconds to
store the freq uenc y. The freq uenc y of the station w ill flash onc e on the
d isp lay at this time. If the b utton is p ressed for less than two sec ond s,
the p rec ed ing selec tion will remain in memory.
NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or radio removal, all stationsstored in the preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is neces-sary to reset the preset buttons.

8-26Trailer towing
Your c ar is d esig ned and intend ed to b e used p rimar
ily as a p asseng er-
c arrying vehic le. Towing a trailer p uts ad d itional load s on your c ar’s en-
g ine, d rivetrain, b rakes, tires and susp ension and has an ad verse effec t
on fuel ec onomy.
If you d o d ec id e to tow a trailer, your safety and satisfac tion d ep end
up on p rop er use of c orrec t eq uip ment and c autious o p eration of your ve-
hic le. Seek the ad vic e of your SUBARU d ealer to ass ist you in p urc has-
ing a hitc h and other nec essary towing eq uip ment ap p rop riate for your
vehic le. In ad d ition, b e sure to follow the instruc tions on c orrec t installa-
tion and use p rovid ed b y the trailer and other towi ng eq uip ment
manufac turers.
SUBARU assumes no resp onsib ility for injuries or ve hic le d amag e that
result from trailer towing eq uip ment, or from any e rrors or omissions in
the instruc tions ac c omp anying suc h eq uip ment or for your failure to fol-
low the p rop er instruc tions.
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties d o not ap p ly to vehic le d amag e or malfunc tion
c aused b y trailer towing . If you use your vehic le t o tow a trailer, more
freq uent maintenanc e will b e req uired d ue to the ad d itional load .
(Refer to “Maintenanc e sc hed ule und er severe d riving c ond ition s” in
the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.)
Und er no c irc umstanc es should a trailer b e towed wi th a new vehic le
or a vehic le with any new p owertrain c omp onent (eng ine, transmis-
sion, d ifferential, wheel b earing s, etc .) for the f irst 1,000 miles (1,600
km) of d riving . Maximum load limits
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum load limits explained below. Exceed- ing the maximum load limits could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage.