SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G Owners Manual

7-28
VDC system monitor
HB4010FB
nVDC OFF indicator light
The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht turns on initially when the ig nition key
is turned to the ON p osition; it sub seq uently turns off 6 sec ond s after
the eng ine is started . This lig ht turns on to ind ic ate that the VDC and TC S systems are in
non-op eration (read y) mod e. This d oes not c onstitut e failure of the
VDC system. NOTE When the engine is started on cold mornings and in other sim-
ilar circumstances, a certain amount of time may pass before the
VDC OFF indicator light turns off. This occurs because the
engine has not yet warmed up and is completely normal. The
light will turn off when the engine has reached a suitable operat-ing temperature. When an engine problem occurs and the CHECK ENGINE
warning light turns on, the VDC OFF indicator light will also turnon. Depending on the type of gasoline used, it may take sometime
before the light goes out after the engine has been started.
The following two situations c ould ind ic ate malfunc tion of the VDC
system; if either should oc c ur, have an authorized SUBARU d ealer
c arry out an insp ec tion of that system at the first availab le op p ortunity.

Starting and operating7-29
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CONTINUED –

The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht d oes not turn on when t he ig nition key
is turned to the ON p osition. The VDC OFF ind ic ator lig ht fails to turn off after the eng ine is
started , even when several minutes have p assed to a llow the eng ine
to heat up suffic iently. n VDC operation indicator light
The VDC op eration ind ic ator lig ht turns on when the ig nition key is
turned to the ON p osition; it turns off ap p roximate ly two sec ond s later.
It flashes on and off when the VDC is op erating b ut stays c ontinuously
lit when only the TCS is op erating .
The following two situations c ould ind ic ate a malfu nc tion of the VDC
system; if either should oc c ur, have an authorized SUBARU d ealer
c arry out an insp ec tion of that system at the first availab le op p ortunity.
The VDC op eration ind ic ator lig ht d oes not turn on when the ig ni-
tion key is turned to the ON p osition. The VDC op eration ind ic ator lig ht d oes not turn off ap p roximately
two sec ond s after the ig nition key has b een turned to the ON p osition.
n VDC warning light
The VDC warning lig ht turns on when the ig nition ke y is turned to the
ON p osition and off when the eng ine is started . Thi s lig hting p attern
ind ic ates that the VDC system is op erating normally .
The following situations c ould ind ic ate a malfunc ti on of the VDC sys-
tem; if any should oc c ur, have an authorized SUBARU d ealer c arry
out an insp ec tion of the system at the first availa b le op p ortunity.
The VDC warning lig ht d oes not turn on when the ig n ition key is
turned to the ON p osition. The VDC warning lig ht d oes not turn off either when the eng ine is
started or when the vehic le reac hes a sp eed of ap p r oximately 8 mp h
(12 km/h). The VDC warning lig ht turns on while the vehic le is b eing d riven.
When a malfunc tion has oc c urred in the VDC elec tric al system,
only the VDC warning lig ht will turn on. In suc h an event, the ABS will
still b e op erating normally.

7-30
The VDC warning lig ht will also turn on when a p rob lem oc c urs
with the ABS or VDC elec tronic c ontrol systems.
Bec ause the VDC system c ontrols eac h b rake throug h the ABS,
whenever the ABS stop s op erating d ue to a malfunc ti on in that elec tri-
c al system, the VDC will also b ec ome unab le to c ont rol all four
b rakes. Thus VDC system op eration halts and the VDC warning lig ht
turns on. Althoug h b oth the VDC system and the ABS will b e inop er-
ab le in this situation, it will still b e p ossib le t o stop the vehic le using
normal b raking . The VDC system and the ABS d o not a d versely affec t
op eration of the vehic le in any way when they are i nop erab le; how-
ever should suc h a situation oc c ur, d rive with c are and have an autho-
rized SUBARU d ealer c arry out an insp ec tion of thos e systems at the
first availab le op p ortunity. NOTE
When the VDC warning light turns on and off in the following way,
it indicates that the VDC system is operating normally. Although turning on after the engine has been started, the
warning light quickly turns off and stays off. The warning light turns on after the engine is started and does
not turn off until the vehicle reaches a speed of 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light turns on when the vehicle is being driven; it
then turns off and stays off.

Starting and operating7-31
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CONTINUED –
Parking your vehicle
WARNING
Never leave unattended children or pets in the vehicle. They
could accidentally injure themselves or others through inadver- tent operation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days, the tem-perature in a closed vehicle could quickly become high enoughto cause severe or possibly fatal injuries to them. Do not park the vehicle over flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as they may burn easily if they comenear hot engine or exhaust system parts. Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the passenger compartment, occu-pants in the vehicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO) con-tained in the exhaust gas.
CAUTION
Never drive while the parking brake is set because this will cause
unnecessary wear on the brake linings. Before starting to drive,always make sure that the parking brake has been fully released.
To set the p arking b rake, p ress the b rake p ed al fir mly and hold it d own
while fully p ulling up the p arking b rake lever.

7-32
HB4001BA
To release the p arking b rake, p ull the lever up slig htly, p ress the release
b utton, then lower the lever while keep ing the b utt on p ressed .
When the p arking b rake is set while the eng ine is r unning , the p arking
b rake warning lig ht c omes on. After starting the ve hic le, b e sure that the
warning lig ht has g one out b efore the vehic le is d r iven. Refer to the
“ Warning and ind ic ator lig hts ” sec tion (c hap ter 3).
When p arking your vehic le, always set the p arking b rake firmly and p ut
the shift lever in the “1 ” (1st) for an up g rad e or “R ” (Reverse) for a d own-
g rad e for manual transmission vehic les, or in the “P ” (Park) p osition for
automatic transmission vehic les. Always set the p ar king b rake firmly
when p arking your vehic le. Never rely on the transm ission alone to hold
the vehic le.
HB4015AA
HB4014AA

Starting and operating7-33
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CONTINUED –
When p arking on a hill, always turn the steering wh
eel. When the vehic le
is head ed up the hill, the front wheels should b e t urned away from the
c urb . When fac ing d ownhill, the front wheels should b e turned into the
c urb .
Cruise control (if equipped)
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under any of the following condi- tions. This may cause loss of vehicle control: driving up or down a steep grade
driving on slippery or winding roads
driving in heavy traffic
Cruise c ontrol enab les you to maintain a c onstant v ehic le sp eed without
hold ing your foot on the ac c elerator p ed al and it i s op erative when the
vehic le sp eed is 25 mp h (40 km/h) or more. Make sur e the main switc h is
turned “OFF ” when the c ruise c ontrol is not in use to avoid uni ntentionally
b y setting the c ruise c ontrol.
To set cruise control
HG0312
HB3002BB
Cruise control lever
1. Push the “CRUISE ” main switc h.
2. Dep ress the ac c elerator p ed al until the vehic le r eac hes to the d e-
sired sp eed .

7-343. Push the c ontrol lever d ownward in the
“SET, COAST ” d irec tion
and release it. Then release the ac c elerator p ed al.
The vehic le will maintain the d esired sp eed .
Vehic le sp eed c an b e temp orarily inc reased while d r iving with the
c ruise c ontrol ac tivated . Simp ly d ep ress the ac c ele rator p ed al to ac -
c elerate the vehic le. When the ac c elerator p ed al is released , the ve-
hic le will return to and maintain the p revious c rui sing sp eed .
To temporarily cancel the cruise control
There are four ways to c anc el the c ruise c ontrol te mp orarily:
Dep ress the b rake p ed al.
Pull the c ontrol lever in the “CANCEL ” d irec tion. (if so eq uip p ed )
Dep ress the c lutc h p ed al (manual transmission vehic les only).
Shift the selec tor lever into the “N ” p osition (automatic transmis-
sion vehic les only).
To resume the c ruise c ontrol after it has b een temp orarily c anc eled
and with vehic le sp eed of ab out 20 mp h (32 km/h) or more, p ush the
c ontrol lever up ward in the “ACCEL, RESUME ” d irec tion to return to
the orig inal c ruising sp eed automatic ally. To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the c ruise c ontrol:
Push the main switc h ag ain.
Turn the ig nition switc h to the “ACC ” p osition (b ut only when the
vehic le is c omp letely stop p ed ).
To change the cruising speed
n To increase the speed
1. Push the c ontrol lever up ward in the “ACCEL, RESUME ” d irec tion
and hold it until the vehic le reac hes the d esired s p eed .
When the d ifferenc e b etween the ac tual vehic le sp ee d and the set
sp eed is less than 4 mp h (6.8 km/h), the set sp eed c an b e inc reased
1 mp h (1.6 km/h) eac h time b y p ressing the c ontrol lever up ward in
the “ACCEL, RESUME ” d irec tion q uic kly within a half sec ond .
2. Push the c ontrol lever d ownward in the “SET, COAST ” d irec tion

Starting and operating7-35
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CONTINUED –
onc e. Now the d esired sp eed is set and the vehic le
will keep running
at that sp eed without d ep ressing the ac c elerator p e d al.
n To decrease the speed
1. Push the c ontrol lever d ownward in the “SET, COAST ” d irec tion
and hold it until the vehic le reac hes the d esired s p eed .
When the d ifferenc e b etween the ac tual vehic le sp ee d and the set
sp eed is less than 4 mp h (6.8 km/h), the set sp eed c an b e lowered 1
mp h (1.6 km/h) eac h time b y p ressing the c ontrol le ver d ownward in
the “SET, COAST ” d irec tion q uic kly within a half sec ond .
2. When the sp eed d ec reases to the d esired sp eed , p r ess the c ontrol
lever d ownward in the “SET, COAST ” d irec tion onc e. Now the d esired
sp eed is set and the vehic le will keep running at t hat sp eed without
d ep ressing the ac c erelator p ed al.

8
Driving tips New vehicle break-in driving –
the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) 8-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel economy hints 8-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) 8-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Catalytic converter 8-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Periodic inspections 8-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving in foreign countries 8-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips for AWD vehicles 8-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Off road driving 8-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Winter driving 8-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snow tires 8-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire chains 8-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rocking the vehicle 8-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading your vehicle 8-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vehicle capacity weight 8-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) 8-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) 8-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer hitch (if equipped) 8-24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer towing 8-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-2
New vehicle break-in driving
–
the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
The p erformanc e and long life of your vehic le are d ep end ent on how you
hand le and c are for your vehic le while it is new. F ollow these instruc tions
d uring the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km): Do not rac e the eng ine. Break-in engine speed limit
Vehic le with tac hometer
Never exc eed 4,000 rp m eng ine sp eed exc ep t for b rie f ac c eleration
in an emerg enc y. Vehic le without tac hometer (for manual transmission )
Do not exc eed the sp eed limits b elow for eac h g ear p osition exc ep t
for b rief ac c eleration in an emerg enc y.
mph (km/h)
1st
2nd3rd4th
22 (35)37 (60)50 (80)65 (105)
Vehic les without tac hometer (for automatic transmis sion)
Try to d rive at mod erate sp eed s while ac c elerating and b raking
smoothly. Prop er g ears are selec ted automatic ally a c c ord ing to the
d riving c ond itions.
Do not d rive at one c onstant eng ine or vehic le sp ee d for a long time,
either fast or slow. Avoid starting sud d enly and rap id ac c eleration, exc ep t in an emer-
g enc y. Avoid hard b raking , exc ep t in an emerg enc y.
The same b reak-in p roc ed ures should b e ap p lied to a newly installed or
overhauled eng ine or when b rake p ad s or b rake linin g s are rep lac ed
with new ones.