ignition SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Manual Online

7-20 Starting and operating
mately 6 mph (10 km/h). Once operation-
al, it prevents the selector lever from being
moved from the “N” position to the “R” po-
sition. When the vehicle speed drops be-
low 6 mph (10 km/h), the function is can-
celed. The selector lever can then be
moved to the “R” and “P” positions.
When the ignition switch has been turned
to the “OFF” position, movement of the se-
lector lever from the “N” position to the “R”
position is possible for a limited time peri-
od and then becomes impossible. Also,
the selector lever cannot be moved to the
“R” position when it has been placed in the
“P” position and then placed again in the
“N” position. When movement of the se-
lector lever from the “N” position to the “R”
position has become impossible, turn the
ignition switch back to the “ON” position
then move the selector lever to the “P” po-
sition. Pressing the se lector lever release
button also makes it possible to move the
selector lever to the “P” position at this
time. T Selector lever release button
If you inadvertently have turned the igni-
tion switch to the “OFF” position with the
selector lever in the “N” position, proceed
as follows. By referring to the “Shift lock
release” section in this chapter, remove
the shift lock release cover. Then, with the
screwdriver inserted into the hole, move
the selector lever to the “P” position. If the
selector lever reverse inhibiting function
fails, have the vehicle inspected by the
nearest SUBARU dealer. „ Selection of manual mode
With the vehicle either moving or station-
ary, move the selector lever from the “D”
position to the manual gate then move it to
the “+” end or “–” end of the manual gate
to select manual mode. 700345
700109

Starting and operating
7-23
– CONTINUED –mph (km/h)
Never exceed posted speed limits.
„ Driving tipsy On a road surface where there is a risk
of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or
gravel-covered road), you can pull away
from a standstill safely and easily by first
selecting the 2nd gear of the manual
mode.
y Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the “D” or
“R” position.
y Always set the parking brake when
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the vehi-
cle with only the transmission.
y Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the
“D” position. Use the brake instead.
y The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate a fault.
y A slight reduction in output torque may
occur in the models with a 3.0-liter or 2.5-
liter turbo engine before the engine warms
up.
„ SPORT mode
SPORT mode is used when power is
needed for rapid acceleration or for uphill
driving. To select this mode, move the se-
lector lever from the “D” position to the
manual gate. When selected, the SPORT mode indica-
tor light on the instrument panel will turn
on.
To deselect SPORT mode, move the se-
lector lever to the “D ” position or select
manual mode. To subsequently reselect
SPORT mode, move the selector lever to
the “D” position and from there to the man-
ual gate.
In this mode, the transmission shifts up at
higher vehicle speeds and shifts down
more responsively t han in normal mode.
„ Shift lock release If the selector lever does not move from
the “P” position with the brake pedal de-
pressed and the ignition switch in the “ON”
position, perform the following steps:Position 2.5-liter turbo
models 3.0-liter models
1 35 (57) 27 (43)
2 59 (95) 61 (98)
3 94 (151) 96 (154)
700112 700113

Starting and operating
7-27„ ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion and goes out after approximately two
seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
NOTE If the warning light behavior is as de-
scribed in the following, the ABS sys-
tem may be considered normal.
y The warning light comes on right af-
ter the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
y The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).
y The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately
and remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warn ing light may come
on. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will go out.
If the warning light behaves as fol-
lows, the ABS system may not be
working properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally. 700348y The warning light does not come
on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
y The warning light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, but it does not go
out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12
km/h).
y The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system
repaired at the first available oppor-
tunity by your SUBARU dealer.

Starting and operating
7-31
– CONTINUED –erate correctly as intended.
y Always turn off the engine before re-
placing a tire as failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly.
„ Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitorT Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light
The indicator light turns on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the ON position; it
turns off approximately two seconds later.
This indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and is
illuminated steadily during activation of
the traction cont rol function. The following two situations could indicate
a malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity.
y The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position.
y The indicator light does not turn off ap-
proximately two seconds after the ignition
switch has been turned to the ON position.
T Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF
indicator light
This single light has the function of indicat-
ing malfunctions in the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the function of indicat- ing that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is not operating. It comes on in the
event of a malfunction in the system and is
illuminated whenever the system is not
operating.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light comes on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON” position
and goes off several seconds after engine
startup. This lighting pattern indicates that
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
operating normally.
The following situations could indicate a
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if any should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of the system at the first avail-
able opportunity.
y The warning light does not turn on when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON po-
sition.
y The warning light turns on while the ve-
hicle is being driven.
y When a malfunction has occurred in the
Vehicle Dynamics Control electrical sys-
tem, only the warning light will turn on. In
such an event, the ABS will still be operat-
ing normally.
y The warning light will also turn on when
a problem occurs with the ABS or Vehicle
Dynamics Control electronic control sys-700350
700351

7-32 Starting and operating
tems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system controls each brake through the
ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating
due to a malfunction in that electrical sys-
tem, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will
also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus Vehicle Dynamics Control
system operation halt s and the warning
light turns on. Although both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will
still be possible to stop the vehicle using
normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the ABS do not ad-
versely affect operation of the vehicle in
any way when they are inoperable; how-
ever should such a situation occur, drive
with care and have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
those systems at the first available oppor-
tunity.
NOTE When the warning light turns on and
off in the following way, it indicates
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is operating normally.
y Although turning on after the engine
has been started, the warning light
quickly turns off and stays off.
y The warning light turns on when the vehicle is being driven; it then turns off
and stays off.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indi-
cator light
This light comes on to indicate that the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control system is in non-
operation mode. This does not constitute
failure of the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system.
NOTE y The indicator light may stay on for a
while after the engine has been started,
especially in cold weather. 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 operating tem-
perature.
y When an engine problem occurs and
the malfunction indicator lamp turns
on, the indicator light will also come
on.
The following two situations could indicate
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if either should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of that syst em at the first avail-
able opportunity.
y The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position.
y The indicator light fail s to turn off after
the engine is started, even when several
minutes have passed to allow the engine
to heat up sufficiently.
„ Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switch
Pressing the switch to deactivate the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Contro l system can facili-
tate the following operations:
y a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, grav el-covered, or oth-
erwise slippery surface
y extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the indicator light illuminates. 700114

Starting and operating
7-33
– CONTINUED –The Vehicle Dynamics Control system will
be deactivated and the vehicle will behave
like a model not equipped with the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system. When the
switch is pressed again to reactivate the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system, the in-
dicator light goes off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control syst em except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTE y When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the OFF position
and the engine is restarted.
y If the switch is held down for 10 sec-
onds or longer, the indicator light goes
off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is activated, and the system ig-
nores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the igni tion switch to the
OFF position and restart the engine.
y When the switch is pressed to deac- tivate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system, the vehicle’s running perfor-
mance is comparable with that of a ve-
hicle that does not have a Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system. Do not deacti-
vate the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem except when absolutely neces-
sary.
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (if equipped)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message
by sending a signal from a sensor that is
installed in each wheel when tire pressure
is severely low.
The tire pressure mo nitoring system will
activate only when the vehicle is driven at
speeds above 20 mph (32 km/h). Also,
this system may not react immediately to
a sudden drop in tire pressure (for exam-
ple, a blow-out caused by running over a
sharp object). 700352

7-36 Starting and operating
cle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Re-
fer to the “Warning and indicator lights”
section (chapter 3).
When parking your vehicle, always set the
parking brake firmly and put the shift lever
in the “1” (1st) for an upgrade or “R” (Re-
verse) for a downgrade for manual trans-
mission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) posi-
tion for automatic transmission vehicles.
Always set the parking brake firmly when
parking your vehicle. Never rely on the
transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel. When the vehicle is head-
ed up the hill, the front wheels should be
turned away from the curb. When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb. Cruise control Cruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned “OFF” when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid unin-
tentionally setting the cruise control.
NOTE If you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the “CRUISE” indicator light flash-
es. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position, and
then turn it again to the “ON” position.
700117 700118
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions. This
may cause loss of vehicle control:
y driving up or down a steep grade
y driving on slippery or winding
roads
y driving in heavy traffic

7-38 Starting and operating
y Depress the clutch pedal (manual trans-
mission vehicles only).
y Shift the selector leve r into the “N” posi-
tion (automatic transmission vehicles
only).
y Shift the shift lever into neutral position
(manual transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter goes off when the cruise control
is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever up-
ward in the “RES/ACC” direction to return
to the original cruising speed automatical-
ly.
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter will automatically come on at
this time.
„ To turn off the cruise controlThere are two ways to turn off the cruise
control:
y Push the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position (but only when the vehi-
cle is completely stopped). „ To change the cruising speed T To increase the speed (by control le-
ver)
Push the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction and hold it until the
vehicle reaches the desired speed. Then,
release the control lever. The vehicle
speed at that moment will be memorized
and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction quickly within 0.25
second. T To increase the speed (by accelera-
tor pedal)
1. Depress the accelerator pedal to accel-
erate the vehicle to the desired speed.
2. Push the control lever downward in the
“SET/COAST” direct ion once. Now the
desired speed is set and the vehicle will
keep running at that speed without de-
pressing the accelerator pedal.
NOTE If the difference between the actual ve-
hicle speed when the control lever is
pushed downward and the speed last
time you set is less than 4 mph (6.8 km/
h), the vehicle speed will be lowered by
1 mph (1.6 km/h). This occurs because
the cruise control system unit regards
this lever operation as that intended to
decrease the vehicle speed. 300334

Starting and operating
7-39T To decrease the speed (by control
lever)
Push the control lever downward in the
“SET/COAST” direction and hold it until
the vehicle reaches the desired speed.
Then, release the control lever. The vehi-
cle speed at that moment will be memo-
rized and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be lowered 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time by
pressing the control lever downward in the
“SET/COAST” direction quickly within
0.25 second. T To decrease the speed (by brake
pedal)
1. Depress the brake pedal to release
cruise control temporarily.
2. When the speed decreases to the de-
sired speed, press the control lever down-
ward in the “SET/COAST” direction once.
Now the desired speed is set and the ve-
hicle will keep running at that speed with-
out depressing the accelerator pedal.
„ Cruise control indicator light
The cruise control indicator light comes on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes out after approxi-
mately three seconds.
The light comes on when the “CRUISE”
main switch is pressed. If you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while turning
the ignition switch “ON”, the cruise control
function is deactivated and the “CRUISE”
indicator light flashes. To reactivate the
cruise control function, turn the ignition
switch back to the “ACC” or “LOCK” posi-
tion, and then turn it again to the “ON” po-
sition.
„ Cruise control set indicator
light
The cruise control set indicator light
comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position and goes out
after approximately three seconds.
The light comes on when vehicle speed
has been set.300333
300210 300212

8-4 Driving tips
reduce HC, CO and NOx in exhaust gas-
es, thus providing cleaner exhaust.
To avoid damage to the catalytic convert-
er:
y Use only unleaded gasoline. Even a
small amount of leaded gasoline will dam-
age the catalytic converter.
y Never start the engine by pushing or
pulling the vehicle.
y Avoid racing the engine.
y Never turn off the ignition switch while
the vehicle is moving.
y Keep your engine tuned-up. If you feel
the engine running rough (misfiring, back-
firing or incomplete combustion), have
your vehicle checked and repaired by an
authorized SUBARU dealer.
y Do not apply undercoating or rust pre-
vention treatment to the heat shield of cat-
alytic converter and the exhaust system. Periodic inspections To keep your vehicle in the best condition
at all times, always have the recommend-
ed maintenance services listed in the
maintenance schedule in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet” performed at
the specified time or mileage intervals.
Driving in fo reign countries When planning to use your vehicle in an-
other country:
y Confirm the availability of the correct fu-
el. (Refer to the “Fuel requirements” sec-
tion in chapter 7.)
y Comply with all regulations and require-
ments of each country.