warning SUBARU OUTBACK 2008 4.G Workshop Manual

WARNING
. Never allow a child to kneel on
the front passenger ’s seat facing
the side window or to wrap his/
her arms around the front seat
seatback. In the event of an
accident, the force of the SRS
side airbag deployment could
injure the child seriously be-
cause his/her head or arms or
other parts of the body are too
close to the SRS side airbag.
Since your vehicle is also
equipped with a front passen-ger ’s SRS frontal airbag, children
aged 12 and under should be
placed in the rear seat anyway
and should be properly re-
strained at all times.
. Never allow a child to kneel on
any passenger ’s seat facing the
side window or put their head,
arms and hands out of the win-
dow. In the event of an accident,
the force of the SRS curtain
airbag deployment could injure
the child seriously because his/
her head is close to the SRS
curtain airbag.
WARNING
. Do not attach accessories to the
door trim or near either SRS side
airbags and do not place objects
near the SRS side airbags. In the
event of the SRS side airbag
deployment, they could be pro-
pelled dangerously toward thevehicle ’s occupants and cause
injuries.
. Do not attach a hands-free micro-
phone or any other accessory to
a front pillar, a center pillar, a rear
pillar, the windshield, a side win-
dow, an assist grip, or any other
cabin surface that would be near
a deploying SRS curtain airbag. A hands-free microphone or
other accessory in such a loca-
tion could be propelled through
the cabin with great force by the
curtain airbag, or it could prevent
correct deployment of the curtain
airbag. In either case, the result
could be serious injuries.
. Do not hang coat hangers or
other hard or pointed objects on
the coat hooks. If such items
were hanging on the coat hooks
during deployment of the SRS
curtain airbags, they could cause
serious injuries by coming off the
coat hooks and being thrown
through the cabin or by prevent-
ing deployment of the curtainairbags.
Before hanging clothing on the
coat hooks, make sure there are
no sharp objects in the pockets.
Hang clothing directly on the
coat hooks without using hang-ers.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-57
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1-58Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Do not put any kind of cover or
clothes or other objects over either
front seatback and do not attach
labels or stickers to the front seat
surface on or near the SRS side
airbag. They could prevent proper
deployment of the SRS side airbag,
reducing protection available to the
front seat ’s occupant. !
OperationThe SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag can function only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position.
The driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS
side airbags and SRS curtain airbags
deploy independently of each other since
each has its own impact sensor. There-
fore, they may not both deploy in the same
accident. Also, the SRS side airbag and
SRS curtain airbag deploys independently
of the driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbags in the steering wheel and
instrument panel.
An impact sensor, which senses impact
force, is located in each of the left and
right center pillars and rear wheel houses.
Another impact sensor, which also senses impact force, is located under the rear
center seat. If one of the center pillar
impact sensors and the impact sensor that
is located under the rear center seat
together sense an impact force above a
predetermined level in a side collision, the
control module causes both the SRS side
airbag and curtain airbag on the impacted
side to inflate regardless of whether the
rear wheel house impact sensor on the
same side senses an impact. If one of the
rear wheel house impact sensors and the
impact sensor that is located under the
rear center seat together sense a suffi-
ciently strong impact force, the control
module causes only the SRS curtain
airbag on the impacted side to inflate.
After the deployment, the SRS side airbag
immediately starts to deflate. The time
required from detection of an impact to
deflation of an SRS side airbag after
deployment is shorter than the blink of
an eye.
The SRS curtain airbag remains inflated
for a while following deployment then
slowly deflates.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag deploy even when no one occupies
the seat on the side on which an impact isapplied.
When the SRS side airbag and SRS

1-62Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Vehicle without SI-DRIVE
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the SRS airbag system
(including front seatbelt pretensioners)
while the vehicle is being driven. The
SRS airbag system warning light “AIR-
BAG ”will show normal system operation
by lighting for approximately 6 seconds
when the ignition switch is turned to the“ ON ”position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: . Front sub sensor (Right-hand side)
. Front sub sensor (Left-hand side)
. Airbag control module (including im-
pact sensors). Frontal airbag module (Driver ’s side)
. Frontal airbag module (Front passen- ger
’s side)
. Side airbag sensor (Center pillar right-
hand side). Side airbag sensor (Center pillar left-
hand side). Side airbag module (Driver ’s side)
. Side airbag module (Front passenger ’s
side). Curtain airbag sensor (Rear wheel
house right-hand side). Curtain airbag sensor (Rear wheel
house left-hand side). Curtain airbag module (Right side)
. Curtain airbag module (Left side)
. Satellite safing sensor (under the rear
center seat) . Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver ’s side)
. Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension
sensor . Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
control module. Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator. All related wiring
WARNING
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt
pretensioners and/or SRS airbag
system. Immediately take your vehi-
cle to your nearest SUBARU dealer
to have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g.
SRS airbags may inflate in a very
minor collision or not inflate in a
severe collision), which may in-
crease the risk of injury. . Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
. No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON ”position
. Continuous illumination of the
warning light
. Illumination of the warning light
while driving

&SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
. When discarding an airbag mod-
ule or scrapping the entire vehi-
cle damaged by a collision, con-
sult your SUBARU dealer.
. The SRS airbag has no user-
serviceable parts. Do not use
electrical test equipment on any
circuit related to the SRS airbag
system. For required servicing of
the SRS airbag, see your nearest
SUBARU dealer. Tampering with
or disconnecting the system ’s
wiring could result in accidental
inflation of the SRS airbag or
could make the system inopera-
tive, which may result in serious
injury. The wiring harnesses of
the SRS airbag system are cov-
ered with yellow insulation and
system connectors are yellow for
easy identification.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas
listed in the following, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer perform
the work. The SRS airbag control
module, impact sensors and airbag
modules are stored in these areas. . Under the center console
. Inside each front fender
. Steering wheel and column and
nearby areas
. Top of the dashboard on front
passenger ’s side and nearby
areas
. Each front seat and nearby area
. Inside each center pillar
. In each roof side (from the front
pillar to a point over the rear seat)
. Between the rear seat cushion
and rear wheel house on each side
. Under the rear center seat
In the event that the SRS airbag is
deployed, replacement of the system
should be performed only by an author-
ized SUBARU dealer. When the compo-
nents of the SRS airbag system are
replaced, use only genuine SUBARU parts.
NOTE
In the following cases, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The front part of the vehicle was
involved in an accident in which the
only the driver ’s SRS frontal airbag or
both driver ’s and front passenger ’s
SRS frontal airbags did not deploy.. The pad of the steering wheel, the
cover over the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag, or either roof side (from
the front pillar to a point over the rear
seat) is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise damaged.. Center pillar, rear wheel house or
rear sub frame, or an area near these
parts, was involved in an accident in
which the SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag did not deploy.. The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwisedamaged. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-63
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1-64Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Precautions against vehicle modification
WARNING
. To avoid accidental activation of
the system or rendering the sys-
tem inoperative, which may re-
sult in serious injury, no modifi-
cations should be made to any
components or wiring of the SRS
airbag system.
This includes following modifica- tions: . Installation of custom steering
wheels
. Attachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
. Installation of custom seats
. Replacement of seat fabric or
leather
. Installation of additional fabric
or leather on the front seat
. Attachment of a hands-free
microphone or any other ac-
cessory to a front pillar, a
center pillar, a rear pillar, the
windshield, a side window, an
assist grip, or any other cabin
surface that would be near a deploying SRS curtain airbag.
. Installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment
such as a mobile two-way
radioonorneartheSRS
airbag system components
and/or wiring is not advisable.
This could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbagsystem.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the SRS airbag system. . Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver ’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-er ’s Manual. .
Attachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors,
etc.) other than genuine SUBARU
accessory parts to the side body.
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.

2-6Keys and doors
&Locking and unlocking from
the inside
WARNING
Keep all doors locked when you
drive, especially when small chil-
dren are in your vehicle.
Along with the proper use of seat-
belts and child restraints, locking
the doors reduces the chance of
being thrown out of the vehicle in anaccident.
It also helps prevent passengers
from falling out if a door is acciden-
tally opened, and intruders from
unexpectedly opening doors and
entering your vehicle.
To lock the door from the inside, rotate the
lock lever rearward.
To unlock the door from the inside, rotate
the lock lever forward.
The red mark on the lock lever appears
when the door is unlocked.
Pull the inside door handle to open an
unlocked door.
Always make sure that all doors and the
rear gate (Station wagon) are closed and
locked before starting to drive. & Battery drainage prevention function
When a door or the rear gate (Station
wagon) is not completely closed and the
dome light, ignition switch light, and door
open warning light remain illuminated as a result, the lights are automatically turned
off by the battery drainage prevention
function after 10 minutes of illumination
to prevent the battery from going dead.
The operational/non-operational setting of
this function can be changed by a
SUBARU dealer. Contact the nearest
SUBARU dealer if you would like to
change the setting. NOTE .
When leaving the vehicle, please
make sure that all doors and the rear
gate (Station wagon) are completelyclosed.. The battery drainage prevention
function does not operate while the
key is in the ignition switch.

2-20Keys and doors
a strong impact or multiple impacts by
sounding the horn and flashing the turn
signal lights, both lasting approximately 30seconds.
If you desire, your SUBARU dealer can
connect them and set them for activation
or deactivation. NOTE .The shock sensors are not always
able to sense impacts caused by break-
ing in, and cannot sense an impact that
does not cause vibration (such as
breaking the glass using a rescuehammer).. The shock sensors may sense vi-
bration like those shown in the follow-
ing and trigger the alarm system.
Select the settings of the alarm system
and shock sensors appropriately de-
pending on where you usually park
your vehicle.Example:
Vibration from construction site
Vibration in multistory car park
Vibration from trains
. You can have the sensitivity of the
shock sensors adjusted to your pre-
ference by your SUBARU dealer. Child safety locks
WARNING
Always use the child safety lock
whenever a child rides in the rear
seat. Serious injury could result if a
child accidentally opened the door
and fell out.
Each rear door has a child safety lock that
prevents the doors from being opened
even if the inside door handle is pulled.
When the child safety lock lever is in the
lock position, the door cannot be opened
from inside regardless of the position of
the inner door handle lock lever. The door
can only be opened from the outside. Windows &
Power windows
WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury
caused by entrapment, you must
do the following. . When operating the power win-
dows, be extremely careful to
prevent anyone ’s fingers, arms,
neck or head from being caught
in the window.
. Always lock the passengers ’win-
dows using the lock switch when
children are riding in the vehicle.
. Before leaving the vehicle, al-
ways remove the key from the
ignition switch for safety and
never allow an unattended child
to remain in the vehicle. Failure
to follow this procedure could
result in injury to a child operat-
ing the power window.
The power windows operate only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON ”position.

Rear passengers’window switches
1) Open
2) Close
To close the window, pull the switch up
and hold it until the window reaches the
desired position.
When the lock switch on the power
window switch cluster, located on thedriver ’s side door, is in the “LOCK ”
position, the passengers ’windows cannot
be operated with the passengers ’
switches. Trunk lid (Sedan)
WARNING
. To prevent dangerous exhaust
gas from entering the vehicle,
always keep the trunk lid closed
while driving.
. Help prevent young children from
locking themselves in the trunk.
When leaving the vehicle, either
close all windows and lock all
doors or cancel the inside trunk
lid release. Also make certain
that the trunk is closed. On hot
or sunny days, the temperature
in the trunk could quickly be-
come high enough to cause
death or serious heat-related in-
juries including brain damage to
anyone locked inside, particu-
larly for small children.
& To open and close the trunk
lid from outside
The trunk lid can be opened using the
remote keyless entry system. Refer to“ Remote keyless entry system ”section in
this chapter.
To close the trunk lid, lightly press the trunk lid down until the latch engages. NOTE
Do not leave your valuables in the
trunk when you leave your vehicle. &
To open the trunk lid from inside
Pull the trunk lid release lever upward. Keys and doors
2-23
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2-24Keys and doors
&To lock and unlock the trunk
lid release lever
When you entrust your vehicle key to
another person, you can lock the trunk lid
release lever to prevent luggage in the
trunk from being stolen. To lock the trunk
lid release lever, insert the master key or
submaster key into the key cylinder at the
rear of the release lever and turn it
counterclockwise. To unlock the trunk lid
release lever, turn the key clockwise. &Internal trunk lid release handle
The internal trunk lid release handle is a
device designed to open the trunk lid from
inside the trunk. In the event children or
adults become locked inside the trunk, the handle allows them to open the lid. The
handle is located on the inside of the trunklid.To open the trunk lid from inside the trunk,
press the yellow handle downward as
indicated by the arrow on the handle. This
operation unlocks the trunk lid. Then, push
up the lid.
The handle is made of material that
remains luminescent for approximately
an hour in the dark trunk space after it is
exposed to ambient light even for a shorttime.
WARNING
Never allow any child to get in the
trunk and play with the release
handle. If the driver starts the vehi-
cle without knowing that a child is
inside the trunk and the child opens
the lid using the release handle, the
child could fall out and be killed or
seriously injured.
CAUTION
. Do not close the lid while grip-
ping the release handle. The
handle may be damaged.
. Do not use the handle as a hook
to fasten straps or ropes to
secure your cargo in the trunk.
Such use may result in damage
of the handle.
. Load the trunk so that cargo can
not strike the release handle. If
the cargo hits the handle while
the vehicle is being driven, the
handle may be pushed down and
the trunk lid may open. That may
cause cargo to fall out of the
trunk, which could create a traffic
safety hazard.

2-26Keys and doors
Rear gate (Station wagon)
The rear gate can be locked and unlocked
using either the keyless entry system or
the power door locking switch.
Refer to the “Power door locking switches ”
and “Remote keyless entry system ”sec-
tion in this chapter.
To open the rear gate, first unlock the rear
gate lock then pull the outside handle up.
To close the rear gate, lower it slowly and
push down firmly until the latch engages.
The rear gate can be lowered easily if you
pull it down holding the recessed grip.
WARNING
. To prevent dangerous exhaust
gas from entering the vehicle,
always keep the rear gate closed
while driving.
. Do not attempt to shut the rear
gate while holding the recessed
grip. Also avoid closing the rear
gate by pulling on the recessed
grip from inside the cargo space.
There is a danger of your hand
being caught and injured.
CAUTION
. Do not jam a plastic bag in or
place cellophane tape on the rear
gate stays or scratch the stays
while loading or unloading cargo.
That could cause leakage of gas
from the stays, which may result
in their inability to hold the rear
gate open.
. Be careful not to hit your head or
face on the rear gate when open-
ing or closing the rear gate and
when loading or unloading car-go.
NOTE
Should the rear gate be unable to be
unlocked due to a discharged battery, a
fault in the door locking/unlocking
system or other causes, you can
unlock it by manually operating the
rear gate lock release lever.
For the procedure, refer to “Rear gate
(Station wagon) –if the rear gate
cannot be unlocked ”section in chapter
9.