SUBARU TRIBECA 2008 Owners Manual

Preparing to driveYou should perform the following checks
and adjustments every day before you
start driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, and
lights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and condition
of the tires. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks.
4. Check that the hood and rear gate are
fully closed.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat.
6. Check the adjustment of the inside
and outside mirrors.
7. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that your
passengers have fastened their seatbelts.
8. Check the operation of the warning
and indicator lights when the ignition
switch is turned to the“ON”position.
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warn-
ing lights after starting the engine.NOTEEngine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,
washer fluid and other fluid levels
should be checked daily, weekly or at
fuel stops.
Starting the engine
CAUTION
. Do not operate the starter motor
continuously for more than 10
seconds. If the engine fails to
start after operating the starter
for 5 to 10 seconds, wait for 10
seconds or more before trying
again.
. If you restart the engine while the
vehicle is moving, shift the se-
lector lever into the “N ” position.
Do not attempt to place the
selector lever of a moving vehicle
into the “P ” position.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac-
cessories.
3. Shift the selector lever to the “P”or “N”
position (preferably “P ” position). The
starter will only operate when the select
lever is at the “P”or “N”position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position and check the operation of the
warning and indicator lights. Refer to the
“ Warning and indicator lights ”section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START”position
without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately
after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try the
following.
(1) Turn the ignition switch to the
“LOCK ”position and wait for at least
10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the
ignition switch to the “START”position
while depressing the accelerator pedal
slightly (approximately a quarter of the
full stroke). Release the accelerator
pedal as soon as the engine starts.
(2) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch back to the “LOCK”
position and wait for at least 10
seconds. Then fully depress the accel-
erator pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the “START”position. If the
engine starts, quickly release the
accelerator pedal.
(3) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch again to the “LOCK”
position. After waiting for 10 seconds
or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START ”position without depressing
the accelerator pedal.
(4)

If the engine still refuses to start,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
Starting and operating
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7-8
Starting and operating
lights have gone out after the engine has
started. The fuel injection system auto-
matically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.
While the engine is warming up, make
sure that the selector lever is at the“P”or
“N ”position and that the parking brake is
applied.
Stopping the engine
WARNING
Do not stop the engine when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause
loss of power to the power steering
and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It
could also result in accidental acti-
vation of the “LOCK ”position on the
ignition switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling.
Remote engine start system
(dealer option)
WARNING
. Do not remote start a vehicle in
an enclosed environment (e.g.
closed garage). Prolonged opera-
tion of a motor vehicle in an
enclosed environment can cause
a harmful build-up of Carbon
Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is
harmful to your health. Exposure
to high levels of Carbon Monox-
ide can cause headaches, dizzi-
ness or in extreme cases uncon-
sciousness and/or death.
. Before performing any servicing
of the vehicle, temporarily place
the remote engine start system in
service mode to prevent the
system from unexpectedly start-
ing the engine.
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&Starting your vehicleThe remote control start system is acti-
vated by pressing the “
”button twice
within 3 seconds on your remote control
transmitter. The system will check certain
pre-conditions before starting, and if all
safety parameters are correct, the engine
will start within 5 seconds. While the
vehicle is operating via remote engine
start, the vehicle’ s power window features
will be disabled. Also, the system has a
timer and will shut down after 15 minutes if
you do not operate the vehicle. Press and
hold the “
”button for 2 seconds again to
turn the vehicle off. If the vehicle ’s starter
cranks but does not start or starts and
stalls, the remote engine start system will
power off then attempt to start the vehicle an additional four times. If the vehicle fails
to start after the additional attempts, the
remote engine start system will abort and
return to a non activated state.
&
Remote start safety featuresFor safety and security reasons, the
system will fail to start and beep the horn
twice or shut down the engine during
remote start operation if any of the
following occur:
. The brake pedal is pressed before the
vehicle ignition switch is turned “on ”
. The key was already in the ignition
switch
. The engine hood is opened
. The vehicle’ s engine idle speed has
reached a level over 3,000 RPM
. The alarm is triggered by opening a
door or the rear gate.NOTE. The security indicator light on the
dashboard will stop flashing while
under remote engine start operation,
but the vehicle is still protected.
. If the vehicle is entered during
remote engine start operation, the
system will not record entry in the
alarm history.
& Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start1. Unlock the vehicle doors using the
keyless entry system. If the vehicle ’s
doors are unlocked manually using the
key, the vehicle’ s alarm system will trigger
and the remote engine start system will
turn off. Inserting the key into the ignition
switch and turning it to the “ON”position or
pressing the unlock button “
”on the
remote keyless entry transmitter will dis-
arm the alarm system. Refer to the “Alarm
system ”section in chapter 2.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not press the
brake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition switch
and turn to the “ON”position. If the ignition
switch is accidentally turned to the
“START ”position, the system ’s “starter
anti-grind ”feature will prevent the starter
from re-cranking.
4. Press the brake pedal. The remote
starter disengages, the vehicle ’s power
window features are re-enabled and the
vehicle will operate normally.
& Entering the vehicle follow-
ing remote engine start shut-
downAn alarm trigger may occur if the vehicle is
opened by the remote keyless entry
Starting and operating
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7-10
Starting and operating
transmitter within a few seconds immedi-
ately following remote engine start shut-
down.&Pre-heating or pre-cooling
the interior of the vehicleBefore exiting the vehicle, set the tem-
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
vehicle, the heater or air-conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting.&Service modeIn service mode, the remote start function
is temporarily disabled to prevent the
system from unexpectedly starting the
engine while being serviced.
! To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake pedal
then, press and release the “
”button on
the remote control transmitter three times.
The system will pause for 1 second and
then flash the parking lights and honk the
horn three times indicating that the system
is in service mode. When attempting to
activate the remote start system while in
service mode, the parking lights will flash
and the horn will honk two times and will
not start. !
To disengage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote control transmitter
three times. The system will pause for 1
second and flash the parking lights one
time indicating that the system has exited
service mode.
NOTEWhen taking your vehicle in for service,
it is recommended that you inform the
service personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with a remote control start
system.& Remote transmitter program-
ming and programmable fea-
ture optionNew transmitters can be programmed to
the engine starter system in the event that
remote transmitters are lost, stolen or
damaged. The remote engine start system
also has one programmable feature that
can be adjusted for user preference.
The remote engine starter system can be
programmed to either make an audible
horn chirp upon remote start activation or
not. Remote transmitter programming and
feature programming can be adjusted
using the following procedure. 1. Open the driver
’s door (the driver ’s
door must remain opened throughout the
entire process).
2. Insert the key into the vehicle’ s ignition
switch and turn to the “ON”position.
3. Locate the small black programming
button behind the fuse box cover, on the
driver ’s side left under the dashboard
panel.
4. Press and hold the black programming
button for 10 to 15 seconds. The horn will
honk and the parking lights will flash three
times to indicate that the system has
entered programming mode. At this point
you can perform either action (Step 5 or
Step 6).
5. To program a remote transmitter:
press and release the “
”button on each
transmitter. The horn will honk and the
parking lights will flash one time to indicate
a successful transmitter learn each time
the “
”button is pressed. You can
program up to eight transmitters.
6. To toggle the Horn Confirmation chirps
ON/OFF: press and release the brake to
toggle the feature. The horn will chirp and
the parking lights will flash one time to
indicate Confirmation Horn Chirps are
“OFF ”. The horn will honk and the parking
lights will flash 2 times to indicate Con-
firmation Horn Chirps are “ON”. Pressing
the brake pedal repeatedly will toggle the
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feature ON or OFF each time.
7. To exit the remote transmitter and
feature programming mode, turn the igni-
tion switch to the“LOCK”position, remove
the key from the ignition switch and test
operation of the remote transmitter(s) and
horn confirmation feature.& System maintenance! Changing the remote control bat-
teries
The two 3-volt lithium batteries (model
CR-1220) supplied in your remote control
should last approximately three years,
depending on usage. When the batteries
begin to weaken, you will notice a
decrease in range (distance from the
vehicle that your remote control operates).
Follow the instructions below to change
the remote control batteries.
1. Carefully pry the remote control halves
apart using a small flathead screwdriver.
2. Remove the circuit board from the
bottom half of the case and slide the white
plastic battery holder out from under the
battery tab releasing the batteries. Re-
move the old batteries and replace with
new ones. Be sure to observe the (+) sign
Starting and operating
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7-12
Starting and operating
on the old batteries before removing them
to ensure that the new batteries are
inserted properly (battery“+”should be
pointed away from the transmitter circuit
board on both batteries).
3. Carefully snap the case halves back
together, then test the remote control.NOTEThis device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules and with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void the
user ’s authority to operate the equip-
ment.
Automatic transmissionThe automatic transmission is electroni-
cally controlled and provides 5 forward
speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has a
manual mode and a SPORT mode.
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P ” or “N ”
position into the “D ” or “R ” position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
. Shift into the “P ” or “R ” position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
. Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the “N ” or “P ” position
when the brake is set or when
chocks are used in the wheels.
This may cause the automatic
transmission fluid to overheat.
. Avoid shifting from one of the
forward driving positions into the “
R ” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-
sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the selector lever
in the “P ” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the selector
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE. When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, your vehicle ’s auto-
matic transmission will up-shift at high-
er engine speeds than when the cool-
ant temperature is sufficiently high in
order to shorten the warm-up time and
improve driveability. The gearshift tim-
ing will automatically shift to the nor-
mal timing after the engine has warmed
up.
. Immediately after ATF (automatic
transmission fluid) is replaced, you
may feel that the automatic transmis-
sion operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data
which the on-board computer has
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collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.&Selector lever
: With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while pressing the button in.: Shift while pressing the button in.: Shift without pressing the button.
The selector lever has four positions, “P”,
“R ”,“N ”,“D ”and also has manual gate for
using “SPORT ”mode or manual mode.
! P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and
starting the engine. In this position, the transmission is me-
chanically locked to prevent the vehicle
from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the
parking brake fully, then shift into the
“P”
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the transmission.
To shift the selector lever from the “P”to
any other position, you have to depress
the brake pedal fully then push the release
button on the selector lever when the
ignition switch is in the “ON”position. This
prevents the vehicle from lurching when it
is started.
If the shift lever does not move from the
“ P ” position with the brake pedal de-
pressed, the release button pushed in,
and the ignition switch in the ON position,
refer to the “Shift lock release ”section in
this chapter.
NOTETo protect the engine while the “P ”
position is selected, the engine is
controlled such that the engine speed
does not become too high even if the
accelerator pedal is pressed hard.
! R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle. To shift from the
“N ”to “R”position, stop
the vehicle completely then move the
lever to the “R”position while pushing
the release button.
! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled
engine.
In this position the wheels and transmis-
sion are not locked. In this position, the
transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll
freely, even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoidcoastingwiththetransmission
neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE. To protect the engine while the “N ”
position is selected, the engine is
controlled such that the engine speed
does not become too high even if the
accelerator pedal is pressed hard.
. When the ignition switch has been
turned to the “LOCK ”position, move-
ment of the selector lever from the “N ”
position to the “R ” position is possible
for a limited time period by depressing
the brake pedal and then becomes
impossible. If the selector lever be-
comes impossible to be moved after a
limited time period, turn the ignition
Starting and operating
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7-14
Starting and operating
switch to the“ON ”position. You will
then be able to move the selector lever
to the “P ” position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
selector lever in the “N ” (neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-
creased.
! D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into
a suitable gear from 1st to 5th according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require.
When more acceleration is required in this
position, press the accelerator pedal fully
to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift
to 4th, 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you
release the pedal, the transmission will
return to the original gear position.
To use the SPORT mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate.
To use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the “+”and “−”ends. !
While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th or 5th gear is prevented from taking
place when the accelerator is released.
This minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated
upshifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTEThe transmission may downshift to 2nd
or 1st gear, depending on the way the
accelerator pedal is pressed to accel-
erate the vehicle again.& Selector lever reverse inhi-
biting functionThis function prevents accidental move-
ment of the selector lever to the “R ”
position while the vehicle is moving.
The function becomes operational when
the vehicle reaches a speed of approxi-
mately 6 mph (10 km/h). Once opera-
tional, it prevents the selector lever from
being moved from the “N”position to the
“ R ” position. When the vehicle speed
drops below 6 mph (10 km/h), the function
is canceled. The selector lever can then
be moved to the “R”and “P”positions.
When the ignition switch has been turned to the
“LOCK” position, movement of the
selector lever from the “N ”position to the
“R ”position is possible for a limited time
period by depressing the brake pedal and
then becomes impossible. Also, the se-
lector lever cannot be moved to the “R”
position after it has been placed in the “P ”
position and then placed again in the “N”
position.
When the movement of the selector 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”position.
Pressing the selector lever release button
alsomakesitpossibletomovethe
selector lever to the “P ” position at this
time.
! Selector lever release button
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If you inadvertently have turned the igni-
tion switch to the“LOCK”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 cover. Then, with a screwdriver in-
serted into the hole, move the selector
lever to the “P”position while pressing the
release button. If the selector lever re-
verse inhibiting function fails, have the
vehicle inspected by the nearest SUBARU
dealer.& Selection of manual modeWith 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.
1) Upshift indicator
2) Downshift indicator
3) Gear position indicatorWhen the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator and upshift indica-
tor and/or downshift indicator in the
tachometer come on. The gear position
indicator shows the currently selected
gear in the 1st-to-5th-gear range. The
upshift and downshift indicators show
when a gearshift is possible. When the
upshift indicator “
”is on, upshifting is
possible. When the downshift indicator
“
” is on, downshifting is possible. When
both indicators are on, upshifting and
downshifting are both possible. When the
vehicle stops (for example, at traffic
signals), the downshift indicator goes off.
Gearshifts can be performed using the selector lever.
Shift to the next-higher gear by briefly
pushing the selector lever toward the
“+”
end of the manual gate.
Shift to the next-lower gear by briefly
pulling the selector lever toward the “−”
end of the manual gate.NOTEPlease read the following points care-
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode.
. When the temperature of the engine
oil is higher than normal, warning
beeps are emitted and the shift position
indicator shows “− ”. If these warnings
are issued, deselect the manual mode
to protect the engine from damage.
Starting and operating
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7-16
Starting and operating
.The transmission does not automa-
tically shift up in the manual mode.
Perform gearshifts in accordance with
road conditions so that the tachometer
needle does not enter the red zone. If
the engine speed reaches a predeter-
mined level, a fuel-cut function will
operate. Shift up if this happens. Also,
the transmission may automatically
shift up to protect the engine.
. If you attempt to shift down when
the engine speed is too high, i.e., when
a downshift would push the tachometer
needle beyond the red zone, beeps will
be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible.
. If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-
sion will not respond.
. You can perform a skip-shift (for
example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the selector lever twice in rapid suc-
cession.
. The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops
moving.
. If the temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid becomes too high,
the “AT OIL TEMP ”warning light will
come on and upshifts to 5th gear will
not be possible. Immediately stop the
vehicle in a safe place and let the
engine idle until the warning light goes off.
&
Maximum speeds
WARNING
When down shifting, ensure that the
vehicle is not travelling at a speed
exceeding the Maximum Allowable
Speed for the gear which is about to
be selected. Failure to observe this
precaution can lead to engine over-
revving and this in turn can result in
engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of
engine braking caused by down
shifting when the vehicle is travel-
ling on a slippery surface can lead
to wheel locking; as a consequence,
control of the vehicle may be lost
and the risk of an accident in-
creased.
The following tables show the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear.
When down shifting, it is important to
confirm that the current vehicle speed is
not in excess of the Maximum Allowable
Speed of the gear which is about to be
selected.
Position mph (km/h)
1 28 (45)
2 53 (85)
3 87 (140)
Never exceed posted speed limits.
NOTE. In order to prevent over-revving
during acceleration of the vehicle, the
transmission will automatically shift to
the next highest gear if the Maximum
Allowable Speed for the current gear is
exceeded.
. Similarly, in order to prevent over-
revving during deceleration of the
vehicle, the transmission will remain
in the current gear if the speed of the
vehicle is in excess of the Maximum
Allowable Speed for the gear to which
the selector lever has been moved.& Driving tips. 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.
. Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the “D”or
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