maintenance SUBARU TRIBECA 2008 Owners Manual

Warranties&Warranties for U.S.A.All SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru of America, Inc. and sold at retail
by an authorized SUBARU dealer in the
United States come with the following
warranties:
. SUBARU Limited Warranty
. Emission Control Systems Warranty
. Emissions Performance Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the
“ Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
Please read these warranties carefully.& Warranties for CanadaAll SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru Canada, Inc. and sold at retail by
an authorized SUBARU dealer in Canada
come with the following warranties:
. SUBARU Limited Warranty
. Anti-Corrosion Warranty
. Emission Control Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the
“Warranty and Service Booklet ”. Please
read these warranties carefully.
CAUTION
. If your vehicle is equipped with a
navigation system and/or Rear
Seat Entertainment System, the
displays contain mercury. There-
fore, the displays of the naviga-
tion system and/or Rear Seat
Entertainment System must be
removed before vehicle disposal.
Once the displays have been
removed, please reuse, recycle
or dispose of them as hazardous
waste.
. If your vehicle is equipped with
High Intensity Discharge (HID)
headlights, the HID headlights
contain mercury. Therefore, it is
necessary to remove HID head-
lights before vehicle disposal.
Once removed, please reuse, re-
cycle or dispose of the HID head-
lights as hazardous waste.
How to use this Owner ’s
Manual& Using your Owner ’s ManualBefore you operate your vehicle, carefully
read this manual. To protect yourself and
extend the service life of your vehicle,
follow the instructions in this manual.
Failure to observe these instructions may
result in serious injury and damage to your
vehicle.
This manual is composed of fourteen
chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief
table of contents, so you can usually tell at
a glance if that chapter contains the
information you want.
Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS
airbags
This chapter informs you how to use the
seat and seatbelt and contains precau-
tions for the SRS airbags.
Chapter 2: Keys and doors
This chapter informs you how to operate
the keys, locks and windows.
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This chapter informs you about the opera-
tion of instrument panel indicators and
how to use the instruments and other
switches.
1
– CONTINUED –
ProCarManuals.com

2Chapter 4: Climate control
This chapter informs you how to operate
the climate control.
Chapter 5: Audio
This chapter informs you how to operate
your audio system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate
interior equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and
operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your
SUBARU in various conditions and ex-
plains some safety tips on driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your
SUBARU looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need
to take your SUBARU to the dealer for
scheduled maintenance and informs you
how to keep your SUBARU running
properly.Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension
and capacities of your SUBARU.
Chapter 13: Consumer information and
Reporting safety defects
This chapter informs you about Tire
information, Uniform tire quality grading
standards and Reporting safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that’
sin
this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
& Safety warningsYou will find a number of WARNINGs,
CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to poten-
tial hazards that could result in injury to
you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well
as all other portions of this manual care-
fully in order to gain a better understand-
ing of how to use your SUBARU vehicle
safely.
WARNING
A WARNING indicates a situation in
which serious injury or death could
result if the warning is ignored.
CAUTION
A CAUTION indicates a situation in
which injury or damage to your
vehicle, or both, could result if the
caution is ignored.NOTEA NOTE gives information or sugges-
tions how to make better use of your
vehicle.&Safety symbolYou will find a circle with a slash through it
in this manual. This symbol means “Do
not ”,“Do not do this ”,or“Do not let this
happen ”, depending upon the context.
ProCarManuals.com

Table of contentsSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1
Keys and doors
2
Instruments and controlsClimate control
4
Audio
5
Interior equipment
6
Starting and operating
7
Driving tips
8
In case of emergency
9
Appearance care
10
Maintenance and service
11
Specifications
12
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
13
Index
143
ProCarManuals.com

20&Cargo area! 7-seater models
1) Jack handle (page 9-19)
2) Maintenance tools (page 9-19)
3) Jack (page 9-19)
4) Spare tire (page 9-5)
ProCarManuals.com

!5-seater models
1) Jack handle (page 9-19)
2) Jack (page 9-19)
3) Maintenance tools (page 9-19)
4) Spare tire (page 9-5)
21
ProCarManuals.com

Front seats........................................................ 1-2
Power seat....................................................... 1-3
Memory function (Driver ’s seat –if
equipped) ....................................................... 1-4
Head restraint adjustment ................................. 1-5
Active head restraint ........................................ 1-5
Lumbar support ............................................... 1-6
Seat heater (if equipped) ................................. 1-6
Rear seats (5-seater models)/Second-row seats (7-seater models) ................................ 1-7
Fore and aft adjustment.................................... 1-8
Reclining the seatback ..................................... 1-9
Folding down the seatback ............................... 1-9
Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-11
Armrest ......................................................... 1-12
Third-row seat (7-seater models) .................. 1-12
Access to the third-row seat........................... 1-13
Folding down the seatback ............................. 1-14
Head restraint adjustment ............................... 1-15
Seatbelts......................................................... 1-15
Seatbelt safety tips ......................................... 1-15
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) ............... 1-17
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ........................................................ 1-17
Seatbelt warning light and chime .................... 1-17Fastening the seatbelt
..................................... 1-18
Seatbelt maintenance...................................... 1-27
Front seatbelt pretensioners ......................... 1-27
System monitors............................................ 1-28
System servicing ............................................ 1-29
Precautions against vehicle modification ......... 1-30
Child restraint systems................................. 1-30
Where to place a child restraint system ........... 1-31
Choosing a child restraint system ................... 1-33
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ........................................................ 1-33
Installing a booster seat .................................. 1-36
Installation of child restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) ........... 1-37
Top tether anchorages .................................... 1-40
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) ............................................ 1-44
Your vehicle’s SRS configuration .................... 1-44
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system ........... 1-48
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag .......... 1-58
SRS airbag system monitors ........................... 1-68
SRS airbag system servicing .......................... 1-69
Precautions against vehicle modification ......... 1-69
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1
ProCarManuals.com

&Seatbelt maintenanceTo clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.
CAUTION
. Keep the belts free of polishes,
oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid.
. Never attempt to make modifica-
tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly.
Front seatbelt pretensionersThe driver ’s and front passenger ’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners for the driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat operate at the
same time as the frontal, and side SRS
airbags. If the vehicle rolls over, they
operate simultaneously with the curtain
airbag.
The front and side airbag sensors and the
rollover sensor are used as the preten-
sioner sensors. If a sensor detects a
certain predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, a side impact
collision or a rollover collision of the
vehicle, the front seatbelt is quickly drawn
back in by the retractor to take up the
slack so that the belt more effectively restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a
small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt retractor remains
locked. Consequently, the seatbelt can not
be pulled out and retracted and therefore
must be replaced.
NOTE.
Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor frontal
impacts, in minor side impacts or rear
impacts.
. The seatbelt pretensioners for the
driver ’s seat and front passenger ’s
seat operate at the same time as the
frontal, and side SRS airbags. If the
vehicle rolls over, they operate simul-
taneously with the curtain airbag.
. Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver ’s and front passenger ’s
seatbelt retractor assemblies must be
replaced and only by an authorized
SUBARU dealer. When replacing seat-
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-27
– CONTINUED –
ProCarManuals.com

The odometer/trip meter will also go off if
you open and close the driver’sdoor
within 10 seconds of illumination of the
odometer/trip meter.& Double trip meterThis meter displays two trip meters when
the ignition switch is in the “LOCK”,“Acc ”
or “ON ”position.
The trip meter shows the distance that the
vehicle has been driven since you last set
it to zero.
To change the mode indication, briefly
push the knob.
Each press of the knob changes the mode
indication alternately.
To set the trip meter to zero, select the A
trip or B trip meter by pushing the knob
and keep the knob pushed for more than 2
seconds.
If you press the trip knob when the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK ”position, the
odometer/trip meter will light up. It is
possible to switch between the A trip
meter and B trip meter indications while
the odometer/trip meter is lit up. If you do
not press the trip knob within 10 seconds
of illumination of the odometer/trip meter,
the odometer/trip meter will go off. Also, if
you open and close the driver ’sdoor
within 10 seconds of illumination of the
odometer/trip meter, the odometer/trip
meter will go off.
CAUTION
To ensure safety, do not attempt to
change the function of the indicator
during driving, as an accident could
result.
NOTEIf the connection between the combina-
tion meter and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or
fuse replacement, the data recorded on
the trip meter will be lost.
! Vehicle communication system
fault indication
The vehicle communication system car-
ries various types of information (vehicle
speed, running conditions, etc.) to control
modules. In the event of a fault in this
communication system, the trip meter will
show “
”.
If the trip meter shows “
”, immediately
contact the nearest SUBARU dealer and
have the vehicle communication system
inspected.
NOTEIf you press the trip knob while the trip
meter is showing “
”, the trip meter
indication will appear for 10 seconds.
& TachometerThe tachometer shows the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute.
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the
Instruments and controls
3-7
–CONTINUED –
ProCarManuals.com

3-14
Instruments and controls
&
Rear differential oil
temperature warning
light
CAUTION
Reduce vehicle speed and park the
vehicle in a safe place as soon as
possible if the R.DIFF TEMP light
comes on. Continued driving with
this light on can damage the rear
differential and other parts of the
powertrain.
If this light comes on when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the rear
differential oil temperature is too hot.
If the light comes on while driving, reduce
vehicle speed and stop the vehicle at the
nearest safe place.
Park the vehicle for several minutes. After
the light goes out, you can start driving.
If the light does not go out, contact the
nearest SUBARU dealer for service.NOTE. If the tire pressures are not correct
and/or the tires are not all the same
size and brand, the rear differential will
be heavily loaded when the vehicle is
driven, resulting in an abnormally high
oil temperature. .
The rear differential oil will deterio-
rate if its temperature increases en-
ough for the rear differential oil tem-
perature warning light to come on. It is
advisable to have the rear differential
oil replaced as soon as possible.
&
Low tire pressure
warning light
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON ”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will come on for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will go out.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under- inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle
’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
ProCarManuals.com

5-8
Audio
NOTEWhile you are holding down either side
of the TUNE TRACK button, the tuning
frequency will not stop changing even
if the frequency of a receivable station
is reached.
!Seek tuning
If you press the “
”or “
”side of the
SEEK FLDR button (7), the radio will
automatically search for a receivable
station and stop at the first one it finds.
This function may not be available, how-
ever, when radio signals are weak. In such
a situation, perform manual tuning to
select the desired station.
! Automatic tuning (SCAN)
Press the “SCAN”button (8) to change the
radio to the SCAN mode. In this mode, the
radio scans through the radio band until a
station is found. The radio will stop at the
station for 5 seconds while displaying the
frequency, after which scanning will con-
tinue until the entire band has been
scanned from the low end to the high
end. Press the “SCAN”button again to
cancel the SCAN mode and to stop on any
displayed frequency.
Press the “
”or “
”side of the SEEK
FLDR (7) button again to cancel the scan
mode and to stop on any displayed frequency.
When the
“SCAN”button is pressed for
automatic tuning, stations are scanned in
the direction of low frequencies to high
frequencies only.
Automatic tuning may not function prop-
erly if the station reception is weakened by
distance from the station or proximity to
tall buildings and hills.
! Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a preset button
(10) allows you to select that station in a
single operation. Up to six, AM, FM1 and
FM2 stations each may be preset.
! How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM AM”button (2) to select
FM1, FM2, or AM reception.
2. Press the “SCAN”button (8) or tune
the radio manually until the desired station
frequency is displayed.
3. Press one of the preset buttons (10)
for more than 1.5 seconds to store the
frequency. If the button is pressed for less
than 1.5 seconds, the preceding selection
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 stations stored in the
preset buttons are cleared. If this
occurs, it is necessary to reset the
preset buttons.
.
If a cell phone is placed near the
radio, it may cause the radio to emit
noise when it receives calls. This noise
does not indicate a radio fault.
! Satellite radio mode (if equipped)
To receive satellite radio, it is necessary to
install the Subaru genuine satellite recei-
ver (optional part) and to enter into a
contract. For details, please contact your
SUBARU dealer.
! Sirius satellite radio
Sirius satellite radio is a recent innovation
that allows the listener to experience
digital sound quality and to have a greater
variety of channels to choose from (more
than 160 channels with the relevant
subscription).
Use of satellite radio (Sirius) requires a
tuner, antenna and a service contract. For
details, please contact your SUBARU
dealer or visit Sirius Satellite Radio at
www.sirius.com or call 1-888-539-SIRIUS
(7474) for more information. Sirius, the
Sirius dog logo, channel names and logos
are trademarks of SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Inc.
ProCarManuals.com