light SUBARU BAJA 2005 1.G Owners Manual

7-24
Starting and operating
T
N (Neutral)
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 increased.
This position is for restarting a stalled engine.
In this position the wheels and transmission are not
locked. In this position, the transmission is neutral; the
vehicle will roll freely, even on the slightest incline un-
less the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine braking effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the “N” position when you
stop the engine for parking, you may not subse-
quently be able to move it to the “R” and “P” posi- tions. If this happens, turn the ignition switch to
the “ON” position. You will then be able to move
the selector lever to the “P” position. T D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving. The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th 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 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to the original
gear position.
To use the SPORTSHIFT mode, move the lever from
this position into the manual gate. V
While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to 4th gear is
prevented from taking place when the accelerator is
released. This minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accelerating again.
This prevents repeated upshifting and downshifting re-
sulting in a smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTE
The transmission may downshift to 2nd or 1st
gear, depending on the way the accelerator pedal
is pressed to accelerate the vehicle again. V While going down a hill
When descending a steep hill, depressing the brake
pedal will cause the transmission to downshift to 3rd

7-32
Starting and operating
Braking „
Braking tips
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This can cause dangerous overheating
of the brakes and needless wear on the brake
pads and linings.
T When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehi-
cle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake
pedal to heat up the brakes. T Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addition
to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the
foot brake is used, the brakes may start working im-
properly because of brake fluid overheating, caused
by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift
into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking. T
Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire
is punctured. This could cause a loss of control of the
vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place. „ Brake system
T Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has a dual circuit brake systems. Each
circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one cir-
cuit of the brake system should fail, the other half of
the system still works. If one circuit fails, the brake
pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual
and you will need to press it down much harder. And a
much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehi- cle. T Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to
assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while
driving because that will turn off the brake booster, re-
sulting in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even when the brake
booster completely stops functioning. If this happens,
however, you will have to push the pedal much harder

7-34
Starting and operating
The ABS system prevents the lock-up of wheels which
may occur during sudden braking or braking on slip-
pery road surfaces. This helps prevent the loss of
steering control and directional stability caused by
wheel lock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you may hear a
chattering noise or feel a slight vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal when the ABS operates.
The ABS system will not operate when the vehicle
speed is below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). „
ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and
hear the operating sound of ABS from the engine com-
partment just after the vehicle is started. This is
caused by an automatic functional test of the ABS sys-
tem being carried out and does not indicate any abnor-
mal condition. „
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after
about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working
properly.
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS
system may not be working properly.
When the warning light is on, the ABS function
shuts down; however, the conventional brake
system continues to operate normally.
UB4010GA

7-35
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yThe 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 during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by your SUBARU
dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as described be-
low, the ABS system may be considered normal. y The warning light comes on right after the en-
gine is started but goes out immediately, remain-
ing off. y The warning light remains on after the engine
has been started, but it goes out when the vehicle
speed reaches about 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 warning
light may come on. This is due to the low battery volt-
age and does not indicate a malfunction. When the battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out.

7-36
Starting and operating
Parking your vehicle
y
Never leave unattended children or pets in
the vehicle. They could accidentally injure
themselves or others through inadvertent oper-
ation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days,
the temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe
or possibly fatal injuries to them. y Do not park the vehicle over flammable mate-
rials such as dry grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come near hot en-
gine or exhaust system parts.y Be sure to stop the engine if you take a nap in
the vehicle. If engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occupants in the ve-
hicle could die from carbon monoxide (CO)
contained in the exhaust gas.
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause 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 parking brake, press the brake pedal firmly
and hold it down while fully pulling up the parking
brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly,
press the release button, then lower the lever while
keeping the button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is run-
ning, the parking brake warning light comes on. After
starting the vehicle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Refer to the
UB4001BA

7-37
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
“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” (Reverse) for a downgrade for manual
transmission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) position for
automatic transmission vehicles. Always set the park-
ing 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 headed 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.
UB7033AA
UB7032AA

7-39
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
1. Push the “CRUISE” main switch. The indicator light
on the switch will come on.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed.
3. Push the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction and release it. Then release the ac-
celerator pedal.
The vehicle will maintain the desired speed.
At this time, the “ ” indicator light is illuminated in the combination meter.
Vehicle speed can be temporarily increased while
driving with the cruise control activated. Simply de-
press the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle. When the accelerator pedal is released, the vehicle
will return to and maintain the previous cruising speed. „
To temporarily cancel the cruise con- trol
There are four ways to cancel the cruise control tem-
porarily: y Depress the brake pedal.
y Pull the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction. (if
so equipped)y Depress the clutch pedal (manual transmission ve-
hicles only). y Shift the selector lever into the “N” position (auto-
matic transmission vehicles only).y Shift the shift lever into neutral position (manual
transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combination meter
goes off when the cruise control is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has been tempo-
rarily canceled and with vehicle speed of about 20
mph (32 km/h) or more, push the control lever upward
in the “ACCEL, RESUME” direction to return to the
original cruising speed automatically.
The “ ” indicator light in the combination meter
will automatically come on at this time.
UB4010KA

7-41
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
press the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction once. Now the desired speed is set
and the vehicle will keep running at that speed without
depressing the accelerator pedal. „Cruise control set indicator light
T Non-turbo models
The light comes on when vehicle speed has been set. T Turbo models
The Cruise set indicator light comes on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out
after about three seconds.
The light comes on when vehicle speed has been set.
NOTE y If you move the cruise control lever while turn-
ing the ignition switch “ON”, the cruise control
function is deactivated and the cruise control set
indicator light flashes. 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.y If this indicator light and the “ ” indicator
light flash simultaneously during driving, have the
vehicle checked by your nearest SUBARU dealer.

8-10
Driving tips
less of its depth, it can wash away the ground from un-
der your tires, resulting in possible loss of traction and
even vehicle rollover. y
Always check your brakes for effectiveness immedi-
ately after driving in sand, mud or water. Do this by
driving slowly and stepping on the brake pedal. Re-
peat that process several times to dry out the brake
discs and brake pads.y Do not drive or park over or near flammable materi-
als such as dry grass or fallen leaves, as they may
burn easily. The exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after engine stops. This
could create a fire hazard. y After driving through tall grass, mud, rocks, sand,
rivers, etc., check that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials
trapped or adhering to the underbody, a mechanical
breakdown or fire could occur.y Secure all cargo carried inside the vehicle and make
certain that it is not piled higher than the seatbacks.
During sudden stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could
be thrown around in the vehicle and cause injury. y Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. Those loads
raise the vehicle’s center of gravity and make it more
prone to tip over. y
Cargo should be evenly distributed over the cargo
bed. Keep heavier items as low and far forward as
possible. Loading the vehicle improperly can deterio-
rate handling capability and contribute to loss of vehi-
cle control.y Be sure the cargo is secured properly. Unsecured
cargo in the cargo bed can be thrown around when
driving on off-road. To prevent loose cargo from enter-
ing the passenger compartment, always close the
switchback door while driving off-road. y Always close the tailgate while driving off-road. Also
remove the bed extender (if so equipped) to avoid
damage. y If you must rock the vehicle to free it from sand or
mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and move
the selector lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best pos-
sible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle. y When the road surface is extremely slippery, you
can obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with
the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). y Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than those
specified in this manual. y Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-road driving.
Suspension components are particularly prone to dirt
buildup, so they need to be washed thoroughly.

8-16
Driving tips
„
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand,
or mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and
move the selector lever back and forth between “D”
and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when
trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can
obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with the
transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT).
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” section in chap-
ter 7 for information on holding the transmission in 2nd
position.Loading your vehicle
Never allow passengers to ride on the folded
rear seatback or in the cargo bed. Doing so may
result in serious injury.
y Never stack luggage or other cargo higher
than the top of the seatback because it could
tumble forward and injure passengers in the
HS8005BA