ECU SUBARU BAJA 2006 1.G Workshop Manual

6-27
Interior and exterior equipments
– CONTINUED –
NOTE
If you find the key hard to turn when unlocking the
rear section, press the middle of the rear section
with your other hand while turning the key. „Internal hard bed cover release handle
Never allow any child to get in the cargo bed
and play with the release handle. If the driver
starts the vehicle without knowing that a child
is inside the cargo bed and the child opens the
lid using the release handle, the child could fall
out and be killed or seriously injured.
yDo not close the hard bed cover while grip-
ping the release handle. The handle may be
damaged.y Do not use the handle as a hook to fasten
straps or ropes to secure your cargo in the car-
go bed. Such use may result in damage of the
handle. y Load the cargo bed 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 and the hard bed cover
may open. That may cause cargo to fall out of
the cargo bed, which could create a traffic safe-
ty hazard.
The internal release handle is designed to open the
hard bed cover from inside the cargo bed. In the event
that children or adults become locked inside the cargo
bed, the handle allows them to open the cover. The
handle is located at the back of the rear section of thecover.

6-28
Interior and exterior equipments
1) Internal hard bed cover release handle
To open the hard bed cover from inside the cargo bed,
turn the yellow handle in the direction of the arrow
marked on it. The cover is now unlocked. Then, while
holding the handle in the turned position, push up the
hard bed cover to open it.
The handle is made of material that remains lumines-
cent for approximately an hour in the dark cargo bed
space after it is exposed to ambient light even for ashort time. T
Inspection
Move the release handle in the direction of the arrow
at least twice a year and check that it works smoothly.
If the movement of the rele ase handle feels restricted
or not entirely smooth du ring operation, or the handle
and/or handle base is cracked, contact your SUBARU
dealer. „ Opening and closing the hard bed cov- er
yKeep the front and rear covers closed while
driving. y When opening the rear cover while the vehi-
cle is stopped, secure it to one of the rear sport
UB6081BA
1
UB6080BA

6-30
Interior and exterior equipments
2. Raise the cover slightly while holding the key in the
unlock position. After making
sure that the cover is
completely unlocked, remove the key from the key cyl-
inder and open the cover slowly to the fully opened po-sition.
3. When closing the cover, lower the cover until it ap-
proaches approximately 6 in (15 cm) from the closed
position and let it drop. The cover will lock automatical-ly.
4. After closing the cover, be sure the cover is secure-
ly locked.
If this does not lock the cover, release it from a slightly
higher position. Do not push the cover forcibly to lock it. T Rear section
1. Unlock the rear section of the cover. (Refer to
“Locking and unlocking the bed cover” in this section.) 2. Raise the cover slightly while holding the key in the
unlock position. After making
sure that the cover is
completely unlocked, remove the key from the key cyl-
inder and open the cover slow ly until it contacts the
rear sport bars.
UB6058BA

6-31
Interior and exterior equipments
– CONTINUED –
1) Straps 1) Rear section of cover
2) Rear sport bar
3) Strap
4) Connector
3. Take the strap from the back of the cover and wind
it around the rear sport bar. Join the strap connector’s
buckle and tongue together until they click, then pull
on the tab of the strap to take up the slack.
4. To close the cover, unc ouple the strap connector
and return the strap to its storage position on the back
of the cover. Then, lower the cover until it approaches
approximately 6 in (15 cm) from the closed position
and let it drop. The cover will lock automatically.
5. After closing the cover, be sure the cover is secure-
1
UB6067BA
1
2 4 3
UB6068BA

6-36
Interior and exterior equipments
Roof rail and crossbar
y
For cargo carrying purposes, the roof rail
must be used together with a roof crossbar kit
and the appropriate carrying attachment. The
roof rail must never be used alone to carry car-
go. Otherwise, damage to the roof or paint or a
dangerous road hazard due to loss of cargo
could result. y When using the roof crossbar kit, make sure
that the total weight of the crossbars, carrying
attachment and cargo does not exceed the
maximum load limit. Overloading may cause
damage to the vehicle and create a safety haz-
ard. 1) Crossbar kit
The roof rail is not designe d to carry cargo by itself.
Cargo can be carried after securing the roof crossbar
kit to the roof rail and installing the appropriate carry-
ing attachment. When installing the roof crossbar kit,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
When you carry cargo on the roof using the roof cross-
bar kit and a carrying attachment, never exceed the
maximum load limit explained in the following. You
should also be careful that your vehicle does not ex-
ceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and
front and rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). See
the “Loading your vehicle” section in chapter 8 for in-
1
UB8037BB

6-37
Interior and exterior equipments
– CONTINUED –
formation on loading cargo into or onto your vehicle.
The maximum load limit of the cargo, crossbars and
carrying attachment must not exceed 100 lbs (45 kg).
Place the heaviest load at the bottom, nearest the
roof, and evenly distribute the cargo. Always properlysecure all cargo. „Installing carrying attachments on the crossbars
When installing any carryi ng attachment such as a
bike carrier, ski carrier, ka yak carrier, cargo basket,
etc. on the crossbars, foll ow the manufacturer’s in-
structions and make sure th at the attachment is se-
curely fixed to the crossbars. Use only attachments
designed specifically for the crossbars. A set of the
crossbars is designed to carry loads (cargo and at-
tachment) of not more than 100 lbs (45 kg). Before
operating the vehicle, make sure that the cargo is
properly secured on the attachment.
NOTE
Remember that the vehicle’s center of gravity is al-
tered with the weight of the load on the roof, thus
affecting the driving characteristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering
and abrupt stops. Crosswind effects will be in-
creased. „
Removal and installation of the cross- bars
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the cross-
bars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be
thrown forward or backward in sudden stops or
rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous
road hazard.
The crossbars can be removed when you do not use
the roof to carry cargo.

6-40
Interior and exterior equipments
1. Before placing the crossbar on the roof rails, make
sure that the T-30 torx® head screw is fully loosened
from each end support.
2. Spread the inner clamp and the end support as far
apart as possible.
3. With the front direction arrow label on the top right
side of the crossbar pointing toward the front of the ve-
hicle, carefully place the cro
ssbar across the top of the
vehicle so that the crossbar end supports rest on the
top of the roof rails 7 inches (180 mm) rearward in the
front radius of the roof rail.
4. Move the end support and inner clamp to hook un-
der the end of the roof rail on both sides and loosely
assemble the T-30 torx® head screw with the tool pro- vided into the threaded insert in the inner clamp on
each end of the crossbar.
NOTE
It may be necessary to start the inner clamp and
end support at the center of the roof rail for easier
installation, then move the crossbar forward. Use
care not to cross-thread the screw in the insert if it
has been removed.
5. Adjust the alignment of the crossbar on the roof
rails, and if available, use a T-30 torx® bit and torque
wrench and tighten the T-30 torx® head screws to 30
to 35 lbf·in (3.4 to 4.0 N·m, 0.35 to 0.41 kgf·m) of
torque (or tighten securely with the torx® wrench pro-
7 in (180 mm)
UB6052BB
UB6053BA

7-15
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
yWhen 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 bat-
tery.
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled
and provides 4 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed.
NOTE y When the engine coolant temperature is still
low, your vehicle’s automatic transmission will
up-shift at higher engine speeds than when the
coolant temperature is suffi ciently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveabili-
ty. The gearshift timing wil l automatically shift to
the normal timing after the engine has warmed up.
y Immediately after a disconnected battery is re-
connected or ATF (automatic transmission fluid)
is replaced, you may feel that the automatic trans-
mission operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data the on-board
computer has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the most appro-
priate times for the current condition of your vehi-
cle. Optimized shifting will be restored as the vehi- cle continues to be driven for a while. „
Selector lever
P
RND321
HS7009AA

7-21
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
Automatic transmission (Turbo mod-
els)
Do not shift from the “P ” or “N” position into
the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1” or “R” position while de-
pressing the accelerator pedal. This may cause
the vehicle to jump forward or backward.
y Shift into the “P” or “R” position only after
the vehicle is completely stopped. Shifting
while the vehicle is moving may cause damage
to the transmission.y Do not race the engine for more than five sec-
onds in any position except the “N” or “P” po-
sition when the brake is set or when chocks are
used in the wheels. This may cause the auto-matic transmission fluid to overheat.
y Avoid shifting from one of the forward driving
positions into the “R” position or vice versa un-
til the vehicle has completely stopped. Such
shifting may cause dama ge to the transmis-
sion. y
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 bat-
tery.
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled
and provides 4 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed.
Also, it has a manual mode.
NOTE y When the engine coolant temperature is still
low, your vehicle’s auto matic transmission will
up-shift at higher engine speeds than when the
coolant temperature is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveabili-
ty. The gearshift timing w ill automatically shift to
the normal timing after th e engine has warmed up.
y Immediately after ATF (automatic transmission
fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the automatic
transmission operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from invalidation of data which the
on-board computer has 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

8-10
Driving tips
less of its depth, it can wa
sh 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 thro ugh tall grass, m ud, 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 pi led 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 prev ent 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.