SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 4.G Owners Manual

7-38
Starting and operating
speed of approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). y
The VDC warning light turns on while the vehicle is
being driven. y When a malfunction has occurred in the VDC elec-
trical system, only the VDC warning light will turn on.
In such an event, the ABS will still be operating nor-
mally. y The VDC warning light will also turn on when a prob-
lem occurs with the ABS or VDC electronic control
systems.
Because the VDC system controls each brake throughthe ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating due to a
malfunction in that electrical system, the VDC will also
become unable to control all four brakes. Thus VDC
system operation halts and the VDC warning light
turns on. Although both the VDC system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will still be possi-
ble to stop the vehicle using normal braking. The VDC
system and the ABS do not adversely affect operation
of the vehicle in any way when they are inoperable;however should such a situation occur, drive with care
and have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of those systems at the first available op-
portunity.
NOTE
When the VDC warning light turns on and off in the
following way, it indicates that the VDC system is operating normally.y
Although turning on after the engine has been
started, the warning light quickly turns off and
stays off. y The warning light turns on after the engine is
started and does not turn off until the vehicle
reaches a speed of 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light turns on when the vehicle is
being driven; it then turns off and stays off. „ VDC OFF switch
UB7022AA

7-39
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
With OnStar® System
Note: Even when the lighting switch is turned to the
“ ” or “ ” position, the “OFF” portion of the
symbol stamped on the switch will not illuminate in the
dark. Only “VDC” portion will illuminate.
Pressing the VDC OFF switch to deactivate the VDC
system can facilitate the following operations: y a standing start on a steeply sloping road with a
snowy, gravel-covered, or otherwise slippery surface y extrication of the vehicle when its wheels are stuck
in mud or deep snow
When the VDC OFF switch is pressed during engine operation, the VDC OFF indicator light illuminates.
The VDC system will be deactivated and the vehicle
will behave like a model not equipped with the VDC system.
When the VDC OFF switch is pressed again to reacti-
vate the VDC system, the VDC OFF indicator light
goes off.
If the vehicle reaches a speed of approximately 37
mph (60 km/h) after the VDC OFF switch is pressed to
deactivate the VDC system, the VDC system automat-
ically reactivates itself and the VDC OFF indicator light
goes off. While the vehicle is moving at a speed of ap-
proximately 37 mph (60 km/h) or higher, it is not pos-
sible to deactivate the VDC system by pressing theVDC OFF switch.
With the VDC system deactivated, traction and stabil-
ity enhancement offered by VDC system is unavail-
able. Therefore you should not deactivate the VDC
system except under above-mentioned situations.
NOTE y
When the VDC switch has been pressed to deac-
tivate the VDC system, the VDC system automati-
cally reactivates itself the next time the ignition
key is turned to the OFF position and the engine is
restarted. y If the VDC OFF switch is held down for 10 sec-
onds or longer, the VDC OFF indicator light goes
UB7028AA

7-40
Starting and operating
off, the VDC system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the VDC OFF
switch. To make the VDC OFF switch usable again,
turn the ignition key to the OFF position and re-
start the engine.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

7-41
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
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 “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.
UB4001BA
UB4014AA

7-42
Starting and operating
When facing downhill, the front wheels should be
turned into the curb.
Cruise control (if equipped)
Do not use the cruise control under any of the
following conditions. This may cause loss of
vehicle control: y
driving up or down a steep grade
y driving on slippery or winding roads
ydriving in heavy traffic
Cruise control enables you to maintain a constant ve-
hicle speed without holding your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal and it is operative when the vehicle speed is
25 mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the main switch
is turned “OFF” when the cruise control is not in use to
avoid unintentionally setting the cruise control.
UB4015AA

7-43
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„To set cruise control0
Main switch Cruise control lever
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.
UB7038BA
ACC RES
CANCEL SET
COAST
HS7018BA

7-44
Starting and operating
At this time, the “ ” indicator light is illuminated in
the combination meter.
The vehicle will maintain the desired speed.
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).
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. „ To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control: y Push the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” position (but
only when the vehicle is completely stopped).
UB4010KA

7-45
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
„To change the cruising speed
T To increase the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever upward in the “ACCEL, RE-
SUME” direction and hold it until the vehicle reaches
the desired speed. Then, release the control lever.
The vehicle speed at that moment will be memorized
and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the
set speed can be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each
time by pressing the control lever upward in the “AC-
CEL, RESUME” direction quickly within a half second. T To increase the speed (by accelerator pedal)
1. Depress the accelerator pedal to accelerate the ve-
hicle to the desired speed.
2. Push 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.
NOTE
If the difference between the actual vehicle speed
when the control lever is pushed downward and
the speed last time you set is less than 4 mph (6.8
km/h), the vehicle speed will be lowered by 1 mph (1.6 km/h). This occurs because the cruise control
system unit regards this lever operation as that in-
tended to decrease the vehicle speed. T
To decrease the speed (by control lever)
Push the control lever downward in the “SET, COAST”
direction and hold it until the vehicle reaches the de-
sired speed. Then, release the control lever. The vehi-
cle speed at that moment will be memorized and treat-
ed as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed
and the set speed is less than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the
set speed can be lowered 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever downward in the “SET,
COAST” direction quickly within a half second. T To decrease the speed (by brake pedal)
1. Depress the brake pedal to release cruise control
temporarily.
2. When the speed decreases to the desired speed,
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.

8-1
8
Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) .............................. 8-2
Fuel economy hints ...................................... 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .... 8-3
Catalytic converter ....................................... 8-4
Periodic inspections .................................... 8-5
Driving in foreign countries ......................... 8-6
Driving tips for AWD vehicles ..................... 8-6
Off road driving ............................................ 8-8
Winter driving ............................................... 8-11 Operation during cold weather ........................ 8-11
Driving on snowy and icy roads ...................... 8-12
Corrosion protection ........................................ 8-13
Snow tires .......................................................... 8-14
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-15
Rocking the vehicle .......................................... 8-16
Loading your vehicle ................................... 8-17 Vehicle capacity weight .................................... 8-18
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........ 8-19
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) ............... 8-20
Trailer hitch (if equipped) ............................ 8-25 Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-25
When you do not tow a trailer .......................... 8-27
Trailer towing ................................................ 8-28 Warranties and maintenance ........................... 8-28
Maximum load limits ......................................... 8-29
Trailer hitches ................................................... 8-34
Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-35 Trailer towing tips ............................................. 8-37