steering SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 User Guide

1-56 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
T Operation
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain air-
bag can function only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON” position.
The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
side airbags and SRS curtain airbags de-
ploy independently of each other since
each has its own impact sensor. There-
fore, they may not both deploy in the same
accident. Also, the SRS side airbag and
SRS curtain airbag deploys independently
of the driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags in the steering wheel and
instrument panel.
An impact sensor is located in each of the
left and right center pillars and rear wheel
houses. If a center pillar impact sensory Do not attach a hands-free micro-
phone or any other accessory to a
front pillar, a center pillar, a rear
pillar, the windshield, a side win-
dow, an assist grip, or any other
cabin surface that would be near a
deploying SRS curtain airbag. A
hands-free microphone or other
accessory in such a location
could be propelled through the
cabin with great force by the cur-
tain airbag, or it could prevent
correct deployment of the curtain
airbag. In either case, the result
could be serious injuries.
y Do not hang coat hangers or other
hard or pointed objects on the
coat hooks. If such items were
hanging on the coat hooks during
deployment of the SRS curtain air-
bags, they could cause serious in-
juries by coming off the coat
hooks and being thrown through
the cabin or by preventing deploy-
ment of the curtain airbags.
Before hanging clothing on the
coat hooks, make sure there are
no sharp objects in the pockets.
Hang clothing directly on the coat
hooks without using hangers. Do not put any kind of cover or
clothes or other objects over either
front seatback and do not attach la-
bels or stickers to the front seat sur-
face on or near the SRS side airbag.
They could prevent proper deploy-
ment of the SRS side airbag, reduc-
ing protection available to the front
seat’s occupant. 100280
100281

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-61
– CONTINUED –In the event that the SRS airbag is de-
ployed, replacement of the system
should be performed only by an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer. When the com-
ponents of the SRS airbag system are
replaced, use only genuine SUBARU parts.
NOTE In the following cases, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
y The front part of the vehicle was in-
volved in an accident in which the only
the driver’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags did not deploy.
y The pad of the steering wheel, the
cover over the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag, or either roof side (from
the front pillar to a point over the rear
seat) is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise damaged.
y Either center pillar and rear wheel
house or a nearby area of the vehicle
was involved in an accident in which
the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag did not deploy.
y The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwise
damaged. „ Precautions against vehicle
modificationIf you need service or repair in areas
listed in the following, have an au-
thorized SUBARU dealer perform
the work. The SRS airbag control
module, impact sensors and airbag
modules are stored in these areas.
y Under the center console
y Inside each front fender
y Steering wheel and column and
nearby areas
y Top of the dashboard on front
passenger’s side and nearby ar-
eas
y Each front seat and nearby area
y Inside each center pillar
y In each roof side (from the front
pillar to a point over the rear seat)
y Between the rear seat cushion
and rear wheel house on each
side y To avoid accidental activation of
the system or rendering the sys-
tem inoperative, which may result
in serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any compo-
nents or wiring of the SRS airbag
system.
This includes following modifica-
tions:
y Installation of custom steering
wheels
y Attachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
y Installation of custom seats
y Replacement of seat fabric or
leather
y Installation of additional fabric
or leather on the front seat

Instruments and controls
Cruise control set indicator light .......................... 3-25
Headlight indicator light ........................................ 3-25
Front fog light indicator light ................................ 3-25
Clock .................................................................... 3-25
Information display (Vehicle without
Navigation System) ......................................... 3-26 Outside temperature indicator .............................. 3-27
Current fuel consumption ...................................... 3-28
Average fuel consumption .................................... 3-28
Driving range on remaining fu el ........................... 3-29
Journey time ........................................................... 3-30
Light control switch ........................................... 3-31 Headlights ............................................................... 3-31
High/low beam change (dimmer) .......................... 3-31
Headlight flasher .................................................... 3-32
Daytime running light system ............................... 3-32
Turn signal lever ................................................. 3-32
Illumination brightness control ......................... 3-33
Parking light switch ........................................... 3-33
Front fog light switch (if equipped) .................. 3-34
Wiper and washer ............................................... 3-34 Windshield wiper and washer switches ............... 3-35
Rear window wiper and washer switch (Station
wagon) .................................................................. 3-37
Windshield wiper deicer (i f equipped) .............. 3-38
Rear window defogger butt on ................ ........... 3-38
Mirrors ................................................................. 3-40
Inside mirror ........................................................... 3-40
Auto-dimming mirror/compas s (if equipped) ...... 3-40 Outside mirrors ....................................................... 3-41
Tilt steering wheel .............................................. 3-43
Horn ..................................................................... 3-43

Instruments and controls
3-3
– CONTINUED – Instruments and controls
Ignition switch
The ignition switch has four positions:
LOCK, ACC, ON and START. NOTE y Keep the ignition switch in the
“LOCK” position when the engine is
not running.
y Using electrical accessories for a
long time with the igni tion switch in the
“ON” or “ACC” posi tion can cause the
battery to go dead.
If the ignition switch will not move from
the “LOCK” position to the “ACC” po-
sition, turn the steering wheel slightly
to the left and right as you turn the ig-
nition switch.
y If the key is attached to a keyholder
or to a large bunch of other keys, cen-
trifugal force may act on it as the vehi-
cle moves, resulting in unwanted turn-
ing of the ignition switch. Also, if a
large keyholder is attached to the key, your knees or hands may accidentally
touch it in a way that turns the ignition
switch.
„ LOCK The key can only be inserted or removed
in this position. The ignition switch will lock
the steering wheel when you remove the
key.
If turning the key is di fficult, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the right and left as
you turn the key.
T Automatic transmission vehicles
The key can be turned from “ACC” to
“LOCK” only when the selector lever is in
the “P” position.y Never turn the ignition switch to
“LOCK” while the vehicle is being
driven or towed because that will
lock the steering wheel, prevent-
ing steering control. And when
the engine is turned off, it takes a
much greater effort than usual to
steer.
y Before leaving th e vehicle, always
remove the key from the ignition
switch for safety and never allow
an unattended child to remain in
the vehicle. Failure to follow this
procedure could result in injury to
a child or others. Children could
operate the power windows, the
sunroof or other controls or even
make the vehicle move. 300259
300501

Instruments and controls
3-43
Tilt steering wheel
1. Adjust the seat position. Refer to the
“Front seats” section (chapter 1).
2. Pull the tilt lock lever down.
3. Move the steering wheel to the desired
level.
4. Push the lever up to lock the steering
wheel in place.
5. Make sure that the steering wheel is
securely locked by moving it up and down. Horn
To sound the horn, push the horn pad.Do not adjust the steering wheel tilt
position while driving. This may
cause loss of vehicle control and re-
sult in personal injury.
300295 300296

Audio
5-39
– CONTINUED –the mode will be cancelled following
ejection of the disc that is currently be-
ing ejected.
y If you press the “CD” button while
the player is in all disc ejection mode,
the player will draw in the discs that
have been ejected and play them.
Audio control buttons (if
equipped) These buttons are lo cated on the spokes
of the steering wheel. They allow the driv-
er to control audio functions without taking
his/her hands off the steering wheel.
T MODE button
This button is used to select the desired
audio mode. Each time it is pressed, the
mode changes to the next one in the fol-
lowing sequence:
*: The frequency last received in the selected
waveband will be displayed. T “ ” and “ ” buttons
V With radio mode selected
Press the “ ” button or “ ” button.
The radio will seek the next receivable
station and stop on it.
That station’s frequency will be shown on
the audio display.
V With CD mode selected
Press the “ ” button to skip forward in
the track/file (track) order. Press the “ ”
button to skip backward in the track/file
(track) order.
The track/file (track) number will be shown
on the audio display. 400216
FM* AM*
CD 400217

7Starting and operatingFuel ...................................................................... 7-2 Fuel requirements .................................................. 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap .............................................. 7-4
State emission testing (U .S. only) .................... 7-6
Preparing to drive .............................................. 7-7
Starting the engine ............................................. 7-8 Manual transmission vehicle ................................. 7-8
Automatic transmission vehicle ............................ 7-8
Stopping the engine ........................................... 7-9
Manual transmission ......................................... 7-9 Shifting speeds ....................................................... 7-10
Driving tips .............................................................. 7-11
Automatic transmission – 4- speed ................... 7-11Selector lever .......................................................... 7-12
Selector lever reverse inhibiting function ............ 7-13
Selection of manual mode ..................................... 7-14
Maximum speeds .................................................... 7-15
Driving tips .............................................................. 7-16
SPORT mode ........................................................... 7-16
Shift lock release . ........................................... ........ 7-16
Automatic transmission – 5- speed ................... 7-17Selector lever .......................................................... 7-18
Selector lever reverse inhibiting function ............ 7-19
Selection of manual mode ..................................... 7-20
Maximum speeds .................................................... 7-22
Driving tips .............................................................. 7-23
SPORT mode ........................................................... 7-23
Shift lock release . ........................................... ........ 7-23 Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD)
(if equipped) ..................................................... 7-24
Power steering .................................................... 7-25
Braking ................................................................ 7-25 Braking tips ............................................................. 7-25
Brake system .......................................................... 7-25
Disc brake pad wear warning in dicators .... .......... 7-26
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) .......................... 7-26 ABS system self-check ......... ............................. .... 7-26
ABS warning light ................................................... 7-27
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
system .............................................................. 7-28 Steps to take if EBD system fails .......................... 7-28
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
(if equipped) ..................................................... 7-29 Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor .......... 7-31
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch ................. 7-32
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
(if equipped) ..................................................... 7-33
Parking your vehicle .......................................... 7-35
Cruise control ..................................................... 7-36 To set cruise control .............................................. 7-37
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-37
To turn off the cruise control ................................. 7-38
To change the cruising speed ............................... 7-38
Cruise control indicator light ................................. 7-39
Cruise control set indicator light .......................... 7-39

Starting and operating
7-9
– CONTINUED –onds. After checking that the parking
brake is firmly set, turn the ignition
switch to the “START” position while de-
pressing 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 “OFF” posi-
tion and wait for at least 10 seconds.
Then fully depress the accelerator ped-
al 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 “OFF” posi-
tion. 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, con-
tact your nearest SUBARU dealer for
assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
lights have gone out after the engine has
started. The fuel in jection syst em auto-
matically lowers the idle speed as the en-
gine 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
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling. Manual transmission
The manual transmission is a fully syn-
chromeshed, 5-forward-speed and 1-re-
verse-speed transmission.Do not stop the engine when the ve-
hicle is moving. This will cause loss
of power to the power steering and
the brake booster, making steering
and braking more difficult. It could
also result in a ccidental activation
of the “LOCK” position on the igni-
tion switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock. Do not drive the vehicle with the
clutch disengaged (i.e., when the
clutch pedal is depressed) or with
the shift lever in the neutral posi-
tion. Engine braking has no effect in
either of these conditions and the
risk of an accident is consequently
increased.
Shift into reverse ONLY when the
vehicle has completely stopped. It
may cause damage to the transmis-
sion to try shifti ng into reverse
when the vehicle is moving.

7-22 Starting and operating
transmission will automatically switch
back from manual mode to normal mode.
NOTE Please read the following points care-
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode.
y When the temperature of the auto-
matic transmission fluid is higher than
normal, warning beeps are emitted and
the shift position in dicator shows “–”.
If these warnings are issued, deselect
the manual mode to protect the auto-
matic transmission from damage.
y When the temperature of the engine
oil is higher than normal, warning
beeps are emitted and the shift posi-
tion indicator shows “–”. If these warn-
ings are issued, deselect the manual
mode to protect th e engine from dam-
age. (3.0-liter models only)
y The transmission does not automati-
cally shift up in the manual mode. Per-
form 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 op-
erate. Shift up if this happens. (Also, in
the case of a 3.0-liter model, the trans-
mission may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.)
y 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.
y If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-
sion will not respond.
y You can perform a skip-shift (for ex-
ample, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the selector lever or a steering-wheel
switch twice in rapid succession.
y The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops
moving.
y 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 en-
gine idle until the warning light goes
off. „ Maximum speeds
The following tables show the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear.
When down shifting, it is important to con-
firm that the current vehicle speed is not in
excess of the Maximum Allowable Speed
of the gear which is about to be selected. 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.

Starting and operating
7-25
– CONTINUED –Power steering
The power steering system operates only
when the engine is running.
If you lose power stee ring assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but it will take
much more effort.
NOTE Right after the engine has been started
and before it has warmed up, you may
hear a noise coming from areas adja-
cent to the power st eering pump which
is located at the right-front area of the
engine compartment. This noise is nor-
mal. It does not indicate power steering
system trouble. Braking „ Braking tips
T When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the
vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a re-
sult, brake stopping distance will be long-
er. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle 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 descend-
ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,
the brakes may start working improperly
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 driv-
ing straight ahead while gradually reduc-
ing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to
a safe place.
„ Brake system T Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has a dual circuit brake sys-
tem. Each circuit works diagonally across
the vehicle. If one circuit of the brake sys-
tem should fail, the other half of the sys-
tem 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
vehicle.
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, result-
ing 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
than normal and the braking distance will
increase.Do not hold the steering wheel at the
fully locked position left or right for
more than five seconds. This may
damage the power steering pump. 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.