steering wheel SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owner's Manual

8-6 Driving tips
Off road driving
T All AWD models except OUTBACK
Your AWD vehicle is neither a convention-
al off-road vehicle nor an all terrain vehi-
cle. It is a passenger car designed prima-
rily for on-road use. The AWD feature
gives it some limited off-road capabilities
in situations in which driving surfaces a
relatively level, obstruction-free and other-
wise similar to on-road driving conditions.
Operating it under other than those condi-
tions could subject the vehicle to exces-
sive stress which might result in damage
not eligible for repair under warranty. If
you do take your SUBARU off road, you
should review the common sense precau- tions in the next section (applicable to the
OUTBACK) for general guidance. But
please keep in mind that your vehicle’s
off-road capabilities are more limited than
those of the OUTBACK.
Never attempt to drive through pools and
puddles, or roads flooded with water. Wa-
ter entering the engine air intake or the ex-
haust pipe or water splashing onto electri-
cal parts may damage your vehicle and
may cause it to stall.
T OUTBACK
Because of the AWD feature and higher
ground clearance, your SUBARU can be
driven on ordinary roads or off-road. But
please keep in mind that an AWD
SUBARU is a passenger car and is nei-
ther a conventional off-road vehicle nor an
all-terrain vehicle. If you do take your
SUBARU off-road, ce rtain common sense
precautions such as the following should
be taken:
y Make certain that you and all of your
passengers are wearing seatbelts.
y Carry some emergency equipment,
such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,
wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or
citizens band radio.
y Drive carefully. Do not take unneces-
sary risks by driving in dangerous areas or
over rough terrain. y Slow down and employ extra caution at
all times. When driving off-road, you will
not have the benefit of marked traffic
lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and the
like.
y Do not drive across steep slopes. In-
stead, drive either st raight up or straight
down the slopes. A vehicle can much
more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or
down slopes that are too steep.
y Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, espe-
cially at higher speeds.
y Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the
wheel and injure your hands. Instead drive
with your fingers and thumbs on the out-
side of the rim.
y If driving through water, such as when
crossing shallow streams, first check the
depth of the water and the bottom of the
stream bed for firmness and ensure that
the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly
and completely through the stream. The
water should be shallow enough that it
does not reach the vehicle’s undercar-
riage. Water entering the engine air intake
or the exhaust pipe or water splashing
onto electrical parts may damage your ve-
hicle and may cause it to stall. Never at-
tempt to drive through rushing water; re-
gardless of its depth, it can wash away they Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden braking
or under other similar conditions.
y Always use the utmost care in
driving – overconfidence because
you are driving an All-Wheel Drive
vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident.

Driving tips
8-27
– CONTINUED –T Before starting out on a trip
y Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-
hitch mounting are in good condition. If
any problems are apparent, do not tow the
trailer.
y Check that the vehicle sits horizontally
with the trailer attached. If the vehicle is
tipped sharply up at the front and down at
the rear, check the total trailer weight,
GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, then
confirm that the load and its distribution
are acceptable.
y Check that the tire pressures are cor-
rect.
y Check that the vehicle and trailer are
connected properly. Confirm that
– the trailer tongue is connected prop-
erly to the hitch ball.
– the trailer lights connector is connect-
ed properly and trailer’s brake lights illu-
minate when the vehicle’s brake pedal
is pressed, and that the trailer’s turn sig-
nal lights flash when the vehicle’s turn
signal lever is operated.
– the safety chains are connected prop-
erly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safe-
ty in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rear-
ward field of view without a significant
blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel” of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up.
T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may re-
sult in skidding or jackknifing and loss of
control.
y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden acceler-
ations. If your vehicle has a manual trans-
mission, always start out in first gear and
release the clutch at moderate engine rev-
olution.
y Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes.
y Slow down before turning. Make a long-
er than normal turning radius because the
trailer wheels will be closer than the vehi-
cle wheels to the inside of the turn. In a
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle.
y Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down im-
mediately but gradually.
y When passing other vehicles, consider-
able distance is required because of the added weight and length caused by at-
taching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
y Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
y If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed im-
mediately by the nearest SUBARU dealer.
T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces- 1
2
800251

9-16 In case of emergency
each of the jack-up reinforcements.
„ Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your vehi-
cle. Use the following procedures to en-
sure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P” po-
sition for automatic transmission vehicles
or “1st” for manual transmission vehicles. 2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier
properly with safety chains. Each safety
chain should be equally tightened and
care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out.
„ Towing with all wheels on the
ground
1. Check the transmission and differential
oil levels and add oil to bring it to the upper
level if necessary.
2. Release the parking brake and put the
transmission in neutral.Use the rear tie-down hooks only for
downward anchoring. If they are
used to anchor the vehicle in any
other direction, cables may slip off
the hooks, possibly causing a dan-
gerous situation.
900033
y Never turn the ignition switch to
the “LOCK” position while the ve-
hicle is being towed because the
steering wheel and the direction
of the wheels will be locked. 900254y Remember that the brake booster
and power steering do not func-
tion when the engine is not run-
ning. Because the engine is
turned off, it will take greater ef-
fort to operate the brake pedal and
steering wheel.
y If transmission failure occurs,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.
y Do not run the engine while being
towed using this method. Trans-
mission damage could result if
the vehicle is towed with the en-
gine running.
y For vehicles with automatic trans-
mission, the traveling speed must
be limited to less than 20 mph (30
km/h) and the traveling distance
to less than 31 miles (50 km). For
greater speeds and distances,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.

Maintenance and service
11 - 3 7
– CONTINUED –„ Wheel balanceEach wheel was correctly balanced when
your vehicle was new, but the wheels will
become unbalanced as the tires become
worn during use. Wheel imbalance caus-
es the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at
certain vehicle speeds and detracts from
the vehicle’s straight-l ine stability. It can
also cause steering and suspension sys-
tem problems and abnormal tire wear. If
you suspect that the wheels are not cor-
rectly balanced, have them checked and
adjusted by your SUBARU dealer. Also
have them adjusted after tire repairs and
after tire rotation.
NOTE Loss of correct wheel alignment* caus-
es the tires to wear on one side and re-
duces the vehicle’s running stability.
Contact your SUBARU dealer if you no-
tice abnormal tire wear. *: The suspension system is designed to hold
each wheel at a certain alignment (relative to
the other wheels and to the road) for optimum
straight-line stability and cornering perfor-
mance. „ Wear indicators
1) New tread
2) Worn tread
3) Tread wear indicator
Each tire incorporates a tread wear indica-
tor, which becomes visible when the depth
of the tread grooves decreases to 0.063 in
(1.6 mm). A tire must be replaced when
the tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread. NOTE For safety, inspect th e tire tread regu-
larly and replace the tires before their
tread wear indicators become visible.
„ Tire rotation12 3
B00327
When a tire’s tread wear indicator
becomes visible, the tire is worn be-
yond the acceptable limit and must
be replaced immediately. With a tire
in this condition, driving at high
speeds in wet weather can cause
the vehicle to hydroplane. The re-
sulting loss of vehicle control can
lead to an accident.
B00054

Index
14-7Front turn signal light ................................................. 11-50
Headlight ................................................................... 11-49
High mount stop light ................................................. 11-56
License plate light ...................................................... 11-53
Map light .................................................................... 11-54
Parking light ............................................................... 11-50
Rear combination light ............................................... 11-51
Trunk light .................................................................. 11-55
Rocking the vehicle .......................................................... 8-12
Roof rail and crossbar ...................................................... 8-14
S
Safety
Precautions when driving .......... ....................................... 4
Symbol .............................................................................. 2
Warnings .......................................................................... 2
Seat
Fabric ........................................................................... 10-5
Heater ............................................................................ 1-7
Seatbelt ................................................................................. 4
Maintenance ............. .............. ............ ........... .............. 1-21
Pretensioners .............................................................. 1-21
Safety tips .................................................................... 1-11
Warning light and chime .............................................. 1-13
Seatbelts .......................................................................... 1-11
Selector lever ............................ .............................. 7-12, 7-18
Position indicator .................... ..................................... 3-24
Shift lock release ..................................................... 7-16, 7-23
Snow tires ......................................................................... 8-10
Sounding a panic alarm .................................................... 2-10
Spark plugs .................................................................... 11-19
Specifications ................................................................... 12-2 Speedometer ............................................................. 3-6, 3-10
SRS
Curtain airbag .......... ....................................... ............. 1-53
Frontal airbag ............................................................... 1-43
Side airbag ............... ....................................... ............. 1-53
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System
airbag) .............. .......................................... ............... 4, 1-38
SRS airbag system warning light .. ............ ........... ............. 3-16
Starting the engine ........ .................................................. .... 7-8
State emission testing (U.S. only) ....................................... 7-6
Steering wheel
Power ........................................................................... 7-25
Tilt ................................................................................ 3-43
Stopping the engine ............................................................ 7-9
Storage compartment ......................................................... 6-4
Sun shades ....................................................................... 2-27
Sun visors ........................................................................... 6-3
Supplemental Restraint System ai rbag (SRS) .................. 1-38
Synthetic leather upholstery ....... ......................... ............. 10-5
T
Tachometer ................................................................ 3-8, 3-12
Temperature gauge ........ .............. ............ ........... ...... 3-9, 3-13
Temperature warning light (AT OIL TEMP) ...................... 3-18
Temporary spare tire .......................................................... 9-2
Tie-down hooks ................................................................ 9-13
Tilt steering wheel ............................................................. 3-43
Tire
Chains .......................................................................... 8-11
Inspection ................................................................... 11-34
Pressures and wear ................................................... 11-35
Replacement .............................................................. 11-38