tires SUBARU OUTBACK 2016 6.G Owners Manual

driving with others.
&Car phone/cell phone and
driving
CAUTION
Do not use a car phone/cell phone
while driving; it may distract your
attention from driving and can lead
to an accident. If you use a car
phone/cell phone, pull off the road
and park in a safe place before
using your phone. In some States/
Provinces, only hands-free phones
may legally be used while driving.
&Modification of your vehicle
CAUTION
Your vehicle should not be modified
other than with genuine SUBARU
parts and accessories. Other types
of modifications could affect its
performance, safety or durability,
and may even violate governmental
regulations. In addition, damage or
performance problems resulting
from modification may not be cov-
ered under warranties.
&Driving with pets
Unrestrained pets can interfere with your
driving and distract your attention from
driving. In a collision or sudden stop,
unrestrained pets or cages can be thrown
around inside the vehicle and hurt you or
your passengers. Besides, the pets can
be hurt under these situations. It is also for
their own safety that pets should be
properly restrained in your vehicle. Re-
strain a pet with a special traveling
harness which can be secured to the rear
seat with a seatbelt or use a pet carrier
which can be secured to the rear seat by
routing a seatbelt through the carrier’s
handle. Never restrain pets or pet carriersin the front passenger’s seat. For further
information, consultyour veterinarian,
local animal protection society or pet
shop.
&Tire pressures
WARNING
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
Check and, if necessary, adjust the
pressure of each tire (including the spare)
at least once a month and before any long
journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are
cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust the
tire pressures to the values shown on the
tire placard. For detailed information, refer
to“Tires and wheels”F11-24.
7

Illustrated index
&Exterior
1) Engine hood (page 11-7)
2) Headlight (page 3-44)
3) Bulb replacement (page 11-40)
4) Front wiper (page 3-52)
5) Moonroof (page 2-48)
6) Roof rail with integrated crossbars and
rope hook (page 8-14)
7) Door locks (page 2-6)
8) Outside mirrors (page 3-62)
9) Tire pressure (page 11-27)
10) Flat tires (page 9-5)
11) Fog light (page 3-49)
12) Tie-down hooks (page 9-14)
13) Towing hook (Outback) (page 9-14)
10

&Precautions against vehicle
modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners.
.Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
.Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
.Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the door
pillar or specified for individual
vehicle models in this Owner’s
Manual.
Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always
be placed in an infant or child restraint
system in the rear seat while riding in the
vehicle.
You should use an infant or child restraint
system that meets Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards or Canada Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards, is compatible with
your vehicle and is appropriate for the
child’s age and size.
All child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or
the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt
(except those covered under the section in
this manual, entitled“Installation of child
restraint systems by use of lower andtether anchorages (LATCH)”F1-35).
Children could be endangered in an
accident if their child restraints are not
properly secured in the vehicle. When
installing the child restraint system, care-
fully follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces
require that infants and small children be
restrained in an approved child restraint
system at all times while the vehicle is
moving.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
–CONTINUED–1-27

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
!Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS curtain airbag will most
likely deploy1) The vehicle is involved in a severe side
impact near the front seat or the rear
seat.
2) The vehicle rolls onto its side or the roof.
3) The angle of vehicle tip-up is marginal or
the skidding vehicle’s tires hit a curb-
stone laterally.
4) An offset frontal collision that is severe
enough to deploy the front airbag.
1-64

deploying SRS curtain airbag
–Installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment
such as a mobile two-way
radio on or near the SRS
airbag system components
and/or wiring
–Modifications on or inside the
front door panels for the pur-
pose of a speaker replace-
ment or sound insulation
.The impact sensors, which detect
the pressure of an impact, are
located in the doors. Do not
modify any components of the
doors or door trims, such as the
addition of door speakers for
example. Any modifications to
the doors create a risk of the
airbag system becoming inop-
erative or unintended airbag de-
ployment.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the SRS airbag system.
.Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, bullbar, winches, snowplow, skid/sump plate, etc.) other
than genuine SUBARU acces-
sory parts.
.Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
.Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-
er’s Manual.
.Attachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors,
etc.) other than genuine SUBARU
accessory parts to the side body.
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)1-71

Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
is not working properly.
If the light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the engine oil level. If the oil level is
low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is
at the proper level but the light remains
illuminated, contact your nearest
SUBARU dealer immediately.
&Engine low oil level
warning indicator
This indicator appears when the engine oil
level decreases to the lower limit.
If the engine low oil level warning indicator
appears while driving, park the vehicle at a
safe and level location, and then check
the engine oil level. When the engine oil
level is not within the normal range, refill
with engine oil. Refer to“Engine oil”F11 -
11 .
If the warning indicator does not disappear
after refilling with engine oil or the warning
indicator appears even though the engine
oil level is within the normal range, have
the system checked by a SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
.After replacing or adding the engine
oil, if the engine oil level is within the
normal range when restarting the en-gine on a level surface, the warning
indicator will be off.
.The warning indicator may appear
temporarily in the following conditions
because a low oil level may be detected
as a result of significant oil movement
in the engine.
–when the vehicle is considerably
inclined on an uphill or steep slope
–when the vehicle has continu-
ously accelerated and decelerated
–when the vehicle is continuously
turned
–when the vehicle is driven on a
road that alternates continuously
between uphill and downhill
&AT OIL TEMP warning
light (CVT models)
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the transmis-
sion fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light illuminates while driving, im-
mediately stop the vehicle in a safe place
and let the engine idle until the warning
light turns off.
!Transmission control system warn-
ing
If the“AT OIL TEMP”warning light flashes
after the engine has started, it mayindicate that the transmission control
system is not working properly. Contact
your nearest SUBARU dealer for service
immediately.
&Low tire pressure
warning light (U.S. spec.
models)
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will go out.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
3-16

inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety ofreasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
Should the warning light illuminate stea-
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
If this light does not illuminate
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and seriouspersonal injury could occur.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, a tire may have significant
damage and a fast leak that causes
the tire to lose air rapidly. If you have
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the Low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates
the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. If the light
illuminates steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU dealer
to have the system inspected.
CAUTION
The tire pressure monitoring system
is NOT a substitute for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked peri-
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
–CONTINUED–3-17

Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
odically (at least monthly) using a
tire gauge. After any change to tire
pressure(s), the tire pressure mon-
itoring system will not re-check tire
inflation pressures until the vehicle
is first driven more than 20 mph (32
km/h). After adjusting the tire pres-
sures, increase the vehicle speed to
at least 20 mph (32 km/h) to start the
TPMS re-checking of the tire infla-
tion pressures. If the tire pressures
are now above the severe low
pressure threshold, the low tire
pressure warning light should turn
off a few minutes later. Therefore, be
sure to install the specified size for
the front and rear tires.
&ABS warning light
CAUTION
.If any of the following conditions
occur, we recommend that you
have the ABS repaired at the first
available opportunity by your
SUBARU dealer.
–The warning light does not
illuminate when the ignition
switch is turned to the“ON”
position.–The warning light illuminates
when the ignition switch is
turned to the“ON”position,
but it does not turn off even
after starting the vehicle.
–The warning light illuminates
during driving.
.When the warning light is on (and
brake system warning light is
off), the ABS function shuts
down; however, the conventional
brake system continues to oper-
ate normally.
The ABS warning light illuminates to-
gether with the brake system warning light
if the EBD system malfunctions. For
further details of the EBD system mal-
function warning, refer to“Brake system
warning light”F3-18.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following conditions,
the ABS may be considered normal.
.The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.
.The warning light remains illumi-
nated after the engine has been started,
but it turns off while driving.
.The warning light illuminates duringdriving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-
nate. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will turn off.
&Brake system
warning light
WARNING
.Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains illuminated,
have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately.
.If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair.
.If the brake system warning light
illuminates, the electronic park-
ing brake system may be mal-
functioning. Immediately stop
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your vehicle in a safe location,
use tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving
and contact your SUBARU deal-
er. For details, refer to“Electro-
nic parking brake”F7-42.
NOTE
.Even if the brake system warning
light illuminates, if the warning light
behavior is as described in the follow-
ing examples, the electronic parking
brake system is not malfunctioning.
–The warning light turns off when
the electronic parking brake is ap-
plied or released.
–The warning light turns off when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON”position again.
.The brake system warning light may
illuminate immediately after the engine
is started. However, it is not malfunc-
tioning if the warning light turns off
after the electronic parking brake is
released.
.The brake system warning light may
illuminate after the electronic parking
brake is frequently applied and re-
leased. However, the electronic parking
brake system is not malfunctioning if
the light turns off after a short period oftime.
.When the engine is started while the
electronic parking brake is applied/
released, the system may judge an
abnormal situation and the warning
light may illuminate. If the warning light
illuminates, turn the ignition switch
once to the“LOCK”/“OFF”position
and then restart the engine. Then,
apply/release the electronic parking
brake. If the warning light turns off,
the system will be restored.
This light has the following functions.
!Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the“MIN”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the“ON”position and with the
parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake fully released and with the ignition
switch positioned in“ON”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the“MIN”mark in the
reservoir, do not drive the vehicle. Have
the vehicle towed to the nearest SUBARU
dealer for repair.!Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning if
the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are
applied harder than usual and the vehi-
cle’s motion may therefore become some-
what harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps.
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,
flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, apply the
parking brake and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be malfunctioning. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate again
and remain illuminated after the engine
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
–CONTINUED–3-19

Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
has been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the
“MIN”mark, the EBD system may be
malfunctioning. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the
“MIN”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
!Electronic parking brake system
warning
The brake system warning light illumi-
nates when the electronic parking brake
system is malfunctioning. If the warning
light illuminates, promptly park in a safe
location as soon as possible and contact
your SUBARU dealer.
The brake system warning light remains
illuminated when the parking brake cannot
be released even if the parking brake
switch is pushed. For details, refer to
“Electronic parking brake”F7-42.
!Frequent operation warning
The brake system warning light illumi-
nates and a chirp sound will be heard if
the parking brake switch is operated too
frequently. In this case, the operation ofthe parking brake switch is restricted to
protect the electronic parking brake sys-
tem.
&Electronic parking
brake indicator light
!Parking brake indicator
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the“ON”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is fully released.
!Electronic parking brake system
warning
WARNING
.When you release the electronic
parking brake while the engine is
running, the electronic parking
brake indicator light will turn off.
However, if the light still illumi-
nates, stop the vehicle in a safe
location immediately and have
the system inspected by a
SUBARU dealer.
.If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair..If the electronic parking brake
indicator light flashes, the elec-
tronic parking brake system may
be malfunctioning. Immediately
stop your vehicle in a safe loca-
tion, use tire stops under the
tires to prevent the vehicle from
moving and contact your
SUBARU dealer. For details, refer
to“Electronic parking brake”
F7-42.
NOTE
.When the ignition switch is turned to
the“LOCK”/“OFF”position with the
electronic parking brake applied, the
electronic parking brake indicator light
remains illuminated for approximately
30 seconds and then turns off.
.When the electronic parking brake
switch is pulled to apply the electronic
parking brake while the ignition switch
is in the“LOCK”/“OFF”position, the
electronic parking brake indicator light
illuminates, remains illuminated for
approximately 30 seconds and then
turns off.
.Even if the electronic parking brake
indicator light flashes, if the warning
light behavior is as described in the
following examples, the electronic
parking brake system is not malfunc-
3-20