dashboard SUBARU TRIBECA 2008 Owners Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: SUBARU, Model Year: 2008, Model line: TRIBECA, Model: SUBARU TRIBECA 2008Pages: 409, PDF Size: 5.75 MB
Page 72 of 409

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Subaru advanced frontal air-
bag systemYour vehicle is equipped with a Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
No. 208.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem automatically determines the deploy-
ment force of the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag and, if
activated, the deployment force of the
SRS frontal airbag at the time of deploy-
ment.
Your vehicle has warning labels on the
driver ’s and front passenger ’s sun visors
beginning with the phrase “EVEN WITH
ADVANCED AIR BAGS” and a tag
attached to the glove box lid beginning
with the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags”. Make sure that you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system is a
supplemental restraint system and must
be used in combination with a seatbelt. All
occupants should wear a seatbelt or be
seated in an appropriate child restraint system.
The driver
’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed
in the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG ”mark.
In a moderate to severe frontal collision,
the driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on the
driver ’s and front passenger ’s head and
chest.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-
CING CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN THE
FRONTSEAT.DOINGSORISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’
S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.
WARNING
Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on the front passenger ’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
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WARNING
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable force and can
injure or even kill the child.
WARNING
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper position
when the SRS airbag deploys could
suffer very serious injuries. Be-
cause the SRS airbag needs enough
space for deployment, the driver
should always sit upright and well
back in the seat as far from the
steering wheel as practical while
still maintaining full vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
It is also important to wear yourseatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag
contacts an occupant not in proper
position such as one thrown toward
the front of the vehicle during pre-
accident braking.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dashboard.
If the SRS frontal airbag deploys,
those objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause
injury.Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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Page 79 of 409

The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem is designed to determine the activa-
tion or deactivation condition of the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag depend-
ing on the total load on the front passen-
ger ’s seat monitored by the front passen-
ger ’s occupant detection system weight
sensor. For this reason, only the driver ’s
SRS frontal airbag may deploy in the
event of a collision, but this does not mean
failure of the system.
If the front sub sensors located on both
sides of the radiator panel and the impact
sensors in the airbag control module
detect a predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, the control
module sends signals to the airbag
module(s) (only driver ’s module or both
driver ’s and front passenger ’s modules)
instructing the module(s) to inflate the
SRS frontal airbag(s). The driver ’s and
front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags use
dual stage inflators. The two inflators of
each airbag are triggered either sequen-
tially or simultaneously, depending on the
severity of impact, backward-forward ad-
justment of the driver ’s seat position and
fastening/unfastening of the seatbelt in the
case of the driver ’s SRS frontal airbag and
depending on the severity of impact and
the total load on the seat in the case of the
front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag. After deployment, the SRS airbag immediately
starts to deflate so that the driver
’s vision
is not obstructed. The time required from
detecting impact to the deflation of the
SRS airbag after deployment is shorter
than the blink of an eye.
Both when only the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys and the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags deploy,
the driver ’s and front passenger ’s seatbelt
pretensioners operate at the same time.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS
airbag would activate in a non-accident
situation, should it occur, the SRS airbag
will deflate quickly, not obscuring vision
and will not interfere with the driver ’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.
When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden,
fairly loud inflation noise will be heard and
some smoke will be released. These
occurrences are a normal result of the
deployment. This smoke does not indicate
a fire in the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system
components around the steering
wheel and dashboard with bare
hands right after deployment. Doing
so can cause burns because the components can be very hot as a
result of deployment.
The driver ’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag are de-
signed to deploy in the event of an
accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. It is basically not designed
to deploy in lesser frontal impacts be-
cause the necessary protection can be
achieved by the seatbelt alone. Also, they
are basically not designed to deploy in
side or rear impacts or in rollover acci-
dents because deployment of only the
driver ’s SRS frontal airbag or both driver ’s
and front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags
would not help the occupant in those
situations. The driver ’s and front passen-
ger ’s SRS frontal airbags are designed to
function on a one-time-only basis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the
level of force experienced in the passen-
ger compartment during a collision. That
level differs from one type of collision to
another, and it may have no bearing on
the visible damage done to the vehicle
itself.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-55
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Page 93 of 409

&SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
. When discarding an airbag mod-
ule or scrapping the entire vehi-
cle damaged by a collision, con-
sult your SUBARU dealer.
. The SRS airbag has no user-
serviceable parts. Do not use
electrical test equipment on any
circuit related to the SRS airbag
system. For required servicing of
the SRS airbag, see your nearest
SUBARU dealer. Tampering with
or disconnecting the system ’s
wiring could result in accidental
inflation of the SRS airbag or
could make the system inopera-
tive, which may result in serious
injury. The wiring harnesses of
the SRS airbag system are cov-
ered with yellow insulation and
system connectors are yellow for
easy identification.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas
listed in the following, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer perform
the work. The SRS airbag control module, impact sensors and airbag
modules are stored in these areas.
.
Under the center console
. Inside each front fender
. Steering wheel and column and
nearby areas
. Top of the dashboard on front
passenger ’s side and nearby
areas
. Each front seat and nearby area
. Inside each center pillar
. In each roof side (from the front
pillar to a point over the rear seat)
. Between the rear seat cushion
and rear wheel house on each
side
In the event that the SRS airbag is
deployed, replacement of the system
should be performed only by an author-
ized SUBARU dealer. When the compo-
nents of the SRS airbag system are
replaced, use only genuine SUBARU
parts.
NOTEIn the following cases, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
. The front part of the vehicle was
involved in an accident in which only the driver
’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver ’s and front passenger ’sSRS
frontal airbags did not deploy.
. 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.
. 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.
. The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwise
damaged.
& Precautions against vehicle
modification
WARNING
. To avoid accidental activation of
the system or rendering the sys-
tem inoperative, which may re-
sult in serious injury, no modifi-
cations should be made to any
components or wiring of the SRS
airbag system.
This includes following modifica-
tions:Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-69
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Page 94 of 409

1-70
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
.Installation of custom steering
wheels
. Attachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
. Installation of custom seats
. Replacement of seat fabric or
leather
. Installation of additional fabric
or leather on the front seat
. Attachment of a hands-free
microphone or any other ac-
cessory to a front pillar, a
center pillar, a rear pillar, the
windshield, a side window, an
assist grip, or any other cabin
surface that would be near a
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 is not advisable.
This could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbag
system.
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, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory 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.
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3-12
Instruments and controls
.Continuous illumination of the
warning light
. Illumination of the warning light
while driving& Front passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON and OFF indica-
tors
: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
indicator: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator
The front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located in the center
portion of the dashboard. When the ignition switch is turned to the
“
ON ”position, both the ON and OFF
indicators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators
extinguish for 2 seconds. After that, one
of the indicators illuminates depending on
the status of the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag determined by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system monitor-
ing.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain extinguished.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger ’sfrontal
airbag ON indicator will remain extin-
guished while the OFF indicator will
illuminate.
If both the ON and OFF indicators remain
lit or extinguished simultaneously, the
system is faulty. Contact your SUBARU
dealer immediately for an inspection.
&
CHECK ENGINE warn-
ing light/Malfunction in-
dicator lamp
CAUTION
If the CHECK ENGINE light comes
on while you are driving, have your
vehicle checked/repaired by your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-
ble. Continued vehicle operation
without having the emission control
system checked and repaired as
necessary could cause serious da-
mage, which may not be covered by
your vehicle ’s warranty.
If this light comes on steadily or blinks
while the engine is running, it may indicate
that there is a problem or potential
problem somewhere in the emission con-
trol system.
! If the light comes on steadily:
If the light comes on steadily while driving
or does not go out after the engine starts,
an emission control system malfunction
has been detected.
You should have your vehicle checked by
an authorized SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately.
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!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 comes on
together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be faulty 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 go out, the EBD system
may be faulty.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU
dealer and have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights come on again
and stay illuminated after the engine 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
faulty. 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.
&
Low fuel warning light
CAUTION
Immediately put fuel in the tank
whenever the low fuel warning light
illuminates. Engine misfires as a
result of an empty tank could cause
damage to the engine.
The low fuel warning light illuminates
when the tank is nearly empty approxi-
mately 2.6 US gal (10 liters, or 2.2 Imp
gal). It only operates when the ignition
switch is in the “ON”position. When this
light illuminates, fill the fuel tank immedi-
ately.
NOTEThis light does not go out unless the
tank is replenished up to an internal
fuel quantity of approximately 4.0 US
gal (15 liters, 3.3 Imp gal).& Door open warning lightThe indicators are located in the center
portion of the dashboard.
When any of the doors or the rear gate is
not fully closed, it is indicated by the
corresponding part of the door open
warning light.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive.
Instruments and controls
3-17
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Page 139 of 409

The Vehicle Dynamics Control system
provides its ABS control through the
electrical circuit of the ABS system.
Accordingly, if the ABS is inoperative, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system be-
comes unable to provide ABS control. As
a result, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system also becomes inoperative, caus-
ing the warning light to come on. Though
both the Vehicle Dynamics Control and
ABS systems are inoperative in this case,
the ordinary functions of the brake system
are still available. You will be safe while
driving with this condition, but have your
vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.NOTEIf the warning light behavior is as
shown in the following, the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system may be con-
sidered normal.
.The warning light comes on right
after the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off.
. The warning light comes on after
engine startup and goes off while the
vehicle is subsequently being driven.
. The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately and
remains off. !
Traction Control system OFF indi-
cator light
. It comes on when the Traction Control
system OFF switch is pressed.
. It also comes on when the Traction
Control system is deactivated.
NOTE. The light may stay on for a while
after the engine has been started,
especially in cold weather. This does
not indicate the existence of a problem.
The light should go out as soon as the
engine has warmed up.
. The indicator light comes on when
the engine has developed a problem
and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
Malfunction indicator lamp is on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably faulty under the following condi-
tion. Have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
. The light does not go out even after the
lapse of several minutes (the engine has
warmed up) after the engine has started.
& Security indicator lightThe indicators are located in the center
portion of the dashboard.
This indicator light shows the status of the
alarm system. It also indicates operation
of the immobilizer system.
! Alarm system
It blinks to show the driver the operational
status of the alarm system. For detailed
information, refer to the “Alarm system”
section in chapter 2.
! Immobilizer system
This light blinks approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from
“ ON ”position to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”
position or immediately after the key is
pulled out. (Refer to the “Door locks ”
Instruments and controls
3-19
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Page 243 of 409

&Starting your vehicleThe remote control start system is acti-
vated by pressing the “
”button twice
within 3 seconds on your remote control
transmitter. The system will check certain
pre-conditions before starting, and if all
safety parameters are correct, the engine
will start within 5 seconds. While the
vehicle is operating via remote engine
start, the vehicle’ s power window features
will be disabled. Also, the system has a
timer and will shut down after 15 minutes if
you do not operate the vehicle. Press and
hold the “
”button for 2 seconds again to
turn the vehicle off. If the vehicle ’s starter
cranks but does not start or starts and
stalls, the remote engine start system will
power off then attempt to start the vehicle an additional four times. If the vehicle fails
to start after the additional attempts, the
remote engine start system will abort and
return to a non activated state.
&
Remote start safety featuresFor safety and security reasons, the
system will fail to start and beep the horn
twice or shut down the engine during
remote start operation if any of the
following occur:
. The brake pedal is pressed before the
vehicle ignition switch is turned “on ”
. The key was already in the ignition
switch
. The engine hood is opened
. The vehicle’ s engine idle speed has
reached a level over 3,000 RPM
. The alarm is triggered by opening a
door or the rear gate.NOTE. The security indicator light on the
dashboard will stop flashing while
under remote engine start operation,
but the vehicle is still protected.
. If the vehicle is entered during
remote engine start operation, the
system will not record entry in the
alarm history.
& Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start1. Unlock the vehicle doors using the
keyless entry system. If the vehicle ’s
doors are unlocked manually using the
key, the vehicle’ s alarm system will trigger
and the remote engine start system will
turn off. Inserting the key into the ignition
switch and turning it to the “ON”position or
pressing the unlock button “
”on the
remote keyless entry transmitter will dis-
arm the alarm system. Refer to the “Alarm
system ”section in chapter 2.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not press the
brake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition switch
and turn to the “ON”position. If the ignition
switch is accidentally turned to the
“START ”position, the system ’s “starter
anti-grind ”feature will prevent the starter
from re-cranking.
4. Press the brake pedal. The remote
starter disengages, the vehicle ’s power
window features are re-enabled and the
vehicle will operate normally.
& Entering the vehicle follow-
ing remote engine start shut-
downAn alarm trigger may occur if the vehicle is
opened by the remote keyless entry
Starting and operating
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7-10
Starting and operating
transmitter within a few seconds immedi-
ately following remote engine start shut-
down.&Pre-heating or pre-cooling
the interior of the vehicleBefore exiting the vehicle, set the tem-
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
vehicle, the heater or air-conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting.&Service modeIn service mode, the remote start function
is temporarily disabled to prevent the
system from unexpectedly starting the
engine while being serviced.
! To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake pedal
then, press and release the “
”button on
the remote control transmitter three times.
The system will pause for 1 second and
then flash the parking lights and honk the
horn three times indicating that the system
is in service mode. When attempting to
activate the remote start system while in
service mode, the parking lights will flash
and the horn will honk two times and will
not start. !
To disengage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote control transmitter
three times. The system will pause for 1
second and flash the parking lights one
time indicating that the system has exited
service mode.
NOTEWhen taking your vehicle in for service,
it is recommended that you inform the
service personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with a remote control start
system.& Remote transmitter program-
ming and programmable fea-
ture optionNew transmitters can be programmed to
the engine starter system in the event that
remote transmitters are lost, stolen or
damaged. The remote engine start system
also has one programmable feature that
can be adjusted for user preference.
The remote engine starter system can be
programmed to either make an audible
horn chirp upon remote start activation or
not. Remote transmitter programming and
feature programming can be adjusted
using the following procedure. 1. Open the driver
’s door (the driver ’s
door must remain opened throughout the
entire process).
2. Insert the key into the vehicle’ s ignition
switch and turn to the “ON”position.
3. Locate the small black programming
button behind the fuse box cover, on the
driver ’s side left under the dashboard
panel.
4. Press and hold the black programming
button for 10 to 15 seconds. The horn will
honk and the parking lights will flash three
times to indicate that the system has
entered programming mode. At this point
you can perform either action (Step 5 or
Step 6).
5. To program a remote transmitter:
press and release the “
”button on each
transmitter. The horn will honk and the
parking lights will flash one time to indicate
a successful transmitter learn each time
the “
”button is pressed. You can
program up to eight transmitters.
6. To toggle the Horn Confirmation chirps
ON/OFF: press and release the brake to
toggle the feature. The horn will chirp and
the parking lights will flash one time to
indicate Confirmation Horn Chirps are
“OFF ”. The horn will honk and the parking
lights will flash 2 times to indicate Con-
firmation Horn Chirps are “ON”. Pressing
the brake pedal repeatedly will toggle the
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