Get Starting and operating -> Automatic transmission/Continuously variable transmission Guide for Subaru Outback SUV Fourth Generation (2010-2014)

7-22 Starting and operating

Automatic transmission/Con-

tinuously variable transmis-

sion

The automatic transmission is electroni-

cally controlled and provides 5 forward

speeds and 1 reverse speed. The con-

tinuously variable transmission is electro-

nically controlled and provides an infinite

number of forward speeds and 1 reverse

speed.

Both the automatic transmission and

continuously variable transmission have

a manual mode.

WARNING

Do not shift from the “P” or “N”

position into the “D” or “R” position

while depressing the accelerator

pedal. This may cause the vehicle

to lurch forward or backward.

CAUTION

. Shift into the “P” or “R” position

only after the vehicle is comple-

tely stopped. Shifting while the

vehicle is moving may cause

damage to the transmission.

. Do not race the engine for more

than 5 seconds in any position

except the “N” or “P” position

when th e brake is applied or

when chocks are used in the

wheels. This may cause the

transmission fluid to overheat.

. Avoid shifting from one of the

forward driving positions into the

“R” position or vice versa until

the vehicle has completely

stopped. Such shifting may

cause damage to the transmis-

sion.

. When parking the vehicle, first

securely apply the parking brake

and then place the select lever in

the “P” position. Avoid parking

for a long time with the select

lever in any other position as

doing so could result in a dead

battery.

NOTE

. For AT models, when the engine

coolant temperature is still low, the

transmission will upshift to higher

engine speeds than when the coolant

temperature is sufficiently high in order

to shorten the warm-up time and

improve driveability. The gearshift tim-

ing will automatically shift to the nor-

mal timing after the engine has warmed

up.

. Immediately after transmission fluid

is replaced, you may feel th at the

transmission operation is somewhat

unusual. This results from invalidation

of data which the on-board computer

has collected and stored in memory to

allow the transmission to shift at the

most appropriate times for the current

condition of your vehicle. Optimized

shifting will be restored as the vehicle

continues to be driven for a while.

. When driving a vehicle that is

equipped with CVT under continuous

heavy load conditions such as towing a

camper or climbing a long, steep hill,

the engine speed or the vehicle speed

may automatically be reduced. This is

not a malfunction. This phenomenon

results from the engine control func-

tion maintaining the cooling perfor-

mance of the vehicle. The engine and

vehicle speed will return to a normal

speed when the engine is able to

maintain the optimum cooling perfor-

mance after the heavy load decreases.

Driving under a heavy load must be

performed with extreme care. Do not

try to pass a vehicle in front when

driving on an uphill slope while towing.

. The continuously variable transmis-

sion is a chain type system that

provides superior transmi ssion effi-

ciency for maximum fuel economy. At

times, depending on varying driving

conditions, a chain operating sound

may be heard that is characteristic of

this type of system.

& Select lever

: With the brake pedal depressed, shift

while pressing the button in

: Shift while pressing the button in

: Shift without pressing the button

The select lever has four positions, “P”,

“R”, “N”, “D” and also has a manual gate

for using the manual mode.

NOTE

For some models, to protect the engine

while the select lever is in the “P” or

“N” position, the engine is controlled

so that the engine speed may n ot

become too high even if the accelerator

pedal is depressed hard.

! P (Park)

This position is for parking the vehicle and

starting the engine.

In this position, the transmission is me-

chanically locked to prevent the vehicle

from rolling freely.

When you park the vehicle, first apply the

parking brake, then shift into the “P”

position. Do not hold the vehicle with only

the transmission.

To shift the select lever from the “P” to any

other position, you should depress the

brake pedal fully then move the select

lever. This pr events th e vehicle from

lurching when it is started.

! R (Reverse)

This position is for backing the vehicle.

To shift from the “N” to “R” position, stop

the vehi cle completely then move the

lever to the “R” position.

! N (Neutral)

This position is for restarting a stalled

engine.

In this position the wheels and transmis-

sion are not locked. In this position, the

transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll

freely, even on the slightest incline unless

the parking brake or foot brake is applied.

Avoid co asting with the transmiss ion

neutral.

During coasting, there is no engine brak-

ing effect.

NOTE

If the select lever is in the “N” position

when you stop the engine for parking,

you may not subsequently be able to

move it to the “R” and “P” positions. If

this happens, turn the ignition switch to

the “ON” position. You will then be able

to move the select lever to the “P”

position.

WARNING

Do not drive the vehicle with the

select lever in the “N” (neutral)

position. Engine b raking has no

effect in this condition and the risk

of an accident is consequently in-

creased.

! D (Drive)

This position is for normal driving. The

transmission automatically shifts into a

suitable gear according to the vehicle

Starting and operating 7-23

– CONTINUED –

7-24 Starting and operating

speed and the acceleration you require.

When more acceleration is required in this

position, depress the accelerator pedal

fully to the floor and hold that position. The

transmission will automatically downshift.

When you release the pedal, the transmis-

sion will return to the original gear posi-

tion.

To use the manual mode, move the lever

from this position into the manual gate.

NOTE (AT models only)

Automatic downshifts to 4th or 3rd may

occur even when driving on a level

road depending on conditions, such as

how hard you depress the brake pedal.

! While climbing a grade

When driving up a hill, undesired upshift is

prevented from taking place when the

accelerator is released. This minimizes

the chance of subsequent downshifting to

a lower gear when accelerating again.

This prevents repeated upshifting and

downshifting resulting in a smoother op-

eration of the vehicle.

NOTE

The transmission may downshift, de-

pending on the way the accelerator

pedal is depressed to accelerate the

vehicle again.

& Shift lock function

The shift lock function helps prevent the

improper operation of the select lever.

. The select lever cannot be operated

unless the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON” position and the brake pedal is

depressed.

. The select lever cannot be moved from

the “P” position to any other position

before the brake pedal is depressed.

Depress the brake pedal first, and then

operate the select lever.

. Only the “P” position allows you to turn

the key from the “Acc” position to the

“LOCK”/“OFF” position and remove the

key from the ignition key cylinder.

. If the ignition switch is turned to the

“LOCK”/“OFF” position while the select

lever is in the “N” position, the select lever

may not be moved to the “P” position after

a period of time. Therefore, move the

select lever to the “P” position with the

brake pedal depressed soon after the

ignition switch is turned to the “LOCK”/

“OFF” position.

! Shift lock release

If the select lever cannot be operated, turn

the ign ition switch back to the “ON”

position then move the select lever to the

“P” position with the select lever button

pressed and brake pedal depressed.

If the select lever does not move after

performing the above procedure, perform

the following steps.

. When the select lever cannot be

shifted from “P” to “N”:

Refer to “Shift lock release using the shift

lock release button” F7-25.

. When the select lever cannot be

shifted from “N” to “R”, “P”:

Within 60 seconds after placing the igni-

tion switch in the “Acc” position, move the

select lever to the “P” position with the

select lever button pressed and brake

pedal depressed.

If you must perform the above procedure,

the shift lock system (or the vehicle control

system) may be malfunctioning. Contact a

SUBARU dealer for an inspection as soon

as possible.

If the select lever does not move after

performing the above procedure, refer to

“Shift lock release using the shift lock

release button” F7-25.

! Shift lock release using the shift

lock release button

Perform the following procedure to release

the shift lock.

1. Apply the parking brake and stop the

engine.

2. Remove the shift lock cover using a

flat-head screwdriver.

3. While depressing the brake pedal,

insert the electronic parking brake release

tool into the hole, press the shift lock

release button using the tool, and then

move the select lever.

NOTE

To prevent damage to the shift lock

cover, cover the tip of the flat-head

screwdriver with vinyl tape or a cloth

before removing the cover.

If the select lever does not move after

performing the above procedure, the shift

lock system may be malfunctioning. Con-

tact a SUBARU dealer for an inspection

as soon as possible.

& Selection of manual mode

With the vehicle either moving or station-

ary, move the select lever from the “D”

position to the “M” position to select the

manual mode.

Starting and operating 7-25

– CONTINUED –

7-26 Starting and operating

Type A

1) Upshift indicator

2) Downshift indicator

3) Gear position indicator

Type B

1) Upshift indicator

2) Downshift indicator

3) Gear position indicator

When the manual mode is selected, the

gear position indicator and upshift indica-

tor and/or downshift ind icator on the

combination meter illuminate. The gear

position indicator shows the currently

selected gear in the 1st-to-5th-gear range

(AT models) or 1st-to-6th gear range (CVT

models). The upshift and downshift indi-

cators show when a gearshift is possible.

When the upshift indicator “

” is on,

upshifting is possible. When the downshift

indicator “

” is on, downshifting is possi-

ble. When both indicators are on, upshift-

ing and downshifting are both possible.

When the vehicle stops (for example, at

tra ffic signals), the downshift indicat or

turns off.

Gearshifts can be performed using the

shift paddle behind the steering wheel.

To upshift to the next higher gear position,

pull the shift paddle that has “+” indicated

on it. To downshift to the next lower gear

position, pull the shift paddle that has “–”

indicated on it.

To deselect the manual mode, return the

select lever to the “D” position from the “M”

position.

While driving with the select lever in the

“D” position, if you change gears by

operating the shift paddle, the gear posi-

tion indicator light illuminates and shows

the current gear condition.

CAUTION

Do not place or hang anything on

the shift paddles. Doing so may

result in accidental gear shifting.

NOTE

Please read the following points care-

fully and bear them in mind when using

the manual mode.

. 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.

. If you attempt to shift up when the

vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-

sion will not respond.

. You can perform a skip-shift (for

example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating

the shift paddle twice in rapid succes-

sion.

. The transmission automatically se-

lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops

moving.

. If the temperature of the transmis-

sion fluid becomes too high, the “AT

OIL TEMP” warning light will illuminate.

Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe

place and let the engine idle until the

warning light turns off.

& Driving tips

. On a road surface where there is a risk

of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or

gravel-covered road), you can pull away

from a standstill safely and easily by first

selecting the 2nd gear of the manual

mode.

. Always apply the foot or parking brake

when the vehicle is stopped in the “D” or

“R” position.

. Always apply the parking brake when

parking your vehicle. Do not hold the

vehicle with only the transmission.

. Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary

position on an uphill grade by using the

“D” position. Use the brake instead.

. The engine may, on rare occasions,

knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-

ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.

This phenomenon does not indicate a

malfunction.

. A slight reduction in output torque may

occur in the models with a 3.6 L engine

before the engine warms up.

Power steering

CAUTION

Do not hold the steering wheel at the

fully locked position left or right for

more than 5 seconds. This may

damage the power steering pump.

The power steering system operates only

when the engine is running.

If you lose power steering 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 steering pump which

is located at the right-front area of the

engine compartment. This noise is

normal. It does not indicate power

steering system trouble.

Starting and operating 7-27

Starting and operating -> Automatic transmission/Continuously variable transmission for Your Subaru Outback SUV Fourth Generation (2010-2014)

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