Get Driving Tips -> 8-9. Winter Driving Guide for Subaru Outback SUV Sixth Generation (2020-2025)

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

come in contact with the undercarriage of

the vehicle body.

Drive the vehicle at 6 mph (10 km/h) or

less. If you hear any abnormal noise while

driving, contact a SUBARU dealer for an

inspection as soon as possible.

. Do not allow the vehicle tires to be

submerged in deep sand, a river, or sea-

water. If you have to drive under these

conditions, thoroughly wash the vehicle

after driving. If you hear any abnormal

noise while driving, contact a SUBARU

dealer for an inspection as soon as

possible.

. If the wheels are stuck, cutting the

steering wheel at a sharp angle may cause

the steering components to be deformed.

If you hear any abnormal noise while

driving or if you notice any abnormalities

due to rough running, contact a SUBARU

dealer for an inspection as soon as

possible.

. Avoid driving over curbs. Tires, wheels,

suspensions, and the mechanical compo-

nents under the vehicle body may be

unnoticeably damaged by the impact of

striking a curb or driving on a rough road. If

driving over a curb is unavoidable, ride

over it slowly and at a right angle to the

curb. When parking your vehicle, make

sure that the tires are not pressed against

the curb.

. Do not drive for a long time while the

vehicle is tilted to the left or right.

! After driving

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. Always check your brakes for effective-

ness immediately after driving in sand,

mud or water. Do this by driving slowly and

stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat that

process several times to dry out the brake

discs and brake pads.

. After driving through tall grass, mud,

rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there is

no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand,

etc. adhering to or trapped on the under-

body. Clear off any such matter from the

underbody. If the vehicle is used with these

materials trapped or adhering to the

underbody, a mechanical breakdown or

fire could occur.

. Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-

road driving. Suspension components are

particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they

need to be washed thoroughly.

8-9. Winter Driving

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& Operation during Cold

Weather

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Carry some emergency equipment, such

as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares,

a small shovel and jumper cables.

Check the battery and cables. Cold tem-

peratures reduce battery capacity. The

battery must be in good condition to

provide enough power for cold winter

starts.

It normally takes longer to start the engine

in very cold weather conditions. Use an

engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity

for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil

will make it harder to start the engine.

Keep the door locks from freezing by

squirting them with deicer or glycerin.

Forcing a frozen door open may damage

or separate the rubber weather strips

around the door. If the door is frozen, use

hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards

thoroughly wipe the water away.

Use a windshield washer fluid that con-

tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use

engine antifreeze or other substitutes

because they may damage the paint of

the vehicle.

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Winter Driving

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Driving Tips

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

If you fill the windshield washer tank with a

fluid with a different concentration from the

one used previously, purge the old fluid

from the piping between the windshield

washer tank and washer nozzles by

operating the washer for a certain period

of time. Otherwise, if the concentration of

the fluid remaining in the piping is too low

for the outside temperature, it may freeze

and block the nozzles.

CAUTION

. Adjust the washer fluid concen-

tration appropriately for the out-

side temperature. If the concen-

tration is inappropriate, sprayed

washer fluid may freeze on the

windshield and obstruct your

view, and the fluid may freeze in

the windshield washer tank.

. State or local regulations on

volatile organic compounds may

restrict the use of methanol, a

common windshield washer anti-

freeze additive. Washer fluids

containing non-methanol anti-

freeze agents should be used

only if they provide cold weather

protection without damaging

your vehicle’s paint, wiper blades

or washer system.

! Before driving your vehicle

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Before entering the vehicle, remove any

snow or ice from your shoes because that

could make the pedals slippery and driving

dangerous.

While warming up the vehicle before

driving, check that the accelerator pedal,

brake pedal, and all other controls operate

smoothly.

Clear away ice and snow that has accu-

mulated under the fenders to avoid making

steering difficult. During severe winter

driving, stop when and where it is safe to

do so and check under the fenders

periodically.

! Parking in cold weather

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WARNING

Snow can trap dangerous exhaust

gases under your vehicle. Keep

snow clear of the exhaust pipe and

from around your vehicle if you park

the vehicle in snow with the engine

running.

CAUTION

. Do not use the parking brake

when parking for long periods in

cold weather since it could freeze

in that position.

. When the vehicle is parked in

snow or when it snows, raise the

wiper blades off the glass to

prevent damage to them.

. Under either of the following

conditions, icing may develop

on the brake system, which could

cause poor braking action.

– When the vehicle has been left

parked after use on roads

heavily covered with snow

– When the vehicle has been left

parked during a snowstorm

Check for snow or ice buildup on

the suspension, disc brakes and

brake hoses underneath the ve-

hicle. If there is caked snow or

ice, remove it, being careful not

to damage the disc brakes and

brake hoses and ABS harness.

When parking for long periods in cold

weather, you should observe the following

tips.

1. Place the select lever in the “P”

position.

2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent

the vehicle from moving.

Winter Driving

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! Refueling in cold weather

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To help prevent moisture from forming in

the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,

use of an antifreeze additive in the fuel

tank is recommended during cold weather.

Use only additives that are specifically

designed for this purpose. When an anti-

freeze additive is used, its effect lasts

longer if the tank is refilled whenever the

fuel level reaches half empty.

If your SUBARU is not going to be used for

an extended period, it is best to have the

fuel tank filled to capacity.

& Driving on Snowy and Icy

Roads

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WARNING

Do not use the cruise control on

slippery roads such as snowy or icy

roads. This may cause loss of vehi-

cle control.

CAUTION

Avoid prolonged continuous driving

in snowstorms. Snow will enter the

engine’s intake system and may

hinder the airflow, which could re-

sult in engine shutdown or even

breakdown.

To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid

sudden braking, abrupt acceleration, high-

speed driving, and sharp turning when

driving on snowy or icy roads.

Always maintain ample distance between

your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you

to avoid the need for sudden braking.

To supplement the foot brake, use the

engine brake effectively to control the

vehicle speed. (Shift into a lower gear

when necessary.)

Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such beha-

vior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly

leading to loss of vehicle control.

An anti-lock brake system (ABS) en-

hances your vehicle’s braking perfor-

mance on snowy and icy roads. For

information about braking on slippery

surfaces, refer to “ABS (Anti-Lock Brake

System)” �P378 and “Vehicle Dynamics

Control System” �P380.

! Wiper operation when snowing

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Before driving in cold weather, make sure

the wiper blade rubbers are not frozen to

the windshield or rear window.

If the wiper blade rubbers are frozen to the

windshield or rear window, perform the

following procedure.

. To thaw the windshield wiper blade

rubbers, use the defroster with the airflow

selection in “

” and the temperature set

for maximum warmth until the wiper blade

rubbers are completely thawed. Refer to

“Climate Control” �P301.

. If your vehicle is equipped with a wiper

deicer, use it. It is helpful to thaw the

windshield wiper blade rubbers. Refer to

“Defogger and Deicer” �P270.

. To thaw the rear wiper blade rubbers,

use the rear window defogger. Refer to

“Defogger and Deicer” �P270.

When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts

to stick on the surface of the windshield

despite wiper operation, use the defroster

with the airflow selection in “

” and the

temperature set for maximum warmth.

After the windshield gets warmed enough

to melt the frozen snow on it, wash it away

using the windshield washer. Refer to

“Windshield washer” �P268.

Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the

wiper from working effectively. If snow is

stuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road to

a safe place, then remove it. If you stop the

vehicle at road side, use the hazard

warning flasher to alert other drivers. Refer

to “Hazard Warning Flasher” �P174.

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Winter Driving

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Driving Tips

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

We recommend use of non-freezing type

wiper blades (winter blades) during the

seasons you could have snow and freez-

ing temperatures. Blades of this type give

superior wiping performance in snowy

conditions. Be sure to use blades that are

suitable for your vehicle.

CAUTION

During high-speed driving, non-

freezing type wiper blades may not

perform as well as standard wiper

blades. If this happens, reduce the

vehicle speed.

NOTE

When the season requiring non-freez-

ing type wiper blades is over, replace

them with standard wiper blades.

& Corrosion Protection

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Refer to “Corrosion Protection” �P506.

& Snow Tires

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WARNING

. When replacing or installing win-

ter tire(s), all four tires must be

the same for the following items.

(a) Size

(b) Speed symbol

(d) Circumference

(e) Construction

(f) Manufacturer

(g) Brand (tread pattern)

(h) Degrees of wear

For items (a) to (c), you must

obey the specification that is

printed on the tire inflation pres-

sure label. The tire inflation pres-

sure label is located on the dri-

ver’s door pillar.

If all four tires are not the same in

items (a) to (h), serious mechan-

ical damage could be caused to

the drivetrain of the car, and

affect the followings.

– Ride

– Handling

– Braking

– Speedometer/Odometer cali-

bration

– Clearance between the body

and the tires

It also may be dangerous and

lead to loss of vehicle control,

and it can lead to an accident.

. Do not use a combination of

radial, belted bias or bias tires

since it may cause dangerous

handling characteristics and lead

to an accident.

Your vehicle is equipped with “all season

tires” which are designed to provide an

adequate measure of traction, handling

and braking performance in year-round

driving. In winter, it may be possible to

enhance performance through use of tires

designed specifically for winter driving

conditions.

If you choose to install winter tires on your

vehicle, be sure to use the correct tire size

and type. You must install four winter tires

that are of the same size, construction,

brand and load range and you should

never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires

since this may result in dangerous hand-

ling characteristics. When you choose a

tire, make sure that there is enough

clearance between the tire and vehicle

body.

Remember to drive with care at all times

regardless of the type of tires on your

vehicle.

Winter Driving

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

& Tire Chains

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CAUTION

Tire chains cannot be used on your

vehicle because of the lack of clear-

ance between the tires and vehicle

body.

NOTE

When tire chains cannot be used, use of

another type of traction device (such as

spring chains) may be acceptable if use

on your vehicle is recommended by the

device manufacturer, taking into ac-

count tire size and road conditions.

Follow the device manufacturer’s in-

structions, especially regarding max-

imum vehicle speed.

To help avoid damage to your vehicle,

drive slowly, readjust or remove the

device if it is contacting your vehicle,

and do not spin your wheels. Damage

caused to your vehicle by use of a

traction device is not covered under

warranty.

Make certain that any traction device

you use is an SAE class S device, and

use it on the front wheels only. Always

use the utmost care when driving with a

traction device. Overconfidence be-

cause you are using a traction device

could easily lead to a serious accident.

& Rocking the Vehicle

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If you must rock the vehicle to free it from

snow, sand, or mud, depress the accel-

erator pedal slightly and move the select

lever back and forth between “D” and “R”

repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the

best possible traction, avoid spinning the

wheels when trying to free the vehicle.

When the road surface is extremely

slippery, you can obtain better traction by

starting the vehicle with the transmission in

2nd than 1st.

For information on holding the transmis-

sion in 2nd position, refer to “Selection of

Manual Mode” �P373.

8-10. Loading Your Vehicle

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WARNING

Never allow passengers to ride on a

folded rear seatback, in the trunk or

in the cargo area. Doing so may

result in serious injury.

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Loading Your Vehicle

453

Driving Tips

Driving Tips -> 8-9. Winter Driving for Your Subaru Outback SUV Sixth Generation (2020-2025)

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