Subaru Crosstrek Owners Manual: Braking tips

WARNING

Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can cause dangerous overheating of the brakes and needless wear on the brake pads and linings.

When the brakes get wet

When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping distance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake pedal to heat up the brakes.

Use of engine braking

Remember to make use of engine braking in addition to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the foot brake is used, the brakes may start working improperly because of brake fluid overheating, caused by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking.

Braking when a tire is punctured

Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire is punctured. This could cause a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe location.