Battery; Battery Precautions - Subaru Legacy Outback 2008 Owner's Manual

11-54
Maintenance and service

Battery

& Battery Precautions!
WARNING
Read these instructions care-
fully:
To ensure safe and correct handling
of your battery, read the following
precautions carefully before using
the battery or inspecting it.
Wear eye protection:
Always wear eye protection when
working near your vehicle's battery.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid,
so it can cause blindness if
splashed into your eyes. Also, bat-
teries emit highly flammable, explo-
sive hydrogen gas. Eye protection is
vital for protection in the event that
this gas ignites.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric
acid:
Since battery fluid contains sulfuric
acid, be sure to wear eye protection
and protective gloves when inspect-
ing your vehicle's battery. Avoid
tipping the battery and subjecting it
to shocks since this could cause
fluid to spill.
Under no circumstances allow bat-
tery fluid to make contact with your
skin, eyes, or clothing since this can
cause blindness and burns. If bat-
tery fluid splashes onto your skin,
eyes or clothing, wash it away
immediately with plenty of water. If
battery fluid splashes into your
eyes, seek medical attention imme-
diately.
If battery fluid is accidentally swal-
lowed, immediately drink a large
amount of milk or water, and seek
medical attention immediately.
Battery fluid is corrosive. If it
splashes onto your vehicle's paint-
work or fabrics, wash it away im-
mediately with plenty of water.
Keep children away:
Batteries must be handled only by
persons who are aware of the po-
tential hazards. Take particular care
to keep children away from your
vehicle's battery. Improper handling
can cause blindness and burns.
Keep flames away:
Before working on or near your
vehicle's battery, extinguish all ci-
garettes, matches, and lighters.
Also, keep the battery away from
flammable items and electrical
sparks. Since batteries emit highly
flammable, explosive hydrogen gas,
any flames or sparks in the vicinity
could cause an explosion.
When working near your vehicle's
battery, take care that metal tools do
not short-circuit the battery's (+) and
(−) terminals or connect the bat-
tery's (+) terminal to the vehicle's
body. A short circuit could create
electrical sparks and lead to an
explosion.
To prevent electrical sparks, all
rings, wristwatches, and other metal
accessories must be taken off be-
fore work is carried out on or near
the battery.
Prevent explosions:
While being charged, batteries emit
highly flammable, explosive hydro-