Subaru Forester
Subaru Forester Owner's Manual
Foreword
Congratulations on choosing a SUBARU vehicle. This Owner’s Manual has all the information necessary to keep your SUBARU in excellent condition and to properly maintain the emission control system for minimizing emission pollutants. We urge you to read this manual carefully so that you may understand your vehicle and its operation. For information not found in this Owner’s Manual, such as details concerning repairs or adjustments, please contact the SUBARU dealer from whom you purchased your SUBARU or the nearest SUBARU dealer.
The information, specifications and illustrations found in this manual are those in effect at the time of printing. FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD. reserves the right to change specifications and designs at any time without prior notice and without incurring any obligation to make the same or similar changes on vehicles previously sold. This Owner’s Manual applies to all models and covers all equipment, including factory installed options. Some explanations, therefore may be for equipment not installed in your vehicle.
Please leave this manual in the vehicle at the time of resale. The next owner will need the information found herein.
FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD., TOKYO, JAPAN
is a registered trademark of FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.
Copyright 2010 FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.
This manual describes the following vehicle types.*
* The illustrated vehicle is one of the FORESTER series.
Warranties
Warranties for U.S.A.
Warranties for Canada
Models with HID headlights
Models without HID headlights
How to use this Owner’s Manual
Using your Owner’s Manual
Safety warnings
Safety symbol
Abbreviation list
Vehicle symbols
There are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
For warning and indicator lights, refer to Warning and indicator lights”.
Safety precautions when driving
Seatbelt and SRS airbag
Child safety
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide)
Drinking and driving
Drugs and driving
Driving when tired or sleepy
Modification of your vehicle
Car phone/cell phone and driving
Driving with pets
Tire pressures
California proposition 65 warning
California Perchlorate Advisory
On-road and off-road driving
General information
Noise from under the vehicle
NOTE
You may hear a noise from under the
vehicle approximately 5 hours after the
engine is turned off. However, this does
not indicate a malfunction. This noise
is caused by the operation of the fuel
evaporation leakage checking system
and the operation is normal. The noise
will stop after approximately 15 minutes.
Illustrated index
Exterior
Interior
Instrument panel
Light control and wiper control levers/switches
Combination meter
Warning and indicator lights
Function settings
A SUBARU dealer can change the settings of the functions shown in the following table to meet your personal requirements. Contact the nearest SUBARU dealer for details. If your vehicle is equipped with the genuine SUBARU navigation system, the settings for some of these functions can be changed using the navigation monitor. For details, please refer to the Owner’s Manual supplement for the navigation system.
*: The setting can only be changed at a SUBARU dealer.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats
Seat heater (if equipped)
Rear seats
Seatbelts
Front seatbelt pretensioners
Child restraint systems
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
Keys and doors
Keys
Immobilizer
Door locks
Power door locking switches
Remote keyless entry system
Alarm system
Child safety locks
Windows
Rear gate
Moonroof (if equipped)
Ignition switch
Meters and gauges
Warning and indicator lights
Clock
Information display
Light control switch
Turn signal lever
Illumination brightness control
Front fog light switch (if equipped)
Wiper and washer
Mirrors
Defogger and deicer
Tilt/telescopic steering wheel
Horn
Climate control
Ventilator
Manual climate control system (if equipped)
Automatic climate control system (if equipped)
Operating tips for heater and air conditioner
Air filtration system
Audio
Antenna system
Installation of accessories
Audio set
Power and audio controls
FM/AM radio operation
Satellite radio operation (if equipped)
CD player operation
Precautions to observe when handling a compact disc
USB storage device / iPod® operations (type C and D audio)
Audio control buttons (if equipped)
Bluetooth® audio (type C and D audio)
Hands-free system (if equipped)
Screensaver (type D audio)
Interior equipment
Interior lights
Sun visors
Storage compartment
Cup holders
Bottle holders
Accessory power outlets
Ashtray (if equipped)
Floor mat
Shopping bag hook
Coat hook
Cargo area cover (dealer option)
Cargo tie-down hooks
Under-floor storage compartment (if equipped)
Rear view camera (if equipped)
Starting and operating
Fuel
State emission testing (U.S. only)
Preparing to drive
Starting the engine
Stopping the engine
Remote engine start system (dealer option)
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission
Power steering
Braking
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models)
Parking your vehicle
Hill start assist system (MT models)
Cruise control
Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
Fuel economy hints
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide)
Catalytic converter
Periodic inspections
Driving in foreign countries
Driving tips for AWD models
On-road and off-road driving
Winter driving
Loading your vehicle
Trailer hitch (dealer option)
Trailer towing
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency
Temporary spare tire (if equipped)
Maintenance tools
Flat tires
Jump starting
Engine overheating
Towing
Rear gate – if the rear gate cannot be opened
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be closed
Appearance care
Exterior care
Corrosion protection
Cleaning the interior
Maintenance and service
Maintenance schedule
Maintenance precautions
Engine hood
Engine compartment overview
Engine oil
Cooling system
Air cleaner element
Spark plugs
Drive belts
Manual transmission oil
Automatic transmission fluid
Front differential gear oil (AT models)
Rear differential gear oil
Power steering fluid
Brake fluid
Clutch fluid (MT models)
Brake booster
Brake pedal
Clutch pedal (MT models)
Hill start assist system (MT models)
Replacement of brake pad and lining
Parking brake stroke
Tires and wheels
Aluminum wheels
Windshield washer fluid
Replacement of wiper blades
Battery
Fuses
Main fuse
Installation of accessories
Replacing bulbs
Specifications
Specifications
Fuses and circuits
Vehicle identification
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
For U.S.A.
Tire information
Uniform tire quality grading standards
Reporting safety defects (U.S.A.)
See also:
Steering wheel controls (if equipped)
Radio control features
VOL + (Volume): Press to increase
the volume.
VOL – (Volume): Press to decrease
the volume.
(Seek): Press to select
the previous/next radio station
preset, CD track or satellite radio
channel (if equipped) depending ...
Seat belts
SEAT BELT PRECAUTIONS
WARNING:
All occupants of the vehicle must wear their
seat belts at all times. Seat belts and child
restraints reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries for all occupants in the event of a
collision or sudden stop. ...