SUBARU FORESTER 2005 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

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Instruments and controls
The All-Wheel Drive indicator light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes
out after the engine has started. T
For vehicles with Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires of dif-
ferent diameters or with the air pressure excessively
low in any of its tires. T For vehicles without Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
This light comes on when All-Wheel Drive is disen-
gaged and the drive mechanism is switched to Front
Wheel Drive for maintenance or similar purposes.
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires of dif-
ferent diameters or with the air pressure excessively
low in any of its tires. „ Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light (if equipped)
This light comes on when the ignition switch is ON and
goes out about 2 seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression function is activat-
ed. It illuminates when only the traction control func-
tion is operating. The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is probably
faulty under any of the following conditions. Have your
vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer immediately. y
The light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position. y The light does not go out even after a period of
about 2 seconds after the ignition switch has been
turned to the “ON” position. „ Shift position indicator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the shift lever.
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„Turn signal indicator lights
These lights show the operation of the turn signal or
lane change signal.
If the indicator lights do not blink or blink rapidly, the
turn signal bulb may be burned out. Replace the bulb
as soon as possible. Refer to the “Replacing bulbs”
section in chapter 11. „ High beam indicator light
This light shows that the headlights are in the high
beam mode.
This indicator light also comes on when the headlight
flasher is operated. „ Cruise control indicator light (if
equipped)
The cruise control indicator light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes
out after about three seconds.
This light comes on when the “CRUISE” main switch
is pressed.
NOTE y If you move the cruise control lever while turn-
ing the ignition switch “ON”, the cruise control
function is deactivated and the cruise control indi- cator light flashes. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back to the
“ACC” or “LOCK” position, and then turn it again
to the “ON” position. y
If this indicator light and the “ ” indicator
light flash simultaneously during driving, have the
vehicle checked by your nearest SUBARU dealer. „ Cruise control set indicator light (if
equipped)
The cruise control set indicator light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and
goes out after about three seconds.
This light comes on when vehicle speed has been set.

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Instruments and controls
Clock
To adjust the clock, open the small article storage
compartment in the dashboard with the vehicle parked
in a safe place.
To set the hour, press the “H” button. To set the min-
utes, press the “M” button. To reset the minutes to “00”
with a radio time signal, push the “Reset” button.
To ensure safety, do not attempt to set the time
while driving, as an accident from inadequate
attention to the road could result.
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Instruments and controls
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Light control switch
The light switch operates only when the ignition switch
is in the “ON” position.
To prevent battery discharge resulting from ac-
cidentally leaving your lights on when your ve-
hicle is parked, the light switch operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” posi-
tion. In any other position, the vehicle’s lights
will be out.
If you park your vehicle on a roadside at night,
use the hazard warning flasher to alert the other
drivers. „
Headlights
To turn on the headlights, turn the knob on the end of
the turn signal lever. first position:
Parking lights, instrument panel illumination, tail lights
and license plate light are on.
second position:
Headlights, parking lights, instrument panel illumina-
tion, tail lights, and license plate light are on.
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Instruments and controls
„
High/low beam change (dimmer)
To change from low beam to high beam, push the turn
signal lever forward. When the headlights are on high
beam, the high beam indicator light “ ” on the in-
strument panel is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever back to the
detent position. „
Headlight flasher
To flash the headlights, pull the lever toward you and
then release it. The high beam will stay on for as long
as you hold the lever. The headlight flasher works
even though the lighting switch is in the “OFF” posi-tion.
When the headlights are on high beam, the high beam
indicator light “ ” on the instrument panel also
comes on.
Do not hold the lever in the flashing position for
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Instruments and controls
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more than just a few seconds.
„ Daytime running light system
The tail lights, parking lights, and side marker
lights are not turned on by the daytime running
light system. The light switch must always be
turned to the “ ” position when it is dark
outside.
The low beam headlights will automatically come on at
reduced brightness when the engine has started, un-
der the following conditions: y The parking brake is fully released.
y The light switch is in the “OFF” or “ ” position.
y The automatic transmission selector lever is set at
other than the “P” position.
Turn signal lever
A) Right turn
B) Left turn
C) Lane change for right
D) Lane change for left
To activate the right turn signal, push the turn signal le-
ver up. To activate the left turn signal, push the turn
signal lever down. When the turn is finished, the lever
will return automatically. If the lever does not return af-
ter cornering, return the lever to the neutral position by
hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn signal lever up
A B C
D
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Instruments and controls
or down slightly and hold it during the lane change.
The turn signal indicator lights will flash in the direction
of the turn or lane change. The lever will return auto-
matically to the neutral position when you release it.Illumination brightness control
When the headlight switch is in the “ ” or “ ”
position, you can adjust brightness of the instrument
panel illumination for better visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
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Parking light switch
The parking light switch operates regardless of the ig-
nition switch position.
By pushing the front end of this switch, following lights
will come on.
– Parking lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the parking light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long time because
that will run down the battery.Fog light button (if equipped)
The fog lights operate only when the headlights are on
low beam. Push the fog light button to turn the fog
lights on.
Press the button again to turn them off.
The indicator light located on the button will illuminate
when the fog lights are on.
P
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Instruments and controls
Wiper and washer
In freezing weather, do not use the windshield
washer until the windshield is sufficiently
warmed by the defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can freeze on the
windshield, blocking your view.
y
Do not operate the washer continuously for
more than ten seconds, or when the washer flu-
id tank is empty. This may cause overheating of
the washer motor. Check the washer fluid level
frequently, such as at fuel stops. y Do not operate the wipers when the wind-
shield or rear window is dry. This may scratch
the glass, damage the wiper blades and cause
the wiper motor to burn out. Before operating
the wiper on a dry windshield or rear window,
always use the windshield washer.y In freezing weather, be sure that the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear
window before switching on the wipers. At- tempting to operate the wiper with the blades
frozen to the window glass could cause not
only the wiper blades to be damaged but also
the wiper motor to burn out. If the wiper blade
is frozen to the window glass, be sure to oper-
ate the defroster, windshield wiper deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defogger before turn-
ing on the wiper.y
If the wipers stop during operation because
of ice or some other obstruction on the window,
the wiper motor could burn out even if the wiper
switch is turned off. If this occurs, promptly
stop the vehicle in a safe place, turn the ignition
switch to the “LOCK” position and clean the
window glass to allow proper wiper operation. y Use clean water if windshield washer fluid is
unavailable. In areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
or the equivalent. (See the “Windshield washer
fluid” section in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle when there are
freezing temperatures, use non-freezing type
wiper blades.y Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline
or a solvent, such as paint thinner or benzene.
This will cause deterioration of the wiper

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Instruments and controls
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blades.
NOTE yThe wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON” or “ACC” position. y Clean your wiper blades and window glass peri-
odically with a washer solution to prevent streak-
ing, and to remove accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep the washer button depressed at
least for 1 second so that washer solution will be
sprinkled all over the windshield or rear window. y Grease, wax, insects or other material on the
windshield or the wiper blade results in jerky wip-
er operation and streaking on the glass. If you can-
not remove those streaks after operating the
washer or if the wiper operation is jerky, clean the
outer surface of the windshield or rear window
and the wiper blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral detergent or mild-abrasive cleaner.
After cleaning, rinse the window glass and wiper
blades with clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you rinse with wa-ter. y If you cannot eliminate the streaking even after
following this procedure, replace the wiper blades
with new ones. Refer to the “Replacement of wiper blades” section (chapter 11) for replacement in-
structions. „
Windshield wiper and washer switches
T Windshield wipers
A) OFF
B) : Intermittent
C) LO: Low speed
D) HI: High speed
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper control lever
down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to the “OFF” po-
A
B
C
D
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