Service SUBARU FORESTER 2007 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

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Warranties „Warranties for U.S.A.
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru of America, Inc. and sold at retail
by an authorized SUBARU dealer in the
United States come with the following
warranties: y SUBARU Limited Warranty
y Emission Control Systems Warranty
y Emissions Performance Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the
“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
Please read these warranties carefully. „ Warranties for Canada
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru Canada, Inc. and sold at retail by
an authorized SUBARU dealer in Canada
come with the following warranties: y SUBARU Limited Warranty
y Anti-Corrosion Warranty
y Emission Control Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the War-
ranty and Service Booklet. Please read
these warranties carefully. T
2.5XT (Canada model only)
TAll models except Canada model
2.5XT
How to use this Owner’s
Manual „ Using your Owner’s Manual
Before you operate your vehicle, carefully
read this manual. To protect yourself and
extend the service life of your vehicle, fol-
low the instructions in this manual. Failure
to observe these instructions may result in
serious injury and damage to your vehicle.
This manual is composed of fourteen
chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief
table of contents, so you can usually tell at
a glance if that chapter contains the infor-
mation you want.
Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS air-
bags
This chapter informs you how to use the
seat and seatbelt and contains precau-
tions for the SRS airbags.
Chapter 2: Keys and doors
This chapter informs you how to operate
the keys, locks and windows.
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This chapter informs you about the opera-
tion of instrument panel indicators and
how to use the instruments and other
switches.
Chapter 4: Climate Control
This chapter informs you how to operate
2.5XT models are equipped with
High Intensity Discharge (HID) head-
lights that contain mercury. For that
reason, it is necessary to remove
HID headlights before vehicle dis-
posal. Once removed, please reuse,
recycle or dispose of the HID head-
lights as hazardous waste.
This vehicle does not contain mer-
cury devices or parts.

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the climate control.
Chapter 5: Audio
This chapter informs you how to operate
your audio system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate
interior equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and
operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your
SUBARU in various conditions and ex-
plains some safety tips on driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your
SUBARU looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need
to take your SUBARU to the dealer for
scheduled maintenance and informs you
how to keep your SUBARU running prop-
erly.
Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension
and capacities of your SUBARU.
Chapter 13: Consumer information and
Reporting safety defectsThis chapter informs you about Uniform
tire quality grading standards and Report-
ing safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that’s in
this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
„ Safety warnings
You will find a number of WARNINGs,
CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to poten-
tial hazards that could result in injury to
you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well
as all other portions of this manual careful-
ly in order to gain a better understanding
of how to use your SUBARU vehicle safe-
ly.NOTE
A NOTE gives information or sugges-
tions how to make better use of your
vehicle. „ Safety symbol
You will find a circle with a slash through it
in this manual. This symbol means “Do
not”, “Do not do this”, or “Do not let this
happen”, depending upon the context.
A WARNING indicates a situation in
which serious injury or death could
result if the warning is ignored.
A CAUTION indicates a situation in
which injury or damage to your vehi-
cle, or both, could result if the cau-
tion is ignored.
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Table of contents
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbagsKeys and doors
Instruments and controlsClimate control Audio
Interior equipmentStarting and operatingDriving tips
In case of emergencyAppearance care
Maintenance and service
SpecificationsConsumer information and Reporting safety defects Index

1-22 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„System monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The seat-
belt pretensioners share the control mod-
ule with the SRS airbag system. There-
fore, if any malfunction occurs in a seat-
belt pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. The SRS air-
bag system warning light will show normal
system operation by lighting for approxi-
mately 6 seconds when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: y Front sub sensor (Right-hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left-hand side)
y Airbag control module (including impact sensors) y
Frontal airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Frontal airbag module (Front passen-
ger’s side)y Side airbag sensor (Center pillar right-
hand side) y Side airbag sensor (Center pillar left-
hand side)y Side airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Side airbag module (Front passenger’s
side)y Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passen-
ger’s side) y Seatbelt buckle switch (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passen-
ger’s side) y Driver’s seat position sensor
y Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor (if equipped)y Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor y Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module y Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator y All related wiringy Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor assem-
blies or surrounding area. This
could result in accidental activa-
tion of the seatbelt pretensioners
or could make the system inoper-
ative, possibly resulting in seri-
ous injury. Seatbelt pretensioners
have no user-serviceable parts.
For required servicing of front
seatbelt retractors equipped with
seatbelt pretensioners, see your
nearest SUBARU dealer.
yWhen discarding front seatbelt re-
tractor assemblies or scrapping
the entire vehicle due to collision
damage or for other reasons, con-
sult your SUBARU dealer.100606

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-23
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„System servicing
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is dam-
aged in an accident to the extent that
the seatbelt pretensioner does not op-
erate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. „ Precautions against vehicle
modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt pre-
tensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle
to your nearest SUBARU dealer to
have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will not operate properly in
the event of a collision, which may
increase the risk of injury.
y Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
yNo illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON” position
yContinuous illumination of the
warning light
yIllumination of the warning light
while driving
y When discarding a seatbelt retrac-
tor assembly or scrapping the en-
tire vehicle damaged by a colli-
sion, consult your SUBARU deal-
er.
yTampering with or disconnecting
the system’s wiring could result in
accidental activation of the seat-
belt pretensioner and/or SRS air-
bag or could make the system in-
operative, which may result in se-
rious injury. The wiring harnesses
of the seatbelt pretensioner and
SRS airbag systems are covered
with yellow insulation and the
connectors of the system are yel-
low for easy identification. Do not
use electrical test equipment on
any circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and SRS airbag sys-
tems. For required servicing of
the seatbelt pretensioner, see
your nearest SUBARU dealer.
The front sub sensors are located
near the bottom of the radiator and
the side airbag sensor is located in-
side each center pillar and the SRS
airbag control module including the
impact sensors is located under the
center console. If you need service
or repair in those areas or near the
front seatbelt retractors, we recom-
mend that you have an authorized
SUBARU dealer perform the work.

1-46 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
yWhen a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by an adult, observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so may lessen
the load on the front passenger’s seat, de-
activating the front passenger’s SRS fron-
tal airbag despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult.y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
lift the front passenger’s seat cushion us-
ing his/her feet. y Do not place any article under the front
passenger’s seat, or squeeze any article
from behind and under the seat. This may
lift the seat cushion. y Do not squeeze any article between the
front passenger’s seat and side trim/pillar,
door or center console box. This may lift
the seat cushion. V If the passenger’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator illuminates and the
ON indicator extinguishes even
when the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incorrect-
ly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion. Ask the front passenger to set the
seatback to the upright position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion, correctly fasten the seatbelt, position his/
her legs out forward, and adjust the seat
to the rearmost position. Turn the ignition
switch to the “ON” position. If the OFF in-
dicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains extinguished, take the
following actions. y
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” po-
sition. y Ensure that there are no articles, books,
shoes or other objects trapped under the
seat, at the rear of the seat, or on the side
of the seat. y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only) y Next, turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position and wait 6 seconds to allow the
system to complete self-checking. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indi-
cator should illuminate while the OFF indi-
cator remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while
the ON indicator remains extinguished,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection. T
Effect vehicle modifications made
for persons with disabilities may
have on Subaru advanced frontal
airbag system operation (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, seat belts, front bumper, front side
frame, instrument panel, combination
meter, steering wheel, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect
the operation of the Subaru advanced air-
bag system. If you have any questions,
you may contact the following Subaru dis-
tributors:
<Continental U.S., Alaska and the District
of Columbia>
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department
P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)
<Hawaii>
Schuman Inc, dba Subaru of Hawaii
740 Halekauwila Street Honolulu, HI
96813
808-591-3075

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-59
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In the event that the SRS airbag is de-
ployed, replacement of the system
should be performed only by an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer. When the com-
ponents of the SRS airbag system are
replaced, use only genuine SUBARU
parts.
To ensure their long-term reliability, the
SRS airbags must be inspected by a SUB-
ARU dealer ten years after the date of
manufacture, which is shown on the certi-
fication plate attached to the driver’s door-jamb.
NOTE
In the following cases, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. y The front part of the vehicle was in-
volved in an accident in which only the
driver’s SRS frontal airbag or both driv-
er’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbags did not deploy. y The pad section of the steering
wheel or front passenger’s frontal air-
bag cover is scratched, cracked, or
otherwise damaged.
In addition, if your vehicle is equipped
with SRS side airbags, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible in
the following cases. y Either center pillar or a nearby area
of the vehicle was involved in an acci-
dent in which the SRS side airbag did
not deploy.y The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwise
damaged. „
Precautions against vehicle
modificationIf you need service or repair in areas
listed below, have an authorized
SUBARU dealer perform the work.
The SRS airbag control module, im-
pact sensors and airbag modules
are stored in these areas. yUnder the center console
y Inside each front fender
y Steering wheel and column and
nearby areas
y Top of the dashboard on front
passenger’s side and nearby ar- eas
y Each front seat and nearby area
y Inside each center pillar
y To avoid accidental activation of
the system or rendering the sys-
tem inoperative, which may result
in serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any compo-
nents or wiring of the SRS airbag
system.
This includes following modifica-
tions:
yInstallation of custom steering
wheels
yAttachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
yInstallation of custom seats
yReplacement of seat fabric or
leather
yInstallation of additional fabric
or leather on the front seat

Instruments and controls 3-13
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it may indicate that the automatic trans-
mission control system is not working
properly. Contact your nearest SUBARU
dealer for service immediately. „
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion and goes out after approximately two
seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system
is working properly.
The ABS warning light comes on together
with the brake system warning light if the
EBD system becomes faulty. For further
details of the EBD system fault warning,
refer to “Brake system warning light”.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as de-
scribed in the following, the ABS sys-
tem may be considered normal. y The warning light comes on right af-
ter the engine is started but goes out
immediately, remaining off. y The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately and remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may come
on. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will go out. „
Brake system
warning light
This light has the following three func-
tions:
If the warning light behaves as fol-
lows, the ABS system may not work
properly.
When the warning light is on, the
ABS function shuts down; however,
the conventional brake system con-
tinues to operate normally. y
The warning light does not come
on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
(U.S.) (Canada)
yThe warning light comes on when
the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, but it does not go
out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12
km/h).
y The warning light comes on dur-
ing driving.
If any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at the
first available opportunity by your
SUBARU dealer.
y Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately.
yIf at all in doubt about whether the
brakes are operating properly, do
not drive the vehicle. Have your
vehicle towed to the nearest
SUBARU dealer for repair.
(U.S.) (Canada)

4-12 Climate control
low outside air to circulate into the heated
interior. This results in quicker cooling by
the air conditioner. Keep the windows
closed during the operation of the air con-
ditioner for maximum cooling efficiency. „Lubrication oil circulation in
the refrigerant circuit
Operate the air conditioner compressor at
a low engine speed (at idle or low driving
speeds) a few minutes each month during
the off-season to circulate its oil. „ Checking air conditioning
system before summer sea-son
Check the air conditioner unit for refriger-
ant leaks, hose conditions, and proper op-
eration each spring. Have your SUBARU
dealer perform this check. „ Cooling and dehumidifying in
high humidity and low tem-
perature weather conditions
Under certain weather conditions (high
relative humidity, low temperatures, etc.)
a small amount of water vapor emission
from the air outlets may be noticed. This
condition is normal and does not indicate any problem with the air conditioning sys-
tem.
„ Air conditioner compressor
shut-off when engine is
heavily loaded
To improve acceleration and gas mileage,
the air conditioner compressor is de-
signed to temporarily shut off during air
conditioner operation whenever the accel-
erator is fully depressed such as during
rapid acceleration or when driving on a
steep upgrade. „ Refrigerant for your climate
control system
Your air conditioner uses ozone friendly
refrigerant HFC134a. Therefore, the
method of adding, changing or checking
the refrigerant is different from the method
for CFC12 (freon). Consult your SUBARU
dealer for service. Repairs needed as a
result of using the wrong refrigerant are
not covered under warranty. Air filtration system (if
equipped)
If your vehicle’s air conditioning system is
equipped with an air filtration system, re-
place the filter element according to the
replacement schedule shown in the fol-
lowing. This schedule should be followed
to maintain the filter’s dust collection abili-
ty. Under extremely dusty conditions, the
filter should be replaced more frequently.
It is recommended that you have your fil-
ter checked or replaced by your SUBARU
dealer. For replacement, use only a genu-
ine SUBARU air filter kit.
Replacement schedule:
Every 12 months or 7,500 miles (12,000
km) whichever comes first
Contact your SUBARU dealer if the
following occurs, even if it is not yet
time to change the filter:
– Reduction of the air flow throughthe vents.
– Windshield gets easily fogged or misted.

4-14 Climate control
5. Reinstall the glove box.
6. Close the glove box.1) Service label
2) Caution label
7. LABEL installation 1) Fill out the information on the service
label (small).
2) Attach the service label to the driver
side door pillar and the caution label to
the driver side end of the instrument
panel.
400680
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400557