steering SUBARU FORESTER 2001 SF / 1.G Owner's Manual

7-24CAUTION
The ABS system does not always decrease stopping distance.
You should always maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles. When driving on badly surfaced roads, gravel roads, icy roads,
or over deep newly fallen snow, stopping distances may be long-er for a vehicle with the ABS system than one without. When driv-ing under these conditions, therefore, reduce your speed and
leave ample distance from other vehicles. When you feel the ABS system operating, you should maintain
constant brake pedal pressure. Do not pump the brake pedal
since doing so may defeat the operation of the ABS system.
The ABS system p revents the loc k-up of wheels whic h may oc c ur d uring
sud d en b raking or b raking on slip p ery road surfac es . This help s p revent
the loss of steering c ontrol and d irec tional stab il ity c aused b y wheel
loc k-up .
When the ABS system is op erating , you may hear a c h attering noise or
feel a slig ht vib ration in the b rake p ed al. This is normal when the ABS
op erates.
The ABS system will not op erate when the vehic le sp eed is b elow
ap p roximately 6 mp h (10 km/h).
ABS system self-checking
You may feel a slig ht shoc k in the b rake p ed al and hear the op erating
sound of ABS from the eng ine c omp artment just after the vehic le is
started . This is c aused b y an automatic func tional test of the ABS sys-
tem b eing c arried out and d oes not ind ic ate any ab n ormal c ond ition.

7-28
HS0140
HS0139
When p arking on a hill, always turn the steering wh eel. When the vehic le
is head ed up the hill, the front wheels should b e t urned away from the
c urb . When fac ing d ownhill, the front wheels should b e turned into the
c urb .
Cruise control (if equipped)
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under any of the following condi- tions. This may cause loss of vehicle control:
driving up or down a steep grade
driving on slippery or winding roads
driving in heavy traffic
Cruise c ontrol enab les you to maintain a c onstant v ehic le sp eed without
hold ing your foot on the ac c elerator p ed al and it i s op erative when the
vehic le sp eed is 25 mp h (40 km/h) or more. Make sur e the main switc h is
turned “OFF ” when the c ruise c ontrol is not in use to avoid uni ntentionally
setting the c ruise c ontrol.

8-8
b elts.
Carry some emerg enc y eq uip ment, suc h as a towing ro p e or c hain, a
shovel, wheel b loc ks, first aid kit and p ortab le p h one or c itizens b and
rad io. Drive c arefully. Do not take unnec essary risks b y d riving in d ang erous
areas or over roug h terrain. Slow d own and emp loy extra c aution at all times. Wh en d riving off-
road , you will not have the b enefit of marked traff ic lanes, b anked
c urves, traffic sig ns and the like. Do not d rive ac ross steep slop es. Instead , d rive ei ther straig ht up or
straig ht d own the slop es. A vehic le c an muc h more e asily tip over sid e-
ways than it c an end over end . Avoid d riving straig ht up or d own slop es
that are too steep . Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, esp ec ially at hig her sp eed s.
Do not g rip the insid e or sp okes of the steering wh eel. A b ad b ump
c ould jerk the wheel and injure your hand s. Instead d rive with your fin-
g ers and thumb s on the outsid e of the rim. If d riving throug h water, suc h as when c rossing sha llow streams, first
c hec k the d ep th of the water and the b ottom of the stream b ed for firm-
ness and ensure that the b ed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly and c om-
p letely throug h the stream. The water should b e sha llow enoug h that it
d oes not reac h the vehic le ’s und erc arriag e. Water entering the eng ine air
intake or the exhaust p ip e or water sp lashing onto elec tric al p arts may
d amag e your vehic le and may c ause it to stall. Neve r attemp t to d rive
throug h rushing water; reg ard less of its d ep th, it c an wash away the
g round from und er your tires, resulting in p ossib le loss of trac tion and
even vehic le rollover. Always c hec k your b rakes for effec tiveness immed iat ely after d riving
in sand , mud or water. Do this b y d riving slowly an d step p ing on the
b rake p ed al. Rep eat that p roc ess several times to d ry out the b rake
d isc s and b rake p ad s. Do not d rive or p ark over or near flammab le materia ls suc h as d ry
g rass or fallen leaves, as they may b urn easily. Th e exhaust system is
very hot while eng ine is running and rig ht after th e eng ine stop s. This
c ould c reate a fire hazard . After d riving throug h tall g rass, mud , roc k, sand , rivers, etc ., c hec k

Starting and operating8-11
–
CONTINUED –
tor p ed al, b rake p ed al, and all other c ontrols op er
ate smoothly.
Clear away ic e and snow that has ac c umulated und er the fend ers to
avoid making steering d iffic ult. During severe wint er d riving , stop
when and where it is safe to d o so and c hec k und er the fend ers p eri-
od ic ally. n During cold weather below –4°F ( –20 °C)
If the eng ine is d iffic ult to start using the norma l method (without
d ep ressing the ac c elerator p ed al), turn the ig nitio n switc h to the
“ START ” p osition while slig htly d ep ressing the ac c elerator p ed al.
n Parking in cold weather
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the exhaust pipe and from around your
vehicle if you park the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Do not use the p arking b rake when p arking for long p eriod s in c old
weather sinc e it c ould freeze in that p osition. Ins tead , ob serve the fol-
lowing :
1. Plac e the shift lever in “1 ” or “R ” for manual transmission vehic les,
and in “P ” for automatic transmission vehic les.
2. Use tire stop s und er the tires to p revent the veh ic le from moving .
When the vehic le is p arked in snow or when it snows , raise the wip er
b lad es off the g lass to p revent d amag e to them.
When the vehic le has b een left p arked after use on road s heavily c ov-
ered with snow, or has b een left p arked d uring a sn owstorm, ic ing
may d evelop on the b rake system, whic h c ould c ause p oor b raking
ac tion. Chec k for snow or ic e b uild up on the susp en sion, d isc b rakes
and b rake hoses und erneath the vehic le.
If there is c aked snow or ic e, remove it, b eing c ar eful not to d amag e
the d isc b rakes and b rake hoses and ABS harness. n Refueling in cold weather
To help p revent moisture from forming in the fuel s ystem and the risk
of its freezing , use of an antifreeze ad d itive in t he fuel tank is rec om-

8-12mend ed d uring c old weather.
Use only ad d itives that are sp ec ific ally d esig ned f
or this p urp ose.
When an antifreeze ad d itive is used , its effec t las ts long er if the tank is
refilled whenever the fuel level reac hes half emp ty .
If your SUBARU is not g oing to b e used for an exten d ed p eriod , it is
b est to have the fuel tank filled to c ap ac ity. Driving on snowy and icy roads
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads such as snowy or icy roads. This may cause loss of vehicle control.
To p revent skid d ing and slip p ing , avoid sud d en b rak ing , ab rup t ac c el-
eration, hig h-sp eed d riving , and sharp turning when d riving on snowy
or ic y road s.
Always maintain amp le d istanc e b etween your vehic le and the vehic le
ahead of you to avoid the need for sud d en b raking .
To sup p lement the foot b rake, use the eng ine b rake effec tively to c on-
trol the vehic le sp eed . (Shift into a lower g ear wh en nec essary.)
Avoid shifting d own ab rup tly. Suc h b ehavior c an c au se the wheel to
loc k, p ossib ly lead ing to loss of vehic le c ontrol.
Avoid loc king the front wheels b ec ause that c an lea d to a loss of
steering c ontrol. When b raking with a vehic le not e q uip p ed with an
Anti-Loc k Brake System (ABS), p ress the b rake p ed al rep eated ly at
short intervals to p revent the wheels from loc king . Then ap p ly the
b rakes softly to b ring the vehic le to a stop .
An ABS enhanc es your vehic le ’s b raking p erformanc e on snowy and
ic y road s. Refer to the “ABS (Anti-Loc k Brake System) ” in this c hap ter
for information on b raking on slip p ery surfac es in ABS eq uip p ed
vehic le. n Wiper operation when snowing
Before d riving in c old weather, make sure the wip er b lad es are not
frozen to the wind shield or rear wind ow. If the wip er b lad es are frozen
to the wind shield or rear wind ow, use the d efroster with the airflow
c ontrol d ial in the “
” p osition and the temp erature c ontrol lever

8-30n
Tires
Make sure that all the tires on your vehic le are p r op erly inflated to the
p ressure und er towing c ond itions as shown in follow ing tab le. These
tire inflations are also shown on the tire p lac ard loc ated on the left
c enter p illar of your vehic le. Trailer tire c ond iti on, size, load rating and
p rop er inflation p ressure should b e in ac c ord anc e w ith the trailer
manufac turer ’s sp ec ific ations.
Front
29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kg/cm 2
)
Rear41 psi (275 kPa, 2.8 kg/cm 2
)
Trailer towing tips CAUTION
Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) when towing a trailer in hilly
country on hot days. When towing a trailer, steering, stability, stopping distance and
braking performance will be different from normal operation. For
safety’ s sake, you should employ extra caution when towing a
trailer and you should never speed. You should also keep the fol-lowing tips in mind:
n Before starting out on a trip
Chec k that the vehic le and vehic le-to-hitc h mountin g are in g ood
c ond ition. If any p rob lems are ap p arent, d o not tow the trailer.
Chec k that the vehic le sits horizontally with the t railer attac hed . If
the vehic le is tip p ed sharp ly up at the front and d own at the rear,
c hec k the total trailer weig ht, GVW, GAWs and tong u e load ag ain,
then c onfirm that the load and its d istrib ution are ac c ep tab le.
Chec k that the tire p ressures are c orrec t.
Chec k that the vehic le and trailer are c onnec ted p r op erly. Confirm that
– the trailer tong ue is c onnec ted p rop erly to the hit c h b all.
– the trailer lig hts c onnec tor is c onnec ted p rop erly and trailer’s
b rake lig hts illuminate when the vehic le ’s b rake p ed al is p ressed ,
and that the trailer ’s turn sig nal lig hts flash when the vehic le ’s turn

Starting and operating8-31
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CONTINUED –
sig nal lever is op erated .
–
the safety c hains are c onnec ted p rop erly.
– all c arg o in the trailer is sec ured safety in p osit ion.
– the sid e mirrors p rovid e a g ood rearward field of v iew without a
sig nific ant b lind sp ot.
Suffic ient time should b e taken to learn the “feel ” of the vehic le/
trailer c omb ination b efore starting out on a trip . In an area free of traf-
fic , p rac tic e turning , stop p ing and b ac king up . n Driving with a trailer
You should allow for c onsid erab ly more stop p ing d is tanc e when
towing a trailer. Avoid sud d en b raking b ec ause it m ay result in skid -
d ing or jac kknifing and loss of c ontrol. Avoid ab rup t starts and sud d en ac c elerations. If yo ur vehic le has a
manual transmission, always start out in first g ear and release the
c lutc h at mod erate eng ine RPM. Avoid uneven steering , sharp turns and rap id lane c hang es.
Slow d own b efore turning . Make a long er than normal turning
rad ius b ec ause the trailer wheels will b e c loser th an the vehic le
wheels to the insid e of the turn. In a tig ht turn, the trailer c ould hit your
vehic le. Crosswind s will ad versely affec t the hand ling of yo ur vehic le and
trailer, c ausing sway. Crosswind s c an b e d ue to wea ther c ond itions or
the p assing of larg e truc ks or b uses. If swaying oc c urs, firmly g rip the
steering wheel and slow d own immed iately b ut g rad ua lly.
When p assing other vehic les, c onsid erab le d istanc e is req uired
b ec ause of the ad d ed weig ht and leng th c aused b y at tac hing the
trailer to your vehic le. When b ac king up with a trailer, never ac c elerate or steer rap id ly.
When turning b ac k, g rip the b ottom of the steering wheel with one
hand and turn it to the left for a left turn, and t urn it to the rig ht for a
rig ht turn.

In case of emergency9-13
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CONTINUED –

Using a flat-bed truck
HS0161
This is the b est way to transp ort your vehic le. Use the following p roc e-
d ures to ensure safe transp ortation.
1. Shift the selec tor lever into the “P ” p osition for automatic transmis-
sion vehic les or “1st ” for manual transmission vehic les.
2. Pull up the p arking b rake lever firmly.
3. Sec ure the vehic le onto the c arrier p rop erly with safety c hains.
Eac h safety c hain should b e eq ually tig htened and c are must b e tak-
en not to p ull the c hains so tig htly that the susp e nsion b ottoms out.
Towing with all wheels on the ground
WARNING
Never turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK” position while the
vehicle is being towed because the steering wheel and the direc- tion of the wheels will be locked. Remember that the brake booster and power steering do not
function when the engine is not running. Because the engine isturned off, it will take greater effort to operate the brake pedal andsteering wheel.

10-2Exterior care
Washing
CAUTION
When washing the vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a result,
the brake stopping distance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed while lightly pressing the brakepedal to heat up the brakes. Do not wash the engine compartment and areas adjacent to it.
If water enters the engine air intake, electrical parts or the power
steering fluid reservoir, it will cause engine trouble or faulty pow-
er steering respectively.
The b est way to p reserve your vehic le ’s b eauty is freq uent washing .
Wash the vehic le at least onc e a month to avoid c on tamination b y road
g rime.
Wash d irt off with a wet sp ong e and p lenty of lukew arm or c old water. Do
not wash the vehic le with hot water and in d irec t s unlig ht.
Salt, c hemic als, insec ts, tar, soot and b ird d rop p i ng s should b e washed
off b y using a lig ht d eterg ent, as req uired . If you use a lig ht d eterg ent,
make c ertain that it is a neutral d eterg ent. Do not use strong soap or
c hemic al d eterg ents. All c leaning ag ents should b e p romp tly flushed
from the surfac e and not allowed to d ry there. Rins e the vehic le thor-
oug hly with p lenty of lukewarm water. Wip e the rema ining water off with a
c hamois or soft c loth.
Washing the underbody
Chemic als, salts and g ravel used for d eic ing road s urfac es are ex-
tremely c orrosive, ac c elerating the c orrosion of un d erb od y c omp o-
nents, suc h as the exhaust system, fuel and b rake l ines, b rake
c ab les, floor p an and fend ers, and susp ension.
Thoroug hly flush the und erb od y and insid e of the fe nd ers with luke-
warm or c old water at freq uent intervals to red uc e the harmful effec ts
of suc h ag ents.

Appearance care10-5
–
CONTINUED –
3. Damp ness in c ertain p arts of the vehic le remains
for a long time,
even thoug h other p arts of the vehic le may b e d ry.
4. Hig h temp eratures will c ause c orrosion to p arts o f the vehic le
whic h c annot d ry q uic kly d ue to lac k of p rop er vent ilation.
To help prevent corrosion
Wash the vehic le freq uently. If you d rive on salted road s in the winter
or if you live in a c oastal area, you should flush the und erb od y with
fresh water freq uently.
After the winter has end ed , it is rec ommend ed that the und erb od y b e
g iven a very thoroug h washing .
Before the b eg inning of winter, c hec k the c ond ition of und erb od y
c omp onents, suc h as the exhaust system, fuel and b r ake lines, b rake
c ab les, susp ension, steering system, floor p an, and fend ers. If any of
them are found to b e rusted , they should b e g iven a n ap p rop riate rust
p revention treatment or should b e rep lac ed . Contac t your SUBARU
d ealer to p erform this kind of maintenanc e and trea tment if you need
assistanc e.
Rep air c hip s and sc ratc hes in the p aint as soon as you find them.
Chec k the interior of the vehic le for water and d ir t ac c umulation und er
the floor mats b ec ause that c ould c ause c orrosion. Oc c asionally
c hec k und er the mats to make sure the area is d ry.
Keep your g arag e d ry. Do not p ark your vehic le in a d amp , p oorly
ventilated g arag e. In suc h a g arag e, c orrosion c an b e c aused b y
d amp ness. If you wash the vehic le in the g arag e or p ut the vehic le
into the g arag e when wet or c overed with snow, that c an c ause
d amp ness.
If your vehic le is op erated in c old weather and /or in areas where road
salts and other c orrosive materials are used , the d oor hing es and
loc ks, trunk lid loc k, and hood latc h should b e ins p ec ted and lub ri-
c ated p eriod ic ally.