maintenance SUBARU FORESTER 2001 SF / 1.G Owners Manual

ii
How to use this owner
’s manual
Using your Owner ’s manual
Before you op erate your vehic le, c arefully read thi s manual. To p rotec t
yourself and extend the servic e life of your vehic l e, follow the instruc tions
in this manual. Failure to ob serve these instruc tio ns may result in serious
injury and d amag e to your vehic le.
This manual is c omp osed of thirteen c hap ters. Eac h c hap ter b eg ins with
a b rief tab le of c ontents, so you c an usually tell at a g lanc e if that c hap -
ter c ontains the information you want. Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbag
This c hap ter informs you how to use the seat and se atb elt and c ontains
p rec autions for the SRS airb ag .Chapter 2: Doors and Locks
This c hap ter informs you how to op erate the keys, l oc ks and wind ows.
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This c hap ter informs you ab out the op eration of ins trument p anel ind ic a-
tors and how to use the instruments and other switc hes.
Chapter 4: Climate control
This c hap ter informs you how to op erate the c limate c ontrol.
Chapter 5: Audio
This c hap ter informs you how to op erate your aud io system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This c hap ter informs you how to op erate interior eq uip ment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This c hap ter informs you how to start and op erate y our SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This c hap ter informs you how to d rive your SUBARU i n various c ond i-
tions and exp lains some safety tip s on d riving .Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This c hap ter informs you what to d o if you have a p rob lem while d riving ,
suc h as a flat tire or eng ine overheating .Chapter 10: Appearance care
This c hap ter informs you how to keep your SUBARU lo oking g ood .
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service

Doors and locks
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbag
Instruments and controls
Climate control
1
3
4
Audio
Interior equipment
Starting and operating
In case of emergency
5 67 9
Appearance care
Maintenance and service
Specifications
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects13
Index14
10
11
12
2
Driving tips8
xi
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CONTINUED –
Table of contents

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags Front seats1-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat heater (if equipped) 1-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seats 1-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelts 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt safety tips 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fastening the seatbelt 1-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt maintenance 1-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint systems 1-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Top strap anchors 1-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 1-28 . . . . . . . .
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS airbags and
lap/shoulder restraints 1-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS frontal airbag 1-33
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbag (if equipped) 1-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 1-47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system servicing 1-48
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 1-49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-23
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CONTINUED –

Seatbelt maintenance
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will pre-
vent the seatbelt from operating properly.
To c lean the seatb elts, use a mild soap and lukewar m water. Never
b leac h or d ye the b elts b ec ause this c ould seriousl y affec t their streng th.
Insp ec t the seatb elts and attac hments inc lud ing the web b ing and all
hard ware p eriod ic ally for c rac ks, c uts, g ashes, tea rs, d amag e, loose
b olts or worn areas. Rep lac e the seatb elts even if only minor d amag e is
found .
Child restraint systems
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle. Additionally, holding achild in your lap or arms in the front seat exposes that child to
another serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force, the child could be injured or evenkilled. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.For that reason, be sure to secure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing child seats) in the REAR seats

Instruments and controls3-7
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CONTINUED –
switch is in the
“LOCK”, “ACC” or “ON” position.
To change the mode indication, briefly push the knob.
Each press of the knob changes the function in the following order.
A trip meter B trip meter
Odometer
The odometer shows the total distance that the vehicle has been driv- en. Double trip meter
The trip meter shows the distance that the vehicle has been driven
since you last set it to zero.
To set the trip meter to zero, select the indication of the A trip or B trip
meter by pushing the knob and keep the knob pushed for more than2 seconds.
NOTE If the connection between the combination meter and battery is bro-
ken for any reason such as vehicle maintenance or fuse replace-ment, the data recorded on the trip meter will be lost. Tachometer
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the pointer of the tachometer in
the red zone. In this range, fuel injection will be cut by the enginecontrol module to protect the engine from overrevving. The en-gine will resume running normally after the engine speed is re-duced below the red zone.
The tachometer shows the engine speed in thousands of revolutions perminute. Outside temperature indicator (if equipped)
The outside temperature indicator shows the outside temperature in a
range from –22°F to 113 °F ( –30 °C to 45 °C).

Instruments and controls3-15
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CONTINUED –
the
“ON” position and with the parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should come on while driving (with
the parking brake fully released and with the ignition switch posi-
tioned in “ON”), it could be an indication of leaking of brake fluid or
worn brake pads. Have your vehicle checked by a SUBARU dealer
immediately.
Door open warning lights
The door open warning light comes on if any door or the rear gate is not fully closed.
Always make sure this light is out before you start to drive. Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles)
This light comes on when All Wheel Drive is disengaged and the drive
mechanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive for maintenance or similarpurposes. Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This light is found at the bottom center of the combination meter panel. On vehicles equipped with a security system, it blinks to show the driver
the operational status of the security system. For detailed information, re-fer to the “Security system ” in Chapter 2.
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 “Re-
placing bulbs ” section in Chapter 10.
High beam indicator
This light shows that the headlights are in the high beam mode.
This indicator light also comes on when operating headlight flasher.

5-83. Press one of the preset buttons for more than 2 seconds to store
the frequency. At this time, there will momentarily be no sound from
the radio. If the button is pressed for less than 2 seconds, the preced-
ing selection will remain in memory. NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or radio removal, all stationsstored in the preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is neces-sary to reset the preset buttons.
Cassette player operation
HS5003CB
7 Cassette slot
8 Eject button
9 TAPE button
Q TPS (Tape Program Search)
W Repeat button E
Fast-forward button
R Rewind button
T Dolby B NR button
Y Program button
NOTE Only use good quality cassettes (cassettes longer than C-90 are
not recommended). Put cassettes back in their boxes immediately after use to protect
them from dust and dirt and to prevent the tape from unwinding.

5-20
Selecting preset stations
Presetting a station with a preset button 5 allows you to select that
station in a single operation. Up to six AM, FM1 and FM2 stations
each may be preset. How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM” selection button to select AM, FM1 or FM2 re-
ception.
2. Press the “SCAN” button
3 or tune the radio manually until the de-
sired station frequency is displayed.
3. Press one of the preset buttons 5 for at least 1.5 seconds to store
the frequency. The frequency of the station will flash once on the dis-
play at this time. If the button is pressed for less than 1.5 seconds, the
preceding selection will remain in memory. NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or radio removal, all stationsstored in the preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is neces-sary to reset the preset buttons.

8-22Trailer towing
Your c ar is d esig ned and intend ed to b e used p rimar
ily as a p asseng er-
c arrying vehic le. Towing a trailer p uts ad d itional load s on your c ar’s
eng ine, d rivetrain, b rakes, tires and susp ension an d has an ad verse
effec t on fuel ec onomy.
If you d o d ec id e to tow a trailer, your safety and satisfac tion d ep end
up on p rop er use of c orrec t eq uip ment and c autious o p eration of your
vehic le. Seek the ad vic e of your SUBARU d ealer to a ssist you in p ur-
c hasing a hitc h and other nec essary towing eq uip men t ap p rop riate for
your vehic le. In ad d ition, b e sure to follow the in struc tions on c orrec t
installation and use p rovid ed b y the trailer and ot her towing eq uip ment
manufac turers.
SUBARU assumes no resp onsib ility for injuries or ve hic le d amag e that
result from trailer towing eq uip ment, or from any e rrors or omissions in
the instruc tions ac c omp anying suc h eq uip ment or for your failure to fol-
low the p rop er instruc tions.
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties d o not ap p ly to vehic le d amag e or malfunc tion
c aused b y trailer towing . If you use your vehic le t o tow a trailer, more
freq uent maintenanc e will b e req uired d ue to the ad d itional load .
(Refer to “Maintenanc e sc hed ule und er severe d riving c ond ition s” in
the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.)
Und er no c irc umstanc es should a trailer b e towed wi th a new vehic le
or a vehic le with any new p owertrain c omp onent (eng ine, transmis-
sion, d ifferential, wheel b earing s, etc .) for the f irst 1,000 miles (1,600
km) of d riving . Maximum load limits
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum load limits explained below. Exceed- ing the maximum load limits could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage.

9
In case of emergency Hazard warning flasher9-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tires 9-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jump starting 9-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine overheating 9-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing 9-11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be closed 9-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance tools 9-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire changing tools 9-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .