Brake SUBARU FORESTER 2002 SG / 2.G Owner's Manual

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2 (Second)
This position is for using engine braking when going down a hill or for
climbing a steep grade.
In this position, the transmission holds in the 2nd gear.
Use this position when starting off from a standstill on slippery road
surfaces such as mud or snow. It will ensure greater traction. 1 (First)
This position is for driving up or down very steep grades, or driving
through mud or sand, or on slippery surfaces. In this position, the
transmission holds in the 1st gear. Maximum speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure that the vehicle is not travel- ling at a speed exceeding the Maximum Allowable Speed for thegear which is about to be selected. Failure to observe this pre-caution can lead to engine over-revving and this in turn canresult in engine damage.In addition, sudden application of engine brakes when the vehicleis travelling on a slippery surface can lead to wheel locking; as a
consequence, control of the vehicle may be lost and the risk ofan accident increased.
The following tables show the maximum speeds that are possible with
each different gear. The tachometer ’s (if so equipped) needle will
enter the red area if these speeds are exceeded.
When shifting down a gear, it is important to confirm that the current
vehicle speed is not in excess of the Maximum Allowable Speed ofthe gear which is about to be selected.
Exceeding the Maximum Allowable Speeds will result in over-revving
of the engine. In addition a powerful engine brake will engage and
control of the vehicle may be lost.

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mph (km/h)
Vehicle
typeBrighton LGTOUTBACK
PositiontypeBrighton, LGT2.5 liter3.0 liter
135 (56)29 (47)31 (50)35 (57)
264 (103)58 (93)62 (100)69 (111)
3100 (161)96 (154)102 (164)111 (178)
NOTE In order to prevent over-revving during deceleration of the
vehicle, the transmission will remain in the current gear if thespeed of the vehicle is in excess of the Maximum AllowableSpeed for the gear to which the selector lever has been moved. Driving tips
Always apply the foot or parking brake when the vehicle is
stopped in the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1” or “R” position.
Always set the parking brake when parking your vehicle. Do not
hold the vehicle with only the transmission. Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary position on an uphill grade
by using the “D”, “3”, “2”, or “1” position. Use the brake instead.
Shift lock release
If the selector lever does not move from the “P” position with the brake
pedal depressed and the ignition switch in the “ON” position, perform
the following steps:
To override the shift lock:
1. Set the parking brake and stop the engine.
2. Take out the screwdriver from the tool bag.
3. Remove the cover by prying on the edge with the regular screwdriver.

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HB7020BA
HB7010CA
4. Insert the screwdriver into the hole.
5. Push down on the screwdriver and move the selector lever from the“P” to the “N” position.
6. Remove the screwdriver from the hole. Depress the brake pedal and
start the engine.
Take your vehicle to the nearest SUBARU dealer immediately to have the
system repaired.
Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD) (if equipped)
CAUTION
Never start the engine while a tire on one side is jacked up, as
the vehicle may move. If one rear tire is spinning in mud, avoid continued spinning at
high speed as this could adversely affect the LSD. If a different size rear tire is temporarily used (as in an emer-
gency), it will adversely affect the LSD. Always replace it with aregular size tire as soon as possible.
The LSD provides optimum distribution of power according to the differ-
ence in revolutions between the right and left rear wheels that may be
caused by certain driving conditions, thereby improving driving stability
on snow-covered, muddy or other slippery roads.

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Power steering
CAUTION
Do not hold the steering wheel at the fully locked position left or right for more than five seconds. This may damage the powersteering pump.
The power steering system operates only when the engine is running.
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system
fails to function, you can steer but it will take much more effort. NOTE Right after the engine has been started and before it has warmed up, you may hear a noise coming from areas adjacent to the powersteering pump which is located at the right-front area of the enginecompartment. This noise is normal. It does not indicate power steer-ing system trouble. Braking Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can
cause dangerous overheating of the brakes and needless wearon the brake pads and linings.
When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the brakes may get
wet. As a result, brake stopping distance will be longer. To dry the
brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed while lightly depressing thebrake pedal to heat up the brakes.

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Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addition to foot braking.
When descending a grade, if only the foot brake is used, the brakes
may start working improperly because of brake fluid overheating,
caused by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift into a
lower gear to get stronger engine braking. Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire is punctured.
This could cause a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the roadto a safe place.
Brake system Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit brake systems. Each circuit
works diagonally across the vehicle. If one circuit of the brake system
should fail, the other half of the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual and
you will need to press it down much harder. And a much longer dis-
tance will be needed to stop the vehicle. Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to assist braking
force. Do not turn off the engine while driving because that will turn off
the brake booster, resulting in poor braking power.The brakes will continue to work even when the brake booster com-
pletely stops functioning. If this happens, however, you will have to
push the pedal much harder than normal and the braking distance
will increase.

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Disc brake pad wear warning indicators
OM-H0163
The disc brake pad wear warning indicators on the disc brakes give a
warning noise when the brake pads are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard from the disc brakes whilebraking, immediately have your vehicle checked by your SUBARU deal-
er. ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in driving – overconfidence because
you are driving with an ABS equipped vehicle could easily lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
The ABS system does not always decrease stopping distance.
You should always maintain a safe following distance from othervehicles. When driving on badly surfaced roads, gravel roads, icy road,
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

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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 prevents the lock-up of wheels which may occur during
sudden braking or braking on slippery road surfaces. This helps prevent
the loss of steering control and directional stability caused by wheellock-up.
When the ABS system is operating, you may hear a chattering noise or
feel a slight vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal when the ABSoperates. The ABS system will not operate when the vehicle speed is below
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and hear the operating
sound of ABS from the engine compartment just after the vehicle is
started. This is caused by an automatic functional test of the ABS sys-
tem being carried out and does not indicate any abnormal condition. ABS warning light
HB4010GA
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after about two seconds.

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This is an indication that the ABS system is working properly.
CAUTION
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS system may not
be working properly.When the warning light is on, the ABS function shuts down; how-
ever, the conventional brake system continues to operate normal-
ly. The warning light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
The 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). The warning light comes on during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at the first available
opportunity by your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as described below, the ABS sys- tem may be considered normal. The warning light comes on right after the engine is started
but goes out immediately, remaining off. The warning light remains on after the engine has been
started, but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches about 8mph (12 km/h). 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 en-
gine 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.

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In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding on a slippery road surface
and/or during cornering and/or an evasive maneuver, the VDC systemadjusts the engine ’s output and the wheels ’ respective braking forces to
help maintain traction and directional control.
Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to prevent spinning of the
driving wheels on slippery road surfaces, thereby helping to maintain
traction and directional control. Activation of this function is shown bysteady illumination of the VDC operation indicator light. Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed to help maintain directional
stability by suppressing the wheels ’ tendency to slide sideways dur-
ing steering operations. Activation of this function is shown by flash-ing of the VDC operation indicator light.
NOTE Slight twitching of the brake pedal may be felt when the VDC-sys-
tem operates; a small degree of vehicle or steering wheel shaking may also be noticed in this situation. These are normal characteris-tics of VDC operation and are no cause for alarm. When driving off immediately after starting the engine, a short-
lived operation noise may be noticed coming from the enginecompartment. This noise is generated as a result of a check beingperformed on the VDC system and is normal. Depending on the timing of activation of the brakes, certain situa-
tions may occur just after driving off where the brake pedal seemsto exhibit a jolting motion. This too is a consequence of the VDCoperational check and is normal. Activation of the VDC system will cause operation of the steering
wheel to feel slightly different compared to that for normal condi-tions. Even if the vehicle is equipped with a VDC system, it is important
that winter tires be used when driving on snow-covered or icyroads. (All four wheels should be fitted with tires of the same sizeand brand).

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started or when the vehicle reaches a speed of approximately 8 mph (12 km/h).The VDC warning light turns on while the vehicle is being driven.
When a malfunction has occurred in the VDC electrical system,
only the VDC warning light will turn on. In such an event, the ABS will
still be operating normally. The VDC warning light will also turn on when a problem occurs
with the ABS or VDC electronic control systems.
Because the VDC system controls each brake through the ABS,
whenever the ABS stops operating due to a malfunction in that electri-
cal system, the VDC will also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus VDC system operation halts and the VDC warning light
turns on. Although both the VDC system and the ABS will be inoper-able in this situation, it will still be possible to stop the vehicle using
normal braking. The VDC system and the ABS do not adversely affect
operation of the vehicle in any way when they are inoperable; how-
ever should such a situation occur, drive with care and have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of those systems at the
first available opportunity. NOTE
When the VDC warning light turns on and off in the following way,
it indicates that the VDC system is operating normally. Although turning on after the engine has been started, the
warning light quickly turns off and stays off. The warning light turns on after the engine is started and does
not turn off until the vehicle reaches a speed of 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light turns on when the vehicle is being driven; it
then turns off and stays off.