lock SUBARU FORESTER 2003 SG / 2.G Manual PDF

8-7
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
the “Towing” section in chapter 9.
Always maintain a safe driving speed accord-
ing to the road and weather conditions in order
to avoid having an accident on a sharp turn,
during sudden braking or under other similar
conditions. Always use the utmost care in driving – over-
confidence because you are driving an all
wheel drive vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident.
Off road driving
Because of the AWD feature and higher ground clear-
ance, your Subaru can be driven on ordinary roads or
off-road. But please keep in mind that an AWD
SUBARU is a passenger car and is neither a conven-
tional off-road vehicle nor an all-terrain vehicle. If you
do take your Subaru off-road, certain common sense
precautions such as the following should be taken: Make certain that you and all of your passengers
are wearing seat belts. Carry some emergency equipment, such as a tow-
ing rope or chain, a shovel, wheel blocks, first aid kit
and portable phone or citizens band radio. Drive carefully. Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous areas or over rough terrain. Slow down and employ extra caution at all times.
When driving off-road, you will not have the benefit of
marked traffic lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like. Do not drive across steep slopes. Instead, drive ei-
ther straight up or straight down the slopes. A vehicle
can much more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or down slopes
that are too steep. Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, especially at higher
speeds.

8-10
Driving tips
starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them
with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate
the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door
is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards
thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an anti-
freeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other
substitutes because they may damage the paint of the
vehicle.
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice
from your shoes because that could make the pedals
slippery and dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driving, check
that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all other
controls operate smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated under
the fenders to avoid making steering difficult. During
severe winter driving, stop when and where it is safe
to do so and check under the fenders periodically.
Parkingincoldweather
Do not use the parking brake when parking for long
periods in cold weather since it could freeze in that po-
sition. Instead, observe the following:
1. Place the shift lever in “1” or “R” for manual trans-
mission vehicles, and in “P” for automatic transmission
vehicles.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent the vehicle
from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or when it snows,
raise the wiper blades off the glass to prevent damage
to them.
When the vehicle has been left parked after use on
roads heavily covered with snow, or has been left
parked during a snowstorm, icing may develop on the
brake system, which could cause poor braking action.
Check for snow or ice buildup on the suspension, disc
brakes and brake hoses underneath the vehicle.
If there is caked snow or ice, remove it, being careful
not to damage the disc brakes and brake hoses and
ABS harness.
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under
your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the exhaust

8-11
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
pipe and from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Refuelingincoldweather
To help prevent moisture from forming in the fuel sys-
tem and the risk of its freezing, use of an antifreeze ad-
ditive in the fuel tank is recommended during cold
weather.
Use only additives that are specifically designed for
this purpose. When an antifreeze additive is used, its
effect lasts longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used for an extend-
ed period, it is best to have the fuel tank filled to capac-
ity. Drivingonsnowyandicyroads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid sudden brak-
ing, abrupt acceleration, high-speed driving, and
sharp turning when driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between your vehicle
and the vehicle ahead of you to avoid the need for sud-
den braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the engine brake
effectively to control the vehicle speed. (Shift into a lower gear when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behavior can
cause the wheels to lock, possibly leading to loss of
vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhances your vehi-
cle’s braking performance on snowy and icy roads.
Refer to the “ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)” section in
chapter 7 for information on braking on slippery sur-
faces.
Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads
such as snowy or icy roads. This may cause
loss of vehicle control.
Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear window.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield or rear
window, use the defroster with the airflow control but-
ton/dial in the “ ” position and the temperature con-
trol dial set for maximum warmth until the wiper blades
are completely thawed out. If your vehicle is equipped
with a wiper deicer, it is helpful to thaw the windshield
wiper blades. To thaw out the rear wiper blade, use the

8-35
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
ic transmission, avoid driving with the gear selector
lever in “D” when towing a heavy trailer to prevent fluid
overheating. A lower gear should be used. Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and trailer
when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. You
should not park on a hill or slope. But if parking on a
hill or slope cannot be avoided, you should take the
following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the
vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the
regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the park-
ing brake; slowly release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission)
or “P” (automatic transmi ssion) and shut off the en-
gine.

9-1
9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an
emergency .................................................... 9-2
Flat tires ........................................................ 9-3 Changing a flat tire ......................................... 9-3
Jump starting ............................................... 9-9 How to jump start ........................................... 9-10
Engine overheating ...................................... 9-12 If steam is coming from the engine
compartment ................................................... 9-12
If no steam is coming from the engine
compartment ................................................... 9-12
Towing .......................................................... 9-13 Towing and tie-down hooks .......................... 9-13
Using a flat-bed truck ..................................... 9-15
Towing with all wheels on the ground .......... 9-15
Rear gate — if the rear gate cannot be
unlocked ....................................................... 9-17
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be
closed ............................................................ 9-18
Maintenance tools ........................................ 9-19 Jack and jack handle ...................................... 9-19

9-3
In case of emergency
–CONTINUED –
Flat tires
If you have a flat tire while driving, never brake sud-
denly; keep driving straight ahead while gradually re-
ducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place. Changing a flat tire
Do not jack up the vehicle on an incline or a
loose road surface. The jack can come out of
the jacking point or sink into the ground and
this can result in a severe accident. Use only the jack provided with your vehicle.
The jack supplied with the vehicle is designed
only for changing a tire. Never get under the ve-
hicle while supporting the vehicle with this jack. Always turn the engine off before raising the
flat tire off the ground using the jack. Never
swing or push the vehicle supported with the
jack. The jack can come out of the jacking point
due to a jolt and this can result in a severe acci-
dent. 1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenever possible,
then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and shift a manual
transmission vehicle in reverse or an automatic trans-
mission vehicle in the “P” (Park) position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and have ev-
eryone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear of the tire di-
agonally opposite the flat tire.
HS9003BA

9-4
In case of emergency
1) Jack
2) Jack handle
3) Spare tire
5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel nut wrench.
The spare tire is stored under the floor of the cargo ar-
ea.
To remove the spare tire:
Open the lid and hang the hook provided on the under
side of the lid on the rear edge of the roof to keep the
lid open.
Remove the storage bucket. Turn the attaching bolt
counterclockwise, then take spare tire out. 1) Storage bucket
2) Attaching bolt
3) Spare tire
The jack is stored under the left side of the cargo floor.
1
3
2
HS9005BB
1
23
HS9004BB

9-5
In case of emergency
–CONTINUED –
To take out the jack:
First raise the cargo tie-down hook on the rear-left side
of the cargo area and pull the tab to open the lid, turn
the jack screw counterclockwise to loosen it, then re-
move the jack. To take out the jack handle:
Open the rear-left and center lids in the cargo area by
pulling their tabs.
HS9006BAHS9007BA

9-8
In case of emergency
surface of the wheel and hub with a cloth.
11.Put on the spare tire. Replace the wheel nuts.
Tighten them by hand.
Do not use oil or grease on the wheel studs or
nuts when the spare tire is installed. This could
cause the nuts to become loose and lead to an
accident.
12.Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to lower the
vehicle. 13.Use the wheel nut wrench to securely tighten the
wheel nuts to the specified torque, following the tight-
ening order in the illustration.
The torque for tightening the nuts is 58 to 72 ft-lb (80
to 100 N-m, 8 to 10 kg-m). This torque is equivalent to
applying about 88 to 110 lbs (40 to 50 kg) at the top of
the wheel nut wrench. Never use your foot on the
wheel nut wrench or a pipe extension on the wrench
because you may exceed the specified torque. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at the nearest automo-
tive service facility.
14.Storetheflattireinthesparetirecompartment.
Put the spacer and tighten the attaching bolt firmly.
Also store the jack and wheel nut wrench in their stor-
3
41
2
5
HS9008CB
HS9014BA

9-12
In case of emergency
Engine overheating
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until
the engine has been shut off and has fully
cooled down. When the engine is hot, the cool-
ant is under pressure. Removing the cap while
the engine is still hot could release a spray of
boiling hot coolant, which could burn you very
seriously.
If the engine overheats, safely pull off the road and
stopthevehicleinasafeplace. If steam is coming from the engine compartment
Turn the engine off and get everyone away from the
vehicle until it cools down. If no steam is coming from the engine compartment
1. Keep the engine running at idling speed.
2. Open the hood to ventilate the engine compart- ment. Confirm that the cooling fan is turning. If the fan is not
turning, immediately turn the engine off and contact
your authorized dealer for repair.
3. After the engine coolant temperature has dropped,
turn off the engine.
If the temperature gauge stays at the overheated
zone, turn the engine off.
4. After the engine has fully cooled down, check the
coolant level in the reserve tank.
If the coolant level is below the “LOW” mark, add cool-
ant up to the “FULL” mark.
5. If there is no coolant in the reserve tank, add cool-
ant to the reserve tank. Then remove the radiator cap
and fill the radiator with coolant.
If you remove the radiator cap from a hot radiator, first
wrap a thick cloth around the radiator cap, then turn
the cap counterclockwise slowly without pressing
down until it stops. Release the pressure from the ra-
diator. After the pressure has been fully released, re-
move the cap by pressing down and turning it.