SUBARU FORESTER 2005 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

Foreword
Congratulations on choosing a SUBARU vehicle. This Owner’s Man-
ual has all the information necessary to keep your SUBARU in excel-
lent condition and to properly maintain the emission control system
for minimizing emission pollutants. We urge you to read this manual
carefully so that you may understand your vehicle and its operation.
For information not found in this Owner’s Manual, such as details
concerning repairs or adjustments, please contact the dealer from
whom you purchased your SUBARU or the nearest SUBARU dealer. The information, specifications and illustrations found in this manual
are those in effect at the time of printing. FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
LTD. reserves the right to change specifications and designs at any
time without prior notice and without incurring any obligation to
make the same or similar changes on vehicles previously sold. This
Owner’s Manual applies to all models and covers all equipment, in-
cluding factory installed options. Some explanations, therefore may
be for equipment not installed in your vehicle.
Please leave this manual in the vehicle at the time of resale. The next
owner will need the information found herein.FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD., TOKYO, JAPAN
is a registered trademark of FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.
© copyright 2004 FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.

This manual describes the following vehicle types.* The illustrated vehicle is one of the FORESTER series.
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Warranties „Warranties for U.S.A.
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by Subaru of Ameri-
ca, 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 deal-
er 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 Warranty and Service Book-
let. Please read these warranties carefully.
This vehicle does not contain mer-
cury devices or parts.

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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, follow the instructions in this manual.
Failure to observe these instructions may result in se-
rious 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
information you want.
Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
This chapter informs you how to use the seat and seat-
belt and contains precautions 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 operation of instru-
ment panel indicators and how to use the instruments
and other switches.
Chapter 4: Climate Control
This chapter informs you how to operate the climate
control.
Chapter 5: Audio This chapter informs you how to operate your audiosystem.
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 explains some safety tips on
driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you have a prob-
lem while driving, such as a flat tire or engine over-
heating.
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
properly.
Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension and capac-
ities of your SUBARU.

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Chapter 13: Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
This chapter informs you about Uniform tire quality
grading standards and Reporting safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that’s in this manu-
al. 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 potential hazards
that could result in injury to you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well as all other
portions of this manual carefully in order to gain a bet-
ter understanding of how to use your SUBARU vehiclesafely.
A WARNING indicates a situation in which seri-
ous injury or death could result if the warning is
ignored.
A CAUTION indicates a situation in which injury
or damage to your vehicle, or both, could result
if the caution is ignored.
NOTE
A NOTE gives information or suggestions how to
make better use of your vehicle. „ Safety symbol
You will find a circle with a slash through it in this man-
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ual. This symbol means “Do not”, “Do not do this”, or
“Do not let this happen”, depending upon the context.Vehicle symbols
There are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.Mark Name CAUTION
Power door lock
Passenger’s windows lock Fuel
Front fog lights
Parking lights
Hazard warning flasher
Cigarette lighter

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Engine hood
Seat heater
Child restraint top tether anchorages
Child restraint lower anchorages
Horn
Windshield wiper deicer
Wiper intermittent
Windshield wiper and washer
Rear window wiper and washer
Mark NameLights
Parking lights, tail lights, license plate
light and instrument panel illumination
Head lights
Illumination brightness
Fan speed
Instrument panel outlets
Instrument panel outlets and foot out- lets
Foot outlets
Windshield defroster and foot outlets
Windshield defroster
Mark Name

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Safety precautions when driving „Seatbelt and SRS airbag
yAll persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.y To obtain maximum protection in the event of
an accident, the driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seatbelts when the
vehicle is moving. The SRS (Supplemental Re-
straint System) airbag does not do away with
the need to fasten seatbelts. In combination
with the seatbelts, it offers the best combined
protection in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of
severe injury or death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag. y The SRS airbags deploy with considerable
speed and force. Occupants who are out of
proper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Because the
SRS airbag needs enough space for deploy-
Outside mirror defogger
Rear window defogger
Air recirculation
Engine oil Washer
Mark Name

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ment, the driver should always sit upright and
well back in the seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possible and sit
upright and well back in the seat.
Carefully read the sections “Seatbelts” and “*SRS air-
bag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)” in chap-
ter 1 of this owner’s manual for instructions and pre-
cautions concerning the seatbelt system and SRS air-
bag system. „ Child safety
yNever hold a child on your lap or in your arms
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger
cannot protect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be caught between
the passenger and objects inside the vehicle. y While riding in the vehicle, infants and small
children should always be placed in the REAR
seat in an infant or child restraint system which
is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. If a child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the REAR seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating po-
sitions than in the front seating positions. Nev-
er allow a child to stand up or kneel on the seat. y
Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all times in a child
restraint device or in a seatbelt. The SRS airbag
deploys with considerable speed and force and
can injure or even kill children, especially if
they are 12 years of age and under and are not
restrained or improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk being injured from deployment is
greater.y NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. y Always use the child safety locks whenever a
child rides in the rear seat. Serious injury could
result if a child accidentally opened the door
and fell out. Refer to the “Child safety locks”
section in chapter 2.