warning light SUBARU FORESTER 2005 SG / 2.G Owner's Guide

7-25
Starting and operating
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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; however, the conventional brake
system continues to operate normally. yThe warning light does not come on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position. y 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). y 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 be-
low, the ABS system may be considered normal. y The warning light comes on right after the en-
gine is started but goes out immediately, remain-
ing off. y The warning light remains on after the engine
has been started, but it goes out when the vehicle speed reaches about 8 mph (12 km/h).y
The warning light comes on during driving, but
it goes out immediately and remains off.

7-26
Starting and operating
Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system (if equipped)
The EBD system maximizes the effectiveness of the
brakes by allowing the rear brakes to supply a greater
proportion of the braking force. It functions by adjust-
ing the distribution of braking force to the rear wheels
in accordance with the vehicle’s loading condition and
speed.
The EBD system is an integral part of the ABS system
and uses some of the ABS system’s components to
perform its function of optimizing the distribution of
braking force. If any of the ABS components used by
the EBD function fails, the EBD system also stops
working.
When the EBD system is operating, you may hear a
chattering noise or feel a slight vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal and does not indicate a malfunc- tion.
„
Steps to take if EBD system fails
If a malfunction occurs in the EBD system, the system
stops working and the brake system warning light and
ABS warning light come on simultaneously.
The EBD system may be faulty if the brake system
warning light and ABS warning light illuminate simulta-
neously during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conventional braking
system will still function. However, the rear wheels will
be more prone to locking when the brakes are applied
harder than usual and the vehicle’s motion may there-
fore become somewhat harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS warning
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7-27
Starting and operating
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light illuminate simultaneously, take the following
steps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe, flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both warning lights go
out, the EBD system may be faulty.
Drive carefully to the nearest SUBARU dealer and
have the system inspected.
4. If both warning lights come on again and stay illu-
minated after the engine has been restarted, shut
down the engine again, apply the parking brake, and
check the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the “MIN” mark,
the EBD system may be faulty. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the system inspect-
ed.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “MIN” mark, DO
NOT drive the vehicle. Instead, have the vehicle towed
to the nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
yDriving with the brake system warning light
on is dangerous. This indicates your brake sys-
tem may not be working properly. If the light re-
mains on, have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately. y If at all in doubt about whether the brakes are operating properly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the nearest
SUBARU dealer for repair.

7-31
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
should occur, have an authorized SUBARU dealer
carry out an inspection of that system at the first avail-
able opportunity. yThe indicator light does not turn on when the ignition
key is turned to the ON position. y The indicator light does not turn off approximately
two seconds after the ignition key has been turned to
the ON position. T Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light/Vehi-
cle Dynamics Control OFF indicator light
This single light has the function of indicating malfunc-
tions in the Vehicle Dynamics Control system and the
function of indicating that the Vehicle Dynamics Con- trol system is not operating. It comes on in the event
of a malfunction in the system and is illuminated when-
ever the system is not operating. V
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light comes on when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position and goes off several sec-
onds after engine startup.This lighting pattern indi-
cates that the Vehicle Dynamics Control system is op-
erating normally.
The following situations could indicate a malfunction of
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system; if any should
occur, have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry out
an inspection of the system at the first available oppor-
tunity. y The warning light does not turn on when the ignition
key is turned to the ON position. y The warning light turns on while the vehicle is being
driven. y When a malfunction has occurred in the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control electrical system, only the warning
light will turn on. In such an event, the ABS will still be
operating normally. y The warning light will also turn on when a problem
occurs with the ABS or Vehicle Dynamics Control
electronic control systems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control system con-
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7-32
Starting and operating
trols each brake through the ABS, whenever the ABS
stops operating due to a malfunction in that electrical
system, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will also be-
come unable to control all four brakes. Thus Vehicle
Dynamics Control system operation halts and the
warning light turns on. Although both the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system and the ABS will be inoperable
in this situation, it will still be possible to stop the vehi-
cle using normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system and the ABS do not adversely affect oper-
ation of the vehicle in any way when they are inopera-
ble; however should such a situation occur, drive with
care and have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of those systems at the first available
opportunity.
NOTE
When the warning light turns on and off in the fol-
lowing way, it indicates that the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is operating normally. y
Although turning on after the engine has been
started, the warning light quickly turns off and
stays off. y The warning light turns on when the vehicle is
being driven; it then turns off and stays off. V Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator light
This light comes on to indicate that the Vehicle Dy- namics Control system is in non-operation mode. This
does not constitute failure of the Vehicle DynamicsControl system.
NOTE y
The indicator light may stay on for a while after
the engine has been started, especially in cold
weather. This occurs because the engine has not
yet warmed up and is completely normal. The light
will turn off when the engine has reached a suit-
able operating temperature. y When an engine problem occurs and the mal-
function indicator lamp turns on, the indicator
light will also come on.
The following two situations could indicate malfunction
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control system; if either
should occur, have an authorized SUBARU dealer
carry out an inspection of that system at the first avail-
able opportunity. y The indicator light does not turn on when the ignition
key is turned to the ON position. y The indicator light fails to turn off after the engine is
started, even when several minutes have passed to al-
low the engine to heat up sufficiently.

7-34
Starting and operating
Parking your vehicle „
Parking brake
To set the parking brake, press the brake pedal firmly
and hold it down while fully pulling up the parking
brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly,
press the release button, then lower the lever while
keeping the button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is run-
ning, the parking brake warning light comes on. After
starting the vehicle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section (chapter 3).
Never drive while the parking brake is set be-
cause this will cause unnecessary wear on the
brake linings. Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake has been fully
released.
„ Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always set the parking brake firmly and put the shift lever in the “1” (1st) for an
upgrade or “R” (Reverse) for a downgrade for manual
transmission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) position for
automatic transmission vehicles. Always set the park-
ing brake firmly when parking your vehicle. Never rely
on the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
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8-34
Driving tips
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safety in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rearward field of
view without a significant blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel” of
the vehicle/trailer combination before starting out on a
trip. In an area free of traffic, practice turning, stopping
and backing up. T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more stopping
distance when towing a trailer. Avoid sudden braking
because it may result in skidding or jackknifing and
loss of control.y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accelerations. If
your vehicle has a manual transmission, always start
out in first gear and release the clutch at moderate en-
gine revolution. y Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and rapid lane
changes. y Slow down before turning. Make a longer than nor-
mal turning radius because the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
In a tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds
can be due to weather conditions or the passing of
large trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradu- ally.y
When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
A) Left turn
B) Right turn
y Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes prac-
tice. When backing up with a trailer, never accelerate
or steer rapidly. When turning back, grip the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to the left
for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn. y If the ABS warning light illuminates while the vehicle
is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have repairs
A B
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8-35
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
performed immediately by the nearest SUBARU deal- er. TDriving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift
into lower gear (if necessary, use 1st gear) in order to
utilize the engine braking effect and prevent overheat-
ing of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not make sudden
downshifts. y When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condition-
er may turn off automatically to protect the engine from
overheating. y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature gauge pointer (for all vehicles)
and AT OIL TEMP warning light (for AT vehicles) since
the engine and transmission are relatively prone to
overheating under these conditions. If the water tem-
perature gauge pointer approaches the OVERHEAT
zone or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illuminates,
immediately switch off the air conditioner and stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine
overheating” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and
indicator lights” section in chapter 3. y If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to over-
heat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an automat- ic transmission, avoid driving with the gear selector le-
ver in “D” when towing a heavy trailer to prevent fluid
overheating. A lower gear should be used. T
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 transmission) and shut off the en-
gine.

12-8
Specifications
„
Fuse panel located in the engine com-
partment
A) FWD socket (AT models without Vehicle Dynamics Control system)
B) Main fuse
A
12 4
3 B
5
6 7
89
10 11 12
13
USC003BB
Fuse panelFuse ratingCircuit
130Ay
Radiator cooling fan
(Main)
230AyRadiator cooling fan
(Sub)
350AyVehicle Dynamics
Control system (Mod-
els with Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system
only)
30AyEngine sensor (Non-
turbo models only)
430AyABS motor
520AyRear window defogger
615AyHazard warning flasher
y Horn
715AyTurn signal lights
810AyAutomatic transmis- sion control unit
910AyAlternator

14-2
Index
A
ABS ................................................................... 7-23
Warning light ........................................ 3-15, 7-24
Accessory power outlet ....................................... 6-9
Active head restraint ............................................ 1-9
Air cleaner element ......................................... 11-21
Air filtration system ............................................ 4-18
All-Wheel Drive .................................................. 3-19
Aluminum wheel .............................................. 11-50
Aluminum wheel cleaning .................................. 10-3
Antenna system .................................................. 5-2
Anti-lock brake system warning light (ABS) .................................................... 3-15, 7-24
Arming the system ............................................. 2-17
Ashtray ..................................................... 6-14, 10-7
Audio set ............................................................. 5-3
Auto-dimming mirror/compass .......................... 3-35
Automatic climate control system ...................... 4-11
Automatic transmission ..................................... 7-15 Capacities ..................................................... 12-4
Fluid ............................................................ 11-29
Selector lever ................................................ 7-16
Shift lock release .......................................... 7-20
Temperature warning (AT OIL TEMP) .......... 3-15
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) .......................................................... 1-16 B
Battery ............................................................. 11-58
Jump starting .................................................. 9-9
Replacing (remote keyless entry) ................. 2-11
Brake
Booster ....................................................... 11-38
Fluid ............................................................ 11-36
Pad and lining ............................................. 11-41
Parking ....................................................... 11-42
Pedal .......................................................... 11-38
System ......................................................... 7-22
Warning light ................................................ 3-18
Brake pedal ..................................................... 11-38 Free play .................................................... 11-38
Reserve distance ........................................ 11-39
Braking .............................................................. 7-22
Braking tips ....................................................... 7-22
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings ..... 11-41Bulb Chart ............................................................. 12-9
Replacing ................................................... 11-63
C
Capacities ......................................................... 12-4
Cargo area cover (if equipped) ......................... 6-16
Cargo area light ................................................... 6-2
Cargo tie-down hooks ....................................... 6-18