light SUBARU FORESTER 2007 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

7-18 Starting and operating
immediately, remaining off. yThe warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it goes
out when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). y The warning light comes on during
driving, but it goes out immediately
and remains off. Electronic Brake Force Dis-
tribution (EBD) system
The EBD system maximizes the effective-
ness of the brakes by allowing the rear
brakes to supply a greater proportion of
the braking force. It functions by adjusting
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 func-
tion of optimizing the distribution of brak-
ing 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 malfunction.„
Steps to take if EBD system
fails
1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
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 simultaneously during driv-
ing.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are ap-
plied harder than usual and the vehicle’s
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Starting and operating 7-19
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motion may therefore become somewhat
harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS
warning 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 illuminated 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 in-
spected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the
“MIN” mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle. In-
stead, have the vehicle towed to the near-
est SUBARU dealer for repair.
Parking your vehicle
y
Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately.
yIf at all in doubt about whether the
brakes are operating properly, do
not drive the vehicle. Have your
vehicle towed to the nearest SUB-
ARU dealer for repair.
yNever leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent opera-
tion of the vehicle. Also, on hot or
sunny days, the temperature in a
closed vehicle could quickly be-
come high enough to cause se-
vere or possibly fatal injuries to
people.
yDo not park the vehicle over flam-
mable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
yBe sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If engine
exhaust gas enters the passenger
compartment, occupants in the
vehicle could die from carbon
monoxide (CO) contained in the
exhaust gas.

7-20 Starting and operating
„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 le-
ver up slightly, press the release button,
then lower the lever while keeping the but-
ton pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the engine is running, the parking brake warn-
ing light comes on. After starting the vehi-
cle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Re-
fer to the “Warning and indicator lights”
section (chapter 3).
„ 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” (Re-
verse) for a downgrade for manual trans-
mission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) posi-
tion for automatic transmission vehicles.
Always set the parking brake firmly when
parking your vehicle. Never rely on the
transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the steering wheel. When the vehicle is head-
ed up the hill, the front wheels should be
turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb.
Never drive while the parking brake
is set because this will cause unnec-
essary wear on the brake linings.
Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake
has been fully released.
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Starting and operating 7-21
Hill holder (Manual transmis-
sion – if equipped)
The Hill holder is a device to make starting
on an uphill grade easier.
On an uphill grade, when the clutch pedalis depressed while the brake pedal is also
depressed, braking power is maintained
temporarily by the Hill holder when the
brake pedal is released. The driver is
therefore able to start the vehicle the
same way as on a level grade, just using
the clutch and accelerator pedal.
The Hill holder does not operate when the
vehicle is facing downhill. And the Hill
holder may not operate on slight grades.
When starting in reverse and using the Hill
holder, a braking effect may be felt even
after the brake pedal has been released.
However, this braking effect should disap-
pear once the clutch pedal is released.
A slight jolt may be felt when the vehicle
begins to move forward after being re-
versed. If the braking power of the Hill holder is in-
sufficient after the brake pedal is released,
apply more braking power by pressing the
brake pedal again.
The Hill Holder is a device only for
helping the driver to START the ve-
hicle on an uphill grade. To prevent
accidents when the vehicle is
parked on a slope, be sure to firmly
set the parking brake. When setting
the parking brake, make sure that
the vehicle remains stationary when
the clutch pedal is released.
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7-22 Starting and operating
Cruise control
Cruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned “OFF” when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid unin-
tentionally setting the cruise control.
NOTE
If you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the “CRUISE” indicator light flash-
es. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position, and
then turn it again to the “ON” position. „
To set cruise control
0
1. Push the main switch button.
The “ ” indicator light on the com-
bination meter will come on.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle reaches the desired speed.
3. Push the control lever downward in the
“SET/COAST” direction and release it.
Then release the accelerator pedal.
At this time, the “ ” indicator light is il-
luminated in the combination meter.
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions. This
may cause loss of vehicle control:
y
driving up or down a steep grade
ydriving on slippery or winding
roads
ydriving in heavy traffic
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Starting and operating 7-23
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The vehicle will maintain the desired
speed.
Vehicle speed can be temporarily in-
creased while driving with the cruise con-
trol activated. Simply depress the acceler-
ator pedal to accelerate the vehicle. When
the accelerator pedal is released, the ve-
hicle will return to and maintain the previ-
ous cruising speed. „
To temporarily cancel the
cruise control
There are five ways to cancel the cruise
control temporarily: y Pull the control lever in the “CANCEL”
direction. y Depress the brake pedal. y
Depress the clutch pedal (manual trans-
mission vehicles only). y Shift the selector lever into the “N” posi-
tion (automatic transmission vehicles
only). y Shift the shift lever into neutral (manual
transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter goes off when the cruise control
is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever up-
ward in the “RES/ACC” direction to return
to the original cruising speed automatical-
ly.
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter will automatically come on at
this time.
„ To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise
control: y Push the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position (but only when the vehi-
cle is completely stopped). „
To change the cruising speed
T To increase the speed (by control le-
ver)
Push the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction and hold it until the
vehicle reaches the desired speed. Then,
release the control lever. The vehicle
speed at that moment will be memorized
and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction quickly.
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Driving tips 8-7
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thrown around in the vehicle and cause in-
jury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof.
Those loads raise the vehicle’s center of
gravity and make it more prone to tip over. y
If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelera-
tor pedal slightly and move the selector le-
ver back and forth between “D” and “R” re-
peatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the
wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). y Never equip your vehicle with tires larg-
er than those specified in this manual.y Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle un-
der hard-driving conditions such as rough
roads or off roads will necessitate more
frequent replacement of engine oil, brake
fluid and transmission oil than that speci-
fied in the maintenance schedule de-
scribed in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your
SUBARU while operating it off-road and
not using common sense precautions
such as those listed above is not eligible
for warranty coverage.y Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.
Winter driving „
Operation during cold weath- er
Carry some emergency equipment, such
as tire chains, a window scraper, a bag of
sand, flares, a small shovel, and jumper
cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold tem-
peratures reduce battery capacity. The
battery must be in good condition to pro-
vide enough power for cold winter starts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and vis-
cosity for cold weather. Heavy summer oil
will cause harder starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
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Driving tips 8-11
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speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h).
Always use the utmost care when driving
with tire chains – overconfidence because
you are driving with tire chains could eas-
ily lead to a serious accident. „
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the acceler-
ator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT).
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on holding
the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
y Never allow passengers to ride on
a folded rear seatback or in the
cargo area. Doing so may result in
serious injury.
yNever stack luggage or other car-
go higher than the top of the seat-
back because it could tumble for-
ward and injure passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Keep luggage or cargo low,
as close to the floor as possible.
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yWhen you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can to prevent it from being
thrown around inside the vehicle
during sudden stops, sharp turns
or in an accident.
yDo not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
ySecure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
yNever exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle han-
dles. This could result in loss of
control and cause personal injury.
Also, overloading can shorten the
life of your vehicle.
yDo not place anything on the ex-
tended cargo area cover. Such
items could tumble forward in the
event of a sudden stop or a colli-
sion. This could cause serious in- jury.

Driving tips 8-17
not come off the hitch receiver.1) Hitch ball installation point
2) Hooks for safety chains
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriate
for the ball mount and your trailer. The
hitch ball must be securely installed on the
ball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch with
safety chains that will hold the trailer’s
maximum gross weight. The chains
should cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping onto the
ground in case it should disconnect from
the hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in the
chains taking tight-turn situations into ac-
count; however, be careful not to let them
drag on the ground.
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’s black
four-pin wire connector to the towing trail-
er’s wire harness
9. Confirm proper function of the hitch
wire harness by individually activating the
brake, right turn signal, left turn signal,
stop, and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE
Always disconnect the trailer wire har-
ness before launching or retrieving a
watercraft. „
When you do not tow a trailer
y Remove the ball mount from the hitch
receiver tube and insert the receiver cover
onto the hitch receiver tube. y Place the dust cap over the fou-pin con-
nector of the hitch wire harness to protect
against possible damage. y Occasionally lubricate terminals of the
four-pin connector using terminal grease.
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Do not connect safety chains to part
of the vehicle other than the safety
chain hooks.
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8-22 Driving tips
„Connecting a trailer
T Trailer brakes
If your trailer’s total weight (trailer weight
plus its cargo weight) exceeds 1,000 lbs
(453 kg), the trailer is required to be
equipped with its own brake system. Elec-
tric brakes or surge brakes are recom-
mended, and must be installed properly.
Check that your trailer’s brakes conform
with Federal, state/province and/or other
applicable regulations. Your SUBARU’s
brake system is not designed to be tapped
into the trailer’s hydraulic brake system.
Please ask your SUBARU dealer and pro-
fessional trailer supplier for more informa-
tion about the trailer’s brake system. T
Trailer safety chains
In case the trailer hitch connector or hitch
ball should break or become disconnect-
ed, the trailer could get loose and create a
traffic safety hazard.
For safety, always connect the towing ve-
hicle and trailer with trailer safety chains.
Pass the chains crossing each other un-
der the trailer tongue to prevent the trailer
from dropping onto the ground in case the
trailer tongue should disconnect from the
hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in the
chains taking tight-turn situations into ac-
count; however, be careful not to let them
drag on the ground.
For more information about the safety
chain connection, refer to the instructions
for your hitch and trailer. T
Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle,
check that the standard side mirrors pro-
vide a good rearward field of view without
significant blind spots. If significant blind
spots occur with the vehicle’s standard
side mirrors, use towing mirrors that con-
form with Federal, state/province and/or
other applicable regulations. T Trailer lights
yAdequate size trailer brakes are
required when the trailer and its
cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg)
total weight.
yDo not directly connect your trail-
er’s hydraulic brake system to the
hydraulic brake system in your
vehicle. Direct connection would
cause the vehicle’s brake perfor-
mance to deteriorate and could
lead to an accident.
Always use safety chains between
your vehicle and the trailer. Towing
a trailer without safety chains could
create a traffic safety hazard if the
trailer separates from the hitch due
to coupling damage or hitch ball
damage.
Direct splicing or other improper
connection of trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction of
your vehicle’s lighting system.
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