suspension SUBARU FORESTER 2007 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

1-24 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always
be placed in an infant or child restraint
system in the rear seat while riding in the
vehicle. You should use an infant or child
restraint system that meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canada Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standards, is compati-
ble with your vehicle and is appropriate for
the child’s age and size. All child restraint
systems are designed to be secured in ve-
hicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt por-
tion of a lap/shoulder belt (except those
covered under the section in this manual,
entitled “Installation of child restraint sys-
tems by use of lower and tether anchorag-
es (LATCH)”).Children could be endangered in an acci-
dent if their child restraints are not proper-
ly secured in the vehicle. When installing
the child restraint system, carefully follow
the manufacturer’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces
require that infants and small children be
restrained in an approved child restraint
system at all times while the vehicle is
moving.
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners. y
Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
y Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
y Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle plac-
ard attached to the driver’s door
pillar or specified for individual
vehicle models in this Owner’s
Manual.
100607
100125

1-46 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
yWhen a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by an adult, observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so may lessen
the load on the front passenger’s seat, de-
activating the front passenger’s SRS fron-
tal airbag despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult.y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
lift the front passenger’s seat cushion us-
ing his/her feet. y Do not place any article under the front
passenger’s seat, or squeeze any article
from behind and under the seat. This may
lift the seat cushion. y Do not squeeze any article between the
front passenger’s seat and side trim/pillar,
door or center console box. This may lift
the seat cushion. V If the passenger’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator illuminates and the
ON indicator extinguishes even
when the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incorrect-
ly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion. Ask the front passenger to set the
seatback to the upright position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion, correctly fasten the seatbelt, position his/
her legs out forward, and adjust the seat
to the rearmost position. Turn the ignition
switch to the “ON” position. If the OFF in-
dicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains extinguished, take the
following actions. y
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” po-
sition. y Ensure that there are no articles, books,
shoes or other objects trapped under the
seat, at the rear of the seat, or on the side
of the seat. y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only) y Next, turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position and wait 6 seconds to allow the
system to complete self-checking. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indi-
cator should illuminate while the OFF indi-
cator remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while
the ON indicator remains extinguished,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection. T
Effect vehicle modifications made
for persons with disabilities may
have on Subaru advanced frontal
airbag system operation (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, seat belts, front bumper, front side
frame, instrument panel, combination
meter, steering wheel, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect
the operation of the Subaru advanced air-
bag system. If you have any questions,
you may contact the following Subaru dis-
tributors:
of Columbia>
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department
P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)

Schuman Inc, dba Subaru of Hawaii
740 Halekauwila Street Honolulu, HI
96813
808-591-3075

1-60 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.
yInstallation of additional electri-
cal/electronic equipment such
as a mobile two-way radio on or
near the SRS airbag system
components and/or wiring is
not advisable. This could inter-
fere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system.
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the SRS airbag system. y Attachment of any equipment
(brush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
y Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
y Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle plac-
ard attached to the driver’s door
pillar or specified for individual
vehicle models in this Owner’s
Manual.yAttachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors,
etc.) other than genuine SUBARU
accessory parts to the side body.

7
Starting and operating
Fuel ...................................................................... 7-2Fuel requirements .................................................. 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap .............................................. 7-3
State emission testing (U.S. only) .................... 7-5
Preparing to drive .............................................. 7-6
Starting the engine ............................................. 7-7 Manual transmission vehicle ................................. 7-7
Automatic transmission vehicle ............................ 7-7
Stopping the engine ........................................... 7-8
Manual transmission ......................................... 7-9 Shifting speeds ....................................................... 7-9
Driving tips .............................................................. 7-10
Automatic transmission .................................... 7-10 Selector lever for automatic transmission ........... 7-11
Shift lock release .................................................... 7-14
Rear viscous limited slip differential (LSD) (if equipped) ......................................................... 7-15
Power steering ................................................... 7-15
Braking ................................................................ 7-15 Braking tips ............................................................. 7-15
Brake system .......................................................... 7-16
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators .............. 7-16
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) .......................... 7-16 ABS system self-check .......................................... 7-17
ABS warning light ................................................... 7-17
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system ............................................................. 7-18 Steps to take if EBD system fails .......................... 7-18
Parking your vehicle .......................................... 7-19 Parking brake .......................................................... 7-20
Parking tips ............................................................. 7-20
Hill holder (Manual transmission – if equipped) ...................................................... 7-21
Cruise control ..................................................... 7-22 To set cruise control .............................................. 7-22
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-23
To turn off the cruise control ................................. 7-23
To change the cruising speed ............................... 7-23
Self-leveling rear suspension (if equipped) ..... 7-25

Starting and operating 7-25
Self-leveling rear suspension
(if equipped)
The self-leveling suspension adjusts the
vehicle body position automatically to
keep it level at all times irrespective of the
number of occupants and the amount of
cargo.
The self-leveling system is incorporated in
the rear suspension shock absorber and
operates only when the vehicle is in mo-
tion.Owing to the self-leveling suspension, the
vehicle body is adjusted to the proper po-
sition after several drive trips, even if the
rear of the vehicle is lowered by loaded
cargos or a coupled trailer.
If cargos are unloaded all at once, the ve-
hicle height may become higher than the
normal level. This is because that the hy-
draulic pressure in the self-leveling sus-
pension was increased for leveling the
body when the cargos were loaded. In
such a case, the vehicle height will return
to the original level after several driving
trips.
NOTE
If the rear axle is loaded excessively,
the vehicle body may not be adjusted
to the proper position.
700054
700055

Driving tips 8-7
– CONTINUED –
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
800219

Driving tips 8-9
– CONTINUED –
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 har-
ness. T
Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in
the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,
use of an antifreeze additive in the fuel
tank is recommended during cold weath- er.
Use only additives that are specifically de-
signed for this purpose. When an anti-
freeze 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 extended period, it is best to have the
fuel tank filled to capacity. „ Driving on snowy and icy roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid
sudden braking, 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 sudden braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the en-
gine brake effectively to control the vehi-
cle speed. (Shift into a lower gear when
necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behav-
ior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly
leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhanc-
es your vehicle’s braking performance on
snowy and icy roads. Refer to the “ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System)” section in chap-
ter 7 for information on braking on slippery
surfaces. TWiper 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 button/dial in the “ ” position
and the temperature control 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 rear
window defogger.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow
starts to stick on the surface of the wind-
shield despite wiper operation, use the de-
froster with the airflow control button/dial
in “ ” and the temperature control dial
set for maximum warmth. After the wind-
shield gets warmed enough to melt the
frozen snow on it, wash it away using the
windshield washer.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the
wiper from working effectively. If snow is
stuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road to
a safe place, then remove it. If you stop
the vehicle at road side, use the hazard
warning flasher to alert other drivers.
We recommend use of non-freezing type
wiper blades (winter blades) during the
seasons you could have snow and sub-
Do not use the cruise control on
slippery roads such as snowy or icy
roads. This may cause loss of vehi-
cle control.
Avoid prolonged continuous driving
in snowstorms. Snow will enter the
engine’s intake system and may
hinder the air flow, which could re-
sult in engine shutdown or even
breakdown.

8-18 Driving tips
Trailer towing
Your vehicle is designed and intended to
be used primarily as a passenger-carrying
vehicle. Towing a trailer puts additional
loads on your vehicle’s engine, drivetrain,
brakes, tires and suspension and has an
adverse effect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safe-
ty and satisfaction depend upon proper
use of correct equipment and cautious op-
eration of your vehicle. Seek the advice of
your SUBARU dealer to assist you in pur-
chasing a hitch and other necessary tow-
ing equipment appropriate for your vehi-
cle. In addition, be sure to follow the in-
structions on correct installation and use
provided by the trailer and other towing
equipment manufacturers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for in-
juries or vehicle damage that result from
trailer towing equipment, or from any er-
rors or omissions in the instructions ac-
companying such equipment or for your
failure to follow the proper instructions. „Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehi-
cle damage or malfunction caused by trail-
er towing. If you use your vehicle to tow a
trailer, more frequent maintenance will be required due to the additional load. (Refer
to “Maintenance schedule under severe
driving conditions” in the “Warranty and
Maintenance Booklet”.)
Under no circumstances should a trailer
be towed with a new vehicle or a vehicle
with any new powertrain component (en-
gine, transmission, differential, wheel
bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km) of driving.
„ Maximum load limits
TTotal trailer weight
Total trailer weight
The total trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo load) must never exceed the
maximum weight shown in the following
table.
Never exceed the maximum load
limits explained in the following. Ex-
ceeding the maximum load limits
could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage. y Adequate size trailer brakes are
required when the trailer and its
cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg)
total weight.
yBefore towing a trailer, check the
trailer total weight, GVW, GAWs
and tongue load. Make sure the
load and its distribution in your
vehicle and trailer are acceptable.
800211

In case of emergency 9-11
– CONTINUED –
„
Towing and tie-down hooks
The towing hooks should be used only in
an emergency (e.g., to free a stuck vehicle
from mud, sand or snow).
Front towing hook:
Rear towing hook: Tie-down hooks:
1) Tie-down hooks
2) Towing and tie-down hooks
y
Use only the specified towing
hooks and tie-down hooks. Never
use suspension parts or other
parts of the body for towing or tie-
down purposes.
y Never use the tie-down hook clos-
est to the muffler under the vehi-
cle for towing purposes.
y To prevent deformation to the
bumper and the towing hook, do
not apply excessive lateral load to
the towing hooks.
600441
900234
2
2
1
1
900238

9-12 In case of emergency
„Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your vehi-
cle. Use the following procedures to en-
sure safe transportation.
1. Shift the selector lever into the “P” po-
sition for automatic transmission vehicles
or “1st” for manual transmission vehicles.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier
properly with safety chains. Each safety
chain should be equally tightened and
care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out. „
Towing with all wheels on the ground
1. Check the transmission and differential
oil levels and add oil to bring it to the upper
level if necessary.
2. Release the parking brake and put the
transmission in neutral.
3. The ignition switch should be in the
“ACC” position while the vehicle is being
towed.
4. Take up slack in the towline slowly to
prevent damage to the vehicle.
900018
yNever turn the ignition switch to
the “LOCK” position while the ve-
hicle is being towed because the
steering wheel and the direction
of the wheels will be locked.
yRemember that the brake booster
and power steering do not func-
tion when the engine is not run-
ning. Because the engine is
turned off, it will take greater ef-
fort to operate the brake pedal and
steering wheel.
900019
yIf transmission failure occurs,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.
y Do not run the engine while being
towed using this method. Trans-
mission damage could result if
the vehicle is towed with the en-
gine running.
y For vehicles with automatic trans-
mission, the traveling speed must
be limited to less than 20 mph (30
km/h) and the traveling distance
to less than 31 miles (50 km). For
greater speeds and distances,
transport your vehicle on a flat-
bed truck.