SUBARU FORESTER 2009 SH / 3.G Owners Manual

6-6Interior equipment
1) Pocket console
The pocket console can be used to store
small items.
CAUTION
Be careful not to trap your hands
between the console top and con-
sole box when raising and tipping
the console top. &
Overhead console
To open the console, push on the console
lid lightly and the lid will automaticallyopen.
CAUTION
When your vehicle is in the sun or
on a warm day, the inside of the
overhead console heats up. Avoid
storing plastic or other heat-vulner-
able or flammable articles such as a
lighter in the overhead console. &
Rear seat center table (if equipped)
To use the rear seat center table, pull the
strap up.
The rear seat center table can be used as
a storage space and as rear passenger

cup holders.
CAUTION
. Do not step or sit on the rear seat
center table, and do not place
heavy objects on it. The rear seat
center table could break, and you
could get hurt.
. When pulling out or returning the
rear seat center table, make sure
not to pinch fingers or other bodyparts.
& Coin tray
A coin tray is built in the center console. Cup holders
CAUTION
Take care to avoid spills. Beverages,
if hot, might burn you or your
passengers. Spilled beverages may
also damage upholstery, carpets or
audio equipment.
& Front passenger cup holder
CAUTION
Do not pick up a cup from the cup
holder or put a cup in the holder
while you are driving, as this may
distract you and lead to an accident.A dual cup holder is built in the center
console, beside the parking brake lever.
The cup holder rear partition can be
removed and placed on the front partition.
This space can be used to store smallitems. Interior equipment
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6-8Interior equipment
&Rear passenger cup holder (if equipped)
A dual cup holder is located on the rear
seat center table. Bottle holders
CAUTION
. Do not pick up a bottle from the
bottle holder or put a bottle in the
holder while you are driving, as
this may distract you and lead to
an accident.
. When placing a beverage in a
door pocket, make sure it is
capped. Otherwise, the beverage
could spill when opening/closing
the door or while driving and, if
the beverage is hot, it could scaldyou.
The door pocket equipped on each door trim can be used to hold beverage bottles
and other items.

Accessory power outlets
Power outlet below the climate controls
Power outlet in the center console
Power outlet in the cargo area
Accessory power outlets are provided
below the climate controls, in the center
console and in the cargo area. Electrical
power (12V DC) from the battery is
available at any of the outlets when the
ignition switch is in either the “Acc ”or “ON ”
position.
You can use an in-vehicle electrical
appliance by connecting it to an outlet.
The maximum power rating of an appli-
ance that can be connected varies among
outlets as indicated below. Do not use an
appliance which exceeds 120W for eachoutlet.
When using appliances connected to two
outlets simultaneously, the total power
consumed by them must not exceed
120W.
CAUTION
. Do not attempt to use a cigarette
lighter in the accessory power outlets.
. Do not place any foreign objects,
especially metal ones such as
coins or aluminum foil, into the
accessory power outlet. That
could cause a short circuit. Al-
ways put the cap on the acces-
sory power outlet when it is not
in use.
. Use only electrical appliances
which are designed for 12V DC.
The maximum power rating of an
appliance that can be connected
varies among outlets as indi-
cated below. Do not use an
appliance which exceeds 120W
for each outlet.
When using appliances con-
nected to two outlets simulta-
neously, the total power con-
sumed by them must not exceed
120W. Overloading the accessory
power outlet can cause a short
circuit. Do not use dual adapters
or more than one electrical appli-ance.
. If the plug on your electric appli- Interior equipment
6-9
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6-10Interior equipment
ance is either too loose or too
tight for the accessory power
outlet, this can result in a poor
contact or cause the plug to get
stuck. Only use plugs that fit
properly.
. Use of an electric appliance in the
accessory power outlet for a long
period of time while the engine is
not running can cause batterydischarge.
. Before driving your vehicle, make
sure that the plug and the cord
on your electrical appliance will
not interfere with your shifting
gears and operating the accel-
erator and brake pedals. If they
do, do not use the electrical
appliance while driving.
& Use with a cigarette lighter
(dealer option)
To use the accessory power outlet below
the climate controls as a cigarette lighter
socket, purchase the cigarette lighter plug,
which is an optional accessory.
A cigarette lighter plug is available from
your SUBARU dealer.
The cigarette lighter operates only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON ”or “Acc ” position.
To use the cigarette lighter, push in the
knob and wait a few moments. It will
automatically spring up when ready foruse.
WARNING
To avoid being burned, never grasp
the lighter by the end with the
heating element. Doing so could
result in injury and could also
damage the heating element.
CAUTION
. Do not hold the lighter pushed in,
because it will overheat.
. The electrical power socket lo-
cated below the climate controls
is originally designed to use a
genuine SUBARU cigarette light-
er plug. Do not use a non-genu-
ine cigarette lighter plug in the
socket. Doing so may cause a
short-circuit and overheating, re-
sulting in a fire.
. If the socket is ever used for a
plug-in accessory such as a cell
phone, that may damage the
portion of the socket ’s internal mechanism that causes a cigar-
ette lighter plug to
“pop out ”
after its lighter element is heated.
Therefore, do not place a cigar-
ette lighter plug in a socket that
has been used, even once, to
power a plug-in accessory. Doing
so may cause the plug to stick
and overheat, creating a potential
fire hazard.

Floor mat
A retaining pin is located on the driver’s
side floor.
The floor mat is secured using the built-in
grommets, by placing the grommets over
the pins and pushing them downward.
CAUTION
Make sure the driver ’s floor mat is
placed back in its proper location
and correctly secured on its retain-
ing pins. Also, do not use more than
one floor mat. If the floor mat slips
forward and interferes with the
movement of the pedals during
driving, it could cause an accident. Shopping bag hook
CAUTION
Do not hang items on the shopping
bag hook that weigh 6 lbs (3 kg) ormore.
A shopping bag hook is attached to each
side of the cargo area. Coat hook
A coat hook is attached to each side of the
cargo area.
CAUTION
Never hang anything on the coat
hook that might obstruct the driver ’s
view or that could cause injury in
sudden stops or in a collision. Do no
hang items on the coat hook that
weigh 6 lbs (3 kg) or more. Interior equipment
6-11

6-12Interior equipment
Cargo area cover (dealer op- tion)
The cargo area cover is provided for
covering the cargo area and to protect its
contents from direct sunlight. This cover is
detachable to make room for additionalcargo. &Using the cover
To extend the cover, pull the end of the
cover out of the housing, then insert its
hooks into the catches as shown. To
rewind it, unhook it from the catches and
it will rewind automatically. You should
hold on to the cover and guide it back into
the cover housing while it is rewinding.
WARNING
Do not place anything on the ex-
tended cover. Putting excessive
weight on the extended cover can
break it and an object on the cover
could tumble forward in the event of
a sudden stop or collision. This
could cause serious injury.
CAUTION
Be careful not to scratch the rear
gate stays while extending and
rewinding the cover.
Scratches on the stays could cause
leakage of gas from the stays, which
may result in their inability to hold
the rear gate open. &
To remove the cover
1. Rewind the cover.
2. Push the switch that is next to the right
end of the cover housing.
3. Take it off the retainer.

&To install the cover housing
1. Remove the cover of the retainers by
pryingontheedgewithaflat-head
screwdriver.
2. Insert the projections located on the both ends of the sleeve into the recesses
of the retainers.
Cargo tie-down hooks
The cargo area is equipped with four tie-
down hooks so that cargo can be secured
with a cargo net or ropes.
When using the tie-down hooks, turn them
down out of the storing recesses. When
not in use, put the hooks up into the
storing recesses.Interior equipment
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6-14Interior equipment
CAUTION
The cargo tie-down hooks are de-
signed only for securing light cargo.
Never try to secure cargo that
exceeds the capacity of the hooks.
The maximum load capacity is 44
lbs (20 kg) per hook. Under-floor storage compart-
ment (if equipped)
The storage compartment is located under
the floor of the cargo area, and it can be
used to store small items. To open the lid,
pull the tab up.
CAUTION
. Always keep the lids closed while
driving to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of a sudden
stop or an accident.
. Do not store spray cans, contain-
ers with flammable or corrosive
liquids or any other dangerous
items in the storage compart-ment.

Fuel...................................................................... 7-2
Fuel requirements ............................................... 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap ........................................... 7-3
State emission testing (U.S. only) ...................... 7-6
Preparing to drive ............................................... 7-7
Starting the engine .............................................. 7-7
Manual transmission vehicle ................................ 7-7
Automatic transmission vehicle ........................... 7-8
Stopping the engine ............................................ 7-9
Remote engine start system (dealer option) ..... 7-9
Starting your vehicle .......................................... 7-10
Remote start safety features ............................... 7-10
Entering the vehicle while it is running via remote start ................................................................. 7-10
Entering the vehicle following remote engine start shutdown ......................................................... 7-10
Pre-heating or pre-cooling the interior of the vehicle ............................................................. 7-11
Service mode ..................................................... 7-11
Remote transmitter programming and programmable feature option ............................ 7-11
System maintenance .......................................... 7-12
Manual transmission .......................................... 7-13
Shifting speeds .................................................. 7-14
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-14
Automatic transmission ..................................... 7-15
Selector lever ..................................................... 7-15
Selector lever reverse inhibiting function . ........... 7-17
Selection of manual mode .................................. 7-18
Maximum speeds ............................................... 7-19
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-19 SPORT mode
..................................................... 7-20
Shift lock release ............................................... 7-20
Power steering ................................................... 7-21
Braking ............................................................... 7-21
Braking tips ....................................................... 7-21
Brake system .................................................... 7-22
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators ............. 7-22
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) .......................... 7-23
ABS system self-check ...................................... 7-23
ABS warning light .............................................. 7-23
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system ............................................................. 7-24
Steps to take if EBD system fails ....................... 7-25
Vehicle Dynamics Control system .................... 7-26
Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor..... ..... 7-27
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch ................ 7-29
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models). ........................................ 7-30
Parking your vehicle ......................................... 7-31
Parking brake .................................................... 7-31
Parking tips ....................................................... 7-32
Hill start assist system (MT vehicles) .............. 7-33
Hill start assist warning light .............................. 7-34
Cruise control .................................................... 7-34
To set cruise control .......................................... 7-35
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-35
To turn off the cruise control .............................. 7-36
To change the cruising speed .. .......................... 7-36
Cruise control indicator light .............................. 7-37
Cruise control set indicator light ........................ 7-38
Starting and operating
7