engine SUBARU FORESTER 2009 SH / 3.G Owner's Manual

Warning and indicator lights
Several of the warning and indicator lights
illuminate momentarily and then turn off
when the ignition switch is initially turned
to the“ON ”position. This permits check-
ing the operation of the bulbs.
Apply the parking brake and turn the
ignition switch to the “ON ”position. The
following lights illuminate:
: Seatbelt warning light
(The seatbelt warning light turns off only
when the driver fastens the seatbelt.)
: Front passenger ’s seatbelt warning
light
(The seatbelt warning light turns off only
when the front seat passenger fastens theseatbelt.)
: SRS airbag system warning light
ON /
: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator light
/: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator light
: CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-
function indicator lamp
: Coolant temperature high warning light
: Charge warning light
: Oil pressure warning light
: AT OIL TEMP warning light(AT vehicles)
: Low tire pressure warning light(U.S.- spec. models)
/: ABS warning light
/: Brake system warning light
: Low fuel warning light
: Hill start assist warning light (MT vehicles)
: Door open warning light
: All-Wheel Drive warning light (AT vehicles)
: Vehicle Dynamics Control operation indicator light
: Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light/Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF
indicator light
: SPORT mode indicator light(AT vehicles)
: Cruise control indicator light
: Cruise control set indicator light
If any lights fail to illuminate, it indicates a
burned-out bulb or a malfunction of the corresponding system.
Consult your authorized SUBARU dealer
for repair. &
Seatbelt warning light
and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt
warning device at the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s seat, as required by current
safety standards.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON ”
position, this device reminds the driver
and front passenger to fasten their seat-
belts by illuminating the warning lights in
the locations indicated in the following
illustration and sounding a chime.
Driver ’s warning light Instruments and controls
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3-12Instruments and controls
off for 2 seconds. After that, one of the
indicators illuminates depending on the
status of the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag determined by the SUBARU ad-
vanced frontal airbag system monitoring.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain off.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON indicator will remain off while
the OFF indicator will illuminate.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON ”
position, if both the ON and OFF indica-
tors remain illuminated or off simulta-
neously even after the system check
period, the system is faulty. Contact your
SUBARU dealer immediately for an in-spection.
& CHECK ENGINE warn-
ing light/Malfunction in-
dicator lamp
CAUTION
If the CHECK ENGINE light illumi-
nates while you are driving, have
your vehicle checked/repaired by
your SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible. Continued vehicle opera- tion without having the emission
control system checked and re-
paired as necessary could cause
serious damage, which may not be
covered by your vehicle
’s warranty.
If this light illuminates steadily or blinks
while the engine is running, it may indicate
that there is a problem or potential
problem somewhere in the emission con-
trol system. ! If the light illuminates steadily:
If the light illuminates steadily while driving
or does not turn off after the engine starts,
an emission control system malfunction
has been detected.
You should have your vehicle checked by
an authorized SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately.
NOTE
This light also illuminates when the fuel
filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.
If you have recently refueled your vehicle,
the cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator lamp coming on
could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.
Remove the cap and retighten it until it
clicks. Make sure nothing is interfering
with the sealing of the cap. Tightening the
cap will not make the CHECK ENGINE warning light turn off immediately. It may
take several driving trips. If the light does
not turn off, take your vehicle to your
authorized SUBARU dealer immediately. !
If the light is blinking:
If the light is blinking while driving, an
engine misfire condition has been de-
tected which may damage the emission
control system.
To prevent serious damage to the emis-
sion control system, you should do thefollowing. . Reduce vehicle speed.
. Avoid hard acceleration.
. Avoid steep uphill grades.
. Reduce the amount of cargo, if possi-
ble.
The CHECK ENGINE warning light may
stop blinking and illuminate steadily after
several driving trips. You should have your
vehicle checked by an authorized
SUBARU dealer immediately.

&Coolant temperature
low indicator light/Cool-
ant temperature high
warning light
CAUTION
. After turning the ignition switch
to the “ON ”position, if this
indicator light/warning light re-
mains illuminated in RED for
approximately more than 2 sec-
onds, the electrical system may
be malfunctioning. Immediately
contact your SUBARU dealer for
an inspection.
. If this indicator light/warning light
illuminates in RED while driving,
safely stop the vehicle as soon
as possible, and refer to the
emergency steps for the case of
engine overheating. After that,
have the system checked by your
nearest SUBARU dealer. Refer to“ In case of emergency ”in chap-
ter 9.
This coolant temperature low indicator
light/coolant temperature high warning
light has the following two functions: . Illumination in BLUEindicates insuffi-
cient warming up of the engine .
Illumination in REDindicates overheat-
ing condition of the engine
For the system check, this indicator light/
warning light illuminates in red for approxi-
mately 2 seconds when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON ”position. After that,
this indicator light/warning light changes to
blue and maintains illumination in blue.
This blue illuminated light turns off when
the engine is warmed up sufficiently.
If the engine is overheated, this indicator
light/warning light illuminates in red im-
mediately. At this time, safely stop the
vehicle as soon as possible, and refer to
the emergency steps for the case of
engine overheating. Refer to “In case of
emergency ”in chapter 9. After that, have
the system checked by your nearest
SUBARU dealer. NOTE
If the engine is restarted after a certain
driving condition, this indicator light/
warning light may illuminate in red.
However, this is not a malfunction if the
indicator light/warning light turns off
after a short time. &
Charge warning light
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the charging
system is not working properly.
If the light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the alternator belt. If the belt is
loose, broken or if the belt is in good
condition but the light remains on, contact
your nearest SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. &Oil pressure warning light
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the engine oil
pressure is low and the lubricating system
is not working properly.
If the light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off after the engine starts, stop the
engine at the first safe opportunity and
check the engine oil level. If the oil level is
low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is
at the proper level but the light remains on,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
immediately. Instruments and controls
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3-14Instruments and controls
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the
oil pressure warning light on. This
may cause serious engine damage.
& AT OIL TEMP warning
light (AT vehicles)
The AT oil temperature warning light “AT
OIL TEMP ”illuminates when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON ”position and
turns off after the engine has started.
If this light illuminates when the engine is
running, it may indicate that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is too hot.
If the light illuminates while driving, im-
mediately stop the vehicle in a safe place
and let the engine idle until the warning
light turns off. ! Automatic transmission control
system warning
If the light flashes after the engine starts, it
may indicate that the automatic transmis-
sion control system is not working prop-
erly. Contact your nearest SUBARU deal-
er for service immediately. &
Low tire pressure
warning light (U.S.-spec.models)
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”position, the low tire pressure warn-
ing light will illuminate for approximately 2
seconds to check that the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning
properly. If there is no problem and all tires
are properly inflated, the light will turn off.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle
’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your

3-16Instruments and controls
.The warning light illuminates
when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position, but
it does not turn off even when the
vehicle speed exceeds approxi-
mately 8 mph (12 km/h).
. The warning light illuminates dur-
ing driving.
If any of these conditions occur,
have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by
your SUBARU dealer.
With a vehicle equipped with an EBD
system, the ABS warning light illuminates
together with the brake system warning
light if the EBD system becomes faulty.
For further details of the EBD system fault
warning, refer to “Brake system warning
light ”.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following, the ABS
system may be considered normal. . The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light remains on after
the engine has been started, but it
turns off when the vehicle speed
reaches approximately 8 mph (12 km/h)..
The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-
nate. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will turn off.
& Brake system warning light
WARNING
. 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.
. If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair.
This light has the following three functions: !
Parking brake warning
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the “ON ”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is fully released. ! Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the “MIN ”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the “ON ”position and with the
parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake fully released and with the ignition
switch positioned in “ON ”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the “MIN ”mark in the
reservoir, do not drive the vehicle. Have
the vehicle towed to the nearest SUBARU
dealer for repair. ! Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be malfunctioning if

the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
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
applied harder than usual and the vehi-cle’s motion may therefore become some-
what 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, apply the
parking brake and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be faulty. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate 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 systeminspected. 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.
& Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light illuminates
when the tank is nearly empty approxi-
mately 2.6 US gal (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp
gal). It only operates when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position. When this
light illuminates, fill the fuel tank immedi-
ately.
NOTE
This light does not turn off unless the
tank is replenished up to an internal
fuel quantity of approximately 3.7 US
gal (14 liters, 3.1 Imp gal).
CAUTION
Promptly put fuel in the tank when-
ever the low fuel warning light
illuminates. Engine misfires as a
result of an empty tank could cause
damage to the engine. &
Hill start assist warning
light (MT vehicles)
When the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position, the Hill start assist warning light
illuminates and turns off after approxi-
mately 2 seconds. While the engine is
rotating, if there are any malfunctions, the
light will illuminate.
WARNING
When the Hill start assist system
light illuminates, have the vehicle
inspected at an authorized SUBARU
dealer.
& Door open warning light
The door open warning light illuminates if
any door or the rear gate is not fullyclosed.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive. &All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (AT vehicles)
The All-Wheel Drive warning light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and turns off after the
Instruments and controls
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3-18Instruments and controls
engine has started.
This light illuminates when All-Wheel
Drive is disengaged and the drive me-
chanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive
for maintenance or similar purposes.
It flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires
of differing diameters fitted on the wheels
or with an excessively low air pressure in
any of the tires.
CAUTION
Continuing to drive with the AWD
warning light flashing can damage
the powertrain. If the AWD warning
light starts to flash, promptly park in
a safe place and check whether the
tires have differing diameters and
whether any of the tires has an
excessively low inflation pressure.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control operation indi-
cator light
This light illuminates when the ignition
switch is ON and turns off approximately 2
seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression func-
tion is activated. It illuminates when only
the traction control function is operating.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is probably malfunctioning under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. .
The light does not illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position.. The light does not turn off even after a
period of approximately 2 seconds after
the ignition switch has been turned to the“ ON ”position.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control warning light/
Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol OFF indicator light
This warning light has both the function of
indicating malfunctions in the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the function
of indicating that the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system has been deactivated.
It illuminates in the event of a malfunction
in the system and is on when the system
is not operating.
This warning light illuminates when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and turns off several seconds
after the engine has started. It indicates
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
is in normal operation. !
Vehicle Dynamics Control warninglight
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably inoperative under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is running. . If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself becomes
faulty, the warning light only illuminates. At
this time, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem) remains fully operational. . The warning light illuminates when the
electronic control system of the ABS/
Vehicle Dynamics Control system mal-functions.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system
provides its ABS control through the
electrical circuit of the ABS system.
Accordingly, if the ABS is inoperative, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system be-
comes unable to provide ABS control. As
a result, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system also becomes inoperative, caus-
ing the warning light to illuminate. Though
both the Vehicle Dynamics Control and

ABS systems are inoperative in this case,
the ordinary functions of the brake system
are still available. You will be safe while
driving with this condition, but have your
vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described below, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system may be considerednormal. .The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light illuminates after
engine startup and turns off while the
vehicle is subsequently being driven.. The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF in-
dicator light
. It illuminates when the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF switch is pressed. . It also illuminates when the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system is deactivated. NOTE . The light may stay on for a while
after the engine has been started, especially in cold weather. This does
not indicate the existence of a problem.
The light should turn off as soon as the
engine has warmed up..
The indicator light illuminates when
the engine has developed a problem
and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
malfunction indicator lamp is on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably faulty under the following condi-
tion. Have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The light does not turn off even after
the lapse of several minutes (the engine
has warmed up) after the engine hasstarted. &
Security indicator light
The security indicator light deters potential
thieves by indicating that the vehicle is
equipped with an immobilizer system. It
begins flashing (approximately once every
3 seconds) approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from the“ON ”position to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”
position or immediately after the key is
pulled out.
If the security indicator light does not flash,
the immobilizer system may not be func-
tioning properly. If this occurs, contact
your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
In case an unauthorized key is used (e.g.,
an imitation key), the security indicator
light illuminates. Instruments and controls
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3-20Instruments and controls
NOTE
Even if the security indicator light
flashes irregularly or its fuse blows
(the light does not flash if its fuse is
blown), the immobilizer system will
function normally. & SPORT mode indicator
light (AT vehicles)
This light illuminates when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON ”position and
turns off after the engine has started.
When the selector lever is moved to the
manual gate, the SPORT mode is se-
lected and the indicator light illuminates.
Refer to the “SPORT mode ”section in
chapter 7. &
Selector lever and gear posi-
tion indicator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the
selector lever.
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator (which shows the
current gear selection) and the upshift/
downshift indicator light up. Refer to the“Automatic transmission ”section in chap-
ter 7. & Turn signal indicator lights
These lights show the operation of the turn
signal or lane change signal.
If the indicator lights do not blink or blink
rapidly, the turn signal bulb may be burned
out. Replace the bulb as soon as possible. Refer to the
“Replacing bulbs ”section in
chapter 11.
& High beam indicator light
This light shows that the headlights are in
the high beam mode.
This indicator light also illuminates when
the headlight flasher is operated. &Cruise control indica-
tor light
The cruise control indicator light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and turns off after
approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates when the “CRUISE ”
main switch is pressed.
If you press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON ”, the cruise
control function is deactivated and the“ CRUISE ”indicator light flashes. To re-
activate the cruise control function, turn
the ignition switch back to the “Acc ”or
“ LOCK ”position, and then turn it again to
the “ON ”position.

3-22Instruments and controls
Information display
1) Outside temperature indicator
2) Average fuel consumption indicator
With the ignition switch in the “ON ”
position, the outside temperature and
average fuel consumption are indicated
on the display. &
Outside temperature indica- tor1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
The outside temperature indicator shows
the outside temperature in a range from 22 to 122 8F( 30 to 50 8C).
The indicator can give a false reading
under any of the following conditions: . When there is too much sun.
. During idling; while running at low
speeds in a traffic jam; when the engine
is restarted immediately following a shut- down. . When the actual outside temperature
falls outside the specified indicator range. !
Road surface freeze warning indi- cation1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
When the outside temperature drops to 37 8F(3 8C) or lower, the temperature
indication flashes to show that the road
surface may be frozen.
If the outside temperature drops to 37 8F
(3 8C) or lower while the display is giving
an indication other than the outside
temperature, the display switches to the
outside temperature indication and flashes
for 5 seconds before returning to its
original indication.
If the display is already indicating an
outside temperature of 37 8F(3 8C) or lower
when the ignition switch is turned to the