maintenance SUBARU FORESTER 2012 SH / 3.G Owners Manual

Warranties &Warranties for U.S.A.
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru of America, Inc. and sold at retail
by an authorized SUBARU dealer in the
United States come with the followingwarranties: . SUBARU Limited Warranty
. Emission Control Systems Warranty
. Emissions Performance Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the“ Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
Please read these warranties carefully.
& Warranties for Canada
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by
Subaru Canada, Inc. and sold at retail by
an authorized SUBARU dealer in Canada
come with the following warranties: . SUBARU Limited Warranty
. Anti-Corrosion Warranty
. Emission Control Warranty
All warranty information, including details
of coverage and exclusions, is in the“ Warranty and Service Booklet ”. Please
read these warranties carefully. &
Models with HID headlights
CAUTION
High Intensity Discharge (HID) head-
lights contain mercury. For that
reason, it is necessary to remove
HID headlights before vehicle dis-
posal. Once removed, please reuse,
recycle or dispose of the HID head-
lights as hazardous waste.
& Models without HID head- lights
NOTE
This vehicle does not contain mercury
devices or parts. How to use this Owner
’s
Manual & Using your Owner ’s Manual
Before you operate your vehicle, carefully
read this manual. To protect yourself and
extend the service life of your vehicle,
follow the instructions in this manual.
Failure to observe these instructions may
result in serious injury and damage to yourvehicle.
This manual is composed of fourteen
chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief
table of contents, so you can usually tell at
a glance if that chapter contains the
information you want.
Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
This chapter informs you how to use the
seat and seatbelt and contains precau-
tions for the SRS airbags.
Chapter 2: Keys and doors
This chapter informs you how to operate
the keys, locks and windows.
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This chapter informs you about the opera-
tion of instrument panel indicators and
how to use the instruments and otherswitches. 1
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2
Chapter 4: Climate control
This chapter informs you how to operate
the climate control.
Chapter 5: Audio
This chapter informs you how to operate
your audio system.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate
interior equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and
operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your
SUBARU in various conditions and ex-
plains some safety tips on driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your
SUBARU looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need
to take your SUBARU to the dealer for
scheduled maintenance and informs you
how to keep your SUBARU running
properly.Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimen-
sions and capacities of your SUBARU.
Chapter 13: Consumer information and
Reporting safety defects
This chapter informs you about Uniform
tire quality grading standards and Report-
ing safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that
’sin
this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
& Safety warnings
You will find a number of WARNINGs,
CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to poten-
tial hazards that could result in injury to
you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well
as all other portions of this manual care-
fully in order to gain a better understand-
ing of how to use your SUBARU vehicle
safely.
WARNING
A WARNING indicates a situation in
which serious injury or death could
result if the warning is ignored.
CAUTION
A CAUTION indicates a situation in
which injury or damage to your
vehicle, or both, could result if the
caution is ignored.
NOTE
A NOTE gives information or sugges-
tions how to make better use of yourvehicle. & Safety symbol
You will find a circle with a slash through it
in this manual. This symbol means “Do
not ”, “Do not do this ”,or “Do not let this
happen ”, depending upon the context.

Table of contents
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1
Keys and doors2
Instruments and controls
Climate control4
Audio5
Interior equipment6
Starting and operating7
Driving tips8
In case of emergency9
Appearance care10
Maintenance and service11
Specifications12
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects13
Index14
3

Front seats........................................................... 1-2
Manual seat ........................................................ 1-3
Power seat (driver ’s seat –if equipped) ... ............ 1-4
Head restraint adjustment .................................... 1-5
Active head restraint ........................................... 1-6
Seat heater (if equipped) .................................... 1-6
Rear seats ............................................................ 1-7
Armrest .............................................................. 1-8
Head restraint adjustment .................................... 1-8
Reclining the seatback (if equipped) ................... 1-10
Folding down the rear seatback .......................... 1-11
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-12
Seatbelt safety tips ............................................. 1-12
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) ................... 1-13
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ............................................................ 1-13
Seatbelt warning light and chime ........................ 1-14
Fastening the seatbelt ........................................ 1-14
Seatbelt maintenance ......................................... 1-20
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-20
System monitors ................................................ 1-21 System servicing
............................................... 1-21
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-22
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-22
Where to place a child restraint system .............. 1-23
Choosing a child restraint system ...................... 1-25
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ........................................................... 1-25
Installing a booster seat ..................................... 1-28
Installation of child restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .............. 1-29
Top tether anchorages ....................................... 1-32
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ................................................ 1-34
Models with SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints for driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers . .......................... 1-34
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag system ........... 1-38
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag ............. 1-48
SRS airbag system monitors .............................. 1-58
SRS airbag system servicing ... .......................... 1-59
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-60
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1

1-20Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
. Do not allow the retractor to roll
up the seatbelt too quickly.
Otherwise, the metal tongue
plates may hit and damage thetrim.
. Make sure that the seatbelt is
fully rolled up so that the tongue
plates are neatly stored. A hang-
ing tongue plate can swing and
hit and damage the trim whiledriving.
& Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.
CAUTION
. Keep the belts free of polishes,
oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. .
Never attempt to make modifica-
tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly. Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver
’s and front passenger ’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners for the driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat operate at the
same time as the frontal, and side SRS
airbags. If the vehicle rolls over, they
operate simultaneously with the curtainairbag.
The front and side airbag sensors and the
rollover sensor are used as the preten-
sioner sensors. If a sensor detects a
certain predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, a side impact
collision or a rollover collision, the front
seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the
retractor to take up the slack so that the
belt more effectively restrains the front

3-10Instruments and controls
Type B
The trip meter shows the distance that the
vehicle has been driven since you last set
it to zero.
To set the trip meter to zero, select the A
trip or B trip meter by pushing the knob
and keep the knob pushed for more than 2seconds.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to change the func-
tion of the indicator during driving.
Doing so could result in an accident.
NOTE
If the connection between the combina-
tion meter and battery is broken for any
reason such as vehicle maintenance or fuse replacement, the data recorded on
the trip meter will be lost.
& Tachometer
The tachometer shows the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute.
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine with the
pointer of the tachometer in the red
zone. This may cause severe da-
mage to the engine.
& Fuel gauge
Type A
1) Low fuel warning light
Type B
1) Low fuel warning light
The fuel gauge shows the approximate
amount of fuel remaining in the tank.
When the ignition switch is in the “LOCK ”
or “Acc ”position, the fuel gauge is off
(type A) or shows “E ”(type B) even if the
fuel tank contains fuel.
The gauge may move slightly during
braking, turning or acceleration due to fuel
level movement in the tank.
If you press the trip knob while the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK ”or “Acc ”position,
the fuel gauge will illuminate and indicate
the amount of fuel remaining in the tank.
If, while the fuel gauge is indicating the
amount of fuel remaining in the tank, you
(a) do not press the trip knob for 10

3-18Instruments 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 models)
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 this 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 tire inflation pressure for thosetires.)
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

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 malfunctioning. 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
malfunctioning. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
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 4.0 US
gal (15 liters, 3.3 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 models)
While the engine is rotating, if any
malfunction is detected in the Hill start
assist system, the light will illuminate.
WARNING
When the Hill start assist warning
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 fully closed.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive. &All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (AT models)
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.
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of different diameters fitted on
the wheels or with excessively low air
pressure in any of the tires.
CAUTION
Continuing to drive with the AWD
warning light flashing can damage Instruments and controls
3-21
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&Station preset
! How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM ”button to select the
preferred reception mode.
2. Select the preferred station.
3. Press and hold one of the preset
buttons (from
to) for more
than 1.5 seconds to store the frequency. If
the button is pressed and held for less
than 1.5 seconds, the preceding selection
will remain in memory. NOTE . Up to six stations for each reception
mode may be preset. . If the connection between the radio
and battery is broken for any reason
such as vehicle maintenance or radio
removal, all stations stored in the
preset buttons are cleared. If this
occurs, it is necessary to reset the
preset buttons.. If a cell phone is placed near the
radio, it may cause the radio to emit
noise when it receives calls. This noise
does not indicate a radio malfunction. ! Selecting preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM ”button to select the
preferred reception mode. 2. Press the preferred preset button (from
to) briefly.
! Auto-store (type D audio)
Using the Auto-store function, you can
automatically store 6 stations on the
current waveband (FM-AS or AM-AS) by
pressing and holding the
button for
1.5 seconds or longer. Use Auto-store to
quickly find the strongest stations, for
example when traveling through different
reception areas. NOTE . When the HD Radio function is
turned on, Auto-store cannot be used
while receiving the broadcasting sta-
tion with SPS (Supplemental ProgramService).. When you use Auto-store, the new
stations replace any stations pre-
viously stored.. Interrupting Auto-store: If you acci-
dentally press the
(Auto-store)
button, you can cancel the Auto-store
function before it has been completed
as follows.
–Switching to the other source
mode – Pressing the
button
– Switching to the other band
– Turning the “TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial –
Pressing the “SCAN ”button
! Displaying and selecting preset
stations (type D audio)
1. Press and hold the
button for 1.5
seconds or longer during AM/FM recep-
tion to display the radio screen.
2. Operate the “TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial
to select the stations. Audio
5-17

Type A and B audio:Category up by one step
Category down by
one step
Type C audio:Category up by one step
Category down by
one step
When a category is selected, turning the “ TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial selects channels
only within the selected category.
The control function returns to the normal
mode after approximately 10 seconds. ! Type D audio
When in the SAT mode, press the
button to change the category search mode.
When in the category search mode, press
the following button to change the cate-
gory up or down. Category up by one step
Category down by
one step
When a category is selected, turning the “
TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial selects channels
only within the selected category. The
control function returns to the normal
mode after approximately 10 seconds. ! Channel scan
Type A and B audio*
1
Type C audio*1
Type D audio*2
*1: Press the button briefly.
*2: Press and hold the button.
Press the “SCAN ”button to change the
radio to the SCAN mode. In this mode,
under the selected category, the radio
scans through the channel until a station
is found. The radio will stop at the station
for 5 seconds while displaying the channel
number, after which scanning will continue until the entire channel has been scanned
from the low end to the high end.
Press the
“SCAN ”button again to cancel
the SCAN mode and to stop on any
displayed channel. & Channel preset
! How to preset channels
1. Press the “SAT ”button to select SAT1,
SAT2 or SAT3 reception mode.
2. Select the desired channel.
3. Press and hold one of the preset
buttons (from
to) for more
than 1.5 seconds to store the channel. If
the button is pressed and held for less
than 1.5 seconds, the preceding selection
will remain in memory. NOTE . Up to six SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3
channels each may be preset. . If the connection between the radio
and battery is broken for any reason
such as vehicle maintenance or radio
removal, all channels stored in the
preset buttons are cleared. If this
occurs, it is necessary to reset the
preset buttons. Audio
5-21
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