service indicator 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
– CONTINUED –

lift the front passenger’s seat cushion
using his/her feet. . 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. . 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. ! If the passenger ’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator illuminates and the ON
indicator turns off even when the
front passenger ’s seat is occupied
by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incor-
rectly sitting in the front passenger ’s seat.
Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position. 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
indicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains off, take the followingactions. . Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position.. 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. .
Ensure that the backward-forward po-
sition and seatback of front passenger ’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. . Next, turn the ignition switch to the
“ ON ”position and wait 6 seconds to allow
the system to complete self-checking.
Following the system check, both indica-
tors turn off for 2 seconds. Now, the ON
indicator should illuminate while the OFF
indicator remains off.
If the OFF indicator still remains illumi-
nated while the ON indicator remains off,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection. ! 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, rear seat, seatbelts, front bumper,
front side frame, radiator panel, instrument
panel, combination meter, steering wheel,
steering column, tire, suspension or floor
panel can affect the operation of the
SUBARU advanced airbag system. If
you have any questions, you may contact the following SUBARU distributors.
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)
Servco Subaru Inc., dba Subaru Hawaii
2850 Pukoloa Street, Suite 202, Honolulu,
HI 96819 808-839-2273 Shen
’s Corporation dba Prestige Automo-
bile
491, East Marine Drive, Route 1 Dededo, Guam 671-633-2698

Trebol Motors
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910 787-793-2828
There are currently no SUBARU distribu-
tors in any other U.S. territories. If you are
in such an area, please contact the
SUBARU distributor or dealer from which Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
– CONTINUED –

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

Type C audio:Seek up
Seek down
In the PTY selection mode, when the
preferred PTY group has been selected,
pressing the “SEEK ”button “
”or “”
seeks within that PTY group.
The control function returns to the normal
mode after approximately 10 seconds. ! Seek in PTY (Program type) group
(type D audio)
In the PTY selection mode, when the
preferred PTY group has been selected,
turning the “TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial seeks
within that PTY group. Turning the dial
clockwise seeks up. Turning the dial
counterclockwise seeks down.
The control function returns to the normal
mode after approximately 10 seconds. &
HD Radio
TMTechnology (Di-
gital AM and FM Radio) (type
D audio)
HD Radio Technology is fueling the digital
radio revolution in the United States and
around the world.
The digital technology enables broadcas-
ters to offer new and unique FM content
via HD2 / HD3 channels, crystal-clear
sound and data services on both AM
and FM bands - all free, with no subscrip-
tion fee.
HD Radio Technology manufactured un-
der license from iBiquity Digital Corpora-
tion. U.S. and Foreign Patents. HD Radio
®
and the HD, HD Radio, and “Arc ”logos
are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity
Digital Corp. For more information, visit www.hdradio.com.
Press the
button while receiving the
FM radio (except analog broadcast). The
next channel of the station that is being
received will be received. ! Mode selection
Turn the “TUNE/TRACK/CH ”dial and
select the HD Radio ON mode (hybrid
mode) or OFF mode (analog mode). ! iTunes
®tagging
To tag the received song, press and hold the
button for more than 1.5
seconds. Connect the iPod®to store the
tagged song to the iPod®. When the iPod®
is connected to iTunes®, you can pur-
chase the tagged songs from the Apple®
iTunes Music Store.
For the models of iPod®that support
iTunes®tagging, refer to the following
website: www.hdradio.com/tagging.php? id=itunes. ! HD Radio indicators
Each indicator illuminates under the fol-
lowing conditions. . The
indicator illuminates while the
digital broadcast is received during the HD
Radio ON mode. . The “TA G ”indicator illuminates while
you can operate the iTunes
®tagging.
Audio
5-15
– CONTINUED –

5-16Audio
.The “LIVE ”indicator illuminates while
the “Ballgame ”is received.
. The “STEREO ”indicator illuminates
while the FM stereo broadcast is received. . The “PTY ”indicator illuminates during
the PTY selection mode. ! About HD Radio
NOTE . HD Radio Technology is a hybrid
broadcasting system that employs di-
gital and analog signals. . When the vehicle moves outside the
digital broadcasting area (that is nar-
rower than the analog broadcasting
area due to the FCC output require-
ments), the radio reception automati-
cally changes from the digital signal to
the analog signal. When the vehicle
reenters the digital broadcasting area
again, the radio reception automatically
changes from the analog signal to the
digital signal. When in a digital modethe
Logo will be in orange on the
radio display. . Depending on the broadcasting sta-
tion, a condition such as a sound delay,
echo effect or skipping sound may
occur. However, this does not indicate
a malfunction.. Depending on the broadcasting
area, the digital signal may not be received in an area where the analog
signal can be properly received, or the
system frequently switches the chan-
nels between the digital and analog
signals. However, this does not indi-
cate a malfunction. If this frequent
switching between digital and analog
causes annoyance, set the radio to the
analog mode (HD Radio off mode) that
provides the same radio broadcasting
quality as a conventional radio.
& Displaying radio PS (Pro-
gram Service Name) and RT
(Radio Text)
Type A and B audio
Type C and D audio
! Type A, B and C audio
If the PS (Program Service Name) and/or
RT (Radio Text) are available, pressingthe “TEXT ”button changes the display
among PS, RT and frequency. The default
setting is “PS ”. NOTE .
The maximum number of characters
that can be displayed for PS is 8. . The maximum number of characters
that can be displayed for RT is 64.. If RT is 13 characters or longer,
press and hold the “TEXT ”button for
0.5 second or longer in order to change
the page. ! Type D audio
Push the “TEXT ”button to show the next
page when the text is not fully displayed
while the PSD (Program Service Data) or
RT (Radio Text) service is received.
NOTE . When the HD Radio function is
turned on, PSD provides additional
information about the broadcast. Text
data such as “Title ”and “Artist ”is
displayed on the screen. . When the HD Radio function is
turned off (HD Radio off mode), the
radio text is displayed on the screen
while receiving the broadcasting sta-
tion with RBDS (Radio Broadcast DataSystem).

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
MT models .......................................................... 7-7
AT models ........................................................... 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
Select lever ........................................................ 7-16
Shift lock function .............................................. 7-17
Selection of manual mode .................................. 7-19
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-20 SPORT mode
..................................................... 7-20
Power steering ................................................... 7-21
Braking ............................................................... 7-22
Braking tips ....................................................... 7-22
Brake system .................................................... 7-22
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators ............. 7-23
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 malfunctions ..... ..... 7-24
Vehicle Dynamics Control system .................... 7-25
Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor..... ..... 7-26
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch ................ 7-27
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models). ........................................ 7-27
Parking your vehicle ......................................... 7-29
Parking brake .................................................... 7-29
Parking tips ....................................................... 7-29
Hill start assist system (MT models) ................ 7-31
Hill start assist warning light .............................. 7-32
Cruise control .................................................... 7-32
To set cruise control .......................................... 7-32
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-33
To turn off the cruise control .............................. 7-34
To change the cruising speed .. .......................... 7-34
Cruise control indicator light .............................. 7-35
Cruise control set indicator light ........................ 7-35
Starting and operating
7

7-2Starting and operating
Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel
additive may cause engine damage.
& Fuel requirements
! Non-turbo models
The engine is designed to operate using
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating
of 87 AKI (90 RON) or higher .
! Turbo models
The engine is designed to operate usingpremium unleaded gasoline with an
octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON) or
higher . If premium unleaded gasoline is
not available, regular unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 87 AKI (90 RON)
or higher may be temporarily used. For
optimum engine performance and drive-
ability, it is required that you use premium
grade unleaded gasoline. NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded
gasoline of 91 AKI (95 RON) or higher
for turbo engine models. If other gaso- line (lower than 91 AKI (95 RON)) is
used, knocking, reduced output and
poor acceleration will result. !
Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the
Research Octane and Motor Octane
numbers and is commonly referred to as
the Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane
rating can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
It is normal if your vehicle sometimes
knocks lightly when you drive up a hill or
when you accelerate, but contact your
SUBARU dealer if your vehicle knocks
heavily or persistently even though you
are using a fuel with the specified octanerating. ! Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel filler pipe is designed
to accept only an unleaded gasoline filler
nozzle. Under no circumstances should
leaded gasoline be used because it will
damage the emission control system and
may impair driveability and fuel economy. ! Gasoline for California-certified LEV
If your vehicle was certified to California ’s
low emission vehicle (LEV) standards as
indicated on the underhood tune-up label, it is designed to optimize engine and
emission performance with gasoline that
meets the clean burning low-sulfur Cali-
fornia gasoline specifications. Gasoline
sold outside California is permitted to
have higher sulfur levels. It can be used
but it may affect the performance of your
vehicle
’s catalytic converter and may
produce a sulfur exhaust odor or smell.
SUBARU recommends that you try a
different brand of unleaded gasoline hav-
ing lower sulfur to determine if the problem
is fuel related before returning your
vehicle to an authorized SUBARU dealer
for service. ! MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-
function indicator light may turn on. If this
happens, contact an authorized SUBARU
dealer for service. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel
used, repairs may not be covered by your
warranty.

7-6Starting and operating
State emission testing (U.S. only)
WARNING
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive model
must NEVER be performed on a
single two-wheel dynamometer. At-
tempting to do so will result in
uncontrolled vehicle movement and
may cause an accident or injuries to
persons nearby.
CAUTION
. At state inspection time, remem-
ber to tell your inspection or
service station in advance not to
place your SUBARU AWD vehicle
on a two-wheel dynamometer.
Otherwise, serious transmission
damage will result.
. Resultant vehicle damage due to
improper testing is not covered
under the SUBARU Limited War-
ranty and is the responsibility of
the state inspection program or
its contractors or licensees.
California and a number of federal states
have Inspection/Maintenance programs to inspect your vehicle
’s emission control
system. If your vehicle does not pass this
test, some states may deny renewal of
your vehicle ’s registration.
Your vehicle is equipped with a computer
that monitors the performance of the engine ’s emission control system. Certi-
fied emission inspectors will inspect the
On-Board Diagnostic (OBDII) system as
part of the state emission inspection
process. The OBDII system is designed
to detect engine and transmission pro-
blems that might cause the vehicle emis-
sions to exceed allowable limits. OBDII
inspections apply to all 1996 model year
and newer passenger cars and trucks.
Over 30 states plus the District of Colum-
bia have implemented emission inspec-
tion of the OBDII system. . The inspection of the OBDII system
consists of a visual operational check of the “CHECK ENGINE ”warning light/mal-
function indicator light (MIL) and an
examination of the OBDII system with an
electronic scan tool. . A vehicle
passes the OBDII system
inspection if proper operation of the “ CHECK ENGINE ”warning light is ob-
served, there are no stored diagnostic
trouble codes, and the OBDII readiness
monitors are all complete. .
A vehicle
fails the OBDII inspection if
the “CHECK ENGINE ”warning light is not
properly operating (light is illuminated or is
not working due to a burned out bulb) or
there is one or more diagnostic trouble
codes stored in the vehicle ’s computer.
. A state emission inspection may reject
(not pass or fail) a vehicle if the number of
OBDII system readiness monitors “NOT
READY ”is greater than one. If the
vehicle ’s battery has been recently re-
placed or disconnected, the OBDII system
inspection may indicate that the vehicle is
not ready for the emission test. Under this
condition, the vehicle driver should be
instructed to drive his/her vehicle for a few
days to reset the readiness monitors and
return for an emission re-inspection. . Owners of rejected or failing vehicles
should contact their SUBARU Dealer for service.
Some states still use dynamometers in
their emission inspection program. A
dynamometer is a treadmill or roller-like
testing device that allows your vehicle ’s
wheels to turn while the vehicle remains in
one place. Prior to your vehicle being put
on a dynamometer, tell your emission
inspector
not to place your SUBARU
AWD vehicle on a two-wheel dynam-
ometer. Otherwise, serious transmis-
sion damage will result.

Maintenance and serviceTires and wheels .............................................. 11-29
Types of tires ................................................... 11-29
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models) ........................................ 11-29
Tire inspection ................................................. 11-31
Tire pressures and wear ................................... 11-31
Wheel balance .................................................. 11-33
Wear indicators ................................................ 11-34
Tire rotation direction mark .............................. 11-34
Tire rotation ..................................................... 11-35
Tire replacement .............................................. 11-35
Wheel replacement ........................................... 11-36
Wheel covers (if equipped) ............................... 11-36
Aluminum wheels ............................................. 11-37
Windshield washer fluid .................................. 11-37
Replacement of wiper blades .......................... 11-39
Windshield wiper blade assembly ..................... 11-39Windshield wiper blade rubber
......................... 11-40
Rear window wiper blade assembly .................. 11-41
Rear window wiper blade rubber ... ................... 11-41
Battery .............................................................. 11-43
Fuses ................................................................ 11-44
Installation of accessories .............................. 11-45
Replacing bulbs ............................................... 11-45
Headlights (models with HID headlights) ........... 11-45
Headlights (models without HID headlights) ...... 11-46
Position light ................................................... 11-48
Front turn signal light ...................................... 11-48
Rear combination lights ................................... 11-48
License plate light ........................................... 11-49
Dome light, map light, cargo area light and door step light ............................................... 11-50
Other lights on the vehicle ............................... 11-51

11-14Maintenance and service
shortened to that of the mixing coolant.
. Do not splash the engine coolant
over painted parts. The alcohol
contained in the engine coolant
may damage the paint surface.
& Cooling fan, hose and con- nections
Your vehicle employs an electric cooling
fan which is thermostatically controlled to
operate when the engine coolant reaches
a specific temperature.
If the radiator cooling fan does not operate
even when the following conditions occur,
the cooling fan circuit may be defective. . The engine coolant temperature gauge
exceeds the normal operating range (if
equipped). Refer to “Temperature gauge
(models with type A combination meter) ”
F 3-11.
. The coolant temperature high warning
light blinks or illuminates in RED(if
equipped). Refer to “Coolant temperature
low indicator light/Coolant temperature
high warning light ”F 3-16.
Check the fuse and replace it if necessary.
If the fuse is not blown, have the cooling
system checked by your SUBARU dealer. Refer to
“Fuses ”F 11-44 and “Fuse panel
located in the engine compartment ”F 12-
13.
If frequent addition of coolant is neces-
sary, there may be a leak in the engine
cooling system. It is recommended that
the cooling system and connections be
checked for leaks, damage, or looseness.
& Engine coolant
! Checking the coolant level
1) “FULL ”level mark
2) “LOW ”level mark
Check the coolant level at each fuel stop.
1. Check the coolant level on the outside
of the reservoir while the engine is cool.
2. If the level is close to or lower than the “
LOW ”level mark, add coolant up to the
“ FULL ”level mark. If the reservoir is
empty, remove the radiator cap (non-turbo
models) or the coolant filler tank cap
(turbo models) and refill as required.
NOTE (turbo models only)
The cap (without tabs) on top of the
radiator does not need to be removed.
Remove the cap (with tabs) on the
coolant filler tank on top of the engine.
3. After refilling the reservoir and the
radiator, reinstall the caps after checking
that the rubber gaskets inside the radiator
cap/coolant filler tank cap are in the properposition.