SUBARU Forester Owner's Manual

and are registered trademarks of FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.

 copyright 2001 FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.

Foreword

Congratulations on choosing a SUBARU vehicle. This Owner’s
Manual has all the information necessary to keep your SUBARU in
excellent condition and to properly maintain the emission control
system for minimizing emission pollutants. We urge you to read this
manual carefully so that you may understand your vehicle and its
operation. For information not found in this Owner’s Manual, such
as details concerning repairs or adjustments, please contact the
dealer from whom you purchased your SUBARU or the nearest
SUBARU dealer.

The information, specifications and illustrations found in this manu­al are those in effect at the time of printing. FUJI HEAVY INDUS­TRIES LTD. reserves the right to change specifications and designs
at any time without prior notice and without incurring any obligation
to make the same or similar changes on vehicles previously sold.
This Owner’s Manual applies to all models and covers all equip­ment, including factory installed options. Some explanations, there­fore may be for equipment not installed in your vehicle.

Please leave this manual in the vehicle at the time of resale. The
next owner will need the information found herein.

FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD., TOKYO, JAPAN

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Warranties

B 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 following warranties:

D SUBARU Limited Warranty
D Emission Control Systems Warranty
D Emissions Performance Warranty

All warranty information, including details of coverage and exclusions,
is in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”. Please read these war­ranties carefully.

B 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:

D SUBARU Limited Warranty
D Anti-Corrosion Warranty
D Emission Control Warranty

All warranty information, including details of coverage and exclusions,
is in the “Warranty and Service Booklet”. Please read these warranties
carefully.

NOTE

This vehicle does not contain mercury devices
or parts.

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How to use this owner’s manual

J 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 your vehicle.

This manual is composed of thirteen 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 airbag

This chapter informs you how to use the seat and seatbelt and contains
precautions for the SRS airbag.

Chapter 2: Doors and Locks

This chapter informs you how to operate the keys, locks and windows.

Chapter 3: Instruments and controls

This chapter informs you about the operation of instrument panel indica­tors and how to use the instruments and other switches.

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 explains 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

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This chapter informs you how to keep your SUBARU running properly.

Chapter 12: Specifications

This chapter informs you about dimension and capacities of your
SUBARU.

Chapter 13: Consumer information and Reporting safety defects

This chapter informs you about Uniform tire quality grading standards
and Reporting safety defects.

Chapter 14: Index

This is an alphabetical listing of all that’s in this manual. You can use it to
quickly find something you want to read.

J Safety warnings

You will find a number of WARNINGs, CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this
manual.
These safety warnings alert you to potential hazards that could result in
injury to you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well as all other portions of this
manual carefully in order to gain a better understanding 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 suggestions how to make better use of
your vehicle.

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J Safety symbol

HS0008

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.

Safety precautions when driving

SEATBELT AND SRS AIRBAG

WARNING

D All persons in the vehicle should fasten their seatbelts BE­FORE the vehicle starts to move. Otherwise, the possibility of se­rious injury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop or ac­cident.
D To obtain maximum protection in the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seat­belts when the vehicle is moving. The SRS (Supplemental
Restraint System) airbag does not do away with the need to fas­ten seatbelts. In combination with the seatbelts, it offers the best
combined protection in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the car has the SRS airbag.
D The SRS airbags deploy with considerable speed and force.
Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag

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deploys could suffer very serious injuries. Because the SRS air­bag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should al­ways sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control and
the front passenger should move the seat as far back as possible
and sit upright and well back in the seat.

Carefully read the sections “Seatbelts” and “SRS airbag” in chapter 1 of
this owner’s manual for instructions and precautions concerning the
seatbelt system and SRS airbag system.

CHILD SAFETY

WARNING

D Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms while the ve­hicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from in­jury in a collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle.
D While riding in the vehicle, infants and small children should
always be placed in the REAR seat in an infant or child restraint
system which is appropriate for the child’s age, height and
weight. If a child is too big for a child restraint system, the child
should sit in the REAR seat and be restrained using the seatbelts.
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions. Never allow a child to stand up or kneel on the seat.
D Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR seat properly re­strained at all times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt. The
SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can
injure or even kill children, especially if they are 12 years of age
and under and are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be­cause children are lighter and weaker than adults, their risk being
injured from deployment is greater.
D NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO

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THE SRS AIRBAG.
D Always use the child safety locks whenever a child rides in the
rear seat. Serious injury could result if a child accidentally
opened the door and fell out. Refer to the “Door locks” section in
chapter 2.
D Always lock the passenger’s windows using the lock switch
when children are riding in the vehicle. Failure to follow this pro­cedure could result in injury to a child operating the power win­dow. Refer to the “Power windows” section in chapter 2.
D Never leave unattended children in the vehicle. They could ac­cidentally injure themselves or others through inadvertent opera­tion of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days, temperature in a
closed vehicle could quickly become high enough to cause se­vere or possibly fatal injuries to them.

Carefully read the sections “Child restraint systems”, “SRS airbag” and
“Seatbelts” in chapter 1 of this owner’s manual for instructions and pre­cautions concerning the child restraint system, seatbelt system and SRS
airbag system.

ENGINE EXHAUST GAS (CARBON MONOXIDE)

WARNING

D Never inhale engine exhaust gas. Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas which is danger­ous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
D Always properly maintain the engine exhaust system to pre­vent engine exhaust gas from entering the vehicle.
D Never run the engine in a closed space, such as a garage, ex­cept for the brief time needed to drive the vehicle in or out of it.
D Avoid remaining in a parked vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is unavoidable, then use the ventila­tion fan to force fresh air into the vehicle.
D Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille free from snow,
leaves or other obstructions to ensure that the ventilation system
always works properly.
D If at any time you suspect that exhaust fumes are entering the

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vehicle, have the problem checked and corrected as soon as pos­sible. If you must drive under these conditions, drive only with all
windows fully open.
D Keep the rear gate closed while driving to prevent exhaust gas
from entering the vehicle.

DRINKING AND DRIVING

WARNING

Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Alcohol in the
bloodstream delays your reaction and impairs your perception,
judgment and attentiveness. If you drive after drinking – even if
you drink just a little – it will increase the risk of being involved in
a serious or fatal accident, injuring or killing yourself, your pas­sengers and others. In addition, if you are injured in the accident,
alcohol may increase the severity of that injury.
Please don’t drink and drive.

Drunken driving is one of the most frequent causes of accidents. Since
alcohol affects all people differently, you may have consumed too much
alcohol to drive safely even if the level of alcohol in your blood is below
the legal limit. The safest thing you can do is never drink and drive. How­ever if you have no choice but to drive, stop drinking and sober up com­pletely before getting behind the wheel.

DRUGS AND DRIVING

WARNING

There are some drugs (over the counter and prescription) that
can delay your reaction time and impair your perception, judg­ment and attentiveness. If you drive after taking them, it may in­crease your, your passengers’ and other persons’ risk of being
involved in a serious or fatal accident.

If you are taking any drugs, check with your doctor or pharmacist or read