2001 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

viii
the literature that ac c omp anies the med ic ation to d
etermine if the d rug
you are taking c an imp air your d riving ab ility. Do not d rive after taking
any med ic ations that c an make you d rowsy or otherwi se affec t your ab il-
ity to safely op erate a motor vehic le. If you have a med ic al c ond ition that
req uires you to take d rug s, p lease c onsult with you r d oc tor.
Never d rive if you are und er the influenc e of any i llic it mind -altering
d rug s. For your own health and well-b eing , we urg e you not to take ille-
g al d rug s in the first p lac e and to seek treatment if you are ad d ic ted to
those d rug s. DRIVING WHEN TIRED OR SLEEPY
WARNING
When you are tired or sleepy, your reaction will be delayed and your perception, judgment and attentiveness will be impaired. If
you drive when tired or sleepy, your, your passengers ’ and other
persons’ chances of being involved in a serious accident may in-
crease.
Please d o not c ontinue to d rive b ut instead find a safe p lac e to rest if you
are tired or sleep y. On long trip s, you should make p eriod ic rest stop s to
refresh yourself b efore c ontinuing on your journey. When p ossib le, you
should share the d riving with others. CAR PHONES AND DRIVING
CAUTION
A driver ’s use of a car phone can be distracting and if special
care is not taken, can lead to an accident. If you use a car phone while driving, make an extra effort to pay attention to the road
and to traffic at all times. If you can safely do so, it is best to pulloff to the side of the road before using your car phone.

ix
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CONTINUED –
MODIFICATION OF YOUR VEHICLE
CAUTION
Your vehicle should not be modified. Modification could affect its
performance, safety or durability, and may even violate govern-mental regulations. In addition, damage or performance problemsresulting from modification may not be covered under warranties.
DRIVING WITH PETS
Unrestrained p ets c an interfere with your d riving a nd d istrac t your atten-
tion from d riving . In a c ollision or sud d en stop , u nrestrained p ets or
c ag es c an b e thrown around insid e the vehic le and h urt you or your p as-
seng ers. Besid es, the p ets c an b e hurt und er these situations. It is also
for their own safety that p ets should b e p rop erly r estrained in your
vehic le. Restrain a p et with a sp ec ial traveling ha rness whic h c an b e se-
c ured to the rear seat with a seatb elt or use a p et c arrier whic h c an b e
sec ured to the rear seat b y routing a seatb elt thro ug h the c arrier’s han-
d le. Never restrain p ets or p et c arriers in the fro nt p asseng er’s seat. For
further information, c onsult your veterinarian, loc al animal p rotec tion so-
c iety or p et shop .
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING
WARNING
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to the State ofCalifornia to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductiveharm.

Doors and locks
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbag
Instruments and controls
Climate control
1
3
4
Audio
Interior equipment
Starting and operating
In case of emergency
5 67 9
Appearance care
Maintenance and service
Specifications
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects13
Index14
10
11
12
2
Driving tips8
xi
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CONTINUED –
Table of contents

i
– CONTINUED –
Warranties
Warranties for U.S.A.
All SUBARU vehic les d istrib uted b y Sub aru of Americ a, Inc . and sold
at retail b y an authorized SUBARU d ealer in the Uni ted States c ome
with the following warranties:
SUBARU Limited Warranty
Emission Control Systems Warranty
Emissions Performanc e Warranty
All warranty information, inc lud ing d etails of c ove rag e and exc lusions,
is in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet”. Pleas e read these war-
ranties c arefully. Warranties for Canada
All SUBARU vehic les d istrib uted b y Sub aru Canad a, I nc . and sold at
retail b y an authorized SUBARU d ealer in Canad a c om e with the fol-
lowing warranties:
SUBARU Limited Warranty
Anti-Corrosion Warranty
Emission Control Warranty
All warranty information, inc lud ing d etails of c ove rag e and exc lusions,
is in the “Warranty and Servic e Booklet”. Please re ad these warranties
c arefully.
NOTE
This vehicle does not contain mercury devices or parts.

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags Front seats1-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat heater (if equipped) 1-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seats 1-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelts 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt safety tips 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fastening the seatbelt 1-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt maintenance 1-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint systems 1-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Top strap anchors 1-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 1-28 . . . . . . . .
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS airbags and
lap/shoulder restraints 1-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS frontal airbag 1-33
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbag (if equipped) 1-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 1-47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system servicing 1-48
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 1-49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-2
Front seats
WARNING
Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid the possibility of
loss of vehicle control and of personal injury. Never drive the vehicle with the head restraints removed be-
cause they are designed to reduce the risk of serious neck injury
in the event that the vehicle is struck from the rear. Before adjusting the seat, make sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers are clear of the adjusting mechanism. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacks should be al-ways used in the upright position while the vehicle is running. Ifthe front seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a colli-
sion, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt slid-ing up over the abdomen will increase, and both can result in se-rious internal injury or death. Do not put cushions or any other materials between occupants
and seatbacks or seat cushions. If you do so, the risk of sliding
under the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomen
will increase, and both can result in serious internal injury or death. The SRS airbags deploy with considerable speed and force.
Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag
deploys could suffer very serious injuries.
Because the SRS airbag needs enough space for deployment, thedriver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as farfrom the steering wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-hicle control and the front passenger should move the seat as farback as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. 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 im-
properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-3
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CONTINUED –
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (includ-
ing those in child seats and those that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child
’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (including forward fac-
ing child seat) in the REAR seats at all times.
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 THE
SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions. For instructions and precautions concerning child re-
straint systems, see the “Child restraint systems ” section in this
chapter.
HS0234
HS0233
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical. Adjust the seatback toupright position. Sit well back and upright.Move the seat as far back as possible.

1-4
HS0247
HS0227
Put children in the rear seat properly restrained at all times.Do not recline the seatback while vehicle is moving.
Fore and aft adjustment
HS0028
Pull the lever up ward and slid e the seat to the d es ired p osition. Then
release the lever and move the seat b ac k and forth to make sure that
it is sec urely loc ked into p lac e.