2001 SUBARU FORESTER brake pads

Instruments and controls3-15
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the
“ON” position and with the parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should come on while driving (with
the parking brake fully released and with the ignition switch posi-
tioned in “ON”), it could be an indication of leaking of brake fluid or
worn brake pads. Have your vehicle checked by a SUBARU dealer
immediately.
Door open warning lights
The door open warning light comes on if any door or the rear gate is not fully closed.
Always make sure this light is out before you start to drive. Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles)
This light comes on when All Wheel Drive is disengaged and the drive
mechanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive for maintenance or similarpurposes. Security system status indicator light (if equipped)
This light is found at the bottom center of the combination meter panel. On vehicles equipped with a security system, it blinks to show the driver
the operational status of the security system. For detailed information, re-fer to the “Security system ” in Chapter 2.
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 “Re-
placing bulbs ” section in Chapter 10.
High beam indicator
This light shows that the headlights are in the high beam mode.
This indicator light also comes on when operating headlight flasher.

7-22Braking
Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can
cause dangerous overheating of the brakes and needless wearon the brake pads and linings.
When the brakes get wet
When d riving in rain, in p ud d le or after washing th e vehic le, the
b rakes may g et wet. As a result, b rake stop p ing d is tanc e will b e long -
er. To d ry the b rakes, d rive the vehic le at a safe sp eed while lig htly
d ep ressing the b rake p ed al to heat up the b rakes. Use of engine braking
Rememb er to make use of eng ine b raking in ad d ition to foot b raking .
When d esc end ing a g rad e, if only the foot b rake is used , the b rakes
may start working imp rop erly b ec ause of b rake fluid overheating ,
c aused b y overheated b rake p ad s. To help p revent th is, shift into a
lower g ear. Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not d ep ress the b rake p ed al sud d enly when a tire is p unc tured .
This c ould c ause a loss of c ontrol of the vehic le. Keep d riving straig ht
ahead while g rad ually red uc ing sp eed . Then slowly p ull off the road
to a safe p lac e.
Brake system Two separate circuits
Your vehic le has two sep arate c irc uit b rake systems . Eac h c irc uit
works d iag onally ac ross the vehic le. If one c irc uit of the b rake system
should fail, the other half of the system still wor ks. If one c irc uit fails,
the b rake p ed al will g oes d own muc h c loser to the f loor than usual
and you will need to p ress it d own muc h hard er. And a muc h long er
d istanc e will b e need ed to stop the vehic le.

Maintenance and service11-39
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Replacement of brake pad and lining
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the scraping noise from the audi-
ble brake pad wear indicator, it will result in the need for costlybrake rotor repair or replacement.
OM-H0163
The front d isc b rakes and the rig ht sid e rear d isc b rake have aud ib le
wear ind ic ators on the b rake p ad s. If the b rake p ad s wear c lose to their
servic e limit, the wear ind ic ator makes a very aud i b le sc rap ing noise
when the b rake p ed al is ap p lied .
If you hear this sc rap ing noise eac h time you ap p ly the b rake p ed al,
have the b rake p ad s servic ed b y your SUBARU d ealer as soon as p os-
sib le.
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings
When rep lac ing the b rake p ad or lining , use only g e nuine SUBARU
p arts. After rep lac ement, the new p arts must b e b ro ken in as follows:
n Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a sp eed of 30 to 40 mp h (50 to 65 km/h), step on
the b rake p ed al lig htly. Rep eat this five or more t imes.