2002 SUBARU FORESTER warning

Driving tips8-33
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Trailer hitches
WARNING
Never drill the frame or under-body of your vehicle to install a
commercial trailer hitch. If you do, dangerous exhaust gas, wateror mud may enter the passenger compartment through the drilledhole. Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, a colorless andodorless gas which is dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled. Also,drilling the frame or under-body of your vehicle could cause dete-rioration of strength of your vehicle and cause corrosion aroundthe drilled hole.
CAUTION
Do not modify the vehicle exhaust system, brake system, or
other systems when installing a hitch or other trailer towingequipment. Do not use axle-mounted hitches as they can cause damage to
the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels or tires.
Choose a proper hitch for your vehicle and trailer. OUTBACK wagon
The use of a genuine SUBARU trailer hitch is recommended. A genu-
ine SUBARU hitch is available from your SUBARU dealer.
If use of a non-genuine hitch is unavoidable, be sure the hitch is
suited to your vehicle and trailer. Consult with a professional hitch
supplier to assist you in choosing an appropriate hitch for your
vehicle. Be sure to follow all of the hitch manufacturer ’s instructions for
installation and use.
Never use a hitch that mounts only to the rear bumper. The bumper isnot designed to handle that type of load.
For all types of hitches, regularly check that the hitch mounting bolts
and nuts are tight.

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All vehicles except OUTBACK wagon
SUBARU does not offer accessory trailer hitches. Consult with a pro-
fessional hitch supplier to assist you in choosing an appropriate hitch
for your vehicle. Be sure to follow all of the hitch manufacturer ’s
instructions for installation and use.
Never use a hitch that mounts only to the rear bumper. The bumper isnot designed to handle that type of load.
Regularly check that the hitch mounting bolts and nuts are tight. Connecting a trailer
n Trailer brakes
WARNING
Adequate size trailer brakes are required when the trailer and
its cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg) total weight. Do not directly connect your trailer ’s hydraulic brake system
to the hydraulic brake system in your vehicle. Direct connectionwould cause the vehicle ’s brake performance to deteriorate and
could lead to an accident.
If your trailer ’s total weight (trailer weight plus its cargo weight)
exceeds 1,000 lbs (453 kg), the trailer is required to be equipped with
its own brake system. Electric brakes or surge brakes are recom-
mended, and must be installed properly. Check that your trailer ’s
brakes conform with Federal, state/province and/or other applicable
regulations. Your SUBARU ’s brake system is not designed to be
tapped into the trailer ’s hydraulic brake system. Please ask your
SUBARU dealer and professional trailer supplier for more information
about the trailer ’s brake system.
n Trailer safety chains
WARNING
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Towing trailer without safety chains could create a traffic safetyhazard if the trailer separates from the hitch due to coupling dam-age or hitch ball damage.

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Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle’s electrical system requires
modifications to the vehicle ’s lighting circuit to increase its capacity
and accommodate wiring changes. To ensure the trailer lights are
connected properly, please consult your SUBARU dealer. Check for
proper operation of the turn signals, the brake lights and parkinglights each time you hitch up. n Tires
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not designed to sustain the towing load.
Use of the temporary spare tire when towing can result in failureof the spare tire and/or less stability of the vehicle.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle are properly inflated. OUTBACK: The recommended cold tire pressure under trailer
towing conditions is indicated on the tire placard located under thedoor striker on the driver ’s side. Adjust the rear tire pressure to the
recommended pressure shown on the tire placard when the tires
are cold. Normal pressure should be maintained in the front tires.Other models: It is recommended to inflate the rear tires to 3 psi
(20 kPa, 0.2 kg/cm 2
) above their normal operating pressure when
the tires are cold. Normal pressure should be maintained in the
front tires.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and proper inflation pressure
should be in accordance with the trailer manufacturer ’s specifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tire when towing a trailer, ask a
commercial road service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your vehicle or trailer as a pre-
caution against getting a flat tire, be sure that the spare tire is firmly
secured.

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nDriving with a trailer
You should allow for considerably more stopping distance when
towing a trailer. Avoid sudden braking because it may result in skid-
ding or jackknifing and loss of control. Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accelerations. If your vehicle has a
manual transmission, always start out in first gear and release the
clutch at moderate engine revolution. Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and rapid lane changes.
Slow down before turning. Make a longer than normal turning
radius because the trailer wheels will be closer than the vehicle
wheels to the inside of the turn. In a tight turn, the trailer could hit yourvehicle. Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of your vehicle and
trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds can be due to weather conditions or
the passing of large trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradually. When passing other vehicles, considerable distance is required
because of the added weight and length caused by attaching the
trailer to your vehicle. Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes practice. When back-
ing up with a trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly. When turning
back, grip the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand and turn it
to the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn.
Left turn Right turn
OM-H2791
If the ABS warning light illuminates while the vehicle is in motion,
stop towing the trailer and have repairs performed immediately by the

Driving tips8-39
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nearest SUBARU dealer. nDriving on grades
Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift into lower gear
(if necessary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the engine braking effect
and prevent overheating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not make sud-
den downshifts. When driving uphill in hot weather, the air conditioner may turn off
automatically to protect the engine from overheating. When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to the water tem-
perature gauge pointer (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP warning
light (for AT vehicles) since the engine and transmission are relatively
prone to overheating under these conditions. If the water temperature
gauge pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone or the AT OIL TEMP
warning light illuminates, immediately switch off the air conditioner
and stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine
overheat” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and indicator lights ”
section in chapter 3. If your vehicle has a automatic transmission, avoid using the accel-
erator pedal to stay stationary on an uphill slope instead of using theparking brake or foot brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to
overheat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmis-sion, avoid driving with the gear selector lever in “D” when towing a
heavy trailer to prevent fluid overheating. n Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and trailer when parking.
Apply the parking brake firmly. You should not park on a hill or slope.But if parking on a hill or slope cannot be avoided, you should takethe following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and
trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the regular brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the parking brake; slowly
release the regular brakes.

9-2
If you park your vehicle in an emergency
HB8002BA
The hazard warning flasher should be used in day or night to warn other
drivers when you have to park your vehicle under emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to safely pull off the road if a prob-lem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be activated regardless of the ignition switch position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing the hazard warning flasher
switch. Turn it off by pushing the switch again. NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on, the turn signals do not work.

In case of emergency9-3
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Temporary spare tire
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not designed to sustain the towing load.
Use of the temporary spare tire when towing can result in failureof the spare tire and/or less stability of the vehicle and may leadto an accident.
CAUTION
Never use any temporary spare tire other than the original. Usingother sizes may result in severe mechanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle.
The temporary spare tire is smaller and lighter than a conventional tire
and is designed for emergency use only. Remove the temporary spare
tire and re-install the conventional tire as soon as possible because the
spare tire is designed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the temporary spare tire periodically to
keep the tire ready for use. The correct pressure is 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2
kg/cm 2
).
When using the temporary spare tire, note the following: Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
Do not put a tire chain on the temporary spare tire. Because of the
smaller tire size, a tire chain will not fit properly. Do not use two or more temporary spare tires at the same time.
Do not drive over obstacles. This tire has a smaller diameter, so
road clearance is reduced. When the wear indicator appears on the tread, replace the tire.

9-4
HB8003BB
HG0106
Indicator location mark
Tread wear indicator bar
NOTE
[Automatic transmission vehicle not equipped with VDC (Vehicle Dy-
namics Control)] Before driving your vehicle with the temporaryspare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector located in theengine compartment and confirm that the Front-wheel drive warninglight comes on. The all wheel drive capability of the vehicle has now
been deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, removethe spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to reactivate allwheel drive.
Flat tires
WARNING
Do not jack up the vehicle on an incline or a loose road sur-
face. The jack can come out of the jacking point or sink into the ground and this can result in a severe accident. Use only the jack provided with your vehicle. The jack sup-
plied with the vehicle is designed only for changing a tire. Neverget under the vehicle while supporting the vehicle with this jack. Always turn the engine off before raising the flat tire off the
ground using the jack. Never swing or push the vehicle sup-ported with the jack. The jack can come out of the jacking pointdue to a jolt and this can result in a severe accident.