2003 SUBARU FORESTER tow bar

8-25
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
Trailer towing
Your car is designed and intended to be used primarily
as a passenger-carrying vehicle. Towing a trailer puts
additional loads on your car’s engine, drivetrain,
brakes, tires and suspension and has an adverse ef-
fect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safety and satis-
faction depend upon proper use of correct equipment
and cautious operation of your vehicle. Seek the ad-
vice of your SUBARU dealer to assist you in purchas-
ing a hitch and other necessary towing equipment
appropriate for your vehicle. In addition, be sure to fol-
low the instructions on correct installation and use pro-
vided by the trailer and other towing equipment manufacturers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for injuries or ve-
hicle damage that result from trailer towing equipment,
or from any errors or omissions in the instructions ac-
companying such equipment or for your failure to fol-
low the proper instructions. Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehicle damage
or malfunction caused by trailer towing. If you use your
vehicle to tow a trailer, more frequent maintenance will
be required due to the additional load. (Refer to “Main- tenance schedule under severe driving conditions” in
the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.)
Under no circumstances should a trailer be towed with
a new vehicle or a vehicle with any new powertrain
component (engine, transmission, differential, wheel
bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of
driving.
Maximum load limits
Never exceed the maximum load limits ex-
plained below. Exceeding the maximum load
limits could cause personal injury and/or vehi-
cle damage.
Adequate size trailer brakes are required
when the trailer and its cargo exceed 1,000 lbs
(453 kg) total weight. Before towing a trailer, check the trailer total
weight, GVW, GAWs and tongue load. Make
sure the load and its distribution in your vehicle

8-32
Driving tips

Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle, check that the
standard side mirrors provide a good rearward field of
view without significant blind spots. If significant blind
spots occur with the vehicle’s standard side mirrors,
use towing mirrors that conform with Federal, state/
province and/or other applicable regulations. Trailer lights
Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle’s electrical
system requires modifications to the vehicle’s lighting
circuit to increase its capacity and accommodate wir-
ing 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 parking lights each time you hitch up.
Direct splicing or other improper connection of
trailer lights may damage your vehicle

8-34
Driving tips
ally.
When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes prac-
tice. When backing 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. If the ABS warning light illuminates while the vehicle
is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have repairs performed immediately by the nearest SUBARU deal- er.
Driving 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 overheat-
ing of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not make sudden
downshifts. When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condition-
er may turn off automatically to protect the engine from
overheating. When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature 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 tem-
perature 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
overheating” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and
indicator lights” section in chapter 3. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to over-
heat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an automat-
1 2
HS8023BB

9-13
In case of emergency
–CONTINUED –
Towing
If towing is necessary, it is best done by your SUBARU
dealer or a commercial towing service. Observe the
following procedures for safety.
Never tow AWD vehicles (both AT and MT) with
the front wheels raised off the ground while the
rear wheels are on the ground, or with the rear
wheels raised off the ground while the front
wheels are on the ground. This will cause the
vehicle to spin away due to the operation or de-
terioration of the center differential.
Towing and tie-down hooks
The towing hooks should be used only in an emergen-
cy (e.g., to free a stuck vehicle from mud, sand orsnow).
Front towing hook:
HS9016BA
HS9017BA

11 - 1 4
Maintenance and service

Recommended grade and viscosity
under severe driving conditions
If the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with very
high temperatures, or used for heavy-duty applica-
tions such as towing a trailer, use of oil with the follow-
ing grade and viscosities is recommended.
API classification SL or SJ: SAE viscosity No.:
30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
Synthetic oil
You can use synthetic engine oil that meets the same
requirements given for conventional engine oil. When
using synthetic oil, you must use oil of the same clas-
sification, viscosity and grade shown in this owner’s
manual, and must follow the oil and filter changing in-
tervals shown in the maintenance schedule.
Cooling system
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until
the engine has been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when the cap is re-
moved.
The cooling system has been filled at the facto-
ry with a high quality, corrosion-inhibiting,
year-around coolant which provides protection
againstfreezingdownto–33 °F(–36 °C). For
adding, use genuine SUBARU coolant or an
equivalent: a mixture of 50% soft water and 50%
ethylene-glycol basis coolant. Use of improper
coolants may result in corrosion in the cooling
system. It is important to maintain protection
against freezing and corrosion, even if freezing
temperatures are not expected. Never mix dif-
ferent kinds of coolant.