2003 SUBARU FORESTER heating

1-8
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat heater (if equipped)
The seat heater operates when the ignition switch is
either in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
To turn on the seat heater, push the “LO” or “HI” posi-
tion on the switch, as desired, depending on the tem-
perature. Selecting the “HI” position will cause the seat
to heat up quicker.
1)
HI— Rapid heating
2) LO – Normal heating
The indicator located on the switch comes on when
the seat heater is in operation. When the vehicle’s in-
terior is warmed enough or before you leave the vehi-
cle, be sure to turn the switch off.
There is a possibility that people with delicate
skin may suffer slight burns even at low tem-
peratures if he/she uses the seat heater for a
long period of time. When using the heater, al-
ways be sure to warn the persons concerned.
HS1041BA
1
2
HS1042BB

3-22
Instruments and controls
Wiper and washer
In freezing weather, do not use the windshield
washer until the windshield is sufficiently
warmed by the defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can freeze on the
windshield, blocking your view.

Do not operate the washer continuously for
more than ten seconds, or when the washer flu-
id tank is empty. This may cause overheating of
the washer motor. Check the washer fluid level
frequently, such as at fuel stops. Do not operate the wipers when the wind-
shield or rear window is dry. This may scratch
the glass, damage the wiper blades and cause
the wiper motor to b urn out. Before operating
the wiper on a dry windshield or rear window,
always use the windshield washer. In freezing weather, be sure that the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear
window before switching on the wipers. At- tempting to operate the wiper with the blades
frozen to the window glass could cause not
only the wiper blades to be damaged but also
the wiper motor to burn out. If the wiper blade
is frozen to the window glass, be sure to oper-
ate the defroster, wind
shield wiper deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defogger before turn-
ingonthewiper. If the wipers stop during operation because
of ice or some other obstruction on the window,
the wiper motor could burn out even if the wiper
switch is turned off. If this occurs, promptly
stop the vehicle in a safe place, turn the ignition
switch to the “LOCK” position and clean the
window glass to allow p roper wiper operation.
Use clean water if windshield washer fluid is
unavailable. In areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
or the equivalent. (See the “Windshield washer
fluid” section in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle when there are
freezing temperatures, use non-freezing type
wiper blades. Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline
or a solvent, such as paint thinner or benzene.
This will cause deterioration of the wiper

4-7
Climate control
– CONTINUED –
Heating and defrosting
To direct warm air toward the floor and the windshield:
1. Set the air flow control dial to the “ ”position.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the most com-
fortable level.
3. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
If your vehicle is equipped with an air conditioner,
when the “ ” or “ ” position is selected, the air
conditioner compressor automatically operates re-
gardless of the position of the air conditioner button to
defog the windshield quickly.
However, the air conditioner indicator light does not
come on at this time.NOTE
Warm air also comes out from the right and left air
outlets. To stop warm air flow from these outlets,
turn the corresponding thumb-wheel down. Heating
To direct warm air toward the floor:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the OFF position
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “ ” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the most com-
fortable level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
HS4014AA
HS4015AA

4-8
Climate control
NOTE
Warm air also comes out from the right and left air
outlets. To stop warm air flow from these outlets,
turn the corresponding thumb-wheel down.
Bi-level heating
This setting allows you to direct air of different temper-
atures from the instrument panel and foot outlets. The
air from the foot outlets is slightly warmer than from the
instrument panel outlets.
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the OFF posi- tion.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “ ” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the desired tem- perature level.
4. Set the fan speed control dial to the desired speed.
Setting the temperature control dial fully turned to the
red area or blue area decreases the temperature dif-
ference between the air from the instrument panel out-
lets and the air from the foot outlets.
Ventilation
To force outside air through the instrument panel out-
lets:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the OFF posi- tion.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the “ ” position.
3. Set the temperature control dial all the way left.
HS4016AA
HS4017AA

4-12
Climate control
Manual mode operation:
If you operate any of the switches and dials on the
control panel other than the “OFF” switch and temper-
ature control dial during automatic mode operation,
the indicator light on the “AUTO” switch goes out. You
can then manually control the system as desired using
the switch or dial you operated.
To change the system back to the AUTO mode, press
the “AUTO” switch.
OFF switch
The Automatic Climate Control system turns off (the
air conditioner compressor and fan turn off) when the
“OFF” switch is pressed.
When the “OFF” switch is pressed, the outside air in-
troduction mode (air inlet selection OFF) is automati-
cally selected.
NOTE
Display illumination dimness cancellation (BRIGHT):
Setting the light switch to the “ ” or “ ”
position causes the illumination on the display
panel to dim. When traveling with the lights on in
gloomy daylight or in twilight, press the OFF
switch for 1 second or longer if you feel it is too
hard to identify the illumination clearly. The bright-
ness comes back to normal. If you wish to dim the illumination again, hold
down the OFF switch again or if you can safely do
so, turn the light switch OFF and then place it in
the “ ” or “ ” position.
Temperature control dial
This dial is used to set the desired interior tempera-
ture. With the dial is set your desired temperature, the
system automatically adjusts the temperature of air
supplied from the outlets such that the desired temper-
ature is achieved and maintained.
If the dial is turned fully counterclockwise, the system
gives maximum cooling performance. If the dial is
turned fully clockwise, the system gives maximum
heating performance.

4-16
Climate control
The automatic climate control system employs several
sensors. These sensors are delicate. If they are treat-
ed improperly and become damaged, the system may
not be able to control the interior temperature correct-
ly. To avoid damaging the sensors, observe the follow-
ing precautions:
– Do not subject the sensors to impact.
– Keep water away from the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
The sensors are located as follows:
– Solar sensor: beside the windshield defroster grille
– Interior air temperature sensor: near the steering
column
– Ambient temperature sensor: behind the front grille.
Operating tips for heater and air con-
ditioner
Cleaning ventilation grille
Always keep the front ventilation inlet grille free of
snow, leaves, or other obstructions to ensure efficient
heating and defrosting. Since the condenser is located
in front of the radiator, this area should be kept clean
because cooling performance is impaired by any ac-
cumulation of insects and leaves on the condenser.
HS4022BA

6-12
Interior equipment
lighter plug. Do not use non-genuine cigarette
lighter plugs in the so
cket. Doing so may cause
a short-circuit and overheating, resulting in a fire. If the socket is ever used for a plug-in acces-
sory such as a mobile phone, that may damage
the portion of the socket

7-21
Starting and operating
–CONTINUED –
Braking Braking tips
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This can cause dangerous overheating
of the brakes and needless wear on the brake
pads and linings.
When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping dis-
tancewillbelonger.Todrythebrakes,drivethevehi-
cle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake
pedal to heat up the brakes. Useofenginebraking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addition
to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the
foot brake is used, the brakes may start working im-
properly because of brake fluid overheating, caused
by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift
into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking.
Brakingwhenatireispunctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire
is punctured. This could cause a loss of control of the
vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place.
Brake system
Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit brake systems.
Each circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one
circuit of the brake system should fail, the other half of
the system still works. If one circuit fails, the brake
pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual
and you will need to press it down much harder. And a
much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehi- cle. Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to
assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while
driving because that will turn off the brake booster, re-
sulting in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even when the brake
booster completely stops functioning. If this happens,
however, you will have to push the pedal much harder