2003 SUBARU FORESTER stop start

6
Safety precautions when driving Seatbelt and SRS airbag
All persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident. To obtain maximum protection in the event of
an accident, the driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seatbelts when the
vehicle is moving. The SRS (Supplemental Re-
straint System) airbag does not do away with
the need to fasten seatbelts. In combination
with the seatbelts, it offers the best combined
protection in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of
severe injury or death in a crash even when the
car has the SRS airbag. 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 deploy-
Outside mirror defogger
Rear window defogger
Air recirculation
Engine oil Washer
Mark Name

1-12
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1. Lower the headrests.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release knob
and then fold the seatback down.
To return the seatback to its original position, raise the
seatback until it locks into place and make sure that it
is securely locked.

After returning the rear seatback to its origi-
nal position, make certain that the shoulder
belts are fully visible. Never allow passengers to ride on the folded
rear seatback or in the cargo area. Doing so
may result in serious injury or death. Secure lengthy items properly to prevent
them from shooting forward and causing seri-
ous injury during a sudden stop.
Seatbelts Seatbelt safety tips
All persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident. All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury. Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two or
more persons — even children. Otherwise, in
an accident, serious injury or death could re-
sult. Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by occu-
pants of a vehicle that has been in a serious
accident. The entire assembly should be re-
placed even if damage is not obvious. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and

3-11
Instruments and controls
–CONTINUED –
NOTE
This light also comes on when the fuel filler cap is
not tightened until it clicks.
If you have recently refueled your vehicle, the cause of
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/malfunction indica-
tor lamp coming on could be a loose or missing fuel fill-
er cap. Remove the cap and retighten it until it clicks.
Make sure nothing is interfering with the sealing of the
cap. Tightening the cap will not make the CHECK EN-
GINE warning light turn off immediately. It may take
several driving trips. If the light does not go out, take
your vehicle to your authorized SUBARU dealer im-
mediately. If the light is blinking:
If the light is blinking while driving, an engine misfire
condition has been detected which may damage the
emission control system.
To prevent serious damage to the emission control
system, you should do the following: Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard acceleration.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
Reduce the amount of cargo, if possible.
Stop towing a trailer as soon as possible.
The CHECK ENGINE warning light may stop blinking and come on steadily after several driving trips. You
should have your vehicle checked by an authorized
SUBARU dealer immediately.
Charge warning light
If this light comes on when the engine is run-
ning, it may indicate that the charging system is not
working properly.
If the light comes on while driving or does not go out
after the engine starts, stop the engine at the first safe
opportunity and check the alternator belt. If the belt is
loose, broken or if the belt is in good condition but the
light remains on, contact your nearest SUBARU deal-
er immediately. Oil pressure warning light
If this light comes on when the engine is run-
ning, it may indicate that the engine oil pressure is low
and the lubricating system is not working properly.
If the light comes on while driving or does not go out
after the engine starts, stop the engine at the first safe
opportunity and check the engine oil level. If the oil lev-
el is low, add oil immediately. If the engine oil is at the
proper level but the light remains on, contact your
nearest SUBARU dealer immediately.

3-12
Instruments and controls
Do not operate the engine with the oil pressure
warning light on. This may cause serious en-
gine damage.
AT OIL TEMPerature warning
light (for AT vehicles)
If this light comes on when the engine is running, it
may indicate that the automatic transmission fluid tem-
perature is too hot.
If the light comes on while driving, it is unnecessary to
stop the vehicle, but avoid driving up steep grades or
in stop and go traffic. Automatic transmission control system warn-
ing
If the light flashes after the engine starts, it may indi-
cate that the automatic transmission control system is
not working properly. Contact your nearest SUBARU
dealer for service immediately. ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out after
about two seconds.
This is an indication that the ABS system is working
properly.
If the warning light behaves as follows, the ABS
system may not work properly.
When the warning light is on, the ABS function
shuts down; however, the conventional brake
system continues to operate normally.
The warning light does not come on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position. The warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position, but it
does not go out even when the vehicle speed
exceeds approximately 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light comes on during driving.
If these occur, have the ABS system repaired at
the first available opportunity by your SUBARU
dealer.
With a vehicle equipped with an EBD system, the ABS
warning light comes on together with the brake system
warning light if the EBD system becomes faulty. For
(U.S.) (Canada)

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Instruments and controls
–CONTINUED –
further details of the EBD system fault warning, refer
to “Brake system warning light”.
NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as shown below,
the ABS system may be considered normal.The warning light comes on right after the en-
gine is started but goes out immediately, remain-
ing off. The warning light remains on after the engine
has been started, but it goes out when the vehicle
speed reaches about 8 mph (12 km/h). The warning light comes on during driving, but
it goes out immediately and remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery voltage such
as when the engine is jump started, the ABS warning
light may come on. This is due to the low battery volt-
age and does not indicate a malfunction. When the
battery becomes fully charged, the light will go out. Brake system warning light
Driving with the brake system warning light
on is dangerous. This indicates your brake sys- tem may not be working properly. If the light re-
mains on, have the brakes inspected by a
SUBARU dealer immediately.
If at all in doubt about whether the brakes are
operating properly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the nearest
SUBARU dealer for repair.
This light has the following three functions: Parking brake warning
The light comes on with the parking brake applied
while the ignition switch is in the “ON” position. It goes
out when the parking brake is fully released. Brake fluid level warning
This light comes on when the brake fluid level has
dropped to near the “MIN” level of the brake fluid res-
ervoir with the ignition switch in 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 positioned in “ON”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn brake pads.
If this occurs, immediately stop the vehicle at the near-
est safe place and check the brake fluid level. If the flu-
(U.S.) (Canada)

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Instruments and controls
id level is below the “MIN” mark in the reservoir, do not
drive the vehicle. Have the vehicle towed to the near-
est SUBARU dealer for repair.
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) sys-
tem warning (for vehicles with EBD)
The brake system warning light also illuminates if a
malfanction occurs in the EBD system. In that event, it
comes on together with the ABS warning light.
The EBD system may be faulty if the brake system
warning light and ABS warning light illuminate simulta-
neously during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conventional braking
system will still function. However, the rear wheels will
be more prone to locking when the brakes are applied
harder than usual and the vehicle’s motion may there-
fore become somewhat harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS warning
light illuminate simultaneously, take the followingsteps:
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe, flat place. If
you cannot avoid parking the vehicle on a slope, use
chocks to prevent the vehicle from moving.
2. Shut down the engine, then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both warning lights go
out, the system is normal and no further action is nec- essary.
4. If both warning lights come on again and stay illu- minated after the engine has been restarted, shut
down the engine again, apply the parking brake, and
check the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the “MIN” mark,
the EBD system may be faulty. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the system inspect-
ed.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “MIN” mark, DO
NOT drive the vehicle. Instead, have the vehicle towed
to the nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
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. Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light comes on when the tank is
nearly empty about 2.3 U.S. gal. (9.0 liters, or 1.9 Imp.
gal.). It only operates when the ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
NOTE
This light does not go out unless the tank is re-
plenished up to an internal fuel quantity of about

5-11
Audio
– CONTINUED –
To play back a compact disc
When CD is not in the player
Hold a disc with a finger in the center hole while grip-
ping the edge of the disc, then insert it in to the slot
(with the label side up) and the player will automatical-
ly pull the disc into position.
A single CD (8 cm/3 inch CD) may also be used with-
out any adapter.
NOTE Make sure to always insert a disc with the label
side up. If a disc is inserted with the label side
down, it might be ejected or the player might shutoff. After the last song finishes, the player will auto-
matically return to track 1 (the first song on the disc). When CD is in the player
Press the “CD” button (8). The display will show “CD”
and the player will start playback.
NOTE
After the last song finishes, playback will automat-
ically return to track 1 (the first song on the disc). To stop playback of a CD
When the “PWR” button (15) is pressed during play- back of a CD, the CD stops playing temporarily. To let
the CD resume playing, press the button again.
To select a song from its beginning
Forward direction
Brieflypressthe“ ”button(10)toskiptothebe-
ginning of the next track. Each time the button is
pressed, the indicated track number will increase. Backward direction
Brieflypressthe“ ”button(11)toskiptothebe-
ginning of the current track. Each time the button is
pressed, the indicated truck number will decrease. Fast forwarding and fast reverse
Fast forwarding
Press the “ ” button (10) continuously for more
than 1 second to fast forward the disc.
Release the button to stop fast forwarding. Fast reverse
Press the “ ” button (11) continuously for more
than 1 second to fast reverse the disc.
Release the button to stop fast reverse. Repeat playback
Press the “RPT” button (13) and release it in less than

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Audio

To start playback
When the “CD” button (16) is pressed, the CD changer
will start playback. The display shows the current disc
number, track number and the elapsed time during
playback.
NOTE If a disc is in the player, the “DISC” button is
used to change from CD player operation to DISC
changer operation. Each time the “DISC” button is
pressed, the operating mode will change alter-
nately. At the end of the disc, the player automatically
continues with the next disc. After playback on the last disc finishes, play-
back will automatically return to the first disc. If you have loaded fewer than 6 discs, any miss-
ing disc is automatically skipped. Selection of a desired disc
You can select a desired disc from among the discs
contained in the CD changer only by pressing the cor-
responding number on one of the disc select buttons.
If you are to listen to the 5th disc in the CD changer,
press the “5” button of the disc select buttons. All other
discs in the CD changer can also be selected in a sim-
ilar way.
NOTE No disc change takes place if the button corre-
sponding to the storage tray in which no disc is
loaded is pressed. If the disc select button corresponding to the
disc now in playback is pressed again, the disc
will be replayed from its beginning. To select a song from its beginning
Forward direction
Brieflypressthe“ ”button(17)toskiptothebe-
ginning of the next track. Each time the button is
pressed, the indicated track number will increase. Backward direction
Brieflypressthe“ ”button(17)toskiptothebe-
ginning of the current track. Each time the button is
pressed, the indicated track number will decrease. Fast forwarding and fast reverse
Fast forwarding
Press the “ ” button (17) continuously for more
than 1 second to fast forward the disc.
Release the button to stop fast forwarding.
If you continue fast forwarding to the end of the disc,
the CD changer will automatically stop fast forwarding
and start playback beginning with the first track on the