2005 SUBARU FORESTER maintenance

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Warranties „Warranties for U.S.A.
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by Subaru of Ameri-
ca, Inc. and sold at retail by an authorized SUBARU
dealer in the United States come with the following
warranties: y SUBARU Limited Warranty
y Emission Control Systems Warranty
y Emissions Performance Warranty
All warranty information, including details of coverage
and exclusions, is in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”. Please read these warranties carefully. „ Warranties for Canada
All SUBARU vehicles distributed by Subaru Canada,
Inc. and sold at retail by an authorized SUBARU deal-
er in Canada come with the following warranties: y SUBARU Limited Warranty
y Anti-Corrosion Warranty
y Emission Control Warranty
All warranty information, including details of coverage
and exclusions, is in the Warranty and Service Book-
let. Please read these warranties carefully.
This vehicle does not contain mer-
cury devices or parts.

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How to use this owner’s manual „Using your Owner’s manual
Before you operate your vehicle, carefully read this
manual. To protect yourself and extend the service life
of your vehicle, follow the instructions in this manual.
Failure to observe these instructions may result in se-
rious injury and damage to your vehicle.
This manual is composed of fourteen chapters. Each
chapter begins with a brief table of contents, so you
can usually tell at a glance if that chapter contains the
information you want.
Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
This chapter informs you how to use the seat and seat-
belt and contains precautions for the SRS airbags.
Chapter 2: Keys and doors
This chapter informs you how to operate the keys,
locks and windows.
Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This chapter informs you about the operation of instru-
ment panel indicators and how to use the instruments
and other switches.
Chapter 4: Climate Control
This chapter informs you how to operate the climate
control.
Chapter 5: Audio This chapter informs you how to operate your audiosystem.
Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate interior
equipment.
Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and operate your SUBARU.
Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your SUBARU
in various conditions and explains some safety tips on
driving.
Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you have a prob-
lem while driving, such as a flat tire or engine over-
heating.
Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your SUBARU
looking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need to take your
SUBARU to the dealer for scheduled maintenance
and informs you how to keep your SUBARU running
properly.
Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension and capac-
ities of your SUBARU.

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Table of contentsSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Keys and doors
Instruments and controls
Climate control Audio
Interior equipment
Starting and operating
Driving tips
In case of emergency
Appearance care
Maintenance and service
Specifications
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
Index

1-1
1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats .................................................... 1-2 Manual seat ....................................................... 1-3
Power seat (if equipped) .................................. 1-5
Lumbar support ................................................ 1-7
Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-8
Active head restraint ........................................ 1-9
Seat heater (if equipped) .............................. 1-10
Rear seats ..................................................... 1-11 Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-12
Folding down the rear seatback ...................... 1-13
Seatbelts ....................................................... 1-14 Seatbelt safety tips ........................................... 1-14
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .............. 1-15
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ............................................................ 1-16
Seatbelt warning light and chime .................... 1-16
Fastening the seatbelt ...................................... 1-16
Seatbelt maintenance ....................................... 1-29
Seatbelt extender ......................................... 1-29
Front seatbelt pretensioners ....................... 1-31 System monitors ............................................... 1-32
System servicing .............................................. 1-33
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-34
Child restraint systems ................................ 1-35 Where to place a child restraint system ......... 1-37
Choosing a child restraint system .................. 1-38
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ............................................................ 1-39
Installing a booster seat ................................... 1-44 Installation of child restraint systems by use
of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .... 1-45
Top tether anchorages ..................................... 1-50
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ........................................... 1-53Vehicle with driver’s and front passenger’s SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints ..... 1-53
SRS frontal airbag ............................................ 1-57
SRS side airbag (if equipped) .......................... 1-65
SRS airbag system monitors ........................... 1-73
SRS airbag system servicing .......................... 1-75
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-76

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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„Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and lukewarm
water. Never bleach or dye the belts because this
could seriously affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments including the
webbing and all hardware periodically for cracks, cuts,
gashes, tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas. Re-
place the seatbelts even if only minor damage is
found.
y Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemi-
cals and particularly battery acid. y Never attempt to make modifications or
changes that will prevent the seatbelt from op-
erating properly.
Seatbelt extender
If the front seatbelts are not long enough to permit the
tongue plate to engage with the seatbelt buckle, an
optional seatbelt extender is available from your
SUBARU dealer. When ordering an extender, only or-
der one particularly designed for your vehicle. Several
different types of extenders are available to match var-
ious varieties of front seatbelt designs. See your
SUBARU dealer for assistance.
The extender adds approximately 8 inches (200 mm)
of length and it can be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position.
Be sure to observe the following when using
the seatbelt extender.
Failure to follow these instructions and warn-
ings could reduce the effectiveness of the seat-
belt and result in more serious injury in the
event of a collision.y Never use the extender when the belt itself is
long enough to permit it to be buckled properly.
If removal of heavy clothing is all that is needed
to permit the seatbelt to be buckled properly,
remove the heavy clothing and do not use the

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Instruments and controls
T
Odometer
The odometer shows the total distance that the vehicle
has been driven. T Double trip meter
A) A trip meter
B) B trip meter
The trip meter shows the distance that the vehicle has
been driven since you last set it to zero.
To change the mode indication, briefly push the knob.
Each press of the knob changes the function alter-
nately. To set the trip meter to zero, select the A trip or B trip
meter by pushing the knob and keep the knob pushed
for more than 2 seconds.
To ensure safety, do not attempt to change the
function of the indicator during driving, as an
accident could result.
NOTE
If the connection between the combination meter
and battery is broken for any reason such as vehi-
cle maintenance or fuse replacement, the data re-
corded on the trip meter will be lost. „
Tachometer
The tachometer shows the engine speed in thousands
of revolutions per minute.
Do not operate the engine with the pointer of the tachometer in the red zone. In this range,
A
B
US3055BC
A trip meter B trip meter

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Instruments and controls
The All-Wheel Drive indicator light comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes
out after the engine has started. T
For vehicles with Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires of dif-
ferent diameters or with the air pressure excessively
low in any of its tires. T For vehicles without Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
This light comes on when All-Wheel Drive is disen-
gaged and the drive mechanism is switched to Front
Wheel Drive for maintenance or similar purposes.
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires of dif-
ferent diameters or with the air pressure excessively
low in any of its tires. „ Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light (if equipped)
This light comes on when the ignition switch is ON and
goes out about 2 seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression function is activat-
ed. It illuminates when only the traction control func-
tion is operating. The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is probably
faulty under any of the following conditions. Have your
vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer immediately. y
The light does not come on when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position. y The light does not go out even after a period of
about 2 seconds after the ignition switch has been
turned to the “ON” position. „ Shift position indicator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the shift lever.
US3058AA

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Starting and operating
If the engine does not start, try the following:
1) Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” position and
wait for at least 10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the ignition switch to
the “START” position while depressing the acceler-
ator pedal slightly (about a quarter of the full stroke).
Release the accelerator pedal as soon as the en-
gine starts.
2) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition
switch back to the “OFF” position and wait for at
least 10 seconds. Then fully depress the accelerator
pedal and turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position. If the engine starts, quickly release the ac-
celerator pedal.
3) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition
switch again to the “OFF” position. After waiting for
10 seconds or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START” position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal.
4) If the engine still refuses to start, contact your
nearest SUBARU dealer for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator lights have
gone off after the engine has started. The fuel injection
system automatically lowers the idle speed as the en-
gine warms up.
NOTE
The engine may be difficult to start when the bat- tery has been disconnected and reconnected (for
maintenance or other purposes). This difficulty is
caused by the electronically controlled throttle’s
self-diagnosis function. To overcome it, keep the
ignition switch in the “ON” position for approxi-
mately 10 seconds before starting the engine. „
Automatic transmission vehicle
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
3. Shift the selector lever to the “P” or “N” position
(preferably “P” position).
The starter motor will only operate when the select le-
ver is at the “P” or “N” position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position and
check the operation of the warning and indicator lights.
Refer to the “Warning and indicator lights” section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START” position
without depressing the accelerator pedal. Release
the key immediately after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try the following: 1) Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” position and
wait for at least 10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the ignition switch to
the “START” position while depressing the acceler-