2005 SUBARU FORESTER weight

7
–
CONTINUED –
ment, the driver should always sit upright and
well back in the seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possible and sit
upright and well back in the seat.
Carefully read the sections “Seatbelts” and “*SRS air-
bag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)” in chap-
ter 1 of this owner’s manual for instructions and pre-
cautions concerning the seatbelt system and SRS air-
bag system. „ Child safety
yNever hold a child on your lap or in your arms
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger
cannot protect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be caught between
the passenger and objects inside the vehicle. y While riding in the vehicle, infants and small
children should always be placed in the REAR
seat in an infant or child restraint system which
is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. If a child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the REAR seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating po-
sitions than in the front seating positions. Nev-
er allow a child to stand up or kneel on the seat. y
Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all times in a child
restraint device or in a seatbelt. The SRS airbag
deploys with considerable speed and force and
can injure or even kill children, especially if
they are 12 years of age and under and are not
restrained or improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk being injured from deployment is
greater.y NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. y Always use the child safety locks whenever a
child rides in the rear seat. Serious injury could
result if a child accidentally opened the door
and fell out. Refer to the “Child safety locks”
section in chapter 2.

1-3
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
restrained at all times in a child restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight. Secure ALL
types of child restraint devices (including for-
ward facing child seat) in the REAR seats at alltimes.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE
TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning child restraint systems, see the “Child
restraint systems” section in this chapter. „
Manual seat
T Fore and aft adjustment
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to the desired
position. Then release the lever and move the seat
back and forth to make sure that it is securely locked
into place.
HS1035BA

1-14
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seatbelts „
Seatbelt safety tips
yAll 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.y All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury.y 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 result. y Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by occu-
pants of a vehicle that has been in a serious ac-
cident. The entire assembly should be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.y Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and
force and can injure or even kill children, espe- cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater. For that reason, we strongly
recommend that ALL children (including those
in child seats and those that have outgrown
child restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat
properly restrained at all times in a child re-
straint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child’s height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE
TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the child restraint system, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chap-
ter.

1-38
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
weight. According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions.
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER’S SRS AIRBAG, NEVER INSTALL
A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFETY SEAT
IN THE FRONT PASSENGER’S SEAT. DOINGSO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD
TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
„ Choosing a child restraint system
Choose a child restraint system that is appropriate for
the child’s age and size (weight and height) in order to
provide the child with proper protection. The child re-
straint system should meet all applicable requirements
of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for United
States or Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for
Canada. It can be identified by locking for the label on
the child restraint system or the manufacture’s state-
ment of compliance in the document attached to the
HG1043BA
UGS507AA

1-55
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
es) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at
all times in a child restraint device or in a seat-
belt, whichever is appropriate for the child’s
age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi- tions.
For instructions and precautions concerning
the child restraint system, see the “Child re-
straint systems” section in this chapter. yNEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. y Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on
the front passenger’s seat, or never hold a child
on your lap or in your arms. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
y When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke
will be released. This smoke could cause
breathing problems for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble. If you or
your passengers have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air promptly. y A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas. Oc-
cupants could get burnt if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.
NOTE
When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain
to the buyer that it is equipped with SRS airbags
by alerting him to the applicable section in this
owner’s manual.

6-17
Interior equipment
– CONTINUED –
is rewinding.
Do not place anything on the extended cover.
Putting excessive weight on the extended cov-
er can break it and an object on the cover could
tumble forward in the event of a sudden stop or
collision. This could cause serious injury.
„ To remove the cover
1. Rewind the cover. 2. Take it off the retainer, lift it out.
3. Store the cover housing in the cargo area. „
To install the cover housing
To install the cover, insert both ends of the cover hous- ing into the retainers.
HS6043BA

8-1
8
Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) .............................. 8-2
Fuel economy hints ...................................... 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) ... 8-3
Catalytic converter ....................................... 8-4
Periodic inspections .................................... 8-5
Driving in foreign countries ......................... 8-6
Driving tips for AWD vehicles ..................... 8-6
Off road driving ............................................ 8-8
Winter driving ............................................... 8-10 Operation during cold weather ........................ 8-10
Driving on snowy and icy roads ...................... 8-11
Corrosion protection ........................................ 8-12
Snow tires .......................................................... 8-13
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-13
Rocking the vehicle .......................................... 8-14
Loading your vehicle ................................... 8-14 Vehicle capacity weight .................................... 8-16
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........ 8-16
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) ............... 8-17
Trailer hitch (if equipped) ............................ 8-22 Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-23
When you do not tow a trailer .......................... 8-25
Trailer towing ................................................ 8-25 Warranties and maintenance ........................... 8-25
Maximum load limits ......................................... 8-26
Trailer hitches ................................................... 8-30
Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-31 Trailer towing tips ............................................. 8-33

8-16
Driving tips
„
Vehicle capacity weight The load capacity of your vehicle is determined by
weight, not by available cargo space. The maximum
load you can carry in your vehicle is shown on the ve-
hicle placard attached to the driver’s side door pillar. It
includes the total weight of driver and all passengers
and their belongings, any optional equipment such as
a trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier, etc., and the
tongue load of a trailer. „
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight
Rating)
The certification plate attached to the driver’s side
HS8006BA
HS8024BA
HS8007BA