2006 SUBARU FORESTER light

Starting and operating
7-19
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Vehicle Dynamics Control system (if equipped)
yDriving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately.yIf 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.
Always use the utmost care in driv-
ing – overconfidence because you
are driving with a Vehicle Dynamics
Control system equipped vehicle
could easily lead to a serious acci-
dent.
yEven if your vehicle is equipped
with Vehicle Dynamics Control,
winter tires or snow chains
should be used when driving on
snow-covered or icy roads; in ad-
dition, vehicle speed should be re-
duced considerably. Simply hav-
ing a Vehicle Dynamics Control
system does not guarantee that
the vehicle will be able to avoid
accidents in any situation.
yActivation of the Vehicle Dynam-
ics Control system is an indica-
tion that the road being travelled
on has a slippery surface; since
having Vehicle Dynamics Control
is no guarantee that full vehicle
control will be maintained at all
times and under all conditions, its
activation should be seen as a
sign that the speed of the vehicle
should be reduced considerably.
y Whenever suspension compo-
nents, steering components, or an
axle are removed from a vehicle
equipped with Vehicle Dynamics
Control, have an authorized
SUBARU dealer perform an in-
spection of that system.
y The following precautions should
be observed in order to ensure
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is operating properly:
– All four wheels should be fitted
with tires of the same size, type,
and brand. Furthermore, the
amount of wear should be the
same for all four tires.
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7-20
Starting and operating
In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding
on a slippery road surface and/or during
cornering and/or an evasive maneuver,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system ad-
justs the engine’s output and the wheels’
respective braking forces to help maintain
traction and directional control.
yTraction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to
prevent spinning of the driving wheels on
slippery road surfaces, thereby helping to
maintain traction and directional control.
Activation of this function is shown by
steady illumination of the Vehicle Dynam-
ics Control operation indicator light.
y Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed
to help maintain directional stability by suppressing the wheels’ tendency to slide
sideways during steering operations. Acti-
vation of this function is shown by flashing
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light.
NOTEy
Slight twitching of the brake pedal
may be felt when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system operates; a small de-
gree of vehicle or steering wheel shak-
ing may also be noticed in this situa-
tion. These are normal characteristics
of Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
and are no cause for alarm.
y When driving off immediately after
starting the engine, a short-lived oper-
ation noise may be noticed coming
from the engine compartment. This
noise is generated as a result of a
check being performed on the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and is nor-
mal.
y Depending on the timing of activa-
tion of the brakes, certain situations
may occur just after driving off where
the brake pedal seems to exhibit a jolt-
ing motion. This too is a consequence
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tional check and is normal.
y In the circumstances listed in the fol-
lowing, the vehicle may be more unsta- ble than it feels to the driver. The Vehi-
cle Dynamics Control System may
therefore operate. Such operation does
not indicate a system fault.
y on gravel-covered or rutted roads
y on unfinished roads
y when the vehicle is towing a trailer
y when the vehicle is fitted with
snow tires or winter tires
y Activation of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will cause operation of
the steering wheel to feel slightly dif-
ferent compared to that for normal con-
ditions.
y Even if the vehicle is equipped with a
Vehicle Dynamics Control system, it is
important that winter tires be used
when driving on snow-covered or icy
roads. (All four wheels should be fitted
with tires of the same size and brand).
Furthermore, if snow chains are to be
used, they should be fitted on the front
wheels. When a vehicle is fitted with
snow chains, however, the effective-
ness of the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is reduced and this should be
taken into account when driving the ve-
hicle in such a condition.
y It is always important to reduce
speed when approaching a corner,
even if the vehicle is equipped with Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control.
– Keep the tire pressure at the
proper level as shown on the
placard attached to the vehi-
cle’s door pillar.
– Use only the special temporary spare tire to replace a flat tire.
With a temporary spare tire, the
effectiveness of the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system is re-
duced and this should be taken
into account when driving the
vehicle in such a condition.
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Starting and operating
7-21
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yAll four wheels should be fitted with
tires of the same size, type, and brand;
furthermore, the amount of wear
should be the same for all four tires. If
these precautions are not observed
and non-matching tires are used, it is
quite possible that the Vehicle Dynam-
ics Control system will be unable to op-
erate correctly as intended.
y Always turn off the engine before re-
placing a tire as failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly.„ Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitorT Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light The indicator light turns on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the ON position; it
turns off approximately two seconds later.
This indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and is
illuminated steadily during activation of
the traction control function.
The following two situations could indicate
a malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system; if either should occur,
have an authorized SUBARU dealer carry
out an inspection of that system at the first
available opportunity.
y
The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position.
y The indicator light does not turn off ap-
proximately two seconds after the ignition
switch has been turned to the ON position. T
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
light/Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF
indicator light
This single light has the function of indicat-
ing malfunctions in the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the function of indicat-
ing that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is not operating. It comes on in the
event of a malfunction in the system and is
illuminated whenever the system is not
operating.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control warning
The warning light comes on when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON” position
and goes off several seconds after engine
startup.This lighting pattern indicates that
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
operating normally.
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7-22
Starting and operating
The following situations could indicate a
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if any should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of the system at the first avail-
able opportunity.
yThe warning light does not turn on when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON po-
sition.
y The warning light turns on while the ve-
hicle is being driven.
y When a malfunction has occurred in the
Vehicle Dynamics Control electrical sys-
tem, only the warning light will turn on. In
such an event, the ABS will still be operat-
ing normally.
y The warning light will also turn on when
a problem occurs with the ABS or Vehicle
Dynamics Control electronic control sys-
tems.
Because the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system controls each brake through the
ABS, whenever the ABS stops operating
due to a malfunction in that electrical sys-
tem, the Vehicle Dynamics Control will
also become unable to control all four
brakes. Thus Vehicle Dynamics Control
system operation halts and the warning
light turns on. Although both the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the ABS
will be inoperable in this situation, it will
still be possible to stop the vehicle using normal braking. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system and the ABS do not ad-
versely affect operation of the vehicle in
any way when they are inoperable; how-
ever should such a situation occur, drive
with care and have an authorized
SUBARU dealer carry out an inspection of
those systems at the first available oppor-
tunity.
NOTEWhen the warning light turns on and
off in the following way, it indicates
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is operating normally.
y
Although turning on after the engine
has been started, the warning light
quickly turns off and stays off.
y The warning light turns on when the
vehicle is being driven; it then turns off
and stays off.
V Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indi-
cator light
This light comes on to indicate that the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control system is in non-
operation mode. This does not constitute
failure of the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system.NOTEy The indicator light may stay on for a
while after the engine has been started, especially in cold weather. This occurs
because the engine has not yet
warmed up and is completely normal.
The light will turn off when the engine
has reached a suitable operating tem-
perature.
y
When an engine problem occurs and
the malfunction indicator lamp turns
on, the indicator light will also come
on.
The following two situations could indicate
malfunction of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system; if either should occur, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer carry out an
inspection of that system at the first avail-
able opportunity.
y The indicator light does not turn on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position.
y The indicator light fails to turn off after
the engine is started, even when several
minutes have passed to allow the engine
to heat up sufficiently.
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Starting and operating
7-23
„Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switchPressing the switch to deactivate the Ve-
hicle Dynamics Control system can facili-
tate the following operations:
ya standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or oth-
erwise slippery surface
y extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the “ ” indicator light illumi-
nates. The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem will be deactivated and the vehicle will
behave like a model not equipped with the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system. When
the switch is pressed again to reactivate
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system, the indicator light goes off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTEy
When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the OFF position
and the engine is restarted.
y If the switch is held down for 10 sec-
onds or longer, the indicator light goes
off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem is activated, and the system ig-
nores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the
OFF position and restart the engine.
y When the switch is pressed to deac-
tivate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system, the vehicle’s running perfor-
mance is comparable with that of a ve-
hicle that does not have a Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system. Do not deacti-
vate the Vehicle Dynamics Control sys- tem except when absolutely neces-
sary.
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7-24
Starting and operating
Parking your vehicle„Parking brakeTo set the parking brake, press the brake
pedal firmly and hold it down while fully
pulling up the parking brake lever.
To release the parking brake, pull the le-
ver up slightly, press the release button,
then lower the lever while keeping the but-
ton pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the
engine is running, the parking brake warn-
ing light comes on. After starting the vehi-
cle, be sure that the warning light has
gone out before the vehicle is driven. Re-
fer to the “Warning and indicator lights”
section (chapter 3).
„Parking tipsWhen parking your vehicle, always set the
parking brake firmly and put the shift lever
in the “1” (1st) for an upgrade or “R” (Re-
verse) for a downgrade for manual trans-
mission vehicles, or in the “P” (Park) posi-
tion for automatic transmission vehicles.
Always set the parking brake firmly when
parking your vehicle. Never rely on the
transmission alone to hold the vehicle. When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel. When the vehicle is head-
ed up the hill, the front wheels should be
turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb.
700336
Never drive while the parking brake
is set because this will cause unnec-
essary wear on the brake linings.
Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake
has been fully released.
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Starting and operating
7-25
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Hill holder (Manual transmis-sion – if equipped)The Hill holder is a device to make starting
on an uphill grade easier.
On an uphill grade, when the clutch pedal
is depressed while the brake pedal is also
depressed, braking power is maintained
temporarily by the Hill holder when the
brake pedal is released. The driver is
therefore able to start the vehicle the
same way as on a level grade, just using
the clutch and accelerator pedal. The Hill holder does not operate when the
vehicle is facing downhill. And the Hill
holder may not operate on slight grades.
When starting in reverse and using the Hill
holder, a braking effect may be felt even
after the brake pedal has been released.
However, this braking effect should disap-
pear once the clutch pedal is released.
A slight jolt may be felt when the vehicle
begins to move forward after being re-
versed.
If the braking power of the Hill holder is in-
sufficient after the brake pedal is released,
apply more braking power by pressing the
brake pedal again.
y
Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent opera-
tion of the vehicle. Also, on hot or
sunny days, the temperature in a
closed vehicle could quickly be-
come high enough to cause se-
vere or possibly fatal injuries to
people.yDo not park the vehicle over flam-
mable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.yBe sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If engine
exhaust gas enters the passenger
compartment, occupants in the
vehicle could die from carbon
monoxide (CO) contained in the
exhaust gas.
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7-26
Starting and operating
Cruise controlCruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more. Make sure the
main switch is turned “OFF” when the
cruise control is not in use to avoid unin-
tentionally setting the cruise control.NOTEIf you move the cruise control lever or
press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON”, the
cruise control function is deactivated
and the “CRUISE” indicator light flash-
es. To reactivate the cruise control
function, turn the ignition switch back
to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position, and
then turn it again to the “ON” position.
„To set cruise control
0
1. Push the main switch button.
The “ ” indicator light on the com-
bination meter will come on.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal until the
The Hill Holder is a device only for
helping the driver to START the ve-
hicle on an uphill grade. To prevent
accidents when the vehicle is
parked on a slope, be sure to firmly
set the parking brake. When setting
the parking brake, make sure that
the vehicle remains stationary when
the clutch pedal is released.
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions. This
may cause loss of vehicle control:y
driving up or down a steep gradeydriving on slippery or winding
roadsydriving in heavy traffic
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