2006 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

8-24
Driving tips
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle.
yCrosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down im-
mediately but gradually.
y When passing other vehicles, consider-
able distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by at-
taching the trailer to your vehicle.1) Left turn
2) Right turny Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
y
If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed im-
mediately by the nearest SUBARU dealer.
T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts.
y When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating.
y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the water temperature gauge
pointer (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP
warning light (for AT vehicles) since the
engine and transmission are relatively
prone to overheating under these condi-
tions. If the water temperature gauge
pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone
or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates, immediately switch off the air con-
ditioner and stop the vehicle at the nearest
safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheat-
ing” section in chapter 9, and “Warning
and indicator lights” section in chapter 3. y
If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, avoid using the accelerator pedal
to stay stationary on an uphill slope in-
stead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission
fluid to overheat.
y If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the selector lever as fol-
lows:
Uphill slopes: “D” position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking
T Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehi-
cle and trailer when parking. Apply the
parking brake firmly. You should not park
on a hill or slope. But if parking on a hill or
slope cannot be avoided, you should take
the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal
down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, re-
lease the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then ap-
ply the parking brake; slowly release the
regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual
transmission) or “P” (automatic transmis-1 2
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Driving tips
8-25
sion) and shut off the engine.
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9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency ....................................................... 9-2
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) ................... 9-2
Flat tires .............................................................. 9-3
Changing a flat tire ................................................. 9-3
Jump starting ...................................................... 9-7
How to jump start ................................................... 9-8
Engine overheating ............................................ 9-10
If steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
Towing ................................................................. 9-10
Towing and tie-down hooks .................................. 9-11
Using a flat-bed truck ............................................. 9-12
Towing with all wheels on the ground .................. 9-12
Rear gate – if the rear gate cannot be unlocked .......................................................... 9-13
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be closed ............................................................... 9-14
Maintenance tools .............................................. 9-14
Jack and jack handle .............................................. 9-15
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9-2
In case of emergency
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergencyThe hazard warning flasher should be
used in day or night to warn other drivers
when you have to park your vehicle under
emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to
safely pull off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be acti-
vated regardless of the ignition switch po-
sition.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing
the hazard warning flasher switch. Turn it
off by pushing the switch again.NOTEWhen the hazard warning flasher is on,the turn signals do not work.
Temporary spare tire (if equipped)The temporary spare tire is smaller and
lighter than a conventional tire and is de-
signed for emergency use only. Remove
the temporary spare tire and re-install the
conventional tire as soon as possible be-
cause the spare tire is designed only for
temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tempo-
rary spare tire periodically to keep the tire
300117
Never tow a trailer when the tempo-
rary spare tire is used. The tempo-
rary spare tire is not designed to
sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tire
and/or less stability of the vehicle
and may lead to an accident.
Never use any temporary spare tire
other than the original. Using other
sizes may result in severe mechani-
cal damage to the drive train of your
vehicle.
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In case of emergency
9-3
– CONTINUED –
ready for use. The correct pressure is 60
psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kg/cm
2) .
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following.
y Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
y Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire
size, a tire chain will not fit properly.
y Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time.
y Do not drive over obstacles. This tire
has a smaller diameter, so road clearance
is reduced.
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location marky When the wear indicator appears on the
tread, replace the tire.
1) Spare fuse
2) FWD connectorNOTE(All AWD AT non-turbo models without
Vehicle Dynamics Control system) Be-
fore driving your vehicle with the tem-
porary spare tire, put a spare fuse in-
side the FWD connector in the main
fuse box located in the engine com-
partment and confirm that the Front-
wheel drive warning light “AWD” in the
combination meter comes on. The all
wheel drive capability of the vehicle
has now deactivated. After re-installing
the conventional tire, remove the spare
fuse from the FWD connector in order
to reactivate all wheel drive.
Flat tiresIf you have a flat tire while driving, never
brake suddenly; keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing speed.
Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place.„ Changing a flat tire
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y Do not jack up the vehicle on an
incline or a loose road surface.
The jack can come out of the jack-
ing point or sink into the ground
and this can result in a severe ac-
cident.yUse only the jack provided with
your vehicle. The jack supplied
with the vehicle is designed only
for changing a tire. Never get un-
der the vehicle while supporting
the vehicle with this jack.
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9-4
In case of emergency
1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenev-
er possible, then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and
shift a manual transmission vehicle in re-
verse or an automatic transmission vehi-
cle in the “P” (Park) position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and
have everyone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire.
1) Jack
2) Jack handle
3) Spare tire5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel
nut wrench.
The spare tire is stored under the floor of
the cargo area.
To remove the spare tire:
1. Open the lid and hang the hook provid-
ed on the under side of the lid on the rear
edge of the roof to keep the lid open.2. Remove the storage compartment
bucket (Canada spec. non-turbo models).
3. Remove the storage compartment tray
(Except Canada spec. non-turbo models).
4. Turn the attaching bolt counterclock-
wise, then take spare tire out.
y
Always turn off the engine before
raising the flat tire off the ground
using the jack. Never swing or
push the vehicle supported with
the jack. The jack can come out of
the jacking point due to a jolt and
this can result in a severe acci-
dent.
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In case of emergency
9-5
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5. The jack is stored under the left side of
the cargo floor.
To take out the jack:
Pull the tab to open the lid, turn the jack
screw counterclockwise to loosen it, then
remove the jack. To take out the jack handle:
Open the rear-left and center lids in the
cargo area by pulling their tabs.
6. Loosen the wheel nuts using the wheel
nut wrench but do not remove the nuts.
7. Place the jack under the side sill at the
front or rear jack-up point closest to the flat
tire.
Turn the jackscrew by hand until the jack
head engages firmly into the jack-up point.
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