2007 SUBARU FORESTER light

Driving tips 8-7
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thrown around in the vehicle and cause in-
jury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof.
Those loads raise the vehicle’s center of
gravity and make it more prone to tip over. y
If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelera-
tor pedal slightly and move the selector le-
ver back and forth between “D” and “R” re-
peatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the
wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). y Never equip your vehicle with tires larg-
er than those specified in this manual.y Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle un-
der hard-driving conditions such as rough
roads or off roads will necessitate more
frequent replacement of engine oil, brake
fluid and transmission oil than that speci-
fied in the maintenance schedule de-
scribed in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your
SUBARU while operating it off-road and
not using common sense precautions
such as those listed above is not eligible
for warranty coverage.y Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.
Winter driving „
Operation during cold weath- er
Carry some emergency equipment, such
as tire chains, a window scraper, a bag of
sand, flares, a small shovel, and jumper
cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold tem-
peratures reduce battery capacity. The
battery must be in good condition to pro-
vide enough power for cold winter starts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and vis-
cosity for cold weather. Heavy summer oil
will cause harder starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
800219

Driving tips 8-11
– CONTINUED –
speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h).
Always use the utmost care when driving
with tire chains – overconfidence because
you are driving with tire chains could eas-
ily lead to a serious accident. „
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the acceler-
ator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT).
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on holding
the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
y Never allow passengers to ride on
a folded rear seatback or in the
cargo area. Doing so may result in
serious injury.
yNever stack luggage or other car-
go higher than the top of the seat-
back because it could tumble for-
ward and injure passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Keep luggage or cargo low,
as close to the floor as possible.
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yWhen you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can to prevent it from being
thrown around inside the vehicle
during sudden stops, sharp turns
or in an accident.
yDo not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
ySecure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
yNever exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle han-
dles. This could result in loss of
control and cause personal injury.
Also, overloading can shorten the
life of your vehicle.
yDo not place anything on the ex-
tended cargo area cover. Such
items could tumble forward in the
event of a sudden stop or a colli-
sion. This could cause serious in- jury.

Driving tips 8-17
not come off the hitch receiver.1) Hitch ball installation point
2) Hooks for safety chains
5. Use only a hitch ball that is appropriate
for the ball mount and your trailer. The
hitch ball must be securely installed on the
ball mount.
6. Connect your trailer to the hitch ball.
7. Connect the trailer and the hitch with
safety chains that will hold the trailer’s
maximum gross weight. The chains
should cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping onto the
ground in case it should disconnect from
the hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in the
chains taking tight-turn situations into ac-
count; however, be careful not to let them
drag on the ground.
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’s black
four-pin wire connector to the towing trail-
er’s wire harness
9. Confirm proper function of the hitch
wire harness by individually activating the
brake, right turn signal, left turn signal,
stop, and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE
Always disconnect the trailer wire har-
ness before launching or retrieving a
watercraft. „
When you do not tow a trailer
y Remove the ball mount from the hitch
receiver tube and insert the receiver cover
onto the hitch receiver tube. y Place the dust cap over the fou-pin con-
nector of the hitch wire harness to protect
against possible damage. y Occasionally lubricate terminals of the
four-pin connector using terminal grease.
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Do not connect safety chains to part
of the vehicle other than the safety
chain hooks.
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8-22 Driving tips
„Connecting a trailer
T Trailer brakes
If your trailer’s total weight (trailer weight
plus its cargo weight) exceeds 1,000 lbs
(453 kg), the trailer is required to be
equipped with its own brake system. Elec-
tric brakes or surge brakes are recom-
mended, and must be installed properly.
Check that your trailer’s brakes conform
with Federal, state/province and/or other
applicable regulations. Your SUBARU’s
brake system is not designed to be tapped
into the trailer’s hydraulic brake system.
Please ask your SUBARU dealer and pro-
fessional trailer supplier for more informa-
tion about the trailer’s brake system. T
Trailer safety chains
In case the trailer hitch connector or hitch
ball should break or become disconnect-
ed, the trailer could get loose and create a
traffic safety hazard.
For safety, always connect the towing ve-
hicle and trailer with trailer safety chains.
Pass the chains crossing each other un-
der the trailer tongue to prevent the trailer
from dropping onto the ground in case the
trailer tongue should disconnect from the
hitch ball. Allow sufficient slack in the
chains taking tight-turn situations into ac-
count; however, be careful not to let them
drag on the ground.
For more information about the safety
chain connection, refer to the instructions
for your hitch and trailer. T
Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle,
check that the standard side mirrors pro-
vide a good rearward field of view without
significant blind spots. If significant blind
spots occur with the vehicle’s standard
side mirrors, use towing mirrors that con-
form with Federal, state/province and/or
other applicable regulations. T Trailer lights
yAdequate size trailer brakes are
required when the trailer and its
cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg)
total weight.
yDo not directly connect your trail-
er’s hydraulic brake system to the
hydraulic brake system in your
vehicle. Direct connection would
cause the vehicle’s brake perfor-
mance to deteriorate and could
lead to an accident.
Always use safety chains between
your vehicle and the trailer. Towing
a trailer without safety chains could
create a traffic safety hazard if the
trailer separates from the hitch due
to coupling damage or hitch ball
damage.
Direct splicing or other improper
connection of trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction of
your vehicle’s lighting system.
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Driving tips 8-23
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Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-
cle’s electrical system requires modifica-
tions to the vehicle’s lighting circuit to in-
crease its capacity and accommodate wir-
ing changes. To ensure the trailer lights
are connected properly, please consult
your SUBARU dealer. Check for proper
operation of the turn signals, the brake
lights and parking lights each time you
hitch up. T
Tires
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle
are properly inflated to the pressure spec-
ified on the tire placard located on the driv-
er’s side center pillar.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and
proper inflation pressure should be in ac-
cordance with the trailer manufacturer’s
specifications. „
Trailer towing tips
TBefore starting out on a trip
y Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-
hitch mounting are in good condition. If
any problems are apparent, do not tow the
trailer. y Check that the vehicle sits horizontally
with the trailer attached. If the vehicle is
tipped sharply up at the front and down at
the rear, check the total trailer weight,
GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, then
confirm that the load and its distribution
are acceptable. y Check that the tire pressures are cor-
rect. y Check that the vehicle and trailer are connected properly. Confirm that
– the trailer tongue is connected prop-
erly to the hitch ball.
– the trailer lights connector is connect-
ed properly and trailer’s brake lights illu-
minate when the vehicle’s brake pedal
is pressed, and that the trailer’s turn sig-
nal lights flash when the vehicle’s turn
signal lever is operated.
– the safety chains are connected prop-
erly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safe-
ty in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rear-
ward field of view without a significant
blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn
the “feel” of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up. T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may re-
sult in skidding or jackknifing and loss of
control. y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden acceler-
ations. If your vehicle has a manual trans-
mission, always start out in first gear and
release the clutch at moderate engine rev-
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.
y Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)
when towing a trailer in hilly coun-
try on hot days.
y When towing a trailer, steering,
stability, stopping distance and
braking performance will be dif-
ferent from normal operation. For
safety’s sake, you should employ
extra caution when towing a trail-
er and you should never speed.
You should also keep the follow-
ing tips in mind:

8-24 Driving tips
olution. yAvoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes. y Slow down before turning. Make a long-
er than normal turning radius because the
trailer wheels will be closer than the vehi-
cle wheels to the inside of the turn. In a
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y Crosswinds 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 turn
y 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
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9-2 In case of emergency
In c ase of e me rge ncyIf you park your vehicle in
case of an emergency
The 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.
NOTE
When 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
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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.

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 mark
y When the wear indicator appears on the
tread, replace the tire. 1) Spare fuse
2) FWD connector
NOTE
(All AWD AT models) Before driving
your vehicle with the temporary spare
tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD
connector in the main fuse box located
in the engine compartment and con-
firm that the Front-wheel drive warning
light “AWD” in the combination meter
comes on. The all wheel drive capabili-
ty 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 tires
If 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.