2007 SUBARU FORESTER brake light

7-20 Starting and operating
„Parking brake
To 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 tips
When 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.
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 7-21
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 pedalis 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.
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.
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Starting and operating 7-23
– CONTINUED –
The vehicle will maintain the desired
speed.
Vehicle speed can be temporarily in-
creased while driving with the cruise con-
trol activated. Simply depress the acceler-
ator pedal to accelerate the vehicle. When
the accelerator pedal is released, the ve-
hicle will return to and maintain the previ-
ous cruising speed. „
To temporarily cancel the
cruise control
There are five ways to cancel the cruise
control temporarily: y Pull the control lever in the “CANCEL”
direction. y Depress the brake pedal. y
Depress the clutch pedal (manual trans-
mission vehicles only). y Shift the selector lever into the “N” posi-
tion (automatic transmission vehicles
only). y Shift the shift lever into neutral (manual
transmission vehicles only).
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter goes off when the cruise control
is cancelled.
To resume the cruise control after it has
been temporarily canceled and with vehi-
cle speed of approximately 20 mph (32
km/h) or more, push the control lever up-
ward in the “RES/ACC” direction to return
to the original cruising speed automatical-
ly.
The “ ” indicator light in the combina-
tion meter will automatically come on at
this time.
„ To turn off the cruise control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise
control: y Push the main switch again.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position (but only when the vehi-
cle is completely stopped). „
To change the cruising speed
T To increase the speed (by control le-
ver)
Push the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction and hold it until the
vehicle reaches the desired speed. Then,
release the control lever. The vehicle
speed at that moment will be memorized
and treated as the new set speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 4 mph (6.8 km/h), the set speed can
be increased 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
by pressing the control lever upward in the
“RES/ACC” direction quickly.
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Driving tips 8-7
– CONTINUED –
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
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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
– CONTINUED –
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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