2007 SUBARU FORESTER Head

Instruments and controls 3-19
Turn signal lever1) Right turn
2) Left turn
3) Lane change for right
4) Lane change for left
To activate the right turn signal, push the
turn signal lever up. To activate the left
turn signal, push the turn signal lever
down. When the turn is finished, the lever
will return automatically. If the lever does
not return after cornering, return the lever
to the neutral position by hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn sig-
nal lever up or down slightly and hold it
during the lane change. The turn signal in-
dicator lights will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change. The lever will re- turn automatically to the neutral position
when you release it.
Illumination brightness con-
trol
When the headlight switch is in the
“ ” or “ ” position, you can ad-
just brightness of the instrument panel illu-
mination for better visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
1
2 3
4
300601
300131

3-20 Instruments and controls
Headlight beam leveler
(Canada-spec. 2.5XT)
The 2.5XT has High-Intensity Discharge
(HID) headlights on the low beam setting.
The HID headlights generate more light
than conventional halogen headlights.
Therefore a driver of an oncoming vehicle
may experience too much glare when
your headlight beam height adjustment is
high due to the vehicle carrying a heavy
load.
The headlight beam leveler can be used
to adjust beam height to avoid such a con-
dition.
The higher the number the switch is
turned to, the lower the beam height be-
comes.
Parking light switch
The parking light switch operates regard-
less of the ignition switch position.
By pushing the front end of this switch, fol-
lowing lights will come on.
– Parking lights
– Front side marker lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the park-
ing light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long
time because that will run down the bat-
tery.Front fog light button
The front fog lights operate only when the
headlights are on low beam. Push the
front fog light button to turn the front fog
lights on.
However, the front fog lights turn off when
the headlights are switched to high beam.
Press the button again to turn them off.
The indicator light located on the button
will illuminate when the front fog lights are on.
300133
300134300135

Instruments and controls 3-25
– CONTINUED –
The rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
The rear window defogger button is locat-
ed on the climate control panel.
To turn on the defogger, push the button.
To turn it off, push the button again.
The indicator light located on the button
lights up while the rear window defogger is
operating.
The defogger will automatically shut off af-
ter approximately 15 minutes. If the win-
dow clears before that time, push the but-
ton to turn it off. It also turns off when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position. If defrosting or defogging
is desired when you restart your vehicle,
you have to push the button to turn it on
again.
Turn on the rear window defogger if the
wiper is frozen to the glass.
Mirrors
Always check that the inside and outside
mirrors are properly adjusted before you
start driving. „
Inside mirror
The inside mirror has a day and night po-
sition. Pull the tab at the bottom of the mir-
ror toward you for the night position. Push
it away for the day position. The night po-
sition reduces glare from headlights.
y
Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface of
the rear window. They may dam-
age the conductors printed on the
window.yTo prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the de-
fogger continuously for any long-
er than necessary.
300145

3-26 Instruments and controls
TAuto-dimming mirror/compass (if
equipped)
1) Left button
2) Auto dimming indicator
3) Photosensor
4) Right button
The auto-dimming mirror/compass has an
anti-glare feature which automatically re-
duces glare coming from headlights of ve-
hicles behind you. It also contains a built-
in compass. y By pressing and releasing the left but-
ton, the automatic dimming function is tog-
gled on or off. When the automatic dim-
ming function is on, the auto dimming indi-
cator light (green) located to the right of
the button will illuminate. y By pressing and releasing the right but- ton, the compass display is toggled on or
off. When the compass is on, an illuminat-
ed compass reading will appear in the
lower part of the mirror.
Even with the mirror in anti-glare mode,
the mirror surface turns bright if the trans-
mission is shifted into reverse. This is to
ensure good rearward visibility during re-
versing. V
Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. If the glare
from the headlights of vehicles behind you
strikes the mirror, these sensors detect it
and make the reflection surface of the mir-
ror dimmer to help prevent you from being
blinded. For this reason, use care not to cover the sensors with stickers, or other
similar items. Periodically wipe the sen-
sors clean using a piece of dry soft cotton
cloth or an applicator. V
Compass calibration
1. For optimum calibration, switch off all
nonessential electrical accessories (rear
window defogger, heater/air conditioning
system, spotlight, etc.) and ensure all
doors are shut.
2. Drive to an open, level area away from
large metallic objects or structures and
make certain the ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
3. Press and hold the left button for 3 sec-
onds then release, and the compass will
enter the calibration mode. “CAL” and di-
rection will be displayed.
4. Drive slowly in a circle until “CAL” dis-
appears from the display (approximately
two or three circles).
5. The compass is now calibrated. Fur-
ther calibration is not required. The com-
pass will automatically calibrate from this
point forward.
1 23 4
300517
300518

6
Interior equipment
Interior lights ...................................................... 6-2Dome light ............................................................... 6-2
Cargo area light ..................................................... 6-2
Map lights ........................................................... 6-3
Sun visors ........................................................... 6-3 Vanity mirror ........................................................... 6-3
Storage compartments ...................................... 6-4 Glove box ................................................................ 6-4
Center console ........................................................ 6-4
Overhead console .................................................. 6-6
Dashboard storage compartment ......................... 6-6
Convenience net ..................................................... 6-6
Pocket (if equipped) ............................................... 6-7
Cup holders ........................................................ 6-7 Front passenger’s cup holder ............................... 6-8
Rear passenger’s cup holder ................................ 6-8
Accessory power outlets ................................... 6-8 Use with a cigarette lighter (Canada only, if equipped) .................................. 6-10
Ashtray (Canada only, if equipped) .................. 6-11
Floor mat ............................................................. 6-12
Coat hook ............................................................ 6-12
Cargo area cover (if equipped) ......................... 6-13 Using the cover ....................................................... 6-13
To remove the cover housing ................................ 6-13
Stowage of the cover ............................................. 6-13
To install the cover housing .................................. 6-13
Shopping bag hook ............................................ 6-14 Cargo tie-down hooks ........................................ 6-14
Cargo area bars .................................................. 6-14
Under-floor storage compartment .................... 6-15

6-6 Interior equipment
„Overhead console
To open the console, push on the console
lid lightly and the lid will automatically
open.
„ Dashboard storage compart-
ment
To open the dashboard compartment,
push the button on the lid and the lid will
automatically open. Be sure to close the
compartment fully before driving.„ Convenience net
A net for storing small articles is provided
at the front passenger’s foot-well.
y
Be careful not to trap your hands
between the console top and con-
sole box when raising and tipping
the console top.
y When there is an object on the
console box lid, do not tip the con-
sole top forward. Otherwise, the
console top or lid could be dam-
aged, and an injury could occur.
600085
When your vehicle is in the sun or
on a warm day, the inside of the
overhead console heats up. Avoid
storing plastic or other heat-vulner-
able or flammable articles such as a
lighter in the overhead console.
600086
When your vehicle is in the sun or
on a warm day, the inside of the
overhead console heats up. Avoid
storing plastic or other heat-vulner-
able or flammable articles such as a
lighter in the overhead console.
600087

7-16 Starting and operating
when a tire is punctured. This could cause
a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep driv-
ing straight ahead while gradually reduc-
ing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to
a safe place. „Brake system
T Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit
brake systems. Each circuit works diago-
nally across the vehicle. If one circuit of
the brake system should fail, the other half
of the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer
to the floor than usual and you will need to
press it down much harder. And a much
longer distance will be needed to stop the
vehicle. T Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold
vacuum to assist braking force. Do not
turn off the engine while driving because
that will turn off the brake booster, result-
ing in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even
when the brake booster completely stops
functioning. If this happens, however, you
will have to push the pedal much harder
than normal and the braking distance will
increase. „
Disc brake pad wear warning
indicators
The disc brake pad wear warning indica-
tors on the disc brakes give a warning
noise when the brake pads are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard
from the disc brakes while braking, imme-
diately have your vehicle checked by your
SUBARU dealer. ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem)
700040
Always use the utmost care in driv-
ing – overconfidence because you
are driving with an ABS equipped
vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident. y
The ABS system does not always
decrease stopping distance. You
should always maintain a safe fol-
lowing distance from other vehi-
cles.
y When driving on badly surfaced
roads, gravel roads, icy roads, or
over deep newly fallen snow,
stopping distances may be longer
for a vehicle with the ABS system
than one without. When driving
under these conditions, therefore,
reduce your speed and leave am-
ple distance from other vehicles.

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.
700336
700044
700045