2009 SUBARU FORESTER warning

3-28Instruments and controls
Wiper and washer
WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficiently warmed by the
defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
CAUTION
. Do not operate the washer con-
tinuously for more than 10 sec-
onds, or when the washer fluid
tank is empty. This may cause
overheating of the washer motor.
Check the washer fluid level
frequently, such as at fuel stops.
. Do not operate the wipers when
the windshield or rear window is
dry. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper motor to burn
out. Before operating the wiper
on a dry windshield or rear
window, always use the wind-
shield washer. .
In freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window
before switching on the wipers.
Attempting to operate the wiper
with the blades frozen to the
window glass could cause not
only the wiper blades to be
damaged but also the wiper mo-
tor to burn out. If the wiper
blades are frozen to the window
glass, be sure to operate the
defroster, windshield wiper dei-
cer (if equipped) or rear window
defogger before turning on the
wiper.
. If the wipers stop during opera-
tion because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even
if the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the
vehicle in a safe place, turn the
ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position and clean the window
glass to allow proper wiper op-eration.
. Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In
areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield
Washer Fluid or the equivalent. Refer to the
“Windshield washer
fluid ”section in chapter 11.
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing tempera-
tures, use non-freezing type wi-
per blades.
. Do not clean the wiper blades
with gasoline or a solvent, such
as paint thinner or benzine. This
will cause deterioration of the
wiper blades.
NOTE . The wiper operates only when the
ignition switch is in the “ON ”or “Acc ”
position. . The front wiper motor is protected
against overloads by a circuit breaker.
If the motor operates continuously
under an unusually heavy load, the
circuit breaker may trip to stop the
motor temporarily. If this happens, park
your vehicle in a safe place, turn off the
wiper switch, and wait for approxi-
mately 10 minutes. The circuit breaker
will reset itself, and the wipers will
again operate normally.. Clean your wiper blades and win-
dow glass periodically with a washer
solution to prevent streaking, and to
remove accumulations of road salt or

3-36Instruments and controls
!Outside mirror defogger (if equipped)
Manual climate control system
Automatic climate control system
The outside mirror defogger shares the button with rear window defogger.
The outside mirror defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the
“ON ”
position.
To turn on the outside mirror defogger,
push the button. To turn it off, push the
button again. The indicator light located on
the button lights up while the outside
mirror defogger is operating.
The defogger will automatically shut off
after approximately 15 minutes. If the
mirror clears before that time, push the
button 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 onagain.
NOTE
While the outside mirror defogger is
operating, the rear window defogger
also operates.
CAUTION
To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the de-
fogger continuously for any longer
than necessary. Tilt steering wheel (if
equipped)
WARNING
. Do not adjust the steering wheel
tilt position while driving. This
may cause loss of vehicle control
and result in personal injury.
. If the lever cannot be raised to
the fixed position, adjust the
steering wheel again. It is dan-
gerous to drive without locking
the steering wheel. This may
cause loss of vehicle control
and result in personal injury.
1. Adjust the seat position. Refer to the

“Front seats ”section in chapter 1.
2. Pull the tilt lock lever down.
3. Move the steering wheel to the desired level.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering
wheel in place.
5. Make sure that the steering wheel is
securely locked by moving it up and down. Tilt/telescopic steering wheel
(if equipped)
WARNING
. Do not adjust the steering wheel
tilt/telescopic position while driv-
ing. This may cause loss of
vehicle control and result in
personal injury.
. If the lever cannot be raised to
the fixed position, adjust the
steering wheel again. It is dan-
gerous to drive without locking
the steering wheel. This may
cause loss of vehicle control
and result in personal injury.
1. Adjust the seat position. Refer to the “ Front seats ”section in chapter 1.
2. Pull the tilt/telescopic lock lever down.
3. Move the steering wheel to the desired level.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering
wheel in place.
5. Make sure that the steering wheel is
securely locked by moving it up and down,
and forward and backward. Instruments and controls
3-37

WARNING
Continued operation with the air
inletselectionbuttonintheON
position may fog up the windows.
Switch to the OFF position as soon
as the outside dusty conditionclears.
& Heater operation
! Defrosting or defogging the wind-shield
To direct warm air to the windshield and
front door windows:
1. Set the air flow control dial to the “
”
position.
2. Turn the temperature control dial all the way to the right.
3. Set the fan speed control dial to the
highest speed.
If your vehicle is equipped with an air
conditioner, when the
“
”or “”position
is selected, the air conditioner compressor
automatically operates regardless of the
position of the air conditioner button to
defog the windshield quickly.
However, the air conditioner indicator light
does not illuminate at this time. NOTE
Warm air also comes out from the right
and left air outlets. To stop warm air
flow from these outlets, turn the corre-
sponding thumb-wheel down. !
Heating and defrosting
To direct warm air toward the floor and the windshield:
1. Set the air flow control dial to the “
”
position.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the
most comfortable level.
3. Set the fan speed control dial to the
desired speed.
If your vehicle is equipped with an air
conditioner, when the “
”or “”position
is selected, the air conditioner compressor
automatically operates regardless of the
position of the air conditioner button to
defog the windshield quickly.
However, the air conditioner indicator light
does not illuminate at this time. Climate control
4-5
– CONTINUED –

When driving on a dusty road, set the air
inlet selection button to the“ON ”position.
WARNING
Continued operation with the air
inletselectionbuttonintheON
position may fog up the windows.
Switch to the OFF position as soon
as the outside dusty conditionclears.
& Air conditioner operation
! Cooling or dehumidifying
1) ON position
For cooling and dehumidification of the
passenger compartment, performing the
following steps will allow air to flow through the instrument panel outlets:
1. Set the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position.
2. Set the air flow control dial to the
“
”
position.
3. Set the air conditioner button to the “ ON ”position.
4. Set the temperature control dial to the
blue side.
5. Set the fan speed control dial at the
highest speed. ! Defrosting or defogging
To direct warm air to the windshield and
front door windows:
1. Set the air flow control dial to the “
”
position.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the red side.
3. Set the fan speed control dial at the
highest speed.
The air conditioner compressor automati-
cally operates when the air flow control
dial set in the
“
”or “”position to
provide better defogging performance. Climate control
4-7

4-10Climate control
: Foot outlets and windshield defroster
outlets (relatively little air from windshield
defroster outlets)
: Windshield defroster outlets and foot
outlets
: Windshield defroster outlets
NOTE
When the dial is placed in the “
”or
“” position, the air inlet selection is
automatically set to “outside air ”
mode. & Air inlet selection button
ON position (Recirculation): Interior air
is recirculated inside the vehicle. Push the
air inlet selection button to the ON position
for fast cooling with the air conditioner or when driving on a dusty road. The
indicator light will illuminate.
OFF position (Outside Air):
Outside air
is drawn into the passenger compartment.
Push the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position when the interior has cooled
to a comfortable temperature and the road
is no longer dusty. The indicator light will
turn off. AUTO: Turn the fan speed control dial and
air flow control dial to the AUTO position.
The air inlet control is then adjusted
automatically in accordance with the air
temperature inside and outside the pas-
senger compartment, the intensity of sun-
light, and other factors. Pressing the air
inlet selection button cancels the “AUTO ”
mode. To return to “AUTO ”mode, turn the
fan speed control dial or air flow control
dial to a position other than the AUTO
position. Then turn to “AUTO ”mode.
SUBARU recommends using the AUTOposition.
WARNING
Continued operation in the ON posi-
tion may fog up the windows. Switch
to the OFF position as soon as the
outside dusty condition clears. &
Air conditioner button
The button positions and their functions
are as follows: ON: The air conditioner operates while the
fan is running.
Push the button to select this position. The
indicator light will illuminate. OFF: The air conditioner does not oper-
ate.
Push the button again to select this
position. The indicator light will turn off. AUTO: Turn the fan speed control dial and
air flow control dial to the AUTO position.
The air conditioner compressor operation
is then adjusted automatically in accor-
dance with the air temperature inside and
outside the passenger compartment, the
intensity of sunlight, and other factors.

6-10Interior equipment
ance is either too loose or too
tight for the accessory power
outlet, this can result in a poor
contact or cause the plug to get
stuck. Only use plugs that fit
properly.
. Use of an electric appliance in the
accessory power outlet for a long
period of time while the engine is
not running can cause batterydischarge.
. Before driving your vehicle, make
sure that the plug and the cord
on your electrical appliance will
not interfere with your shifting
gears and operating the accel-
erator and brake pedals. If they
do, do not use the electrical
appliance while driving.
& Use with a cigarette lighter
(dealer option)
To use the accessory power outlet below
the climate controls as a cigarette lighter
socket, purchase the cigarette lighter plug,
which is an optional accessory.
A cigarette lighter plug is available from
your SUBARU dealer.
The cigarette lighter operates only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON ”or “Acc ” position.
To use the cigarette lighter, push in the
knob and wait a few moments. It will
automatically spring up when ready foruse.
WARNING
To avoid being burned, never grasp
the lighter by the end with the
heating element. Doing so could
result in injury and could also
damage the heating element.
CAUTION
. Do not hold the lighter pushed in,
because it will overheat.
. The electrical power socket lo-
cated below the climate controls
is originally designed to use a
genuine SUBARU cigarette light-
er plug. Do not use a non-genu-
ine cigarette lighter plug in the
socket. Doing so may cause a
short-circuit and overheating, re-
sulting in a fire.
. If the socket is ever used for a
plug-in accessory such as a cell
phone, that may damage the
portion of the socket ’s internal mechanism that causes a cigar-
ette lighter plug to
“pop out ”
after its lighter element is heated.
Therefore, do not place a cigar-
ette lighter plug in a socket that
has been used, even once, to
power a plug-in accessory. Doing
so may cause the plug to stick
and overheat, creating a potential
fire hazard.

6-12Interior equipment
Cargo area cover (dealer op- tion)
The cargo area cover is provided for
covering the cargo area and to protect its
contents from direct sunlight. This cover is
detachable to make room for additionalcargo. &Using the cover
To extend the cover, pull the end of the
cover out of the housing, then insert its
hooks into the catches as shown. To
rewind it, unhook it from the catches and
it will rewind automatically. You should
hold on to the cover and guide it back into
the cover housing while it is rewinding.
WARNING
Do not place anything on the ex-
tended cover. Putting excessive
weight on the extended cover can
break it and an object on the cover
could tumble forward in the event of
a sudden stop or collision. This
could cause serious injury.
CAUTION
Be careful not to scratch the rear
gate stays while extending and
rewinding the cover.
Scratches on the stays could cause
leakage of gas from the stays, which
may result in their inability to hold
the rear gate open. &
To remove the cover
1. Rewind the cover.
2. Push the switch that is next to the right
end of the cover housing.
3. Take it off the retainer.