2009 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

3-18Instruments and controls
engine has started.
This light illuminates when All-Wheel
Drive is disengaged and the drive me-
chanism is switched to Front Wheel Drive
for maintenance or similar purposes.
It flashes if the vehicle is driven with tires
of differing diameters fitted on the wheels
or with an excessively low air pressure in
any of the tires.
CAUTION
Continuing to drive with the AWD
warning light flashing can damage
the powertrain. If the AWD warning
light starts to flash, promptly park in
a safe place and check whether the
tires have differing diameters and
whether any of the tires has an
excessively low inflation pressure.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control operation indi-
cator light
This light illuminates when the ignition
switch is ON and turns off approximately 2
seconds later.
It blinks when the skid suppression func-
tion is activated. It illuminates when only
the traction control function is operating.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is probably malfunctioning under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. .
The light does not illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position.. The light does not turn off even after a
period of approximately 2 seconds after
the ignition switch has been turned to the“ ON ”position.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control warning light/
Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol OFF indicator light
This warning light has both the function of
indicating malfunctions in the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system and the function
of indicating that the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system has been deactivated.
It illuminates in the event of a malfunction
in the system and is on when the system
is not operating.
This warning light illuminates when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON ”
position and turns off several seconds
after the engine has started. It indicates
that the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
is in normal operation. !
Vehicle Dynamics Control warninglight
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably inoperative under any of the
following conditions. Have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately. . The warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position.
. The warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is running. . If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself becomes
faulty, the warning light only illuminates. At
this time, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem) remains fully operational. . The warning light illuminates when the
electronic control system of the ABS/
Vehicle Dynamics Control system mal-functions.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system
provides its ABS control through the
electrical circuit of the ABS system.
Accordingly, if the ABS is inoperative, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system be-
comes unable to provide ABS control. As
a result, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system also becomes inoperative, caus-
ing the warning light to illuminate. Though
both the Vehicle Dynamics Control and

ABS systems are inoperative in this case,
the ordinary functions of the brake system
are still available. You will be safe while
driving with this condition, but have your
vehicle checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described below, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system may be considerednormal. .The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light illuminates after
engine startup and turns off while the
vehicle is subsequently being driven.. The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF in-
dicator light
. It illuminates when the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF switch is pressed. . It also illuminates when the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system is deactivated. NOTE . The light may stay on for a while
after the engine has been started, especially in cold weather. This does
not indicate the existence of a problem.
The light should turn off as soon as the
engine has warmed up..
The indicator light illuminates when
the engine has developed a problem
and the CHECK ENGINE warning light/
malfunction indicator lamp is on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably faulty under the following condi-
tion. Have your vehicle checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The light does not turn off even after
the lapse of several minutes (the engine
has warmed up) after the engine hasstarted. &
Security indicator light
The security indicator light deters potential
thieves by indicating that the vehicle is
equipped with an immobilizer system. It
begins flashing (approximately once every
3 seconds) approximately 60 seconds
after the ignition switch is turned from the“ON ”position to the “Acc ”or “LOCK ”
position or immediately after the key is
pulled out.
If the security indicator light does not flash,
the immobilizer system may not be func-
tioning properly. If this occurs, contact
your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
In case an unauthorized key is used (e.g.,
an imitation key), the security indicator
light illuminates. Instruments and controls
3-19
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3-20Instruments and controls
NOTE
Even if the security indicator light
flashes irregularly or its fuse blows
(the light does not flash if its fuse is
blown), the immobilizer system will
function normally. & SPORT mode indicator
light (AT vehicles)
This light illuminates when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON ”position and
turns off after the engine has started.
When the selector lever is moved to the
manual gate, the SPORT mode is se-
lected and the indicator light illuminates.
Refer to the “SPORT mode ”section in
chapter 7. &
Selector lever and gear posi-
tion indicator (AT vehicles)
This indicator shows the position of the
selector lever.
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator (which shows the
current gear selection) and the upshift/
downshift indicator light up. Refer to the“Automatic transmission ”section in chap-
ter 7. & Turn signal indicator lights
These lights show the operation of the turn
signal or lane change signal.
If the indicator lights do not blink or blink
rapidly, the turn signal bulb may be burned
out. Replace the bulb as soon as possible. Refer to the
“Replacing bulbs ”section in
chapter 11.
& High beam indicator light
This light shows that the headlights are in
the high beam mode.
This indicator light also illuminates when
the headlight flasher is operated. &Cruise control indica-
tor light
The cruise control indicator light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and turns off after
approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates when the “CRUISE ”
main switch is pressed.
If you press the main switch button while
turning the ignition switch “ON ”, the cruise
control function is deactivated and the“ CRUISE ”indicator light flashes. To re-
activate the cruise control function, turn
the ignition switch back to the “Acc ”or
“ LOCK ”position, and then turn it again to
the “ON ”position.

&Cruise control set in-
dicator light
The cruise control set indicator light
illuminates when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON ”position and turns off
after approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates when vehicle speed
has been set. & Front fog light indicator
light (if equipped)
This indicator light is on while the front fog
lights are on. & Headlight indicator light
This indicator light illuminates when the
headlight switch is placed in the “”or
“” position. Clock
The clock shows the time while the
ignition switch is in the
“Acc ”or “ON ”
position.
The time changes by 1 minute each time the “+ ” button or “ ” button is pressed.
Pressing the “+ ” button moves the dis-
played time forward, while pressing the “ ”
button moves the displayed time back.
Pressing and holding either button
changes the displayed time continuously.
CAUTION
To ensure safety, do not attempt to
set the time while driving, as an
accident from inadequate attention
to the road could result.
NOTE
If the battery is disconnected, the time
will be erased. After reconnecting the
battery, set the correct time. Instruments and controls
3-21

3-22Instruments and controls
Information display
1) Outside temperature indicator
2) Average fuel consumption indicator
With the ignition switch in the “ON ”
position, the outside temperature and
average fuel consumption are indicated
on the display. &
Outside temperature indica- tor1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
The outside temperature indicator shows
the outside temperature in a range from 22 to 122 8F( 30 to 50 8C).
The indicator can give a false reading
under any of the following conditions: . When there is too much sun.
. During idling; while running at low
speeds in a traffic jam; when the engine
is restarted immediately following a shut- down. . When the actual outside temperature
falls outside the specified indicator range. !
Road surface freeze warning indi- cation1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
When the outside temperature drops to 37 8F(3 8C) or lower, the temperature
indication flashes to show that the road
surface may be frozen.
If the outside temperature drops to 37 8F
(3 8C) or lower while the display is giving
an indication other than the outside
temperature, the display switches to the
outside temperature indication and flashes
for 5 seconds before returning to its
original indication.
If the display is already indicating an
outside temperature of 37 8F(3 8C) or lower
when the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON ”position, the indication does not
flash. NOTE
The outside temperature indication
may differ from the actual outside
temperature. The road surface freeze
warning indication should be treated
only as a guide. Be sure to check the
condition of the road surface beforedriving. & Average fuel consumption
1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models
This indication shows the average rate of
fuel consumption since the trip meter was
last reset. Pressing the trip knob toggles the indica-
tion between the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the A trip meter
indication and the average fuel consump-
tion corresponding to the B trip meterindication.
When either of the trip meter indications is
reset, the corresponding average fuel
consumption value is also reset. !
Turn off display of average fuel
consumption indicator
The display of the average fuel consump-
tion indicator can be turned off.
To turn off the display of the indicator, turn
the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”position
and press the “+ ” button adjacent to the
information display for approximately 5
seconds. Then, the information display
and the clock display will blink for 3
seconds to notify that the display of the
average fuel consumption has been
turned off. To restore the indicator, once again press
the “+ ” button for approximately 5 sec-
onds.
NOTE . The indicated values vary in accor-
dance with changes in the vehicle ’s
running conditions. Also, the indicated
values may differ slightly from the
actual values and should thus be treated only as a guide..
When either trip meter indication is
reset, the average fuel consumption
corresponding to that trip meter indica-
tion is not shown until the vehicle has
subsequently covered a distance of 1
mile (or 1 km). Instruments and controls
3-23

3-24Instruments and controls
Light control switch
The light control switch only operates
when the ignition key is inserted into the
ignition switch.
Regardless of the position of the light
control switch, the illuminated lights are
turned off when the ignition key is
removed from the ignition switch. NOTE .Even if the ignition key is removed
from the ignition switch, the lights can
be illuminated by operating the light
control switch position from “OFF ”to
“
” and/or “”.
. If the driver ’s door is opened while
the lights are illuminated and the igni-
tion key is removed from the ignition
switch, the chirp sound informs the
driver that the lights are illuminated.
CAUTION
. Use of any lights for a long period
of time while the engine is not
running can cause the battery todischarge.
. Before leaving the vehicle, make
sure that the light control switch
is turned to the “OFF ”position. If
the vehicle is left unattended for a long time with the light control
switch set to a position otherthan
“OFF ”, the battery may be
discharged. &
Headlights
To turn on the headlights, turn the knob on
the end of the turn signal lever.
first position
Instrument panel illumination, tail lights,
front side marker lights and license plate
lights are on.
second position
Headlights, instrument panel illumination,
tail lights, front side marker lights, and
license plate lights are on.

&High/low beam change (dim- mer)
To change from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal lever forward. When
the headlights are on high beam, the high
beam indicator light “
”on the combina-
tion meter is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever
back to the detent position. &
Headlight flasher
To flash the headlights, pull the lever
toward you and then release it. The high
beam will stay on for as long as you hold
the lever. The headlight flasher works
even though the light switch is in the“OFF ”position.
When the headlights are on high beam,
the high beam indicator light “
”on the
combination meter also illuminates.
CAUTION
Do not hold the lever in the flashing
position for more than just a fewseconds. &
Daytime running light system
WARNING
The brightness of the illumination of
the high beam headlights is reduced
by the daytime running light system.
The light switch must always be
turned to the “
”position when it
is dark outside.
The high beam headlights will automati-
cally illuminate at reduced brightness
when the engine has started, under the
following conditions: . The selector lever is in a position other
than the “P ”position (AT vehicles).
. The parking brake is fully released.
. The light switch is in the “OFF ”or “
”
position.
NOTE
When the light switch is in the “
”
position, the front side marker lights,
tail lights and license plate lights areilluminated. Instruments and controls
3-25
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