2009 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

3-26Instruments and controls
&Automatic headlight beam
leveler (vehicles with HID headlights)
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 heavy load.
The automatic headlight beam leveler
adjusts the headlight beam height auto-
matically and optimally according to the
load being carried by the vehicle. Turn signal lever
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
signal lever up or down slightly and hold it
during the lane change. The turn signal
indicator lights will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change. The lever will
return automatically to the neutral position
when you release it.Illumination brightness con- trol
The brightness of clock display, audio, air
conditioner, information display and instru-
ment panel illumination dims when the
light switch is in the
“
”or “”
positions. You can adjust brightness of
the instrument panel illumination for better
visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
NOTE
When the control dial is turned fully
upward, the illumination brightness
becomes the maximum and the auto-
matic dimming function does not work

at all.Front fog light switch (if equipped)
The front fog lights operate only when the
low beam headlights are illuminated.
However, the front fog lights turn off when
the headlights are switched to high beam.
To turn on the front fog lights, turn the front
fog light switch on the turn signal lever
upward to the“
”position. To turn off the
front fog lights, turn the switch back down
to the “OFF ”position.
The indicator light located on the combi-
nation meter will illuminate when the front
fog lights are on. Instruments and controls
3-27

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

road film. Keep the washer button
depressed at least for 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window..Grease, wax, insects or other mate-
rial on the windshield or the wiper
blade results in jerky wiper operation
and streaking on the glass. If you
cannot remove those streaks after
operating the washer or if the wiper
operation is jerky, clean the outer sur-
face of the windshield or rear window
and the wiper blades using a sponge or
soft cloth with a neutral detergent or
mild-abrasive cleaner. After cleaning,
rinse the window glass and wiper
blades with clean water. The glass is
clean if no beads form on the glass
when you rinse with water.. If you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure,
replace the wiper blades with new
ones. For replacement instructions,
refer to the “Replacement of wiper
blades ”section in chapter 11. &
Windshield wiper and washer switches
The wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”or “Acc ”position.
! Windshield wipers
OFF: Park: Intermittent
LO: Low speed
HI: High speed
To turn the wipers on, push the wiper
control lever down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to the “OFF ”position. !
Wiper intermittent time control
When the wiper switch is in the “”
position, turn the dial to adjust the operat-
ing interval of the wiper.
The operating interval can be adjusted
continuously from the shortest interval to
the longest.
The operating interval can be adjusted in
nine steps. Instruments and controls
3-29
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3-30Instruments and controls
! Mist (for a single wipe)
For a single wipe of the wipers, pull the
lever toward you. The wipers operate until
you release the lever. !
WasherTo wash the windshield, push the washer
button at the end of the wiper control lever.
The washer fluid sprays until you release
the washer button. The wipers operate
while you push the button. &
Rear window wiper and
washer switch
: Washer (accompanied by wiper operation)
ON: Normal
INT: Intermittent
OFF: Park
: Washer
! Rear wiper
To turn the rear wiper on, turn the knob on
the end of the wiper control lever upward
to the “INT ”or “ON ”position.
To turn the wiper off, return the knob on
the end of the lever to the “OFF ”position.
With the switch turned to the “INT ”
position, the rear wiper will operate inter-
mittently at intervals corresponding to the
vehicle speed (longer when the vehicle
speed is low; shorter when the vehicle

speed is high).
When the transmission is shifted into
reverse, the rear wiper will switch to
continuous operation. When the transmis-
sion is shifted to a position other than
reverse, the rear wiper will return to
intermittent operation. !Washer
To wash the rear window while the rear
wiper is operating, turn the knob clockwise
to the “
”position. The washer fluid
sprays until you release the knob.
To wash the rear window when the rear
wiper is not in use, turn the knob counter-
clockwise to the “
”position. The washer
fluid sprays, and 2 seconds later the rear
wiper operates. Releasing the knob stops
the washer fluid spray, and 3 seconds
later the rear wiper stops. Rear window defogger but- ton
Manual climate control system
Automatic climate control systemThe rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the
“ON ”
position.
The rear window defogger button is
located 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 isoperating.
The defogger will automatically shut off
after approximately 15 minutes. If the
window 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.
Your SUBARU dealer can set your rear
window defogger for continuous opera-
tion. Contact your SUBARU dealer fordetails.
Once the rear window defogger has been
set for continuous operation, the rear
window defogger repeatedly operates for
15 minutes, stops for 2 minutes, and again
operates for 15 minutes. If the battery
voltage drops below the permissible level,
continuous operation is canceled and
operation stops as described in the Instruments and controls
3-31
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3-32Instruments and controls
following. .If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level within 15 minutes of
depression of the button, continuous
operation is canceled and the rear window
defogger stops operating 15 minutes later. . If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level after the rear window
defogger has, following depression of the
button, operated for 15 minutes, stopped
operating for 2 minutes, and started
operating again, the rear window defogger
immediately stops operating.
CAUTION
. Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface
of the rear window. They may
damage the conductors printed
on the window.
. To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the
defogger continuously for any
longer than necessary.
NOTE . If your vehicle is equipped with the
outside mirror defogger, the outside
mirror defogger operates while the rear window defogger is operating..
Turn on the rear window defogger if
the wiper is frozen to the glass. Windshield wiper deicer (if
equipped)
Manual climate control system
Automatic climate control system

The windshield wiper deicer operates only
when the ignition switch is in the“ON ”
position. The windshield wiper deicer is
activated by pushing the same button
used for the rear window defogger.
Before turning on the windshield wiper
deicer, remove any snow from the wind-
shield. To turn on the windshield wiper
deicer, push the button.
The windshield wiper deicer will automa-
tically shut off after approximately 15
minutes. If the windshield wiper blades
have been deiced completely 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 deicing
is not complete when you restart your
vehicle, you have to push the button to
turn the deicer on again.
Your SUBARU dealer can set your wind-
shield wiper deicer for continuous opera-
tion. Contact your SUBARU dealer fordetails.
Once the windshield wiper deicer has
been set for continuous operation, press-
ing the button results in continuous opera-
tion. The windshield wiper deicer auto-
matically stops operating if any one of the
following conditions occurs during contin-
uous operation. .
The outside temperature becomes
41 8F(5 8C) or higher.
. The vehicle speed remains at 9 mph
(15 km/h) or lower for 15 minutes. . The battery voltage decreases below
the permissible level.
CAUTION
To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the
windshield wiper deicer continu-
ously for any longer than necessary.
NOTE
If your vehicle is equipped with the
outside mirror defogger, the outside
mirror defogger operates while the
windshield wiper deicer is operating. 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
position. Pull the tab at the bottom of the
mirror toward you for the night position.
Push it away for the day position. The
night position reduces glare from head-lights. Instruments and controls
3-33
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