2009 SUBARU FORESTER warning light

1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants.
! Driver ’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver ’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact.
Have the system inspected by your
SUBARU dealer immediately if the SRS
airbag system warning light illuminates. NOTE
The driver
’s SRS side airbag, SRS
curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-tem. ! Front passenger ’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator
operates in different ways depending on
the severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the occupant detection system ’s weight
sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag should or should not be inflated.
The occupant detection system may not
inflate the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the SUBARU
advanced frontal airbag system from
functioning correctly or cause the system
to fail. .
Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger ’s seat such as by kicking.
. Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger ’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off
immediately. . Do not remove or disassemble the front
passenger ’s seat.
. Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-senger ’s seat.
. Do not place anything (shoes, umbrel-
la, etc.) under the front passenger ’s seat.
. The front passenger ’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed. . Do not leave any article including a
child restraint system on the front passen- ger ’s seat or the seatbelt tongue and
buckle engaged when you leave yourvehicle. . Do not place a magnet near the
seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt retractor.. Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure, refer tothe “Front seats ”section in this chapter.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or frontpassenger ’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system

warning light will illuminate. Have the
system inspected by your SUBARU deal-
er immediately if the SRS airbag system
warning light illuminates.
If your vehicle has sustained impact, this
may affect the proper function of the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag system.
Have your vehicle inspected at your
SUBARU dealer. NOTE
The front passenger’s SRS side airbag,
SRS curtain airbag and seatbelt pre-
tensioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-tem. !
Passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
ON or: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator
or: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator
The front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located next to the
clock in the center portion of the dash-board.
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ ON ”position, both the ON and OFF
indicators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators turn
off for 2 seconds. After that, one of the
indicators illuminates depending on the status of the front passenger
’s SRS frontal
airbag determined by the SUBARU ad-
vanced frontal airbag system monitoring.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain off.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON indicator will remain off while
the OFF indicator will illuminate.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON ”
position, if both the ON and OFF indica-
tors remain illuminated or off simulta-
neously even after the system check
period, the system is faulty. Contact your
SUBARU dealer immediately for an in- spection. ! Conditions in which front passen- ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not
activated
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the
following conditions are met regarding the
front passenger ’s seat:
. The seat is empty.
. The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restraint system and an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING thatfollows.) . The seat is equipped with a forwardSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-41
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&SRS airbag system monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the SRS airbag system
(including front seatbelt pretensioners)
while the vehicle is being driven. The
SRS airbag system warning light “AIR-
BAG ”will show normal system operation
by lighting for approximately 6 seconds
when the ignition switch is turned to the“ ON ”position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: . Front sub sensor (right-hand side)
. Front sub sensor (left-hand side)
. Airbag control module (including im-
pact and rollover sensors). Frontal airbag module (driver ’s side)
. Frontal airbag module (front passen- ger
’s side)
. Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side). Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-
hand side). Side airbag module (driver ’s side)
. Side airbag module (front passenger ’s
side). Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel
house right-hand side). Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel
house left-hand side). Curtain airbag module (right side)
. Curtain airbag module (left side)
. Satellite safing sensor (under the rear
center seat) . Seatbelt pretensioner (driver ’s side)
. Seatbelt pretensioner (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension
sensor . Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
control module. Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator. All related wiring
WARNING
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt
pretensioners and/or SRS airbag
system. Immediately take your vehi-
cle to your nearest SUBARU dealer
to have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbag will not operate properly in
the event of a collision, which may
increase the risk of injury. . Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
. No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON ”position
. Continuous illumination of the
warning light
. Illumination of the warning light
while driving
& SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
. When discarding an airbag mod-
ule or scrapping the entire vehi-
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-59
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1) Rotate the lock lever rearward.
2) Close the door.
To lock the door from the outside without
the key, rotate the lock lever rearward and
then close the door.
To lock the door from the outside using the
power door locking switch, push the front
side of the switch ( “LOCK ”side) and then
close the door. In this case, all closed
doors and the rear gate are locked at the
same time.
Always make sure that all doors and the
rear gate are locked before leaving yourvehicle. NOTE
Make sure that you do not leave the key
inside the vehicle when locking the doors from the outside without the key.
& Locking and unlocking from
the inside
1) Lock
2) Unlock
To lock the door from the inside, rotate the
lock lever rearward. To unlock the door
from the inside, rotate the lock leverforward.
The red mark on the lock lever appears
when the door is unlocked.
Pull the inside door handle to open an
unlocked door.
Always make sure that all doors and the
rear gate are closed before starting todrive.
WARNING
Keep all doors locked when you
drive, especially when small chil-
dren are in your vehicle.
Along with the proper use of seat-
belts and child restraints, locking
the doors reduces the chance of
being thrown out of the vehicle in anaccident.
It also helps prevent passengers
from falling out if a door is acciden-
tally opened, and intruders from
unexpectedly opening doors and
entering your vehicle.
& Battery drainage prevention function
When a door or the rear gate is not
completely closed and the dome light,
ignition switch light, and door open warn-
ing light remain illuminated as a result, the
lights are automatically turned off by the
battery drainage prevention function after
10 minutes of illumination to prevent the
battery from going dead. The operational/
non-operational setting of this function can
be changed by a SUBARU dealer. Con-
tact the nearest SUBARU dealer if you
would like to change the setting. Keys and doors
2-5
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2-18Keys and doors
&Shock sensors (dealer op- tion)
The shock sensors trigger the alarm
system when they sense impacts applied
to the vehicle and when any of their
electric wires are cut. The alarm system
causes the horn to sound and the turn
signal lights to flash for a short time when
the sensed impact is weak, but it warns of
a strong impact or multiple impacts by
sounding the horn and flashing the turn
signal lights, both lasting approximately 30seconds.
If you desire, your SUBARU dealer can
connect them and set them for activation
or deactivation. NOTE . The shock sensors are not always
able to sense impacts caused by break-
ing in, and cannot sense an impact that
does not cause vibration (such as
breaking the glass using a rescuehammer).. The shock sensors may sense vi-
bration as indicated in the following
examples and trigger the alarm system.
Select the settings of the alarm system
and shock sensors appropriately de-
pending on where you usually park
your vehicle. Examples:
Vibration from a construction site
Vibration in a multistory car park
Vibration from trains
. You can have the sensitivity of the
shock sensors adjusted to your pre-
ference by your SUBARU dealer. Child safety locks
Each rear door has a child safety lock that
prevents the doors from being opened
even if the inside door handle is pulled.
When the child safety lock lever is in the
lock position, the door cannot be opened
from inside regardless of the position of
the inner door handle lock lever. The door
can only be opened from the outside.
WARNING
Always turn the child safety locks to the “LOCK ”position when children
sit on the rear seat. Serious injury
could result if a child accidentally
opens the door and falls out.

Windows &Power windows
WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury
caused by entrapment, you must
do the following. . When operating the power win-
dows, be extremely careful to
prevent anyone ’s fingers, arms,
neck or head from being caught
in the window.
. Always lock the passengers ’win-
dows using the lock switch when
children are riding in the vehicle.
. Before leaving the vehicle, al-
ways remove the key from the
ignition switch for safety and
never allow an unattended child
to remain in the vehicle. Failure
to follow this procedure could
result in injury to a child operat-
ing the power window.
The power windows operate only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON ”position. !
Driver ’s side switches
1) Lock switch
2) For driver ’s window (with one-touch auto
down feature)
3) For front passenger ’s window
4) For rear left window
5) For rear right window
All door windows can be controlled by the
power window switch cluster at the driver
side door. !
Operating the driver ’s window1) Open
2) Automatically open
3) Close
To open:
Push the switch down lightly and hold it.
The window will open as long as the
switch is held.
This switch also has a one-touch auto
down feature that allows the window to be
opened fully without holding the switch.
Push the switch down until it clicks and
release it, and the window will fully open.
To stop the window halfway, pull the
switch up lightly.
To close:
Pull the switch up lightly and hold it. The
window will close as long as the switch is Keys and doors
2-19
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Ignition switch..................................................... 3-3
LOCK .................................................................. 3-3
Acc..................................................................... 3-4
ON...................................................................... 3-4
START ................................................................ 3-4
Key reminder chime ............................................ 3-5
Ignition switch light ............................................. 3-5
Hazard warning flasher ....................................... 3-5
Meters and gauges. ............................................. 3-5
Combination meter illumination ........................... 3-5
Canceling the function for meter/gauge needle movement upon turning on the ignition switch ............................................................... 3-6
Speedometer ....................................................... 3-6
Odometer/Trip meter ............................................ 3-6
Tachometer ......................................................... 3-7
Fuel gauge .......................................................... 3-8
Warning and indicator lights .............................. 3-9
Seatbelt warning light and chime ......................... 3-9
SRS airbag system warning light ........................ 3-11
Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and OFF
indicators ......................................................... 3-11
CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp .................................................. 3-12
Coolant temperature low indicator light/Coolant temperature high warning light ......................... 3-13
Charge warning light .......................................... 3-13
Oil pressure warning light .................................. 3-13
AT OIL TEMP warning light (AT vehicles).. ........... 3-14
Low tire pressure warning light (U.S.-spec. models) .......................................... 3-14 ABS warning light
.............................................. 3-15
Brake system warning light ................................ 3-16
Low fuel warning light ....................................... 3-17
Hill start assist warning light (MT vehicles) .... ..... 3-17
Door open warning light .................................... 3-17
All-Wheel Drive warning light (AT vehicles) .... ..... 3-17
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation indicator light ................................................................ 3-18
Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light/Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator light ............... 3-18
Security indicator light ....................................... 3-19
SPORT mode indicator light (AT vehicles) ..... ..... 3-20
Selector lever and gear position indicator (AT vehicles) .................................................... 3-20
Turn signal indicator lights ................................. 3-20
High beam indicator light ................................... 3-20
Cruise control indicator light .............................. 3-20
Cruise control set indicator light ........................ 3-21
Front fog light indicator light (if equipped) ..... ..... 3-21
Headlight indicator light ..................................... 3-21
Clock .................................................................. 3-21
Information display ............................................ 3-22
Outside temperature indicator .. .......................... 3-22
Average fuel consumption ................................. 3-23
Light control switch ........................................... 3-24
Headlights ......................................................... 3-24
High/low beam change (dimmer) ........................ 3-25
Headlight flasher ............................................... 3-25
Daytime running light system ... .......................... 3-25
Automatic headlight beam leveler (vehicles with HID headlights) ................................................ 3-26
Instruments and controls
3

Ignition switch
WARNING
. Never turn the ignition switch to
“ LOCK ”while the vehicle is
being driven or towed because
that will lock the steering wheel,
preventing steering control. And
when the engine is turned off, it
takes a much greater effort than
usual to steer.
. Before leaving the vehicle, al-
ways remove the key from the
ignition switch for safety and
never allow an unattended child
to remain in the vehicle. Failure
to follow this procedure could
result in injury to a child or
others. Children could operate
the power windows, the moon-
roof or other controls or even
make the vehicle move.
CAUTION
Do not attach a large key holder or
key case to either key. If it banged
against your knees or hands while
you are driving, it could turn the
ignition switch from the “ON ”posi- tion to the
“Acc ”or “LOCK ”posi-
tion, thereby stopping the engine.
Also, if the key is attached to a
keyholder or to a large bunch of
other keys, centrifugal force may act
on it as the vehicle moves, resulting
in unwanted turning of the ignitionswitch.
The ignition switch has four positions:
LOCK, Acc, ON and START. NOTE . Keep the ignition switch in the
“ LOCK ”position when the engine is
not running. . Using electrical accessories for a
long time with the ignition switch in the“ ON ”or “Acc ”position can cause the battery to go dead..
If the ignition switch will not move
from the “LOCK ”position to the “Acc ”
position, turn the steering wheel
slightly to the left and right as you turn
the ignition switch. & LOCK
The key can only be inserted or removed
in this position. The ignition switch will lock
the steering wheel when you remove the
key.
If turning the key is difficult, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the right and left
as you turn the key. ! Automatic transmission vehicles
Instruments and controls 3-3
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