2010 SUBARU FORESTER tow

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 models
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reaches approximately 8 mph (12 km/h)..The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off.
When driving with an insufficient battery
voltage such as when the engine is jump
started, the ABS warning light may illumi-
nate. This is due to the low battery voltage
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged,
the light will turn off. & Brake system warning light
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light on is dangerous.
This indicates your brake system
may not be working properly. If
the light remains on, have the
brakes inspected by a SUBARU
dealer immediately.
. If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair. This light has the following three functions. !
Parking brake warning
The light illuminates with the parking
brake applied while the ignition switch is
in the “ON ”position. It turns off when the
parking brake is fully released. ! Brake fluid level warning
This light illuminates when the brake fluid
level has dropped to near the “MIN ”level
of the brake fluid reservoir with the ignition
switch in the “ON ”position and with the
parking brake fully released.
If the brake system warning light should
illuminate while driving (with the parking
brake fully released and with the ignition
switch positioned in “ON ”), it could be an
indication of leaking of brake fluid or worn
brake pads. If this occurs, immediately
stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place
and check the brake fluid level. If the fluid
level is below the “MIN ”mark in the
reservoir, do not drive the vehicle. Have
the vehicle towed to the nearest SUBARU
dealer for repair. ! Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) system warning
The brake system warning light also
illuminates if a malfunction occurs in the
EBD system. In that event, it illuminates
together with the ABS warning light. The EBD system may be malfunctioning if
the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously
during driving.
Even if the EBD system fails, the conven-
tional braking system will still function.
However, the rear wheels will be more
prone to locking when the brakes are
applied harder than usual and the vehi-cle
’s motion may therefore become some-
what harder to control.
If the brake system warning light and ABS
warning light illuminate simultaneously,
take the following steps.
1. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe,
flat place.
2. Shut down the engine, apply the
parking brake and then restart it.
3. Release the parking brake. If both
warning lights turn off, the EBD system
may be faulty. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
4. If both warning lights illuminate again
and stay illuminated after the engine has
been restarted, shut down the engine
again, apply the parking brake, and check
the brake fluid level.
5. If the brake fluid level is not below the “ MIN ”mark, the EBD system may be
faulty. Drive carefully to the nearest
SUBARU dealer and have the system Instruments and controls
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3-18Instruments and controls
inspected.
6. If the brake fluid level is below the “MIN ”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
& Low fuel warning light
The low fuel warning light illuminates
when the tank is nearly empty approxi-
mately 2.6 US gal (10.0 liters, or 2.2 Imp
gal). It only operates when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position. When this
light illuminates, fill the fuel tank immedi-
ately. NOTE
This light does not turn off unless the
tank is replenished up to an internal
fuel quantity of approximately 3.7 US
gal (14 liters, 3.1 Imp gal).
CAUTION
Promptly put fuel in the tank when-
ever the low fuel warning light
illuminates. Engine misfires as a
result of an empty tank could cause
damage to the engine. &
Hill start assist warning
light (MT models)
When the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position, the Hill start assist warning light
illuminates and turns off after approxi-
mately 2 seconds. While the engine is
rotating, if there are any malfunctions, the
light will illuminate.
WARNING
When the Hill start assist system
light illuminates, have the vehicle
inspected at an authorized SUBARU
dealer.
& Door open warning light
The door open warning light illuminates if
any door or the rear gate is not fullyclosed.
Always make sure this light is out before
you start to drive. &All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (AT models)
The All-Wheel Drive warning light illumi-
nates when the ignition switch is turned tothe “ON ”position and turns off after the 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.
& Automatic headlight
beam leveler warning
light (models with HID headlights)
The automatic headlight beam leveler
warning light illuminates when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON ”position and
turns off after approximately 3 seconds.
This light illuminates when the automatic
headlight beam leveler does not operate

3-26Instruments and controls
&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 remain 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
(if equipped)
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 select lever is in a position other
than the “P ”position (AT models).
. 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 are
also illuminated.

!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: Continuous
INT: Intermittent
OFF: Off
: 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 Instruments and controls
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3-32Instruments and controls
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. 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. &
Auto-dimming mirror/com-
pass (if equipped)
1) Auto dimming indicator
2) Left (mirror) button
3) Photosensor
4) Right (compass) button
5) Compass display
The auto-dimming mirror has an anti-glare
feature which automatically reduces glare
coming from headlights of vehicles behind
you. It also contains a built-in compass. . By pressing and releasing the left
button, the automatic dimming function is
toggled on or off. When the automatic
dimming function is on, the auto dimming
indicator light (green) located on the left
button will illuminate. . By pressing and releasing the right

3-34Instruments and controls
& Auto-dimming mirror/com-
pass with HomeLink
®(if
equipped)
1) HomeLink®button 1
2) HomeLink®button 2
3) LED
4) HomeLink
®button 3
5) Sensor
6) Automatic dimming on/off button
7) Compass display button
8) Compass display
The auto-dimming mirror has an anti-glare
feature which automatically reduces glare
coming from headlights of vehicles behind
you. It also contains a built-in compass
and HomeLink
®wireless control system.
. By pressing the automatic dimming on/
off button, the automatic dimming function
is toggled on or off. When the automatic dimming function is on, the LED indicator
will illuminate.
Even with the mirror in the automatic
dimming mode, the mirror surface turns
bright if the transmission is shifted into
reverse. This is to ensure good rearward
visibility during reversing. .
By pressing the compass display but-
ton, the compass display is toggled on or
off. When the compass is on, an illumi-
nated compass reading will appear in the
upper right corner of the mirror.
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper
towel or similar material dampened with
glass cleaner. Do not spray glass cleaner
directly on the mirror as that may cause
the liquid cleaner to enter the mirror
housing and damage the mirror. !
Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. During
nighttime driving, these sensors detect
distracting glare from vehicle headlights
behind you and automatically dim the
mirror to eliminate glare and preserve
your vision. 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.

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 airflow 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
airflow from these outlets, turn the
corresponding thumb-wheel down. !
Heating and defrosting
To direct warm air toward the floor and the windshield:
1. Set the airflow 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
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