2011 SUBARU FORESTER heating

&Temperature sensors
1) Interior air temperature sensor
2) Solar sensor
The automatic climate control system
employs several sensors. These sensors
are delicate. If they are not treated properly and become damaged, the sys-
tem may not be able to control the interior
temperature correctly. To avoid damaging
the sensors, observe the following pre-cautions. –
Do not subject the sensors to impact.
– Keep water away from the sensors.
– Do not cover the sensors.
The sensors are located as follows.– Solar sensor: beside the windshield
defroster grille.– Interior air temperature sensor: near
the ignition switch.– Outside temperature sensor: behind
the front grille. Operating tips for heater and
air conditioner &
Cleaning ventilation grille
Always keep the front ventilation inlet grille
free of snow, leaves, or other obstructions
to ensure efficient heating and defrosting.
Since the condenser is located in front of
the radiator, this area should be kept clean
because cooling performance is impaired
by any accumulation of insects and leaves
on the condenser. &Efficient cooling after parking
in direct sunlight
After parking in direct sunlight, drive with
the windows open for a few minutes to
allow outside air to circulate into the Climate control
4-17
– CONTINUED –

4-18Climate control
heated interior. This results in quicker
cooling by the air conditioner. Keep the
windows closed during the operation of
the air conditioner for maximum cooling
efficiency. &Lubrication oil circulation in
the refrigerant circuit
Operate the air conditioner compressor at
a low engine speed (at idle or low driving
speeds) a few minutes each month during
the off-season to circulate its oil. & Checking air conditioning
system before summer sea-son
Check the air conditioner unit for refriger-
ant leaks, hose conditions, and proper
operation each spring. Have the air con-
ditioning system checked by your
SUBARU dealer. & Cooling and dehumidifying in
high humidity and low tem-
perature weather conditions
Under certain weather conditions (high
relative humidity, low temperatures, etc.) a
small amount of water vapor emission
from the air outlets may be noticed. This
condition is normal and does not indicate
any problem with the air conditioning system.
& Air conditioner compressor
shut-off when engine is
heavily loaded
To improve acceleration and gas mileage,
the air conditioner compressor is designed
to temporarily shut off during air condi-
tioner operation whenever the accelerator
is fully depressed such as during rapid
acceleration or when driving on a steepupgrade. & Refrigerant for your climate
control system
Your air conditioner uses ozone friendly
refrigerant HFC134a. Therefore, the meth-
od of adding, changing or checking the
refrigerant is different from the method for
CFC12 (freon). Consult your SUBARU
dealer for service. Repairs needed as a
result of using the wrong refrigerant are
not covered under warranty. Air filtration system
Replace the filter element according to the
replacement schedule as follows. This
schedule should be followed to maintain
the filter
’s dust collection ability. Under
extremely dusty conditions, the filter
should be replaced more frequently. It is
recommended that you have your filter
checked or replaced by your SUBARU
dealer. For replacement, use only a
genuine SUBARU air filter kit.
Replacement schedule: Every 12 months or 7,500 miles (12,000
km) whichever comes first
CAUTION
Contact your SUBARU dealer if the
following occurs, even if it is not yet
time to change the filter. – Reduction of the airflow through
the vents.
– Windshield gets easily fogged ormisted.
NOTE
The filter can influence the air condi-
tioning, heating and defroster perfor-

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.
. Do not use a non-genuine cigar-
ette lighter plug in the socket.
Doing so may cause a short-
circuit and overheating, resulting
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.
Ashtray (if equipped)
CAUTION
. Do not use ashtrays as waste
receptacles or leave a lighted
cigarette in an ashtray. This
could cause a fire.
. Always extinguish matches and
cigarettes before putting them
into the ashtray, and then close
the ashtray securely. If you keep
the ashtray open, the fire on the
cigarette tip may spread to an-
other cigarette butt and start afire.
. Do not put flammable material in
the ashtray.
. Do not leave a lot of cigarette
butts in the ashtray. Interior equipment
6-11
– CONTINUED –

Fuel...................................................................... 7-2
Fuel requirements ............................................... 7-2
Fuel filler lid and cap ........................................... 7-3
State emission testing (U.S. only) ...................... 7-6
Preparing to drive ............................................... 7-7
Starting the engine .............................................. 7-7
MT models .......................................................... 7-7
AT models ........................................................... 7-8
Stopping the engine ............................................ 7-9
Remote engine start system (dealer option) ..... 7-9
Starting your vehicle .......................................... 7-10
Remote start safety features ............................... 7-10
Entering the vehicle while it is running via remote start ................................................................. 7-10
Entering the vehicle following remote engine start shutdown ......................................................... 7-10
Pre-heating or pre-cooling the interior of the vehicle ............................................................. 7-11
Service mode ..................................................... 7-11
Remote transmitter programming and programmable feature option ............................ 7-11
System maintenance .......................................... 7-12
Manual transmission .......................................... 7-13
Shifting speeds .................................................. 7-14
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-14
Automatic transmission ..................................... 7-15
Select lever ........................................................ 7-16
Shift lock function .............................................. 7-17
Selection of manual mode .................................. 7-19
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-20 SPORT mode
..................................................... 7-20
Power steering ................................................... 7-21
Braking ............................................................... 7-22
Braking tips ....................................................... 7-22
Brake system .................................................... 7-22
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators ............. 7-23
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) .......................... 7-23
ABS system self-check ...................................... 7-23
ABS warning light .............................................. 7-23
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system ............................................................. 7-24
Steps to take if EBD system malfunctions ..... ..... 7-24
Vehicle Dynamics Control system .................... 7-25
Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor..... ..... 7-26
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch ................ 7-27
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models). ........................................ 7-28
Parking your vehicle ......................................... 7-29
Parking brake .................................................... 7-29
Parking tips ....................................................... 7-30
Hill start assist system (MT models) ................ 7-31
Hill start assist warning light .............................. 7-32
Cruise control .................................................... 7-32
To set cruise control .......................................... 7-33
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-34
To turn off the cruise control .............................. 7-34
To change the cruising speed .. .......................... 7-35
Cruise control indicator light .............................. 7-36
Cruise control set indicator light ........................ 7-36
Starting and operating
7

transmitter within a few seconds immedi-
ately following remote engine start shut-down. &Pre-heating or pre-cooling
the interior of the vehicle
Before exiting the vehicle, set the tem-
perature controls to the desired setting
and operation. After the system starts the
vehicle, the heater or air-conditioning will
activate and heat or cool the interior to
your setting. & Service mode
In service mode, the remote start function
is temporarily disabled to prevent the
system from unexpectedly starting the
engine while being serviced. ! To engage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote control transmitter
three times. The system will pause for 1
second and then flash the turn signal
lights and honk the horn three times
indicating that the system is in service
mode. When attempting to activate the
remote start system while in service
mode, the turn signal lights will flash and
the horn will honk two times and will not start. !
To disengage the service mode
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, depress and hold the brake
pedal, then press and release the “
”
button on the remote control transmitter
three times. The system will pause for 1
second and flash the turn signal lights 1
time indicating that the system has exited
service mode. NOTE
When taking your vehicle in for service,
it is recommended that you inform the
service personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with a remote control startsystem. & Remote transmitter program-
ming and programmable fea-
ture option
New transmitters can be programmed to
the engine starter system in the event that
remote transmitters are lost, stolen or
damaged. The remote engine start system
also has one programmable feature that
can be adjusted for user preference.
The remote engine starter system can be
programmed to either make an audible
horn chirp upon remote start activation or
not. Remote transmitter programming and feature programming can be adjusted
using the following procedure.
1. Open the driver
’s door (the driver ’s
door must remain opened throughout the
entire process).
2. Insert the key into the vehicle ’s ignition
switch and turn to the “ON ”position.
3. Locate the small black programming
button behind the fuse box cover, on the
driver ’s side left under the dashboard
panel.
4. Press and hold the black programming
button for 10 to 15 seconds. The horn will
honk and the turn signal lights will flash
three times to indicate that the system has
entered programming mode. At this point
you can proceed to either step 5 or step 6.
5. To program a remote transmitter:
press and release the “
”button on each
transmitter. The horn will honk and the
turn signal lights will flash one time to
indicate a successful transmitter learn
each time the “
”button is pressed. You
can program up to eight transmitters.
6. To toggle the Horn Confirmation chirps
ON/OFF: press and release the brake to
toggle the feature. The horn will chirp and
the turn signal lights will flash one time to
indicate Confirmation Horn Chirps are“ OFF ”. The horn will honk and the turn
signal lights will flash 2 times to indicate
Confirmation Horn Chirps are “ON ”.
Starting and operating
7-11
– CONTINUED –

7-22Starting and operating
Braking &Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. This can cause
dangerous overheating of the
brakes and needless wear on the
brake pads and linings.
! When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the
vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a
result, brake stopping distance will be
longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle
at a safe speed while lightly depressing
the brake pedal to heat up the brakes. ! Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking
in addition to foot braking. When descend-
ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,
the brakes may start working improperly
because of brake fluid overheating,
caused by overheated brake pads. To
help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to
get stronger engine braking. ! Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly
when a tire is punctured. This could cause a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep
driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe place.
& Brake system
! Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit
brake systems. Each circuit works diag-
onally across the vehicle. If one circuit of
the brake system should fail, the other half
of the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer
to the floor than usual and you will need to
press it down much harder. And a much
longer distance will be needed to stop thevehicle. ! Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold
vacuum to assist braking force. Do not
turn off the engine while driving because
that will turn off the brake booster, result-
ing in poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even
when the brake booster completely stops
functioning. If this happens, however, you
will have to push the pedal much harder
than normal and the braking distance willincrease. !
Brake assist system
WARNING
Do not be overconfident about the
brake assist. It is not a system that
brings more braking ability to the
vehicle beyond its braking capabil-
ity. Always use the utmost care
when driving regarding vehicle
speed and safe distance.
CAUTION
When you need to brake suddenly,
continue depressing the brake pedal
strongly to bring the effect of the
brake assist.
Brake assist is a driver assistance system.
It assists the brake power when the driver
cannot depress the brake pedal strongly
and the brake power is insufficient.
Brake assist generates the brake power
according to the speed at which the driver
depresses the brake pedal. NOTE
When you depress the brake pedal
strongly or suddenly, the following
phenomena occur. However, even
though these occur, they do not indi-

8-24Driving tips
nificant blind spot.
. Sufficient time should be taken to learn
the “feel ”of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up. ! Driving with a trailer
. You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may
result in skidding or jackknifing and loss ofcontrol. . Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accel-
erations. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, always start out in first gear
and release the clutch at moderate enginerevolution. . Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes.. Slow down before turning. Make a
longer than normal turning radius because
the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. In
a tight turn, the trailer could hit yourvehicle. . Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradually. .
When passing other vehicles, consid-
erable distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by
attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
. Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn. . If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed
immediately by the nearest SUBARU
dealer. !
Driving on grades
. Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over-
heating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. . When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating. . When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the following indicators be-
cause the engine and transmission are
relatively prone to overheating.
–Temperature gauge (if equipped)
– Coolant temperature high warning
light (if equipped) – AT OIL TEMP warning light (AT
models)
. If any of the following conditions occur,
immediately turn off the air conditioner and
stop the vehicle in the nearest safe
location. Refer to “If you park your vehicle
in case of an emergency ”F9-2 and
“ Engine overheating ”F 9-13.
– Temperature gauge needle ap-
proaches the OVERHEAT zone (if
equipped). Refer to “Temperature
gauge (models with type A combina-
tion meter) ”F 3-11.
– Coolant temperature high warning
light illuminates (if equipped). Refer to

If you park your vehicle in case of anemergency ........................................................ 9-2
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) .................... 9-2
Precautions for AWD models with automatic transmission ..................................................... 9-3
Maintenance tools ............................................... 9-4
Tool bag. ............................................................. 9-4
Under the cargo area ........................................... 9-5
Flat tires ............................................................... 9-6
Changing a flat tire .............................................. 9-6
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models) ........................................... 9-9
Jump starting ..................................................... 9-10
How to jump start ............................................... 9-11 Engine overheating
........................................... 9-13
If steam is coming from the engine compartment ................................................... 9-13
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment ................................................... 9-13
Towing ................................................................ 9-14
Towing and tie-down hooks. ............................... 9-14
Using a flat-bed truck. ........................................ 9-17
Towing with all wheels on the ground ................. 9-17
Rear gate –if the rear gate cannot be
opened ............................................................. 9-18
Moonroof –if the moonroof cannot be
closed .............................................................. 9-19 In case of emergency
9