2012 SUBARU FORESTER Engine

3-22Instruments and controls
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)
This light illuminates when the automatic
headlight beam leveler does not operate
normally.
If this light illuminates while driving or does
not turn off approximately 3 seconds after
turning the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position, have your vehicle inspected at
your SUBARU dealer. &
Vehicle Dynamics
Control warning light/
Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol operation indicatorlight
!Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light
CAUTION
The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem provides its ABS control
through the electrical circuit of the
ABS system. Accordingly, if the ABS
is inoperative, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system becomes unable to
provide ABS control. As a result, the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
also becomes inoperative, causing
the warning light to illuminate.
Though both the Vehicle Dynamics
Control and ABS systems are inop-
erative in this case, the ordinary
functions of the brake system are
still available. You will be safe while
driving with this condition, but drive
carefully and have your vehicle
checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. NOTE .
If the electrical circuit of the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system itself mal-
functions, only this particular warning
light illuminates. Under these circum-
stances, the ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) remains fully operational.. The warning light illuminates when
the electronic control system of the
ABS/Vehicle Dynamics Control systemmalfunctions.
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. NOTE
If the warning light behavior is as
described in the following examples,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
may be considered to be operating
normally. . The warning light illuminates right
after the engine is started but turns off
immediately, remaining off.. The warning light illuminates after

the engine has started and turns off
while the vehicle is subsequently beingdriven..The warning light illuminates during
driving, but it turns off immediately and
remains off. ! Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light
The indicator light flashes during activa-
tion of the skid suppression function and
during activation of the traction controlfunction. NOTE . The light may remain illuminated for
a short period of time 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 light is on.
The Vehicle Dynamics Control system is
probably malfunctioning under the follow-
ing condition. 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 has started.
& Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF indicatorlight
The light illuminates when the Vehicle
Dynamics Control OFF switch is pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system.
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. &
Security indicator light
Type A
Type B
The security indicator light deters potential
thieves by indicating that the vehicle is Instruments and controls
3-23
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Odometer/
Trip meterFuel consumption indicator
A trip meter Average fuel consumption corresponding to the A trip meter
B trip meter Average fuel consumption corresponding to the B tripmeter
Odometer U.S-spec. models: Not indicated
Other models: Current fuel consumption &
Outside temperature indica- tor
1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Except U.S.-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) Except U.S.-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 display has already indicated an
outside temperature of 37 8F(3 8C) or
lower, the indication does not flash even
when the outside temperature drops to37 8F(3 8C) or lower again, unless the
outside temperature has once increased
to 41 8F(5 8C) or higher.
If the outside temperature drops to 37 8F
(3 8C) or lower while the display is giving
an indication other than the outside Instruments and controls
3-27
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has been set to operational at the time
of shipment from the factory..The average fuel consumption is
calculated even while the indicator is
not displayed.. Even if you turn off the fuel con-
sumption indicator, the fuel consump-
tion indicator will automatically turn on
when the battery voltage is stopped
and then reapplied due to battery
replacement or fuse replacement. Light control switch
The light control switch operates when the
ignition key is inserted into the ignitionswitch.
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 key is removed from the
ignition switch, the lights can be illu-
minated by once setting the light con-
trol switch to the
“OFF ”position and
then to the “
”or “”position. In
this case, if the driver ’s door is opened,
the chirp sound will inform 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 other than
“OFF ”, the battery may be
discharged. Instruments and controls
3-29
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&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. &
Automatic headlight beam
leveler (models 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.
The automatic headlight beam leveler has
a warning light on the combination meter.
Refer to “Automatic headlight beam leve-
ler warning light (models with HID head-lights) ”F 3-22. 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.Instruments and controls
3-31

Ventilator control................................................. 4-2
Center ventilators ................................................ 4-2
Side ventilators ................................................... 4-2
Climate control panel .......................................... 4-2
Type A ................................................................ 4-3
Type B ................................................................ 4-4
Type C ................................................................ 4-5
Automatic climate control system (type B and C) ............................................................... 4-6
Type B ................................................................ 4-6
Type C ................................................................ 4-7
Temperature sensors ........................................... 4-7
Manual climate control ....................................... 4-8
Airflow mode selection ........................................ 4-8
Temperature control ............................................ 4-9
Fan speed control ............................................... 4-9
Air conditioner control ........................................ 4-9
Air inlet selection ................................................ 4-9 Defrosting
........................................................... 4-10
Operating tips for heater and air conditioner ...................................................... 4-10
Cleaning ventilation grille ................................... 4-10
Efficient cooling after parking in direct sunlight ........................................................... 4-10
Lubrication oil circulation in the refrigerant circuit .............................................................. 4-11
Checking air conditioning system before summer season ............................................................ 4-11
Cooling and dehumidifying in high humidity and low temperature weather conditions ................. 4-11
Air conditioner compressor shut-off when engine is heavily loaded .............................................. 4-11
Refrigerant for your climate control system ... ..... 4-11
Air filtration system ........................................... 4-11
Replacing an air filter ......................................... 4-12Climate control
4

4-6Climate control
Automatic climate control
system (type B and C)
When the automatic climate control mode
is selected, the outlet air temperature, the
fan speed, airflow distribution, air-inlet
control and air conditioner compressor
operation are automatically controlled.
To activate this mode, perform the follow-
ing procedure. NOTE .Operate the automatic climate con-
trol system when the engine is running. . The blower fan rotates at a low
speed when the engine coolant tem-
perature is low.. The air conditioner may not operate
in the following cases:
–When the cabin temperature is
low – When the ambient temperature
decreases to close to 32 8F(0 8C)
. For efficient defogging or dehumidi-
fying in cold weather, press the “A/C ”
button. &
Type B
1) Temperature control dial (driver ’s side)
2) AUTO button
3) Temperature control dial (front passen- ger’s side)
1. Set the preferred temperature using
temperature control dial.
2. Press the “AUTO ”button. The FULL
AUTO mode is selected and the indicator light “FULL AUTO ”on the display illumi-
nates. NOTE . When the “DUAL ”button is pressed,
separate temperature settings for the driver ’s side and passenger ’s side can
be enabled (DUAL mode). To cancel the
DUAL mode, press the “DUAL ”button
again. The temperature setting for the passenger
’s side becomes the same as
the setting for the driver ’s side.
. If you operate any of the buttons on
the control panel other than the “OFF ”
button, rear window defogger button
and temperature control dials during
FULL AUTO mode operation, the indi-
cator light “FULL ”on the control panel
will turn off and the indicator light“ AUTO ”will remain illuminated. You
can then manually control the system
as desired using the button you oper-
ated. To change the system back to the
FULL AUTO mode, press the “AUTO ”
button.
3. To turn off the climate control system,
press the “OFF ”button.

NOTE .When the “
”mode or “”mode
is selected, the air conditioner com-
pressor automatically operates to more
quickly defog the windshield. At the
same time, the air inlet selection is
automatically set to the outside airmode.
In this state:
–The air conditioner indicator light
does not illuminate. – You cannot stop the air condi-
tioner compressor by pressing the
air conditioner button. – You cannot select the “recircula-
tion ”mode by pressing the air inlet
selection button.
& Temperature control
! Type A
Turn the temperature control dial over a
range from the blue side (cool) to red side
(warm) to regulate the temperature of
airflow from the air outlets. ! Type B and C
Turn the temperature control dial to set the
preferred interior temperature. With the
dial set to your preferred temperature, the
system automatically adjusts the tempera-
ture of air supplied from the outlets such that the preferred temperature is achieved
and maintained.
If the dial is turned fully counterclockwise,
the system provides maximum cooling
performance. If the dial is turned fully
clockwise, the system provides maximum
heating performance.
NOTE
For type B, when the “DUAL ”button is
pressed, separate temperature settings
for the driver ’s side and passenger ’s
side can be enabled (DUAL mode). To
cancel the DUAL mode, press the“ DUAL ”button again. The temperature
setting for the passenger ’s side be-
comes the same as the setting for thedriver ’s side.
& Fan speed control
The fan operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position. Select the
preferred fan speed by turning the fan
speed control dial (type A and C), or by
pressing the fan speed control buttons
(type B).
& Air conditioner control
The air conditioner operates only when
the engine is running.
Press the air conditioner button while the fan is in operation to turn on the air
conditioner. When the air conditioner is
on, the
“A/C ”indicator light illuminates.
To turn off the air conditioner, press the
button again.
NOTE
For efficient defogging or dehumidify-
ing in cold weather, turn on the air
conditioner. However, if the ambient
temperature decreases to approxi-
mately 0 8C (32 8F), the air conditioner
compressor stops operation. & Air inlet selection
Select the air inlet by pressing the air inlet
selection button.
ON position (recirculation) : Interior air is
recirculated inside the vehicle. Press the
air inlet selection button to the ON position
for fast cooling with the air conditioner or
when driving on a dusty road. When the
ON position is selected, the “
”indicator
light illuminates.
OFF position (outside air) : Outside air is
drawn into the passenger compartment.
Press the air inlet selection button to the
OFF position when the interior has cooled
to a comfortable temperature and/or the
road is no longer dusty. Climate control
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