2012 SUBARU FORESTER Exhaust

6
The SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill chil-
dren, especially if they are 12
years of age and under and are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater.
. NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.
. 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. Refer to “Child
safety locks ”F 2-19.
. Always lock the passenger ’s win-
dows using the lock switch when
children are riding in the vehicle.
Failure to follow this procedure
could result in injury to a child
operating the power window. Re-
fer to “Windows ”F 2-20. .
Never leave unattended children
in the vehicle. They could acci-
dentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, temperature
in a closed vehicle could quickly
become high enough to cause
severe or possibly fatal injuries
to them.
For instructions and precautions, carefully
read the following sections. . For the seatbelt system, refer to “Seat-
belts ”F 1-12.
. For the child restraint system, refer to
“ Child restraint systems ”F 1-22.
. For the SRS airbag system, refer to
“ *SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) ”F 1-34.
& Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide)
WARNING
. Never inhale engine exhaust gas.
Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless
and odorless gas which is dan-
gerous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
. Always properly maintain the en- gine exhaust system to prevent
engine exhaust gas from enter-
ing the vehicle.
. Never run the engine in a closed
space, such as a garage, except
for the brief time needed to drive
the vehicle in or out of it.
. Avoid remaining in a parked
vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is
unavoidable, then use the venti-
lation fan to force fresh air into
the vehicle.
. Always keep the front ventilator
inlet grille free from snow, leaves
or other obstructions to ensure
that the ventilation system al-
ways works properly.
. If at any time you suspect that
exhaust fumes are entering the
vehicle, have the problem
checked and corrected as soon
as possible. If you must drive
under these conditions, drive
only with all windows fully open.
. Keep the rear gate closed while
driving to prevent exhaust gas
from entering the vehicle.

&California proposition 65 warning
WARNING
Engine exhaust, some of its consti-
tuents, and certain vehicle compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. In addi-
tion, certain fluids in vehicles and
certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to
the State of California to cause
cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
& California Perchlorate Advi- sory
Certain vehicle components such as air-
bag modules, seatbelt pretensioners and
keyless entry transmitter batteries may
contain perchlorate material. Special
handling may apply for service or vehicle
end of life disposal. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. &
On-road and off-road driving
This vehicle is classified as a utility
vehicle. Utility vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other types of
vehicles. Your vehicle has a higher ground
clearance and higher center of gravity,
making it more likely to roll over than
ordinary passenger cars. It also handles
and maneuvers differently from other
passenger cars. For this reason, please
read carefully the following section and
follow the instructions and precautions in
order to prevent serious injury or death
due to loss of control, rollover and other
accidents. Refer to “On-road and off-road
driving ”F 8-6. General information &
Noise from under the vehicle
NOTE
You may hear a noise from under the
vehicle approximately 5 hours after the
engine is turned off. However, this does
not indicate a malfunction. This noise
is caused by the operation of the fuel
evaporation leakage checking system
and the operation is normal. The noise
will stop after approximately 15 min-utes. 9

&Initialization of power win-
dow (type A)
If the vehicle ’s battery is disconnected due
to situations such as battery or fuse
replacement, the following functions aredeactivated. . One-touch auto up/down function
. Anti-entrapment function
Initialize the power window using the
following procedure to reactivate thesefunctions.
1. Close the driver ’s door.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position.
3. Open the driver ’s side window halfway
by pushing down the power window switch.
4. Pull up the power window switch and
close the window completely. Continue
pulling up the switch for approximately 1
second after the window is closed com-
pletely. Rear gate
The rear gate can be locked and unlocked
using any of the following systems. .
Power door locking switch: Refer to
“ Power door locking switches ”F 2-6.
. Remote keyless entry system: Refer to
“ Remote keyless entry system ”F 2-7.
To open:
Unlock the rear gate and push the rear
gate opener button.
To close:
Lower the rear gate slowly and push down
firmly until the latch engages.
The rear gate can be lowered easily if you
pull it down holding the inside handle.
WARNING
. To prevent dangerous exhaust
gas from entering the vehicle,
always keep the rear gate closed
while driving. Keys and doors
2-23
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7-2Starting and operating
Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel
additive may cause engine damage.
& Fuel requirements
! Non-turbo models
The engine is designed to operate using
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating
of 87 AKI (90 RON) or higher .
! Turbo models
The engine is designed to operate usingpremium unleaded gasoline with an
octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON) or
higher . If premium unleaded gasoline is
not available, regular unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 87 AKI (90 RON)
or higher may be temporarily used. For
optimum engine performance and drive-
ability, it is required that you use premium
grade unleaded gasoline. NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded
gasoline of 91 AKI (95 RON) or higher
for turbo engine models. If other gaso- line (lower than 91 AKI (95 RON)) is
used, knocking, reduced output and
poor acceleration will result. !
Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the
Research Octane and Motor Octane
numbers and is commonly referred to as
the Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane
rating can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
It is normal if your vehicle sometimes
knocks lightly when you drive up a hill or
when you accelerate, but contact your
SUBARU dealer if your vehicle knocks
heavily or persistently even though you
are using a fuel with the specified octanerating. ! Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel filler pipe is designed
to accept only an unleaded gasoline filler
nozzle. Under no circumstances should
leaded gasoline be used because it will
damage the emission control system and
may impair driveability and fuel economy. ! Gasoline for California-certified LEV
If your vehicle was certified to California ’s
low emission vehicle (LEV) standards as
indicated on the underhood tune-up label, it is designed to optimize engine and
emission performance with gasoline that
meets the clean burning low-sulfur Cali-
fornia gasoline specifications. Gasoline
sold outside California is permitted to
have higher sulfur levels. It can be used
but it may affect the performance of your
vehicle
’s catalytic converter and may
produce a sulfur exhaust odor or smell.
SUBARU recommends that you try a
different brand of unleaded gasoline hav-
ing lower sulfur to determine if the problem
is fuel related before returning your
vehicle to an authorized SUBARU dealer
for service. ! MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-
function indicator light may turn on. If this
happens, contact an authorized SUBARU
dealer for service. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel
used, repairs may not be covered by your
warranty.

7-30Starting and operating
When the vehicle is facing uphill, the front
wheels should be turned away from thecurb.
When the vehicle is facing downhill, the
front wheels should be turned into thecurb.
WARNING
. Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, the tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to
cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to people.
. Do not park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
. Be sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occu-
pants in the vehicle could die
from carbon monoxide (CO) con-
tained in the exhaust gas.
CAUTION
. Always set the parking brake
firmly when parking your vehicle.
Never rely on the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.
. If your vehicle has a front under-
spoiler and rear underspoiler (if
equipped), pay attention to
blocks and other obstructions
on the ground when parking.
The underspoilers could be da-
maged by contact with them.

New vehicle break-in driving–the first
1,000 miles (1,600 km) ..................................... 8-2
Fuel economy hints ............................................ 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ............ 8-2
Catalytic converter .............................................. 8-3
Periodic inspections ........................................... 8-4
Driving in foreign countries ............................... 8-4
Driving tips for AWD models .............................. 8-5
On-road and off-road driving .............................. 8-6
Winter driving ...................................................... 8-8
Operation during cold weather ............................. 8-8
Driving on snowy and icy roads ......................... 8-10
Corrosion protection .......................................... 8-11
Snow tires ......................................................... 8-11
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-11
Rocking the vehicle ............................................ 8-12 Loading your vehicle
......................................... 8-12
Vehicle capacity weight ...................................... 8-13
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) ........................ 8-13
Roof rails (if equipped) ...................................... 8-14
Roof molding and crossbar (if equipped) ............ 8-15
Trailer hitch (dealer option) ............................... 8-16
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-16
When you do not tow a trailer .. .......................... 8-18
Trailer towing ..................................................... 8-18
Warranties and maintenance .............................. 8-18
Maximum load limits .......................................... 8-18
Trailer hitches .................................................... 8-21
Connecting a trailer ........................................... 8-22
Trailer towing tips .............................................. 8-23Driving tips
8

8-2Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving –the first 1,000 miles (1,600
km)
The performance and long life of your
vehicle are dependent on how you handle
and care for your vehicle while it is new.
Follow these instructions during the first
1,000 miles (1,600 km): . Do not race the engine. And do not
allow engine speed to exceed 4,000 rpm
except in an emergency. . Do not drive at one constant engine or
vehicle speed for a long time, either fast or
slow. . Avoid starting suddenly and rapid
acceleration, except in an emergency.. Avoid hard braking, except in an
emergency.
The same break-in procedures should be
applied to an overhauled engine, newly
mounted engine or when brake pads or
brake linings are replaced with new ones. Fuel economy hints
The following suggestions will help to save fuel. .
Select the proper gear position for the
speed and road conditions.. Avoid sudden acceleration or decelera-
tion. Always accelerate gently until you
reach the desired speed. Then try to
maintain that speed for as long aspossible. . Do not pump the accelerator and avoid
racing the engine.. Avoid unnecessary engine idling.
. Keep the engine properly tuned.
. Keep the tires inflated to the correct
pressure shown on the tire placard, which
is located under the door latch on thedriver ’s side. Low pressure will increase
tire wear and fuel consumption. . Use the air conditioner only when
necessary.. Keep the front and rear wheels in
proper alignment.. Avoid carrying unnecessary luggage or
cargo. Engine exhaust gas (carbon
monoxide)
WARNING
. Never inhale engine exhaust gas.
Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless
and odorless gas which is dan-
gerous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
. Always properly maintain the en-
gine exhaust system to prevent
engine exhaust gas from enter-
ing the vehicle.
. Never run the engine in a closed
space, such as a garage, except
for the brief time needed to drive
the vehicle in or out of it.
. Avoid remaining in a parked
vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is
unavoidable, then use the venti-
lation fan to force fresh air into
the vehicle.
. Always keep the front ventilator
inlet grille free from snow, leaves
or other obstructions to ensure
that the ventilation system al-
ways works properly.
. If at any time you suspect that

exhaust fumes are entering the
vehicle, have the problem
checked and corrected as soon
as possible. If you must drive
under these conditions, drive
only with all windows fully open.
. Keep the rear gate closed while
driving to prevent exhaust gas
from entering the vehicle.
NOTE
Due to the expansion and contraction
of the metals used in the exhaust
system, you may hear a crackling
sound coming from the exhaust sys-
tem for a short time after the engine
has been shut off. This sound isnormal. Catalytic converter
Turbo models
Non-turbo models
The catalytic converter is installed in the
exhaust system. It serves as a catalyst to reduce HC, CO and NOx in exhaust
gases, thus providing cleaner exhaust.
To avoid damage to the catalytic conver- ter: .
Use only unleaded fuel. Even a small
amount of leaded fuel will damage the
catalytic converter. . Never start the engine by pushing or
pulling the vehicle.. Avoid racing the engine.
. Never turn off the ignition switch while
the vehicle is moving.. Keep your engine tuned-up. If you feel
the engine running rough (misfiring, back-
firing or incomplete combustion), have
your vehicle checked and repaired by an
authorized SUBARU dealer. . Do not apply undercoating or rust
prevention treatment to the heat shield of
catalytic converter and the exhaust sys-tem. . Do not drive with an extremely low fuel
level.
WARNING
. Avoid fire hazards. Do not drive
or park the vehicle anywhere
near flammable materials (e.g.,
grass, paper, rags or leaves),
because the catalytic converter Driving tips
8-3
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