2013 SUBARU FORESTER warning

WARNING
If the low tire pressure warning light
does not illuminate briefly after the
ignition switch is turned ON or the
light illuminates steadily after blink-
ing for approximately one minute,
you should have your Tire Pressure
Monitoring System checked at a
SUBARU dealer as soon as possi-ble.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep
driving straight ahead while gradu-
ally reducing speed. Then slowly
pull off the road to a safe place.
Otherwise an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and serious
personal injury could occur.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire pres-
sure, a tire may have significant
damage and a fast leak that causes
the tire to lose air rapidly. If you have
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi- mately one minute. This indicates
the TPMS is unable to monitor all
four road wheels. Contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
for tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting. If the light
illuminates steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute,
promptly contact a SUBARU dealer
to have the system inspected.
& Tire inspection
Check on a daily basis that the tires are
free from serious damage, nails, and
stones. At the same time, check the tires
for abnormal wear.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immedi-
ately if you find any problem. NOTE . When the wheels and tires strike
curbs or are subjected to harsh treat-
ment as when the vehicle is driven on a
rough surface, they can suffer damage
that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
This type of damage does not become
evident until time has passed. Try not
to drive over curbs, potholes or on
other rough surfaces. If doing so is
unavoidable, keep the vehicle ’s speed
down to a walking pace or less, and approach the curbs as squarely as
possible. Also, make sure the tires are
not pressed against the curb when you
park the vehicle..
If you feel unusual vibration while
driving or find it difficult to steer the
vehicle in a straight line, one of the
tires and/or wheels may be damaged.
Drive slowly to the nearest authorized
SUBARU dealer and have the vehicleinspected. & Tire pressures and wear
Maintaining the correct tire pressures
helps to maximize the tires ’service lives
and is essential for good running perfor-
mance. Check and, if necessary, adjust
the pressure of each tire (including the
spare) at least once a month (for example,
during a fuel stop) and before any long
journey. Maintenance and service
11-31
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11-32Maintenance and service
Check the tire pressures when the tires
are cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust
the tire pressures to the values shown on
the tire placard. The tire placard is located
on the door pillar on the driver ’s side.
Driving even a short distance warms up
the tires and increases the tire pressures.
Also, the tire pressures are affected by the
outside temperature. It is best to check tire
pressure outdoors before driving thevehicle.
When a tire becomes warm, the air inside
it expands, causing the tire pressure to
increase. Be careful not to mistakenly
release air from a warm tire to reduce itspressure. NOTE .
The air pressure in a tire increases
by approximately 4.3 psi (30 kPa, 0.3 kgf/cm
2) when the tire becomes warm.
. The tires are considered cold when
the vehicle has been parked for at least
3 hours or has been driven less than 1
mile (1.6 km).
WARNING
Do not let air out of warm tires to
adjust pressure. Doing so will result
in low tire pressure.
Incorrect tire pressures detract from con-
trollability and ride comfort, and they
cause the tires to wear abnormally. .
Correct tire pressure (tread worn
evenly)
Roadholding is good, and steering is
responsive. Rolling resistance is low, so
fuel consumption is also lower.

.Abnormally low tire pressure (tread
worn at shoulders)
Rolling resistance is high, so fuel con-
sumption is also higher. .
Abnormally high tire pressure (tread
worn in center)Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire
magnifies the effects of road surface
bumps and dips, possibly resulting in
vehicle damage.
If the tire placard shows tire pressures for
the vehicle when fully loaded, adjust the
tire pressures to the values that match
current loading conditions.
WARNING
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to anaccident.
& Wheel balance
Each wheel was correctly balanced when
your vehicle was new, but the wheels will
become unbalanced as the tires become
worn during use. Wheel imbalance causes
the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at
certain vehicle speeds and detracts from
the vehicle ’s straight-line stability. It can
also cause steering and suspension sys-
tem problems and abnormal tire wear. If
you suspect that the wheels are not
correctly balanced, have them checked
and adjusted by your SUBARU dealer.
Also have them adjusted after tire repairs
and after tire rotation.
CAUTION
Loss of correct wheel alignment
causes the tires to wear on one side
and reduces the vehicle ’s running
stability. Contact your SUBARU
dealer if you notice abnormal tire
wear. Maintenance and service
11-33
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11-34Maintenance and service
NOTE
The suspension system is designed to
hold each wheel at a certain alignment
(relative to the other wheels and to the
road) for optimum straight-line stability
and cornering performance. &Wear indicators
1) New tread
2) Worn tread
3) Tread wear indicator
Each tire incorporates a tread wear
indicator, which becomes visible when
the depth of the tread grooves decreases
to 0.063 in (1.6 mm). A tire must be
replaced when the tread wear indicator
appears as a solid band across the tread.
WARNING
When a tire ’s tread wear indicator
becomes visible, the tire is worn
beyond the acceptable limit and
must be replaced immediately. With
a tire in this condition, driving at
high speeds in wet weather can
cause the vehicle to hydroplane.
The resulting loss of vehicle control
can lead to an accident.
NOTE
For safety, inspect tire tread regularly
and replace the tires before their tread
wear indicators become visible. &
Tire rotation direction mark
Example of tire rotation direction mark
1) Front
If the tire has the rotation direction
specification, the tire rotation direction
mark is placed on its sidewall.
When you install a tire that has the tire
rotation direction mark, install the tire with
the direction mark facing forward.

&Tire rotation
Models equipped with 4 non-unidirectional tires
1) Front
Models equipped with unidirectional tires
1) Front Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel. To
maximize the life of each tire and ensure
that the tires wear uniformly, it is best to
rotate the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000
km). Move the tires to the positions shown
in the illustration each time they arerotated.
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn
tires at the time of rotation. After tire
rotation, adjust the tire pressures and
make sure the wheel nuts are correctlytightened.
After driving approximately 600 miles
(1,000 km), check the wheel nuts again
and retighten any nut that has becomeloose. &
Tire replacement
The wheels and tires are important and
integral parts of your vehicle ’s design;
they cannot be changed arbitrarily. The
tires fitted as standard equipment are
optimally matched to the characteristics
of the vehicle and were selected to give
the best possible combination of running
performance, ride comfort, and service
life. It is essential for every tire to have a
size and construction matching those
shown on the tire placard and to have a
speed symbol and load index matching
those shown on the tire placard. Using tires of a non-specified size detracts
from controllability, ride comfort, braking
performance, speedometer accuracy and
odometer accuracy. It also creates incor-
rect body-to-tire clearances and inappro-
priately changes the vehicle
’s ground
clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of
size, circumference, construction, manu-
facturer, brand (tread pattern), degree of
wear, speed symbol and load index. You
are advised to replace the tires with new
ones that are identical to those fitted as
standard equipment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU
recommends replacing all four tires at
the same time.
WARNING
. When replacing a tire, you must
use a tire that is of the same size,
circumference, construction,
brand (tread pattern), speed sym-
bol and load index as the original
tires listed on the tire placard.
Using tires of other sizes, cir-
cumferences or constructions
may result in severe mechanical
damage to the drive train of your
vehicle and may affect ride,
handling, braking, speedometer/ Maintenance and service
11-35
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11-36Maintenance and service
odometer calibration, and clear-
ance between the body and tires.
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control.
. You must install four tires that are
of the same size, circumference,
construction, manufacturer,
brand (tread pattern), degree of
wear, speed symbol and load
index. Mixing tires of different
types, sizes or degrees of wear
can result in damage to the
vehicle ’s power train. Use of
different types or sizes of tires
can also dangerously reduce
controllability and braking per-
formance and can lead to anaccident.
. Use only radial tires. Do not use
radial tires together with belted
bias tires and/or bias-ply tires.
Doing so can dangerously re-
duce controllability, resulting in
an accident.
& Wheel replacement
When replacing wheels due to damage,
for example, make sure the replacement
wheels match the specifications of the
wheels that are fitted as standard equip- ment. Replacement wheels are available
from SUBARU dealers.
WARNING
Use only those wheels that are
specified for your vehicle. Wheels
not meeting specifications could
interfere with brake caliper opera-
tion and may cause the tires to rub
against the wheel well housing dur-
ing turns. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to anaccident.
NOTE
When any of the wheels are removed
and replaced for tire rotation or to
change a flat tire, always check the
tightness of the wheel nuts after driv-
ing approximately 600 miles (1,000 km).
If any nut is loose, tighten it to the
specified torque. &
Wheel covers (if equipped)
! Removing the wheel cover
1) Notch
2) Valve hole
Insert a wheel cover remover into the
notch part on the opposite side of the
valve hole and pry the wheel cover to
remove it.

Battery
WARNING
. Before beginning work on or near
any battery, be sure to extinguish
all cigarettes, matches, and light-
ers. Never expose a battery to an
open flame or electric sparks.
Batteries give off a gas which is
highly flammable and explosive.
. For safety, wear eye protection
when working near any battery in
case an explosion does occur.
Never lean over a battery.
. Do not let battery fluid contact
eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint be-
cause battery fluid is a corrosive
acid. If battery fluid gets on your
skin or in your eyes, immediately
flush the area with water thor-
oughly. Seek medical help imme-
diately if acid has entered theeyes.
If battery fluid is accidentally
swallowed, immediately drink a
large amount of milk or water,
and seek medical attention im-
mediately.
. To lessen the risk of sparks,
remove rings, metal watchbands, and other metal jewelry. Never
allow metal tools to contact the
positive battery terminal and any-
thing connected to it WHILE you
are at the same time in contact
with any other metallic portion of
the vehicle because a short cir-
cuit will result.
. Keep everyone particularly chil-
dren away from the battery.
. Charge the battery in a well-
ventilated area.
. Battery posts, terminals and re-
lated accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Batteries also contain
other chemicals known to the
State of California to cause can-
cer.
Wash hands after handling.
1) Cap
2) Upper level
3) Lower level
It is unnecessary to periodically check the
battery fluid level or periodically refill with
distilled water.
However, if the battery fluid level is below
the lower level, remove the caps and fill to
the upper level with distilled water.
CAUTION
Never use more than 10 amperes
when charging the battery because
it will shorten battery life. Maintenance and service
11-43

corresponding fuse. If a fuse has blown,
replace it.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK ”
position and turn off all electrical acces- sories.
2. Remove the cover.
3. Determine which fuse may be blown.
Look at the back side of each fuse box
cover and refer to “Fuses and circuits ”
F 12-11.
4. Pull out the fuse with the fuse puller.
5. Inspect the fuse. If it has blown,
replace it with a spare fuse of the samerating.
6. If the same fuse blows again, this
indicates that its system has a problem.
Contact your SUBARU dealer for repairs. Installation of accessories
Always consult your SUBARU dealer
before installing fog lights or any other
electrical equipment in your vehicle. Such
accessories may cause the electronic
system to malfunction if they are incor-
rectly installed or if they are not suited for
the vehicle.
Replacing bulbs
WARNING
Bulbs may become very hot while
illuminated. Before replacing bulbs,
turn off the lights and wait until the
bulbs cool down. Otherwise, there is
a risk of burn injury.
CAUTION
Replace any bulb only with a new
bulb of the specified wattage. Using
a bulb of different wattage could
result in a fire. For the specified
wattage of each bulb, refer to “Bulb
chart ”F 12-15.
& Headlights (models with HID headlights)
WARNING
High-intensity-discharge (HID) bulbs
are used for the low beams of the
headlights. These HID bulbs use an
extremely high voltage. To avoid the
risk of an electric shock that could
result in serious injury, observe the Maintenance and service
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