2017 SUBARU FORESTER engine

&Vehicle Dynamics Control
system monitor
Refer to “Vehicle Dynamics Control warn-
ing light/Vehicle Dynamics Control opera-
tion indicator light ”F 3-24 and “Vehicle
Dynamics Control OFF indicator light ”F 3-
25.
& Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switch
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch
(models with power rear gate)
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch
(models without power rear gate)
Use this switch in the following special
situations. Creating an adequate driving
wheel slip by deactivating the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system may help to
recover from the loss of traction. Use the
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch as
necessary.
. a standing start on a steeply sloping
road with a snowy or gravel-covered
surface
. extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator
light (type A)
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator
light (type B)
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
–CONTINUED –7-41

Starting and operating/X–mode
OFF indicator light “”on the combination
meter illuminates. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will be deactivated and the
vehicle will behave like a model not
equipped with the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system. When the switch is pressed
again to reactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF indicator light turns off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system except under
above-mentioned situations.
NOTE
. When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the “LOCK ”/“ OFF ”
position and the engine is restarted.
. If the switch is held down for 30
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the “
LOCK ”/“ OFF ”position and restart the
engine.
. When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system, the vehicle ’s running per-
formance is comparable with that of a
vehicle that does not have a Vehicle
Dynamics Control system. Do not de-
activate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system except when absolutely neces-
sary.
. Even when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is deactivated, compo-
nents of the brake control system may
still activate. When the brake control
system is activated, the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control operation indicator
light flashes.
X-mode (if equipped)
WARNING
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving a vehicle
with X-mode could easily lead to
a serious accident.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving a vehicle
with hill descent control function
could easily lead to a serious
accident. Be especially careful,
and depress the brake pedal if
necessary when driving on ex-
tremely steep downhill, frozen,
muddy or sandy roads. Failure
to control the vehicle ’sspeed
may cause a loss of control and
result in a serious accident.
CAUTION
. Even if your vehicle is equipped
with X-mode, winter tires or snow
chains should be used when
driving on snow-covered or icy
roads; in addition, vehicle speed
should be reduced considerably.
7-42

Simply having X-mode does not
guarantee that the vehicle will be
able to avoid accidents in any
situation.
. Activating the X-mode should be
done when you encounter a very
slippery surface at low speed.
However, having X-mode is no
guarantee that full vehicle con-
trol will be maintained at all times
and under all conditions. When
activating X-mode, the speed of
the vehicle should be reduced
considerably.
. Whenever suspension compo-
nents, steering components, or
an axle are removed from a
vehicle, have the system in-
spected by an authorized
SUBARU dealer.
. The following precautions should
be observed in order to ensure
that the X-mode is operating
properly:
– All four wheels should be
fitted with tires of the same
size, type, and brand. Further-
more, the amount of wear
should be the same for all
four tires.
– Keep the tire pressure at the proper level as shown on the
label attached to the vehicle
’s
door pillar.
– Use only the special tempor-
ary spare tire to replace a flat
tire. With a normal temporary
spare tire, the effectiveness of
the X-mode is reduced and
this should be taken into ac-
count when driving the vehi-
cle in such a condition.
. If the hill descent control function
has operated continuously for a
long time, the temperature of the
brake disc may increase and the
hill descent control function may
be temporarily disabled. In this
case, the hill descent control
indicator light will turn off. When
the hill descent control indicator
light turns off, the hill descent
control function is disabled.
X-mode is the integrated control system of
the engine, AWD and Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, etc. for driving with bad
road conditions. Using X-mode, you can
drive more comfortably even in slippery
road conditions including uphill and down-
hill.
X-mode has the following functions. .
Hill descent control function:
Using the hill descent control function, you
can keep the vehicle at a consistent speed
driving downhill. If the vehicle speed is
likely to increase, the brake control system
will be activated to adjust the vehicle
speed.
. Driving ability control:
This mode increases the hill-climbing
ability and driving ability as well as
enabling smooth application of torque for
easier control of the steering wheel.
& To activate/deactivate the
X-mode
X-mode switchStarting and operating/X
–mode
– CONTINUED –
7-43

Starting and operating/X–mode
X-mode indicator light (type A)
X-mode indicator light (type B)
To activate:
Press the X-mode switch. While the X-
mode is activated, the X-mode indicator light illuminates.
To deactivate:
Press the X-mode switch again. The X-
mode indicator light will turn off when the
X-mode is deactivated.
NOTE
.
Even if you try to activate the X-
mode by pressing the X-mode switch
when the vehicle speed is 12 mph (20
km/h) or more, the X-mode will not be
activated. At this time, a buzzer will
sound twice.
. If the vehicle speed reaches 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more while the X-mode is
activated, a buzzer will sound once and
the X-mode will be deactivated.
NOTE
For models with SI-DRIVE:
. The SI-DRIVE mode will change to
the Intelligent (I) mode when the X-
mode is deactivated.
. The SI-DRIVE mode cannot be chan-
ged while the X-mode is activated. At
this time, a buzzer will sound twice.
. While the engine is running, if any of
the following conditions is met, the X-
mode will be deactivated. In this case, it
is not possible to activate the X-mode.
Also, for models with SI-DRIVE, the mode will change to the Sport (S) mode
and it will not be possible to change to
the other modes.
–The CHECK ENGINE warning
light/malfunction indicator light illu-
minates.
– The AT OIL TEMP warning light
flashes.
– The ABS warning light illumi-
nates.
– The Vehicle Dynamics Control
warning light illuminates.
. If there is a possibility that the
engine could overheat because of a
temperature increase of the engine
coolant, it is not possible to change to
the X-mode. While the vehicle is in the
X-mode, it changes to the Sport (S)
mode when the engine coolant tem-
perature increases.
. It is not possible to activate the X-
mode when the engine is not running,
because the hill descent control func-
tion is not activated.
& Hill descent control function
The hill descent control function will be in
standby mode when the X-mode is acti-
vated and the vehicle speed is less than
approximately 12 mph (20 km/h).
The function will operate when the vehicle
7-44

speed is less than approximately 12 mph
(20 km/h) and the accelerator ratio is less
than approximately 10%.
The function will turn off when the vehicle
speed is more than approximately 12 mph
(20 km/h) and the accelerator pedal is
depressed.
NOTE
.Even while the hill descent control
function is operating, you can vary the
vehicle speed by using the brake pedal
or accelerator pedal.
. During braking by the hill descent
control function, the brake system
warning light will illuminate.
. The hill descent control function
may also operate on a flat road.
. The hill descent control function
may be considered normal when the
following conditions occur.
–An operating sound is heard
briefly from the engine compart-
ment while the hill descent control
function is operating.
– The sensation of depressing the
brake pedal is different, (harder
than usual etc.) when the brake
pedal is depressed during hill des-
cent control function operation. !
Hill descent control indicator light
Hill descent control indicator light (type A)
Hill descent control indicator light (type B)
This light illuminates while the hill descent
control function is in the standby mode. It
flashes while the function is operating. It will turn off when the function is in the
disabled mode. When this function is
changed from operational to non-opera-
tional, it will turn off when the vehicle
speed reaches more than approximately
18 mph (30 km/h).
Starting and operating/X
–mode7-45

mitter being transferred, the low
tire pressure warning light will
illuminate steadily after blinking
for approximately one minute.
This indicates the TPMS is un-
able to monitor all four road
wheels. Contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible for
tire and sensor replacement and/
or system resetting.
. Do not inject any tire liquid or
aerosol tire sealant into the tires,
as this may cause a malfunction
of the tire pressure sensors. If
the light illuminates steadily after
blinking for approximately one
minute, promptly contact a
SUBARU dealer to have the sys-
tem inspected.
CAUTION
. Do not place metal film or any
metal parts in the cargo area.
This may cause poor reception of
the signals from the tire pressure
sensors, and the tire pressure
monitoring system will not func-
tion properly.
. FCC WARNING
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance
could void the user
’s authority
to operate the equipment.
NOTE
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
. U.S.-spec. models
FCC ID: CWTWD1U781
NOTE
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Parking your vehicle
& Parking brake
To set the parking brake, depress the
brake pedal firmly and hold it down until
the parking brake lever is fully pulled up.
To release the parking brake, perform the
following procedure.
1. Pull the lever up slightly.
2. Press the release button.
3. Lower the lever while keeping the
button pressed.
When the parking brake is set while the
engine is running, the parking brake
warning light illuminates. After starting
the vehicle, be sure that the warning light
has turned off before the vehicle is driven.
Refer to “Brake system warning light ”F 3-
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
–CONTINUED –7-47

Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
21.
CAUTION
Never drive while the parking brake
is set because this will cause un-
necessary wear on the brake lin-
ings. Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake
has been fully released.
&Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always per-
form the following items.
. Apply the parking brake firmly.
. For MT models, put the shift lever in the
“1 ”(1st) for upgrade or “R”(Reverse) for a
downgrade.
. For CVT models, put the select lever in
the “P”(Park) position.
Never rely on the mechanical friction of
the transmission alone to hold the vehicle.When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel. When the vehicle is
headed up the hill, the front wheels should
be turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels
should be turned into the curb.
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
If your vehicle has a front under-
spoiler and rear underspoiler (both
optional), pay attention to blocks
7-48

You can activate/deactivate the Hill start
assist system according to the following
procedure.
NOTE
If you make an error when performing
any steps in the following procedure,
placetheignitionswitchinthe
“LOCK ”/“OFF ”position once and then
start over again.
! To deactivate
1. Park your vehicle in a flat and safe
location and apply the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK” /
“OFF ”position.
3. Restart the engine.
Type A combination meter
Type B combination meter
4. Confirm the following items. (1) The Brake system warning light
illuminates.
(2) The Vehicle Dynamics Control
warning light turns off.
(3) The Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF indicator light turns off.
(4) The ABS warning light turns off.
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch
(models with power rear gate)
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch
(models without power rear gate)
5. Press the Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF switch and hold it until the Vehicle
Starting and operating/Hill start assist system
–CONTINUED –7-51