2017 SUBARU FORESTER air condition

refrigerant HFC134a (as shown on the air
conditioner label). Therefore, the method
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
Your vehicle’s air conditioning system is
equipped with an air filtration system.
Replace the air filter element according
to the replacement schedule found in the
“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”. This
schedule should be followed to maintain
the filter ’s dust collection ability. Under
extremely dusty conditions, the filter
should be replaced more frequently. Have
your filter checked or replaced by your
SUBARU dealer. For replacement, use
only a genuine SUBARU air filter kit.
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 or
misted.
NOTE
The filter can influence the air condi-
tioning, heating and defroster perfor-
mance if not properly maintained.
& Replacing an air filter
1. Remove the glove box.
NOTE
We recommend that you take mea-
sures to protect the center console
with masking tape first, so that you
avoid scratching the center console
with the glove box.
(1) Open the glove box.
(2) Remove the damper shaft from the
glove box.
Climate control/Air filtration system
–CONTINUED –4-13

!CD player and disc
. This CD player is intended for use with
4.7 in. (12 cm) discs only.
. Extremely high temperatures can keep
the CD player from working. On hot days,
use the air conditioning system to cool the
inside of the vehicle before using the
player.
. Bumpy roads or other vibrations may
make the CD player skip.
. If moisture gets into the CD player, the
discs may not be able to be played.
Remove the discs from the player and
wait until it dries.
WARNING
CD players use an invisible laser
beam which could cause hazardous
radiation exposure if directed out-
side the unit. Be sure to operate the
player correctly.
Audio CDs
. Use only discs marked as shown
above. The following products may not
be playable on your player:
–SACD
– dts CD
– Copy-protected CD
– Video CD
Special shaped discs
Transparent/translucent discs Audio/Audio set
–CONTINUED –
5-7

Audio/Hands–free phone system
Hands-free phone system
The hands-free system enables calls to be
made and received without having to take
your hands off the steering wheel.
This system supports Bluetooth. Bluetooth
is a wireless data system that enables cell
phones to be used without being con-
nected by a cable or placed in a cradle.
The operating procedure of the phone is
explained here.
WARNING
. While driving, do not use a cell
phone or connect the Bluetooth
phone. Doing so may result in
loss of control of your vehicle
and cause an accident or serious
injury.
. Your audio unit is fitted with
Bluetooth antennas. People with
implantable cardiac pacemakers,
cardiac resynchronization ther-
apy-pacemakers or implantable
cardioverter defibrillators should
maintain a reasonable distance
between themselves and the
Bluetooth antennas. The radio
waves may affect the operation
of such devices. .
Before using Bluetooth devices,
users of any electrical medical
device other than implantable
cardiac pacemakers, cardiac re-
synchronization therapy-pace-
makers or implantable cardiover-
ter defibrillators should consult
the manufacturer of the device
for information about its opera-
tion under the influence of radio
waves. Radio waves could have
unexpected effects on the opera-
tion of such medical devices.CAUTION
Do not leave your cell phone in the
vehicle. The temperature inside may
rise to a level that could damage the
phone.
NOTE
. If your cell phone does not support
Bluetooth, this system cannot function.
. In the following conditions, the sys-
tem may not function:
–The cell phone is turned off.
– The current position is outside
the communication area.
– The cell phone is not connected.
– The cell phone has a low battery. .
When using the hands free function
and other Bluetooth functions at the
same time, the following problems may
occur:
–The Bluetooth connection may
be cut.
– Noise may be heard when play-
ing back voice with the Bluetooth
function.
. The other party’ s voice will be heard
from the front speakers. The audio/
visual system will be muted during
phone calls or when hands-free voice
commands are used.
. Talk alternately with the other party
on the phone. If both parties speak at
the same time, the other party may not
hear what has been said. (This is not a
malfunction.)
. Keep call volume down. Otherwise,
the other party’ s voice may be audible
outside the vehicle and voice echo may
increase. When talking on the phone,
speak clearly towards the microphone.
. The other party may not hear you
clearly when:
–Drivingonanunpavedroad.
(Making excessive traffic noise.)
– Driving at high speeds.
– The moonroof or windows are
open.
– The air conditioning vents are
5-70

pointed towards the microphone.
–The sound of the air conditioning
fan is loud.
– Thereisanegativeeffecton
sound quality due to the phone
and/or network being used.
. When another phone is connected,
the following registered data cannot be
read:
–Contact data
– Call history data
– All phone settings
. When selling or disposing of the
vehicle, initialize the data. Refer to
“ Unit settings ”F 5-18.
. Once initialized, the data and set-
tings will be erased. Take extra caution
when initializing the data.
. The voice command system sup-
ports phone commands, so dialing a
phone number using your voice is
possible. Refer to “Vo i c e c o m m a n d
system ”F 5-80.
. The images shown in this Owner ’s
Manual are sample images. The actual
images may vary depending on the
market and specifications of your ve-
hicle.& Control screen
PHONE (Menu) screen
PHONE (Dialpad) screen No. Function
&1Open the
“Incoming Calls ”screen.
Refer to “By incoming calls ”F 5-73.
&2Open the “Outgoing Calls ”screen.
Refer to “By outgoing calls ”F 5-74.
&3Open the “Contacts ”screen. Refer to
“ By contacts list ”F 5-74.
&4Open the dialpad screen. Refer to “By
Dialpad ”F 5-75.
&5Open the phone volume settings
screen. Refer to “Phone volume set-
tings ”F 5-78.
&6
Use to make a phone call. You cannot
press this key until you open the
dialpad screen and enter a phone
number.
&7Open the “BT Devices Connection ”
screen. Refer to “Setting Bluetooth
details ”F 5-68.
&8Enter the phone number that you
want to call.
&9Switch the screen to the phone
(menu) screen.
NOTE
When the cell phone is not registered
and the Bluetooth setting is off, a
message is displayed instead of menu
items.
Audio/Hands –free phone system
–CONTINUED –5-71

&Using the voice command
system
! Steering switch
1) Talk switch
Action Function
Press Start the voice com-
mand system.
Press and hold Cancel voice recogni-
tion.
!
Microphone
1) Models without SUBARU STARLINK
2) Models with SUBARU STARLINK
(U.S.-spec. models only)
It is unnecessary to speak directly into the
microphone when giving a command.
NOTE
.Wait for the confirmation beep be-
fore speaking a command.
. Voice commands may not be recog-
nized if:
–Spoken too quickly.
– Spoken at a low or high volume.
– The moonroof or windows are
open.
– Passengers are talking while
voice commands are spoken.
– The air conditioning speed is set high.
–
The air conditioning vents are
turned towards the microphone.
. In the following conditions, the sys-
tem may not recognize the command
properly and using voice commands
may not be possible:
–The command is incorrect or
unclear. Note that certain words,
accents or speech patterns may be
difficult for the system to recognize.
– There is excessive background
noise, such as wind noise.
Audio/Voice command system
–CONTINUED –5-81

Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel
additive may cause damage to the
engine and/or fuel system.
&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 at
maximum performance using unleaded
gasoline with an octane rating of 93 AKI
(98 RON) or higher . Unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON)
or higher may be used with no detriment to
engine durability or driveability. However,
you may notice a slight decrease in
maximum engine performance while using
91 AKI (95 RON) fuel.
Regular unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating of 87 AKI (90 RON) or higher may
also be used. Using regular unleaded gasoline will not be detrimental to engine
durability, nor will it affect your warranty
coverage. However, depending on your
driving habits and conditions, you may
notice a decrease in maximum engine
performance, fuel economy or slight en-
gine vibration or knocking. If you experi-
ence any of these conditions while using a
lower octane rated fuel, you may want to
return to using 91 AKI (95 RON) octane
rated fuel as soon as possible. Addition-
ally, if your vehicle knocks heavily or
persistently, or if you are driving with
heavy loads such as when towing a trailer,
the use of 91 AKI (95 RON) or higher
grade unleaded gasoline is required.
!
Fuel octane rating
Using a gasoline with a lower octane
rating can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
Do not be concerned if your vehicle
sometimes knocks lightly when you drive
up a hill or when you accelerate. Contact
your SUBARU dealer if you use a fuel with
the specified octane rating and your
vehicle knocks heavily or persistently.
!RON
This octane rating is the Research Octane
Number. !
AKI
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).
! 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. If you live in
any other state than California, your
vehicle will operate on gasoline meeting
Federal specifications. Gasoline sold out-
side California is permitted to have higher
sulfur levels, which may affect the perfor-
mance 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
having lower sulfur to determine if the
Starting and operating/Fuel
–CONTINUED –7-3

Starting and operating/Fuel
problem is fuel related before returning
your vehicle to an authorized 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, return to your 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.
! Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent
additives will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine and fuel system.
This helps keep your engine in tune and
your emission control system working
properly, and is a way of doing your part
for cleaner air. If you continuously use a
high quality fuel with the proper detergent
and other additives, you should never
need to add any fuel system cleaning
agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with
materials called oxygenates. Use of these
fuels can also help keep the air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol
(ethyl or grain alcohol) may be used in
your vehicle, but should contain no more
than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.
Do not use any gasoline that contains
more than 10% ethanol, including from
any pump labeled E15, E30, E50 or E85
(which are only some examples of fuel
containing more than 10% ethanol).
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines,
which are designed to reduce vehicle
emissions. SUBARU approves the use of
reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains,
you should ask your service station
operators if their gasolines contain deter-
gents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emis-
sions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels
suited for your vehicle as explained in the
following description.
.
Fuel should be unleaded and have an
octane rating no lower than that specified
in this manual.
. Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is
sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline. Methanol can be used in your vehicle
ONLY
if it does not exceed 5% of the fuel
mixture ANDif it is accompanied by
sufficient quantities of the proper cosol-
vents and corrosion inhibitors required to
prevent damage to the fuel system. Do not
use fuel containing methanol EXCEPT
under these conditions.
. If undesirable driveability problems are
experienced and you suspect they may be
fuel related, try a different brand of gaso-
line before seeking service at your
SUBARU dealer.
. Fuel system damage or driveability
problems which result from the use of
improper fuel are not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty.
CAUTION
Do not let fuel spill on the exterior
surfaces of the vehicle. Because
fuel may damage the paint, be sure
to wipe off any spilled fuel quickly.
Paint damage caused by spilled fuel
is not covered under the SUBARU
Limited Warranty.
7-4

Starting and operating/Starting and stopping the engine (models without push–button start system)
. When starting the engine, be sure
to sit in the driver ’s seat (except
when using the remote engine
start system).
NOTE
. Avoid rapid racing and rapid accel-
eration immediately after the engine
has started.
. For a short time after the engine has
started, the engine speed is kept high.
When the warm-up is completed, the
engine speed lowers automatically.
. On rare occasions, it may be difficult
to start the engine depending on the
fuel and the usage condition (repeated
driving of a distance in which the
engine has not warmed up sufficiently).
In such a case, it is recommended that
you change to a different brand of fuel.
. On rare occasions, transient knock-
ing may be heard from the engine when
the accelerator is operated rapidly
such as a rapid start-up and a rapid
acceleration. This is not a malfunction.
. The engine starts more easily when
the headlights, air conditioner and rear
window defogger are turned off.
. After the engine starts, the engine
speed will be kept high until the engine
has warmed up sufficiently. !
MT models
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac-
cessories.
3. Depress the clutch pedal to the floor
and shift the shift lever into neutral. Hold
the clutch pedal to the floor while starting
the engine.
The starter motor will only operate when
the clutch pedal is depressed fully to the
floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position and check the operation of the
warning and indicator lights. Refer to
“Warning and indicator lights ”F 3-13.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately
after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, try the
following procedure.
(1) Turn the ignition switch to the
“OFF ”position and wait for at least
10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the
ignition switch to the “START”position
while depressing the accelerator pedal
slightly (approximately a quarter of the
full stroke). Release the accelerator
pedal as soon as the engine starts.
(2) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition switch back to the
“OFF”
position and wait for at least 10
seconds. Then fully depress the accel-
erator pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the “START”position. If the
engine starts, quickly release the
accelerator pedal.
(3) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch again to the “OFF”
position. After waiting for 10 seconds
or longer, turn the ignition switch to the
“START ”position without depressing
the accelerator pedal.
(4) If the engine still does not start,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
lights have turned off after the engine has
started. The fuel injection system auto-
matically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.
! CVT models
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac-
cessories.
3. Shift the select lever to the “P”or “N
”
position (preferably the “P”position).
The

starter motor will only operate when
the select lever is at the “P”or “N”position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
7-10