2017 SUBARU FORESTER tow

Interior equipment/Sun visors
the lights turn off immediately.
.The ignition switch is turned from the
“LOCK”/ “OFF ”position to the “ACC”or
“ON ”position.
. All doors and the rear gate are locked
using the keyless access function (if
equipped).
. All doors and the rear gate are locked
using the remote keyless entry system.
The setting for the period of time in which
the lights remain on (OFF delay timer) can
be changed by a SUBARU dealer. Con-
tact your SUBARU dealer for details. For
models with multi function display, the
setting can be changed by operating the
multi function display. For details, refer to
“Interior light off delay timer setting ”F 3-
84.Sun visors
To block out glare, swing down the visors.
To use the sun visor at a side window,
swing it down and move it sideways.
& Sun visor extension plate
With the sun visor positioned over the side
window, you can use the sun visor
extension plate to prevent glare through
the gap between the sun visor and center
pillar. To use the extension plate, pull it
toward the rear of the vehicle. When you
have finished using it, stow it by pushing it
toward the front of the vehicle.
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&To remove the cover housing
1. Rewind the cover.
2. Push the cover housing to the right
side and shorten it.
3. Take it off the retainer.
&Stowage of the cargo area
cover
The cargo area cover can be stowed in
under the cargo floor.
1. Pull the strap to open the center part of
the cargo floor lid, and then remove the lid.
2. Remove the left and right parts of the
cargo floor lid.
3. Stow the cover housing in the cargo
area end.
Interior equipment/Cargo area cover
–CONTINUED –6-15

is displayed.
1. Set the ignition switch to“ON”.
2. Set the shift lever/select lever to “R”.
NOTE
. For models with the genuine
SUBARU navigation or audio system,
while the navigation system is acti-
vated, the image of the rear view
camera will not be displayed. However,
the image of the rear view camera has
priority over other screen displays.
. The image of the rear view camera
has priority over other screen displays.
. The image of the rear view camera is
horizontally reversed as is the case
with the vehicle rearview mirror or the
side view mirror.
. It may be difficult to see the image of
the rear view camera in the following
cases. This is not a malfunction of the
camera.
–The vehicle is used for towing or
a trailer hitch is installed.
– The vehicle is in a dark place (at
night, in a tunnel, etc.).
– The vehicle is in an extremely hot
or cold place.
– An object (such as raindrops,
snow, dirt, etc.) that disturbs the
view of the rear view camera sticks to the lens of the camera.
–
Strong light shined directly on
the camera lens (occasionally, there
are vertical lines on the screen).& Viewing range on the screen
CAUTION
The range that can be viewed with
the rear view camera is limited.
Always be sure to check with your
eyes when moving backward and
proceed slowly.
Range of view
Range of view
Image from camera
The area from the rear end of the bumper
can be viewed. Areas at both ends of the
bumper and areas just under the bumper
cannot be viewed.
Interior equipment/Rear view camera
–CONTINUED –6-19

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

.Never move the vehicle rearward
by inertia with the select lever set
in a forward driving position or
move the vehicle forward by
inertia with the select lever set
in the “R ” position. Doing so may
result in an unexpected accident
or malfunction.
. Avoid shifting from one of the
forward driving positions into the
“ R ” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-
sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the “P ” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the select
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE
. When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift or downshift at higher engine
speeds than when the coolant tempera-
ture is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveability. The gearshift timing will
automatically shift to the normal timing
after the engine has warmed up.
.
Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation
of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
. When driving a CVT model under
continuous heavy load conditions such
as when towing a camper or climbing a
long, steep hill, the engine speed or the
vehicle speed may automatically be
reduced. This is not a malfunction. This
phenomenon results from the engine
control function maintaining the cool-
ing performance of the vehicle. The
engine and vehicle speed will return to
a normal speed when the engine is able
to maintain the optimum cooling per-
formance after the heavy load de-
creases. Driving under a heavy load
must be performed with extreme care.
Do not try to pass a vehicle in front
when driving on an uphill slope while
towing. .
The continuously variable transmis-
sion is a chain type system that
provides superior transmission effi-
ciency for maximum fuel economy. At
times, depending on varying driving
conditions, a chain operating noise
may be heard that is characteristic of
this type of system.
& Select lever
Type A
1) Select lever button
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED –
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Starting and operating/SI–DRIVE
SI-DRIVE (if equipped)
SI-DRIVE (SUBARU Intelligent Drive)
works to maximize engine performance,
control and efficiency.
This system consists of three modes:
Intelligent (I), Sport (S), and Sport Sharp
(S#). By operating the SI-DRIVE switches,
the character of the power unit changes.
&Intelligent (I) mode
! For smooth, efficient performance
driving
Type A combination meter
Type B combination meter
The linear acceleration characteristic of
the Intelligent (I) mode is ideal for normal
driving usage.
The Intelligent (I) mode provides well-
balanced performance with greater fuel
efficiency and smooth driveability without
stress. Power delivery is moderate during
acceleration for maximum fuel efficiency.
This is ideal for around-town driving and
situations that do not require full power
output. It provides better control in difficult
driving conditions, such as slippery roads
or loose surfaces, due to gentler throttle
response.
&Sport (S) mode
! For all-around performance driving
Type A combination meter
Type B combination meter
The Sport (S) mode provides the engine
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2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Check the brake fluid level. For details
about checking the brake fluid level, refer
to“Checking the fluid level ”F 11-18.
. If the brake fluid level is not below the
“MIN ”mark, the EBD system may be
malfunctioning. Drive carefully to the
nearest SUBARU dealer and have the
system inspected.
. If the brake fluid level is below the
“ MIN ”mark, DO NOT drive the vehicle.
Instead, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for repair.
WARNING
. Driving with the brake system
warning light illuminated is dan-
gerous. This indicates your brake
system may not be working
properly. If the light remains
illuminated, have the brakes in-
spected by a SUBARU dealer
immediately.
. If at all in doubt about whether
the brakes are operating prop-
erly, do not drive the vehicle.
Have your vehicle towed to the
nearest SUBARU dealer for re-
pair.
Vehicle Dynamics Control
system
WARNING
Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence because
you are driving a vehicle with the
Vehicle Dynamics Control system
could easily lead to a serious acci-
dent.
CAUTION
. Even if your vehicle is equipped
with Vehicle Dynamics Control
system, winter tires should be
used when driving on snow-cov-
ered or icy roads; in addition,
vehicle speed should be reduced
considerably. Simply having a
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem does not guarantee that the
vehicle will be able to avoid
accidents in any situation.
. Activation of the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control system is an
indication that the road being
travelled on has a slippery sur-
face; since having Vehicle Dy- namics Control is no guarantee
that full vehicle control will be
maintained at all times and under
all conditions, its activation
should be seen as a sign that
the speed of the vehicle should
be reduced considerably.
. Whenever suspension compo-
nents, steering components, or
an axle are removed from a
vehicle, have an inspection of
that system performed by an
authorized SUBARU dealer.
. The following precautions should
be observed in order to ensure
that the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system 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
vehicle placard attached to
the driver ’s side door pillar.
– Use only the specified tem-
porary spare tire to replace a
flat tire. With a temporary
spare tire, the effectiveness
Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
–CONTINUED –7-39

Starting and operating/Vehicle Dynamics Control system
of the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system is reduced and
this should be taken into ac-
count when driving the vehi-
cle in such a condition.
. If non-matching tires are used,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system may not operate cor-
rectly.
. The Vehicle Dynamics Control
system helps prevent unstable
vehicle motion such as skidding
using control of the brakes and
engine power. Do not turn off the
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem unless it is absolutely ne-
cessary. If you must turn off the
Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem, drive very carefully accord-
ing to the road surface condition.
In the event of wheelspin and/or skidding
on a slippery road surface and/or during
cornering and/or an evasive maneuver,
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
adjusts the engine’ s output and the
wheels’ respective braking forces to help
maintain traction and directional control.
. Traction Control Function
The traction control function is designed to
prevent spinning of the driving wheels on slippery road surfaces, thereby helping to
maintain traction and directional control.
Activation of this function is shown by
flashing the Vehicle Dynamics Control
operation indicator light.
.
Skid Suppression Function
The skid suppression function is designed
to help maintain directional stability by
suppressing the wheels’ tendency to slide
sideways during steering operations. Acti-
vation of this function is shown by flashing
of the Vehicle Dynamics Control operation
indicator light.
NOTE
. The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem may be considered normal when
the following conditions occur.
–Slight twitching of the brake
pedal is felt.
– The vehicle or steering wheel
shakes to a small degree.
– An operating sound from the
engine compartment is heard
briefly when starting the engine
and when driving off after starting
the engine.
– The brake pedal seems to jolt
when driving off after starting the
engine. .
In the circumstances shown in the
following list, the vehicle may be less
stable than it feels to the driver. The
Vehicle Dynamics Control System may
therefore operate. Such operation does
not indicate a system malfunction.
–on gravel-covered or rutted
roads
– on unfinished roads
– when the vehicle is towing a
trailer
– when the vehicle is fitted with
snow tires or winter tires
. Activation of the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will cause operation of
the steering wheel to feel slightly
different compared to that for normal
conditions.
. It is always important to reduce
speed when approaching a corner,
even if your vehicle is equipped with
the Vehicle Dynamics Control system.
. Always turn off the engine before
replacing a tire. Failure to do so may
render the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system unable to operate correctly.
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