2017 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

Interior equipment/Rear view camera
Also, the image from the rear view camera
looks shorter than the actual distance.
Range of view
Image from camera
The area above the camera cannot be
viewed. If there is an object that has awide projection on its upper part such as a
sign pole behind the vehicle, the projec-
tion cannot be seen on the screen.
&
Help line
The help line (distance marker and vehicle
width line) is a guide to help you realize
the actual distance from the screen image.
1) Vehicle width line (oblique vertical line)
2) Approx. 10 feet (3 m) from the bumper
(green horizontal line)
3) Approx. 3 feet (1 m) from the bumper (yellow horizontal line)
4) Approx. 1.5 feet (0.5 m) from the bumper (red horizontal line)
5) Vehicle centerline
When the shift lever/select lever is set to
position “R”, the monitor screen displays
the help lines together with the rear view image.
CAUTION
.
When moving backward, always
check the back with your eyes
without relying on the help lines.
. The actual position may be dif-
ferent from the indication of the
help lines.
. Differences may occur due to
number of passengers or loaded
cargo.
. When the vehicle is on a slope or
when the vehicle is inclined
against the road, the indication
is different from the actual posi-
tion.
. Be sure to observe the displayed
warning message “Check Sur-
roundings Before Backing Up ”.
NOTE
If you shift to the “R ” range shortly
after turning on the ignition switch, the
warning message “Check Surround-
ings Before Backing Up ”may not be
displayed. Wait for several seconds or
more after turning on the ignition
switch before shifting to the “R ” range.
Then the warning message will be
6-20

displayed.
!Difference between screen image
and actual road
The distance markers show the distance
for a level road when the vehicle is not
loaded. It may be different from the actual
distance depending on the loading condi-
tions or road conditions. !
When there is an upward slope at
the back
1) 3 feet (1 m)
The distance on the screen looks farther
than the actual distance. !
When there is a downward slope
at the back
1) 3 feet (1 m)
The distance on the screen looks nearer
than the actual distance.
NOTE
When cargo is loaded, the rear view
distance on the screen looks farther
thantheactualdistanceasinan
upward slope.
Interior equipment/Rear view camera
–CONTINUED –6-21

Interior equipment/Rear view camera
!Feature of distance marker
1) 3 feet (1 m) line
2) 10 feet (3 m) line
The distance marker shows the distance
on the road. If there is a car or other object
close behind, distance cannot be correctly
displayed.
6-22

Fuel...................................................................... 7-3Fuel requirements ............................................... 7-3
Fuel filler lid and cap ........................................... 7-5
State emission testing (U.S. only) ...................... 7-7
Preparing to drive ............................................... 7-8
Starting and stopping the engine (models without push-button start system) .................. 7-9
Starting engine.................................................... 7-9
Stopping the engine ........................................... 7-11
Starting and stopping engine (models with
push-button start system) .............................. 7-12
Safety precautions............................................. 7-12
Operating range for push-button start system ............................................................. 7-12
Starting engine ................................................... 7-12
Stopping engine ................................................. 7-13
When access key does not operate properly ....... 7-14
Remote engine start system (dealer
option) .............................................................. 7-14
Models with “keyless access with push-button
start system ”................................................... 7-14
Models without “keyless access with push-button
start system ”................................................... 7-15
Entering the vehicle while it is running via remote start ................................................................. 7-19
Entering the vehicle following remote engine start shutdown ......................................................... 7-19
Pre-heating or pre-cooling the interior of the vehicle ............................................................. 7-19
Service mode (models without “keyless access
with push-button start system ”)........................ 7-19 Remote transmitter program (models without
“keyless access with push-button start
system ”).......................................................... 7-20
System maintenance .......................................... 7-20
Manual transmission ......................................... 7-22Shifting speeds.................................................. 7-23
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-24
Continuously variable transmission ................. 7-24Select lever....................................................... 7-25
Selection of manual mode (if equipped) .............. 7-27
Selection of “L ” (if equipped) ... .......................... 7-29
Shift lock function ............................................. 7-30
Driving tips ........................................................ 7-31
SI-DRIVE (if equipped) ....................................... 7-32Intelligent (I) mode............................................. 7-32
Sport (S) mode .................................................. 7-32
Sport Sharp (S#) mode. ...................................... 7-33
SI-DRIVE switches ............................................. 7-34
Power steering................................................... 7-34
Braking ............................................................... 7-35
Braking tips ....................................................... 7-35
Brake system .................................................... 7-36
Disc brake pad wear warning indicators ............. 7-36
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System).......................... 7-37ABS self-check.................................................. 7-37
ABS warning light .............................................. 7-37
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
system ............................................................. 7-38
Steps to take if EBD system malfunctions .......... 7-38
Vehicle Dynamics Control system.................... 7-39Vehicle Dynamics Control system monitor .......... 7-41
Starting and operating
7

Starting and operating
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF switch................. 7-41
X-mode (if equipped).......................................... 7-42To activate/deactivate the X-mode ....................... 7-43
Hill descent control function ............................... 7-44
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
(U.S.-spec. models) ......................................... 7-46
Parking your vehicle .......................................... 7-47
Parking brake..................................................... 7-47
Parking tips ....................................................... 7-48
Hill start assist system ...................................... 7-49To activate/deactivate the Hill start assist
system ............................................................. 7-50
Hill start assist warning light/Hill start assist OFF indicator light ................................................... 7-52
Cruise control (if equipped). .............................. 7-53To set cruise control.......................................... 7-53
To temporarily cancel the cruise control ............. 7-55
To turn off the cruise control .............................. 7-55
To change the cruising speed ............................. 7-55
Cruise control indicator light .............................. 7-57
Cruise control set indicator light ......................... 7-57
BSD/RCTA (if equipped).................................... 7-58System features................................................. 7-58
System operation ............................................... 7-60
BSD/RCTA approach indicator light/warning buzzer ............................................................. 7-61
BSD/RCTA warning indicator .............................. 7-63
BSD/RCTA OFF switch ....................................... 7-64
Certification for the BSD/RCTA ........................... 7-65
Handling of radar sensors .................................. 7-65
Reverse Automatic Braking System (if
equipped) ........................................................ 7-66
Reverse Automatic Braking System overview .....7-67
Operating conditions ......................................... 7-67
Reverse Automatic Braking System operation ......................................................... 7-69
Canceling the Reverse Automatic Braking system operation ......................................................... 7-72
Reverse Automatic Braking system ON/OFF setting ............................................................. 7-72
RAB warning indicator ....................................... 7-73
Handling of the sonar sensors ........................... 7-73

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

&Fuel filler lid and cap
! Refueling
Only one person should be involved in
refueling. Do not allow others to approach
the area of the vehicle near the fuel filler
pipe while refueling is in progress.
Be sure to observe any other precautions
that are posted at the service station.
1. To open the fuel filler lid, pull the lid
release lever up. The lever is on the floor
at the left of the driver ’s seat.
WARNING
Before opening the fuel filler cap,
first touch the vehicle body or a
metal portion of the fuel pump or
similar object to discharge any
static electricity that may be present
on your body. If your body is carry-
ing an electrostatic charge, there is
a possibility that an electric spark
could ignite the fuel, which could
burn you. To avoid acquiring a new
static electric charge, do not get
back into the vehicle while refueling
is in progress.
1) Open
2) Close
2. Remove the fuel filler cap by turning it
slowly counterclockwise.
WARNING
. Gasoline vapor is highly flam-
mable. Before refueling, always
first stop the engine and close all
vehicle doors and windows.
Make sure that there are no
lighted cigarettes, open flames
or electrical sparks in the adja-
cent area. Only handle fuel out-
doors. Quickly wipe up any
spilled fuel.
. When opening the cap, grasp it
firmly and turn it slowly to the
Starting and operating/Fuel
–CONTINUED –7-5