2017 SUBARU FORESTER four wheel drive

Instruments and controls/Ignition switch (models without push–button start system)
Ignition switch (models with-
out push-button start sys-
tem)
WARNING
. Never turn the ignition switch to
the “LOCK ”position while the
vehicle is being driven or towed
because that will lock the steer-
ing wheel, preventing steering
control. And when the engine is
turned off, it takes a much great-
er effort than usual to steer.
. Before leaving the vehicle, al-
ways remove the key from the
ignition switch for safety and
never allow an unattended child
to remain in the vehicle. Failure
to follow this procedure could
result in injury to a child or
others. Children could operate
the power windows, the moon-
roof or other controls or even
make the vehicle move.
CAUTION
Do not attach a large key holder or
key case to either key. If it banged
against your knees or hands while
you are driving, it could turn the
ignition switch from the “ON ”posi-
tion to the “ACC ”or “LOCK ”posi-
tion, thereby stopping the engine.
Also, if the key is attached to a
keyholder or to a large bunch of
other keys, centrifugal force may act
on it as the vehicle moves, resulting
in unwanted turning of the ignition
switch.
The ignition switch has four positions:
LOCK, ACC, ON and START.
NOTE
. Keep the ignition switch in the
“ LOCK ”position when the engine is
not running.
. Using electrical accessories for a
long time with the ignition switch in the
“ ON ”or “ACC ”position can cause the
battery to go dead.
. If the ignition switch will not move
from the “LOCK ”position to the “ACC ”
position, turn the steering wheel
slightly to the left and right as you turn
the ignition switch.
& LOCK
The key can only be inserted or removed
in this position. The ignition switch will lock
the steering wheel when you remove the
key.
If turning the key is difficult, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the right and left
as you turn the key.
3-4

Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
as the malfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of
reasons, including the installation of re-
placement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
Should the warning light illuminate stea-
dily after blinking for approximately one
minute, have the system inspected by
your nearest SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
If this light does not illuminate
briefly after the ignition switch is
turned ON or the light illuminates
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly and keepdriving 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 min-
ute, promptly contact a SUBARU
dealer to have the system inspected.
CAUTION
The tire pressure monitoring system
is NOT a substitute for manually
checking tire pressure. The tire
pressure should be checked peri-
odically (at least monthly) using a
tire gauge. After any change to tire
pressure(s), the tire pressure mon-
itoring system will not re-check tire
inflation pressures until the vehicle
is first driven more than 25 mph (40
km/h). After adjusting the tire pres-
sures, increase the vehicle speed to
at least 25 mph (40 km/h) to start the
TPMS re-checking of the tire infla-
tion pressures. If the tire pressures
are now above the severe low
pressure threshold, the low tire
pressure warning light should turn
off a few minutes later. Therefore, be
sure to install the specified size for
the front and rear tires.
3-20

&Hill start assist warning
light/Hill start assist
OFF indicator light
!Hill start assist warning light
While the engine is running, if there are
any malfunctions in the Hill start assist
system, the warning light will illuminate.
WARNING
When the Hill start assist warning
light illuminates, have the vehicle
inspected at an authorized SUBARU
dealer.
! Hill start assist OFF indicator light
While the Hill start assist system is
deactivated, the Hill start assist OFF
indicator light illuminates continuously to
inform the driver that the Hill start assist
system is not operational.
&Door open warning
light
The warning light illuminates if any door or
the rear gate is not fully closed. This
function is effective even if the ignition
switch is in the “LOCK”/ “OFF”or “ACC ”
position, or the key is removed from the ignition switch.
Always make sure this light is not illumi-
nated before you start to drive.
&All-Wheel Drive warn-
ing light (CVT models)
This light flashes if the vehicle is driven
with tires of differing diameters fitted on
the wheels or with an excessively low air
pressure in any of the tires.
WARNING
If the AWD warning light flashes,
promptly park in a safe location then
check whether all four tires are the
same diameter and whether any of
the tires has a puncture or has lost
air pressure for some other reason.
Continuing to drive with the AWD
warning light flashing can lead to
powertrain damage.
&Power steering warn-
ing light
This warning light illuminates when the
ignition switch is turned to the
“ON ”
position and turns off after the engine
has started. This indicates that the warn-
ing system is working properly. While the engine is running, this warning
light illuminates when a malfunction has
been detected in the electric power steer-
ing system.
CAUTION
When the power steering warning
light is illuminated, there may be
more resistance when the steering
wheel is operated. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and
have the vehicle inspected immedi-
ately.
NOTE
If the steering wheel is operated in the
following ways, the power steering
control system may temporarily limit
the power assist in order to prevent the
system components, such as the con-
trol computer and drive motor, from
overheating.
.
The steering wheel is operated fre-
quently and turned sharply while the
vehicle is maneuvered at extremely low
speeds, such as while frequently turn-
ing the steering wheel during parallel
parking.
. The steering wheel remains in the
fully turned position for a long period
of time.
Instruments and controls/Warning and indicator lights
–CONTINUED –3-23

Starting and operating/Preparing to drive
.A vehiclefails the OBDII inspection if
the “CHECK ENGINE ”warning light is not
properly operating (light is illuminated or is
not working due to a burned out bulb) or
there is one or more diagnostic trouble
codes stored in the vehicle’ s computer.
. A state emission inspection may reject
(not pass or fail) a vehicle if the number of
OBDII system readiness monitors “NOT
READY ”is greater than one. If the
vehicle’ s battery has been recently re-
placed or disconnected, the OBDII system
inspection may indicate that the vehicle is
not ready for the emission test. Under this
condition, the vehicle driver should be
instructed to drive his/her vehicle for a few
days to reset the readiness monitors and
return for an emission re-inspection.
. Owners of rejected or failing vehicles
should contact their SUBARU Dealer for
service.
Some states still use dynamometers in
their emission inspection program. A
dynamometer is a treadmill or roller-like
testing device that allows your vehicle ’s
wheels to turn while the vehicle remains in
one place. Prior to your vehicle being put
on a dynamometer, tell your emission
inspector
not to place your SUBARU
AWD vehicle on a two-wheel dynam-
ometer. Otherwise, serious transmis-
sion damage will result. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and states using two-wheel
dynamometers in their emission testing
program have EXEMPTED SUBARU
AWD vehicles from the portion of the
testing program that involves a two-wheel
dynamometer. There are some states that
use four-wheel dynamometers in their
testing program. When properly used, this
equipment should not damage a SUBARU
AWD vehicle.
Under no circumstances should the rear
wheels be jacked off the ground, nor
should the driveshaft be disconnected for
state emission testing.
Preparing to drive
You should perform the following checks
and adjustments every day before you
start driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, and
lights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and condition
of the tires. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks and check that no small animal is
under the vehicle.
4. Check that no small animal enters the
engine compartment.
5. Check that the hood and rear gate are
fully closed.
6. Check the adjustment of the seat.
7. Check the adjustment of the inside
and outside mirrors.
8. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that your
passengers have fastened their seatbelts.
9. Check the operation of the warning
and indicator lights when the ignition
switch is turned to the
“ON ”position.
10. Check the gauges, indicator and warn-
ing lights after starting the engine.
7-8

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

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/Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.–spec. models)
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec.
models)
Low tire pressure warning light (type A)
Low tire pressure warning light (type B)
The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message.
The tire pressure monitoring system will
activate only when the vehicle is driven at
speeds above 25 mph (40 km/h). Also,
this system may not react immediately to a
sudden drop in tire pressure (for example,
a blow-out caused by running over a
sharp object).
WARNING
. If the low tire pressure warning
light illuminates while driving,
never brake suddenly. Instead,
perform the following procedure.
Otherwise, an accident involving
serious vehicle damage and ser-
ious personal injury could occur.
(1) Keep driving straight ahead while gradually reducing
speed.
(2) Slowly pull off the road to a safe location.
(3) Check the pressure for all four tires and adjust the pressure
to the COLD tire pressure
shown on the tire placard.
The tire placard is located on
the door pillar on the driver ’s
side. Even when the vehicle is driven a
very short distance, the tires get
warm and their pressures in-
crease accordingly. Be sure to
let the tires cool thoroughly be-
fore adjusting their pressures to
the standard values shown on
the tire placard. Refer to “Tires
and wheels” F11-23. The tire
pressure monitoring system
does not function when the ve-
hicle is stationary. After adjusting
the tire pressures, increase the
vehicle speed to at least 25 mph
(40 km/h) to start the TPMS
rechecking of the tire inflation
pressures. If the tire pressures
are now above the severe low
pressure threshold, the low tire
pressure warning light should
turn off a few minutes later.
If this light still illuminates while
driving after adjusting the tire
pressure, a tire may have signifi-
cant 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/trans-
7-46

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