2021 SUBARU FORESTER towing

PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE
WELCOME................. 4
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INFORMATION.............. 4
OWNER’S RESOURCES....... 4
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY..... 5
TOWING YOUR ALL-WHEEL
DRIVE SUBARU............. 6
ENTRY AND EXIT
KEYLESS ENTRY............ 7
KEYLESS ACCESS WITH PUSH
BUTTON START............. 9
POWER REAR GATE (PRG)....11
INSTRUMENT PANEL........14
GETTING COMFORTABLE
SEATING...................16
TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING
COLUMN...................18
POWER EXTERIOR MIRRORS . . 18
REAR VIEW MIRROR.........19
POWER WINDOWS..........20
POWER MOONROOF........20
CLIMATE CONTROL..........21
ACCESSORY CONNECTIONS . . 27
CONTROLS
INSTRUMENT PANEL SWITCHES
(LOWER LEFT)..............28
AUDIO CONTROLS...........28
ADVANCED ADAPTIVE CRUISE
CONTROL.................29
I/SET SWITCH...............29
INFO SWITCH...............30
LIGHT CONTROLS...........30
TURN SIGNALS.............31
WINDSHIELD WIPERS........32
REAR WINDOW WIPER.......32
OVERHEAD CONSOLE........33
GAUGES AND WARNING
LIGHTS
COMBINATION METER.......34
WARNING AND INDICATOR
LIGHTS....................34
OPERATING THE VEHICLE
IGNITION SWITCH...........35
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION
SWITCH...................35
STARTING THE VEHICLE......35
DRIVING THE VEHICLE.......36
TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTO START–STOP.........38
ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE
(EPB).....................40
X-MODE
®..................41
TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE...43
REFUELING
FUEL FILLER LID............44
FUEL......................44
FUEL CAPACITY.............44
PASSENGER/CARGO AREAS
FOLDING THE REAR SEATS...45
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS.......45
LATCH/ANCHOR............46
REAR SEAT REMINDER.......47
CARGO COVER.............48
SPARE TIRE AND JACK.......48
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
HOOD PROP................49
2.5 L ENGINE...............50
ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS
NEW VEHICLE BREAK-IN......51
ENGINE OIL................51
ENGINE OIL CAPACITY.......51
ROOF RAIL CAPACITY.......52
TRAILER TOWING CAPACITY . . 52
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM (TPMS).............53
STARLINK OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW OF YOUR MULTIMEDIA
SYSTEM...................54
BUTTONS..................54
TOUCHSCREEN.............56
STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS . 57
VOICE RECOGNITION........57
STARLINK HOME
HOME SCREEN ICONS.......60
REARRANGING ICONS.......60
ADDING SHORTCUTS........61
DRIVER PROFILE
CREATING A DRIVER PROFILE . 62
MULTIMEDIA
RADIO.....................64
MEDIA.....................65
PHONE
PAIRING A PHONE...........66
MAKING A CALL.............66
RECEIVING A CALL..........67
TEXT MESSAGES............68
APPS
SUBARU STARLINK®IN-VEHICLE
APPS......................69
SUBARU STARLINK
®MOBILE
APP.......................71
MYSUBARU................73
MAPS (if equipped)
MAPS OVERVIEW............74
CREATING HOME AND WORK
PROFILES..................74
STARLINK SAFETY AND
SECURITY
SAFETY AND SECURITY
OVERVIEW.................75
ENROLLMENT..............76
MYSUBARU INTEGRATION....77
SUBARU STARLINK
®WI-FI
HOTSPOT..................77
SETTINGS AND UPDATES
SETTINGS AND UPDATES
OVERVIEW.................78
SOUND....................79
PHONE....................79
MAPS/NAVIGATION..........80
CLOCK....................82
EYESIGHT
EYESIGHT®OVERVIEW.......84
OPERATION................84
FUNCTIONS................85
STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS . 91
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING AND
PRE-COLLISION BRAKING
SYSTEM OFF SWITCHES......92
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
SUBARU STARLINK®Safety and Security(subscription required)
SOS Emergency:Press the red
“SOS” button on the overhead
console in the event of an
emergency to speak with a
SUBARU STARLINK
®Customer
Care Advisor.
Enhanced Roadside Assistance:
Press the blue “i” button on the
overhead console or select the
“Roadside Assistance” option in
the “MySubaru” menu on the
multimedia system.
For more information, please refer to “Safety and Security Overview” on page 75 or
the SUBARU STARLINK®Safety and Security Owner’s Manual.
Subaru Roadside Assistance
Subaru Roadside Assistance:
1-800-261-2155
Subaru Roadside Assistance is free and standard on your Subaru; there are no forms to
complete. This service is available anytime during the 3-year/36,000-mile Subaru Limited
Warranty, whichever comes first. See your retailer for details and refer to the Roadside
Assistance guide in the owner’s information kit for the details on this coverage. A Subaru
Roadside Assistance decal has been affixed to the driver’s door window.
Roadside assistance helps with:
• Towing to the nearest authorized Subaru retailer if you cannot safely drive your Subaru
• Jump-start if your battery is dead
• Gasoline delivery if you run out of gas
• Flat tire change to install your spare
• Emergency lockout service
• National Subaru retailer locator service, with phone numbers and location of the nearest
retailer anywhere in the U.S. or Canada
NOTE: Specifically excluded from Subaru Roadside Assistance coverage are service
requests or claims resulting from: accidents, vandalism, acts of God, violation of any laws,
or vehicle modifications not recommended by the manufacturer.
SOS and Roadside Assistance Buttons
PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE
5

TOWING YOUR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SUBARU
Since Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive distributes power to all four wheels, improper
towing may damage your AWD system. The best way to tow your Forester is with a flatbed
truck by your Subaru retailer or a commercial towing service.
PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE
6

CARGO COVER(if equipped)
Use the detachable cargo cover to protect
contents in the cargo area from direct sunlight.
Pull the cover toward the rear of your Subaru
and insert both ends of the cover into the
guides.
Store the cover under the floor of the cargo
area when not in use. Instructions for
operation are included on the cargo cover
housing.
SPARE TIRE AND JACK
A jack and other maintenance tools are stored
in the tool bucket in the center of the spare
tire, located under the cargo floor.
Your vehicle is equipped with the following
maintenance tools.
• Jack
• Jack handle
• Screwdriver
• Towing hook (eye bolt)
• Wheel nut wrench
For more information, please refer to “Maintenance Tools” in your Owner’s Manual.
Cargo Area and Cover
PASSENGER/CARGO AREAS
48

ROOF RAIL CAPACITY
CROSS BARS DYNAMIC ROOF RAILS DYNAMIC ROOF RAIL STATIC
150 Pounds 176 Pounds 700 Pounds
For more information, please refer to your Owner’s Manual.
TRAILER TOWING CAPACITY
Maximum total trailer weight* Maximum tongue weight*
1,500 pounds 150 pounds
*Towing a trailer with brakes.
NOTE:
• For models equipped with the BSD (Blind Spot Detection) and RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic
Alert) driving support systems, when towing a trailer, it may be necessary to press the
BSD/RCTA OFF switch to deactivate the system. The system may not operate as
expected due to obstruction of the radar waves. For details about the BSD/RCTA OFF
switch, refer to page 94 and/or your Owner’s Manual.
• For models equipped with the RAB (Reverse Automatic Braking) driving support system,
when towing a trailer, it may be necessary to press the RAB button to deactivate the
system. The system may not operate as expected due to obstruction of the sonar
waves. For details about the RAB button, refer to page 95 and/or your Owner’s Manual.
Please refer to your Owner’s Manual for complete details, especially if you plan to use
this vehicle for regular towing.
ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS
52

STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS . . . . . 57
Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control . . 91
Customizing EyeSight
®Settings . . . 92
STEREO CAMERA PRECAUTIONS . . 101
SUBARU STARLINK
®IN-VEHICLE
APPS . . . . . . . . . . . ....... 69
aha™ by HARMAN . . . . . . .....69
Android Auto™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Apple CarPlay
®.............70
Pandora®................69
SiriusXM®Travel Link . .........70
SUBARU STARLINK®MOBILE APP . . 71
Chimani . . . . . . . . .........72
eBird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Quick Reference Guide........71
Yelp....................71
SUBARU STARLINK
®WI-FI HOTSPOT . 77
T
TEXT MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING
COLUMN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM
(TPMS).................. 53
TOUCHSCREEN . . . . . . ........ 56
TOWING YOUR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
SUBARU . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 6
TRAILER TOWING CAPACITY...... 52TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE...... 43
Without Push-button Ignition.....43
With Push-button Ignition . ......43
TURN SIGNALS . . . . . ......... 31
V
VOICE RECOGNITION .......... 57
Common Commands . . . . . . . . . . 58
Tips....................58
W
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS . . 34
WELCOME.................. 4
WI-FI.................... 120
Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network . . . 120
Wi-Fi Hotspot Subscription . . . . . 121
WINDSHIELD GLASS AND
DASHBOARD . . . . . . ....... 101
WINDSHIELD WIPERS .......... 32
X
X-MODE
®................. 41
Hill Descent Control (HDC).......42
X-MODE
®Dual Mode System . . . . . 42
X-MODE®Standard System......42
INDEX
134