Subaru Forester: Driving tips / On-road and off-road driving
WARNING
- In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wearing
a seatbelt. You the driver and
all your passengers should fasten
the seatbelts before starting
to drive in order to minimize the
chance of serious injury or death.
- Do not make sharp turns and
quick maneuvers unless absolutely
unavoidable. Such actions
are dangerous as you may lose
control, possibly resulting in a
rollover which could cause death
or serious injury.
- Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden braking
or under other similar conditions.
- Whenever strong crosswinds are
present, slow down sufficiently
to maintain control of your vehicle.
Remember that your vehicle,
with its higher profile and center
of gravity, is more likely to be
affected by crosswinds than ordinary
passenger cars.
- Always use the utmost care in
driving – overconfidence because
you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive model could easily
lead to a serious accident.
Your vehicle is classified as a utility
vehicle. Utility vehicles feature a higher
ground clearance which enables them to
be used for wide applications including offroad
driving. But please keep in mind that
your vehicle is neither a conventional offroad
vehicle nor an all-terrain vehicle. A
higher center of gravity in relation to the
tread width as compared with ordinary
passenger cars makes vehicles of this
type more likely to roll over. In reality, utility
vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles. The
high ground clearance of this vehicle is a
real advantage, giving you a better view of
the road and allowing you to anticipate
problems earlier. However, remember that
your utility vehicle is not designed for highspeed
cornering comparable to ordinary
passenger cars and that your vehicle could
roll over if you make a sharp turn at high
speed.
If you take your SUBARU off-road, certain
common sense precautions such as those
in the following list should be taken.
- Make certain that you and all of your
passengers are wearing seatbelts.
- Carry some emergency equipment,
such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,
wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or
citizens band radio.
- Drive carefully. Do not take unnecessary
risks by driving in dangerous areas or
over rough terrain.
- Slow down and employ extra caution at
all times. When driving off-road, you will
not have the benefit of marked traffic
lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like.
- Do not drive across steep slopes.
Instead, drive either straight up or straight
down the slopes. A vehicle can much more
easily tip over sideways than it can end
over end. Avoid driving straight up or down
slopes that are too steep.
- Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, especially
at higher speeds.
- Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the
wheel and injure your hands. Instead drive
with your fingers and thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
- If driving through water, such as when
crossing shallow streams, first check the
depth of the water and the bottom of the
stream bed for firmness and ensure that
the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly
and cross the stream without stopping.
The water should be shallow enough that it
does not reach the vehicle’s undercarriage.
Water entering the engine air intake
or the exhaust pipe or water splashing onto
electrical parts may damage your vehicle
and may cause it to stall. Never attempt to
drive through rushing water; regardless of
its depth, it can wash away the ground
from under your tires, resulting in possible
loss of traction and even vehicle rollover.
- Always check your brakes for effectiveness
immediately after driving in sand,
mud or water. Do this by driving slowly and
stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat that
process several times to dry out the brake
discs and brake pads.
- Do not drive or park over or near
flammable materials such as dry grass or
fallen leaves, as they may burn easily. The
exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after engine
stops. This could create a fire hazard.
- After driving through tall grass, mud,
rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there is
no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand,
etc. adhering to or trapped on the underbody.
Clear off any such matter from the
underbody. If the vehicle is used with these
materials trapped or adhering to the
underbody, a mechanical breakdown or
fire could occur.
- Secure all cargo carried inside the
vehicle and make certain that it is not piled
higher than the seatbacks. During sudden
stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could be
thrown around in the vehicle and cause
injury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof.
Those loads raise the vehicle’s center of
gravity and make it more prone to tip over.
- If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelerator
pedal slightly and move the select lever
back and forth between “1”/“D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the
wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
- When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission in
2nd than 1st. For models with manual
mode, refer to “Selection of manual mode”.
- Never equip your vehicle with tires
larger than those specified in this manual.
- Wash the vehicle’s underbody after offroad
driving. Suspension components are
particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.
- Frequent driving of an AWD model
under hard-driving conditions such as
rough roads or off roads will necessitate
more frequent replacement of the following
items than that specified in the maintenance
schedule described in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your
SUBARU while operating it off-road and
not using common sense precautions
such as those listed above is not eligible
for warranty coverage.
Other information:
The climate control can be set in the
following mode.
Normal mode
Use this mode for normal climate control.
Mild mode
Use this mode for the mild airflow mode.
Power mode
Use this mode when climate control needs
to be operate to increase the comfort
quickly...
Automatic headlight beam leveler warning light
This light illuminates when the automatic
headlight beam leveler does not operate
normally.
If this light illuminates during driving, have
your vehicle inspected at your SUBARU
dealer.
LED headlight warning light
This light illuminates if the LED headlights
malfunction...