Subaru Forester: Driving tips
Do not drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to hold your vehicle at a standstill on an upgrade. Either of those actions may cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the shift lever. This may cause wear on the transmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle speed due to slow traffic, turning corners, or driving up steep hills, downshift to a lower gear before the engine starts to labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the transmission to 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as necessary; this helps to maintain a safe speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking effect. Remember, if you “ride” (over use) the brakes while descending a hill, they may overheat and not work properly.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This phenomenon is not an indication of a problem in your vehicle.
Maximum allowable speeds
The following tables show the maximum speeds that are possible with each different gear. Never exceed the speed limit listed in the following table for each gear position except for brief acc ...Automatic transmission
The automatic transmission is electronically controlled and provides 4 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has a manual mode and a SPORT mode. Do not shift from the “P” or “N ...See also:
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Rotating parts of the engine
can cause
serious injury. Take extreme care
when working near rotating parts of
the engine.
Before attempting to start the disabled
vehicle, make sure that the par ...
Hill start assist warning light
Refer to “Hill start assist warning light (MT
models)”. ...
Battery charge (red)
Battery charge (red)
Illuminates briefly when the
ignition is switched on and
extinguishes when the engine is
started. If the lamp remains on or illuminates
while driving, there is a fault with ...