Subaru Forester: Trailer towing tips / Driving on grades
- Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift to a lower gear (if necessary,
use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent overheating
of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts.
- When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating.
- When driving uphill in hot weather, pay
attention to the following indicators because
the engine and transmission are
relatively prone to overheating.
: Coolant temperature high
warning light
: AT OIL TEMP warning light
If the coolant temperature high warning
light and/or the AT OIL TEMP warning light
illuminates, immediately turn off the air
conditioner and stop the vehicle in the
nearest safe location. For further instructions
and additional information, refer to
the following sections.
- “If you park your vehicle in case of
an emergency”
- “Engine overheating”
- “Coolant temperature low indicator
light/Coolant temperature high warning
light”
- “AT OIL TEMP warning light”
- Avoid using the accelerator pedal to
stay stationary on an uphill slope instead of
using the parking brake or foot brake. That
may cause the transmission fluid to overheat.
Always block the wheels under both
vehicle and trailer when parking. Apply
the parking brake firmly. You should not
park on a hill or slope. If parking on a hill or
slope cannot be avoided, you should take
the following steps:
Apply the brakes and hold the pedal
down...
Other information:
When the alarm system is armed, it is
triggered by the opening any of the doors,
the rear gate or engine hood.
The alarm system will activate the following
alarms when triggered.
The vehicle’s horn will sound for 30
seconds.
The hazard warning flashers will flash
for 30 seconds...
: Front passenger’s frontal
airbag ON
indicator lights
: Front passenger’s frontal
airbag OFF
indicator lights
The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag...