Get Instruments and controls -> Warning and indicator Guide for Subaru Forester SUV 2024

Warning and indicator

168

: CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-

function indicator light

Consult your authorized SUBARU dealer

for repair.

3-6. Warning and indicator

& Initial illumination for system

: Coolant temperature low indicator

light/Coolant temperature high warn-

ing light

& Seatbelt warning light

check

and chime

Several of the warning and indicator lights

illuminate when the ignition switch is

initially turned to the “ON” position. This

permits checking the operation of the

bulbs.

Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt

warning device at the driver’s and passen-

ger’s seats, as required by current safety

standards.

: Charge warning light

: Oil pressure warning light

: AT OIL TEMP warning light

! Driver’s and front passenger’sseats

Apply the parking brake and turn the

ignition switch to the “ON” position. For

the system check, several of the following

lights illuminate and then turn off after

several seconds or after the engine has

started.

: Seatbelt warning light (The seatbelt

warning light turns off only when the

driver fastens the seatbelt.)/Front pas-

senger’s seatbelt warning light (The

seatbelt warning light turns off only

when the front seat passenger fastens

the seatbelt.)

: Low tire pressure warning light (U.S.-

spec. models)

With the ignition switch turned to the “ON”

position, this device reminds the driver and

front passenger to fasten their seatbelts by

illuminating the warning lights in the loca-

tions indicated in the following illustration

and sounding a chime.

: ABS warning light

: Brake system warning light

: Electronic parking brake light

: Low fuel warning light

: AWD warning light

: Power steering warning light

: Vehicle Dynamics Control warning light/

Vehicle Dynamics Control operation

indicator light

: Rear seatbelt warning light

: SRS airbag system warning light

: Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF indicator

light

: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

indicator light

If any lights fail to illuminate, it indicates a

burned-out bulb or a malfunction of the

corresponding system.

: Front passenger’s frontal airbag

OFF indicator light

Driver’s seat

^{Warning and indicator}169

– The warning light will blink, and

the warning chime will make a

peep sound when driving be-

tween approximately 4 mph (6

km/h) and 13 mph (20 km/h). The

warning chime will stop when the

vehicle stops.

– The warning light will blink, and

the warning chime will sound

loudly when 15 seconds have

elapsed while driving between

approximately 4 mph (6 km/h)

and 13 mph (20 km/h).

– The warning light will blink, and

the warning chime will sound

loudly when driving approxi-

mately more than 13 mph (20

km/h).

The warning light will turn off and the

warning chime will stop when the

seatbelt is fastened.

CAUTION

Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may prevent the

device from functioning correctly or

cause the device to fail.

Do not install any accessory such

as a table or TV onto the seat-

back.

Do not store a heavy load in the

seatback pocket.

Do not allow the rear seat occu-

pant to place his/her hands or

legs on the front passenger’s

seatback, or allow him/her to pull

the seatback.

Front passenger’s seat

! Operation

When the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON” position, the driver’s and/or front

passenger’s warning light will illuminate,

then it will blink for several seconds. If the

seatbelt of the driver’s seat is not fastened,

the warning chime may make a peep

sound.

Do not use front seats with their

backward-forward position and

seatback not being locked into

place securely. If any of them are

not locked securely, adjust them

again. For adjusting procedure,

refer to “Manual seat” �P33.

If there is no passenger on the front

passenger’s seat, the seatbelt warning

system for the front passenger’s seat will

be deactivated. The front passenger’s

seatbelt warning system monitors whether

or not there is a passenger on the front

passenger’s seat.

NOTE

If the driver’s and/or front passen-

ger’s seatbelt(s) are/is not fastened

while driving, the seatbelt warning

system operates as follows accord-

ing to the vehicle speed.

If the seatbelt warning system for the front

passenger’s seat does not function cor-

rectly (e.g., it is activated even when the

front passenger’s seat is empty or it is

deactivated even when the front passen-

ger has not fastened his/her seatbelt), take

the following actions.

– The warning light will illuminate

when driving approximately 4

mph (6 km/h) or less.

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Warning and indicator

170

Ensure that no article is placed on the

seat other than a child restraint system

and its child occupant, although we

strongly recommend that all children sit

in the rear seat properly restrained.

Ensure that there is no article left in the

seatback pocket.

Ensure that the backward-forward po-

sition and seatback of front passen-

ger’s seat are locked into place se-

curely by moving the seat back and

forth.

lowing circumstances.

! Rear passenger’s seats

–

When cushions or child re-

straint systems, etc., are used

–

When a child or small adult is

sitting in the seat

Observe the following precau-

tions

–

Do not apply any strong im-

pact to the rear seat.

–

Do not fold the seatback for-

ward when objects are on the

seat.

If still the seatbelt warning system for front

passenger’s seat does not function cor-

rectly after taking relevant corrective ac-

tions described above, immediately con-

tact your SUBARU dealer for an inspec-

tion.

–

Do not spill liquid on the rear

seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it

off immediately.

Rear left seat

Rear center seat

Rear right seat

Do not remove or disassemble

the rear seat.

With the ignition switch turned to the “ON”

position, the seatbelt warning light and

chime reminds the rear passenger to

fasten their seatbelt by illuminating the

warning lights in the locations indicated in

the above illustration and sounding a

chime.

NOTE

The seatbelt warning system of the

rear seat detects if the seat is

occupied by a passenger. Heavy

cargo or large pets on the rear seat

may result in the activation of the

passenger seatbelt warning light

and chime. Fastening the rear seat-

belt prior to loading cargo or large

pets will avoid activating the pas-

senger seatbelt warning light and

chime.

WARNING

The driver must check that all the

passengers have fastened their

seatbelts properly since the seat-

belt warning system may not

detect passengers under the fol-

^{Warning and indicator}171

When folding the rear seat, ensure

that the seat is empty prior to fold-

ing. Items caught between the seat

bottom and seatback, when folded,

may damage the seat surface or

activate the passenger seatbelt

warning light and chime.

sound for 15 seconds, and it then

will become louder and continue

for 35 seconds. The warning light

will blink for 50 seconds, then it

will illuminate steadily and the

chime will stop.

less a technician checks and repairs

the system as needed, the seatbelt

pretensioners and/or the SRS airbag

will not operate properly in the event

of a collision, which may result in

injury.

– When driving more than approxi-

mately 13 mph (20 km/h), if seat-

belts are not fastened for 35

seconds, the warning lights of

the unfastened seatbelts will

blink and a chime will sound

loudly. If the rear seatbelts are

not fastened after 35 seconds,

the blinking warning light will

illuminate steadily and the chime

will stop. The warning lights will

continue to illuminate until their

seatbelts are fastened.

Flashing or flickering of the warn-

ing light

! Operation

No illumination of the warning

light when the ignition switch is

first turned to the “ON” position

If passengers in the rear seats do not

fasten their seatbelts while the ignition

switch is turned to the “ON” position, the

seatbelt warning lights will illuminate or

blink to indicate that their seatbelts are not

fastened.

Continuous illumination of the

warning light

Illumination of the warning light

while driving

NOTE

If the rear passenger’s seatbelt(s)

are/is still not fastened while driving,

the seatbelt warning system oper-

ates as follows according to the

vehicle speed.

For details about the components mon-

itored by the warning light, refer to “SRS

airbag system monitors” �P105.

The warning light will turn off and the

warning chime will stop when the

seatbelt is fastened.

– The warning light will illuminate

when driving approximately 4

mph (6 km/h) or less.

– When driving approximately be-

tween 4 mph (6 km/h) and 13 mph

(20 km/h), if the seatbelts are not

fastened for 50 seconds, the

seatbelt warning lights will blink

and a warning chime will sound.

The chime will make a peep

& SRS airbag system

warning light

WARNING

If the warning light exhibits any of

the following conditions, immedi-

ately stop the vehicle in a safe place,

and consult a SUBARU dealer. Un-

– CONTINUED –

Warning and indicator

172

airbag determined by the SUBARU ad-

vanced frontal airbag system monitoring.

If the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

is activated, the passenger’s frontal airbag

ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF

indicator will remain off.

If the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

is deactivated, the passenger’s frontal

airbag ON indicator will remain off while

the OFF indicator will illuminate.

paired as necessary could cause

serious damage, which may not be

covered by your vehicle’s warranty.

& Front passenger’s frontal air-

bag ON and OFF indicators

If this light illuminates steadily or blinks

while the engine is running, it may indicate

that there is at least one problem or

potential problem somewhere in the emis-

sion control system.

! If the light illuminates steadily

With the ignition switch turned to the “ON”

position, if both the ON and OFF indicators

remain illuminated or off simultaneously

even after the system check period, the

system is malfunctioning. Contact your

SUBARU dealer immediately for an in-

spection.

If the light illuminates steadily while driving

or does not turn off after the engine starts,

an emission control system malfunction

has been detected.

You should have your vehicle checked by

an authorized SUBARU dealer immedi-

ately.

: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

indicator

: Front passenger’s frontal airbag OFF

indicator

& CHECK ENGINE warn-

ing light/Malfunction

indicator light

NOTE

The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

and OFF indicators show you the status of

the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.

This light also illuminates when the fuel

filler cap is not tightened until it clicks.

If you have recently refueled your vehicle,

the cause of the CHECK ENGINE warning

light/malfunction indicator light illuminating

could be a loose or missing fuel filler cap.

Remove the cap and retighten it until it

clicks. Make sure nothing is interfering with

the sealing of the cap. Tightening the cap

will not make the CHECK ENGINE warn-

ing light turn off immediately. It may take

several driving trips. If the light does not

CAUTION

The indicator is displayed near the map

lights.

If the CHECK ENGINE warning light/

Malfunction indicator light illumi-

nates while you are driving, have

your vehicle checked/repaired by

your SUBARU dealer as soon as

possible. Continued vehicle opera-

tion without having the emission

control system checked and re-

When the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON” position, both the ON and OFF

indicators illuminate for 6 seconds during

which time the system is checked. Follow-

ing the system check, both indicators turn

off for 2 seconds. After that, one of the

indicators illuminates depending on the

status of the front passenger’s SRS frontal

^{Warning and indicator}173

turn off, take your vehicle to your author-

ized SUBARU dealer immediately.

ing. After that, have the sys-

tem checked by your nearest

SUBARU dealer. Refer to “En-

gine overheating” �P434.

& Coolant temperature

low indicator light/

Coolant temperature

high warning light

! If the light is blinking

If the light is blinking while driving, an

engine misfire condition has been de-

tected which may damage the emission

control system.

To prevent serious damage to the emis-

sion control system, you should do the

following.

–

Blinking in RED and BLUE

alternately:

The electrical system may be

malfunctioning. Contact your

SUBARU dealer for an inspec-

tion.

CAUTION

After turning the ignition switch

to the “ON” position, if this

indicator light/warning light be-

haves in any of the following

ways, the electrical system may

be malfunctioning. Contact your

SUBARU dealer immediately for

an inspection.

Reduce vehicle speed.

Avoid hard acceleration.

Avoid steep uphill grades.

Reduce the amount of cargo, if possi-

ble.

This coolant temperature low indicator

light/coolant temperature high warning

light has the following three functions.

Illumination in BLUE indicates insuffi-

cient warming up of the engine.

Blinking in RED indicates that the

engine is close to overheating.

Illumination in RED indicates overheat-

ing condition of the engine.

–

It remains blinking in RED.

Stop towing a trailer as soon as

possible.

It remains illuminated in RED

for more than 2 seconds.

The CHECK ENGINE warning light may

stop blinking and illuminate steadily after

several driving trips. You should have your

vehicle checked by an authorized

SUBARU dealer immediately.

–

It remains blinking in RED and

BLUE alternately.

While driving, if this indicator

light/warning light behaves in

any of the following ways, take

the specified appropriate mea-

sure listed below.

For a system check, this indicator light/

warning light illuminates in RED for ap-

proximately 2 seconds when the ignition

switch is turned to the “ON” position. After

that, this indicator light/warning light

changes to BLUE and maintains illumina-

tion in BLUE. This BLUE illuminated light

turns off when the engine is warmed up

sufficiently.

–

Blinking or illuminated in

RED:

Safely stop the vehicle as

soon as possible, and refer to

the emergency steps to take in

the case of engine overheat-

– CONTINUED –

Warning and indicator

174

If the engine coolant temperature in-

creases over the specified range, the

indicator light/warning light blinks in RED.

At this time, the engine is close to over-

heating.

& Charge warning light

& Engine low oil level

warning light

If this light illuminates when the engine is

running, it may indicate that the charging

system is not working properly.

This light illuminates when the engine oil

level decreases to the lower limit.

If the warning light illuminates, check the

engine oil level on a level surface. When

the engine oil level is not within the normal

range, refill with engine oil. Refer to

“Engine oil” �P462. After adding or chan-

ging the engine oil, warm up the engine

and stop it on a level surface, then start the

engine after a lapse of 1 minute or more.

Confirm that the warning light has turned

off after the engine has started. If the

warning light does not turn off after refilling

the engine oil, or the light illuminates even

though the engine oil level is within the

normal range, have the vehicle checked by

a SUBARU dealer.

If the light illuminates while driving or does

not turn off after the engine starts, stop the

engine at the first safe opportunity and

check the drive belt. If the belt is loose,

broken or if the belt is in good condition but

the light remains illuminated, contact your

nearest SUBARU dealer immediately.

If the engine coolant temperature in-

creases further, the indicator light/warning

light illuminates in RED continuously. At

this time, the engine may be overheating.

When the indicator light/warning light

blinks in RED or illuminates in RED, safely

stop the vehicle as soon as possible, and

refer to the emergency steps to take in the

case of engine overheating. Refer to

“Engine overheating” �P434. After that,

have the system checked by your nearest

SUBARU dealer.

& Oil pressure warning

light

If this light illuminates when the engine is

running, it may indicate that the engine oil

pressure is low and the lubricating system

is not working properly.

If the light illuminates while driving or does

not turn off after the engine starts, stop the

engine at the first safe opportunity and

contact your nearest SUBARU dealer

immediately.

Also, if the indicator light/warning light

often blinks in RED, the electrical system

may be malfunctioning. Contact your

SUBARU dealer for an inspection.

NOTE

The oil level will be detected by the

system just after turning the ignition

switch to the OFF position. If the oil

level is below the lower limit when

the ignition switch is turned to the

ON position, the engine low oil level

warning light will turn on.

NOTE

If the engine is restarted after a certain

driving condition, this indicator light/

warning light may illuminate in RED.

However, this is not a malfunction if the

indicator light/warning light turns off

after a short time.

CAUTION

Do not operate the engine with the

oil pressure warning light illumi-

nated. This may cause serious en-

gine damage.

When the vehicle is parked on a

steep slope, the engine low oil level

warning light may not illuminate

even if the oil level is below the

^{Warning and indicator}175

lower limit to avoid erroneous light-

ing.

The rear differential oil will deterio-

rate if its temperature increases

enough for the rear differential oil

temperature warning light to illumi-

nate. It is advisable to have the rear

differential oil replaced as soon as

possible.

& Rear differential oil

temperature warning

light (if equipped)

& Windshield washer

CAUTION

fluid warning light

This light illuminates when the fluid level in

the windshield washer fluid tank de-

creases to the lower limit (approximately

0.6 US qt (0.6 liters, 0.5 Imp qt)).

If the R.DIFF TEMP warning light

illuminates, reduce vehicle speed

and stop the vehicle in a safe loca-

tion as soon as possible. Continuing

to drive with this light illuminated

may damage the rear differential and

other parts of the powertrain.

& Low tire pressure

warning light (U.S.-

spec. models)

& AT OIL TEMP warning

light

When the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON” position, the low tire pressure warn-

ing light will illuminate for approximately 2

seconds to check that the tire pressure

monitoring system (TPMS) is functioning

properly. If there is no problem and all tires

are properly inflated, the light will turn off.

Each tire, including the spare (if provided),

should be checked monthly when cold and

inflated to the inflation pressure recom-

mended by the vehicle manufacturer on

the vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-

sure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a

different size than the size indicated on the

vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure

label, you should determine the proper tire

inflation pressure for those tires.)

If this light illuminates when the engine is

running, it may indicate that the transmis-

sion fluid temperature is too hot.

If this light illuminates when the engine is

running, it may indicate that the rear

differential oil temperature is too hot.

If the light illuminates while driving, reduce

vehicle speed and stop the vehicle in the

nearest safe location. Park the vehicle for

several minutes. After the light turns off,

you can start driving.

If the light illuminates while driving, im-

mediately stop the vehicle in a safe place

and let the engine idle until the warning

light turns off.

! Transmission control system warn-

If the light does not turn off, contact the

nearest SUBARU dealer for service.

ing

If the “AT OIL TEMP” warning light flashes

after the engine has started, it may indicate

that the transmission control system is not

working properly. Contact your nearest

SUBARU dealer for service immediately.

NOTE

If the tire pressures are not correct

and/or the tires are not all the same

size and brand, the rear differential

will be heavily loaded when the

vehicle is driven, resulting in an

abnormally high oil temperature.

As an added safety feature, your vehicle

has been equipped with a tire pressure

monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates

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Instruments and controls -> Warning and indicator for Your Subaru Forester SUV 2024

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