2009 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 231

7-22 Starting and operating a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the road to a safe place. ! Brake assist system WARNING Do not be overconfident about the brake assist. It is not a system that brings more braking ability to the vehicle beyond its braking capability. Always use the utmost care when driving regarding vehicle speed and safe distance. & Brake system ! Two separate circuits Your vehicle has two separate circuit brake systems. Each circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If one circuit of the brake system should fail, the other half of the system still works. If one circuit fails, the brake pedal will go down much closer to the floor than usual and you will need to press it down much harder. And a much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehicle. ! Brake booster The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while driving because that will turn off the brake booster, resulting in poor braking power. The brakes will continue to work even when the brake booster completely stops functioning. If this happens, however, you will have to push the pedal much harder than normal and the braking distance will increase. cate any malfunctions, and the brake assist system is operating properly. . You might feel that the brake pedal is applied by lighter force and generates a greater braking force. . You might hear clicking (knocking) sounds around brake pedal. & Disc brake pad wear warning indicators CAUTION When you need to brake suddenly, continue depressing the brake pedal strongly to bring the effect of the brake assist. Brake assist is a driver assistance system. It assists the brake power when the driver cannot depress the brake pedal strongly and the brake power is insufficient. Brake assist generates the brake power according to the speed at which the driver depresses the brake pedal. NOTE When you depress the brake pedal strongly or suddenly, the following phenomena occur. However, even though these occur, they do not indi- The disc brake pad wear warning indicators on the disc brakes give a warning noise when the brake pads are worn. If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard from the disc brakes while braking, immediately have your vehicle checked by your SUBARU dealer.