2009 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 270

Driving tips 8-23 ! Driving on grades . Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift into 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 coolant temperature high warning light (for all vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP warning light (for AT vehicles) since the engine and transmission are relatively prone to overheating under these conditions. If the coolant temperature high warning light or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illuminates, immediately switch off the air conditioner and stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the "Engine overheating" section in chapter 9, and "Warning and indicator lights" section in chapter 3. . If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, 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. . If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, place the selector lever as follows: Uphill slopes: "D" position Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear position to use engine braking ! Parking on a grade 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. But if parking on a hill or slope cannot be avoided, you should take the following steps: 1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down. 2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and trailer wheels. 3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load. 4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the parking brake; slowly release the regular brakes. 5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmission) or "P" (automatic transmission) and shut off the engine.