2010 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 233

Starting and operating 7-23 Power steering The power steering system operates only when the engine is running. If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system fails to function, you can steer but it will take much more effort. Braking & Braking tips WARNING Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can cause dangerous overheating of the brakes and needless wear on the brake pads and linings. ! When the brakes get wet When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping distance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed while lightly depressing the brake pedal to heat up the brakes. ! Use of engine braking Remember to make use of engine braking in addition to foot braking. When descending a grade, if only the foot brake is used, the brakes may start working improperly because of brake fluid overheating, caused by overheated brake pads. To help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to get stronger engine braking. ! Braking when a tire is punctured Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a tire is punctured. This could cause 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 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. CAUTION Do not hold the steering wheel at the fully locked position left or right for more than 5 seconds. This may damage the power steering pump. NOTE Right after the engine has been started and before it has warmed up, you may hear a noise coming from areas adjacent to the power steering pump which is located at the right-front area of the engine compartment. This noise is normal. It does not indicate power steering system trouble. - CONTINUED -