Rocking the vehicle

If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand, or mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and move the shift lever/select lever back and forth between “1”/“D” and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.

When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (for MT, AT and CVT).

For information on holding the transmission in 2nd position, refer to “Selection of manual mode” F7-22.

    See also:

    SPORT mode indicator light (AT models)
    When the select lever is moved to the manual gate, the SPORT mode is selected and the indicator light illuminates. Refer to “SPORT mode”. ...

    Recommended grade and viscosity
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    Safety & Reliability
    In crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Forester earned the top score, Good, in front and side impacts. The SUV was awarded an IIHS Top Safety Pick designation. Because ...