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Instrument panel overview
1. Side vents
2. Side defroster outlets
3. Instrument cluster
4. Personal lights
5. Electric moon roof switches and interiorlights
6. Glovebox
7. Power door lock switches
8. Power window switches
9. Ashtray
10. Cup holder 11. Parking brake lever
12. Manual transmission gear shift lever or automatic transmission selector lever
13. Lower vent
14. Hood lock release lever
15. Power rear view mirror control switch (with power windows)
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1. Headlight and turn signal switch
2. Wiper and washer switches
3. Emergency flasher switch
4. Clock
5. Center vents
6. Car audio
7. Auxiliary box
8. Air conditioning controls
9. Rear window defogger switch
10. Coupe and liftback— Power rear view mirror control switch
(without power windows)
Convertible—
Convertible top control switch and
quarter window control switches
11. Cigarette lighter
12. Ignition switch
13. Cruise control switch
14. Tilt steering lock release lever
15. Instrument panel light control knob
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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS—
Chapter 1−3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel and
Mirrors
Seats
Front seats
Fold −down rear seat
Head restraints
Seat belts
SRS driver and front passenger
airbags
Child restraint
Tilt steering wheel
Outside rear view mirrors
Anti −glare inside rear view
mirror
Seats
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a
folded −down seatback, or in the
luggage compartment. Persons not
properly seated and not property re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
Adjust the driver’s seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of
the driver.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
not to hit the seat against a pas-
senger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
The objects may interfere with the
seat −lock mechanism or unexpect-
edly push up the seat position ad-
justing lever; the seat may suddenly
move, causing the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
Front seats—
—Seat adjustment
precautions
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Outside rear view mirrors—
Adjust the mirror so that you can see
the side of your vehicle in the mirror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side.
It is a convex mirror with a curved sur-
face. Any object seen in a convex mirror
will look smaller and farther away than
when seen in a flat mirror.
—Power rear view mirror control
With power windows
Without power windows
To adjust a mirror, use the switches.1. Master switch—To select the mirror to be adjusted
Place the switch at ”L” (left) or ”R”
(right).
2. Control switch—To move the mirror Push the switch in the desired direc-
tion.
If the engine is not running, the key must
be in the ”ACC” position.
NOTICE
If ice should jam the mirror, do not
operate the control or scrape the mir-
ror face. Use a spray de −icer to free
the mirror.
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—Folding rear view mirrors
The rear view mirrors can be folded
backward for parking in restricted
areas.
To fold the rear view mirror, push back-
ward.
CAUTION
Do not drive with the mirrors folded
backward. Both the driver and pas-
senger side rear view mirrors must
be extended and properly adjusted
before driving.
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the rear of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
To reduce glare from the headlights of
the vehicle behind you during night
driving, operate the lever on the lower
edge of the mirror.
Daylight driving—Lever at position 1
The reflection in the mirror has greater
clarity at this position.
Night driving—Lever at position 2
Remember that by reducing glare you also
lose some rear view clarity.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. It may cause the
driver to mishandle the vehicle and
an accident may occur resulting in
personal injuries.
Anti−glare inside rear view
mirror
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Part 3
STARTING AND DRIV-
ING
Before starting the engine
How to start the engine
Tips for driving in various
conditions
Winter driving tips
Tr ailer towing
How to save fuel and make your
vehicle last longer, too
Before starting the engine
1. Check the area around the vehicle be-
fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, head restraint height and steering
wheel angle.
3. Adjust inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock both side doors.
5. Fasten seat belts. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Manual transmission: Press the clutch
pedal to the floor and shift the trans-
mission into neutral. Hold the clutch
pedal to the floor until the engine is
started. A starter safety device will pre-
vent the starter from operating if the
clutch pedal is not fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the se-
lector lever in ”P”. If you need to re-
start the engine while the vehicle is
moving, put the selector lever in ”N”.
A starter safety device will prevent the
starter from operating if the selector
lever is in any drive position.
4. Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it to
the floor until driving off.
How to start the engine—
(a) Before cranking
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MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the ”Own-
er ’s Manual Supplement/Maintenance
Schedule”.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE −TOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains a lev-
el when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose −up or nose −down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it can not shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulation. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose. TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle
−
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle −trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer). Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle− to−vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
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