Table of Contents
Keys and Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System (If Equipped)
Endgate
Automatic Transmission (If Equipped)
Manual Transmission Operation (If Equipped)
Four-Wheel Drive Operation (If Equipped)
Parking Brake
Windows
Tilt WheelTurn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Windshield Wipers
Cruise Control (If Equipped)
Interior and Exterior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Convenience Net/Cargo Cover/Luggage Carrier (If Equipped)
Accessory Power Outlet
Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages Seats and Seat Controls
Safety BeltsAir Bag Systems
Child Restraints
Section
1
Section
2
Seats and Restraint Systems
Features and Controls
ii
2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
-2 Keys
2
-4 Door Locks
2
-6 Remote Keyless Entry System (If Equipped)
2
-9 Tailgate
2
-10 Theft
2
-11 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-11 Ignition Positions
2
-13 Starting Your Engine
2
-14 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-16 Automatic Transmission Operation
2
-20 Manual Transmission Operation
2
-22 Four-Wheel Drive (If Equipped)
2
-24 Parking Brake
2
-25 Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission Only)
2
-27 Shifting Out of PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission Only)
2
-28 Parking Your Vehicle
(Manual Transmission Models Only)2
-28 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-29 Engine Exhaust
2
-29 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
(Automatic Transmission)
2
-30 Windows
2
-32 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-38 Exterior Lamps
2
-40 Interior Lamps
2
-41 Mirrors
2
-43 Storage Compartments
2
-48 Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
2
-48 Sun Visors
2
-48 Accessory Power Outlet
2
-49 Convertible Top (If Equipped)
2
-56 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-58 Instrument Panel Cluster
2
-59 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2-41 Dome Lamp
The dome lamp has a three-position switch.
OFF: This position is to the left when you are sitting
in the driver's seat. The lamp will stay off even when a
door is opened.
Center: This is the center position. The lamp will come
on when a door is opened. After a door is closed, the
dome lamp will stay on for 15 seconds.
ON: This position is to the right when you are sitting
in the driver's seat. The dome lamp will turn on and stay
on whether or not a door is open.
Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle is equipped with a battery saver feature
designed to protect your vehicle's battery.
When the dome lamp is left on and the ignition is turned
off and the key is removed, the battery saver system will
automatically turn the lamp off after about 15 minutes.
This will avoid draining the battery. This system does
not protect against leaving on the headlamps or
parking lamps.
Mirrors
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
An inside rearview mirror is attached to your windshield.
The mirror is able to move so that you can adjust it up
and down or side to side. The mirror is equipped with
reading lamps and map lamps.
You can adjust the mirror for day or night driving.
Pull the tab for night driving to reduce glare. Push the
tab for daytime driving.
Outside Manual Adjust Mirrors
Adjust these mirrors by hand so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle when you are sitting in a
comfortable driving position.
2-42 Power Remote Control Mirrors
(If Equipped)
The switch to control the
power mirrors is located on
the lower left side of the
instrument panel.
You can only adjust the mirrors when the ignition switch
is in the ON or ACC position.
To adjust the mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to the L (left) or R (right)
to select the mirror you wish to adjust.2. Press the outer part of the pad that matches the
direction you want to move the mirror.
3. Return the selector switch to the center position to
help prevent moving the mirror accidentally.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger's side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror's surface is curved so you can see more from
the driver's seat.
CAUTION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
2-57
A. Side Defroster Vent
B. Air Vent
C. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
D. Instrument Panel Cluster
E. Windshield Wiper/Washer Lever
F. Hazard Switch
G. Rear Window Defogger (If Equipped)
H. Comfort Controls
I. Vent Shut
-off Thumbwheel
J. Audio System
K. AshtrayL. Shift Lever
M. Power Mode Switch (If Equipped)
N. Cigarette Lighter
O. Ignition Switch
P. Instrument Panel Fuse Block
Q. Hood Release
R. Instrument Panel Brightness Control
S. Power Remote Control Mirror (If Equipped)
T. Cruise Control Button (If Equipped)
U. Coinholder
V. Rear Window Wiper/Washer (If Equipped)
4-14
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you're awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you're following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won't have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don't get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
ªrunning startº that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two
-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you're being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
4-15
Loss of Control
Let's review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don't have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don't give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not ªoverdrivingº
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren't rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid,
too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you'll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº
-- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti
-lock braking system, remember:
It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti
-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes
to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering
control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are rolling,
you will have steering control.
4-30
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Don't drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can't see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you're tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50
-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20
-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you're
driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they
also make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren't even aware of it.