2001 Acura CL sport mode

According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 35
CONT INUED
Small Children
Larger Children
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Inf ant s Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21

Your Acura’s transmission has f ive
f orward speeds, and is electronically
controlled f or smoother shif ting. It
also has a ‘‘lock-up’’ torque converter
forbetterfueleconomy.Youmay
f eel what seems like another shif t
when the converter locks.This indicator in the tachometer
shows which position the shif t lever
is in. The illuminated number next to
the ‘‘D ’’ indicator shows you the
gear you have selected in the
Sequential SportShif t mode.The ‘‘D ’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it f lashes
while driving (in any shif t position),
it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid
acceleration and have the
transmission checked by an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible.
5 5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ever Position Indicator
176

CONT INUED
The shif t lever has nine positions. It
must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D,D,D,2,1,N,R,orthe
Sequential SportShif t mode, press
f irmly on the brake pedal and keep
your f oot of f the accelerator pedal.To select the Sequential SportShif t
mode, slide the shif t lever toward the
lef t f rom the ‘‘D ’’ position.
In this mode the shif t lever allows
youtoshiftupanddownmanually.
YoucannotshiftoutofParkwiththe
brake pedal depressed when the
ignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I). Whenever you move the shif t lever,
slide it along the guide on the
console.
543 5
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD Dto22to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD
DtoD DtoN NtoRRtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
5
54
43 3
3
34
45 5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ever Positions
177
S SH H I
IFFT T L
LEE V
V E
ER
R
S
SE EQ
QU UEEN
NT TI
IAA L
L
S
SP PO
OR RTTS
SH H I
IFFT T
M
M O
ODDE
E
P
P O
OS SIITT I
IOON N

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CONT INUED
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shif t lever
f rom Neutral to another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for your speed and
acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster. With
the shif t lever in ‘‘D ’’ position, you
can select the Sequential SportShif t
mode to shif t gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal.
Even with the Sequential SportShift
Mode selected, the transmission will
automatically upshif t and downshif t
between f irst and second gear.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
mode, move the shif t lever to the lef t.
To return to ‘‘D ’’, move the shif t
lever to the right.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D ’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear.
In the Sequential SportShif t mode,
each time you push f orward on the
shif t lever, the transmission shif ts to
a higher gear. Pull back on the lever
to downshif t. The number of the
gear selected is displayed next to the
‘‘D ’’ indicator (see page ).
176
5
5
5
5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
5
Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
179
D D o
ow
wn ns
shh i
iff t
t
U
Up
ps
shh i
iff t
t

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à
à
à à
à
à
Î
Î
Î
Î
Î
Î
CONT INUED
If the car speed slows to below the
redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission will
downshif t and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
If the transmission temperature is
below 14 °F ( 10 °C), you may not
be able to use the Sequential
SportShif t mode. These positions
are similar to D , except when you
select the D position, only the f irst
f our gears are selected. When you
select D , only the f irst three gears
are selected. D can also keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
f ourth and f if th gears in stop-and-go
driving, and D can keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
third and fourth gears.
Use D when towing a trailer in hilly
terrain, or to provide engine braking
when going down a steep hill. D
gives you more power and increased
engine braking.
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
To shift from 23
34
45 Speed range
over 9 mph
(15 km/h)
over 18 mph
(29 km/h)
over 34 mph
(55 km/h) Speed range
under 60 mph
(96 km/h)
under 65 mph
(104 km/h)
under 93 mph
(150 km/h)
under 104 mph
(166 km/h)
under 125 mph
(200 km/h)
To shift from
32
43
54
5
4
3 4
3
3 3
1:
2: Premium model
Type S
1
2
1
2
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Drive(D,D)43
181

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CONT INUED
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your
vehicle’s handling and perf ormance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
discussed below. Maketurnsmoreslowlyandwider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
canhitorrunoversomethingthe
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over.
When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
If the transmission shif ts f requently
between 4th and 5th gears while
going up a hill, shif t to D . And if the
transmission shif ts f requently
between 3rd and 4th gears, shif t to
D.
When towing a trailer in the
Sequential SportShif t mode, select
Fourth, Third, Second, or First gear;
depending on the vehicle speeds and
road condition. Do not use Fif th gear.
The recommended speed range f or
each gear position is shown in the
table.
Gear position 1
2
3, 4 Speed range
037mph
(0 60 km/h)
12 68 mph
over 25 mph
(over 40 km/h)
Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or vehicles with trailers.
Use the D or D position when
towing a trailer on level roads. D is
the proper shif t lever position to use
when towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
(See ‘‘
’’ in the
f ollowing column f or additional gear
inf ormation.)
4
3
54
3
(20 110 km/h)
Driving
Towing a Trailer
Driving Saf ely With a T railer
T owing Speeds and Gears Making T urns and Braking
Driving on Hills
Driving on Hills
201

..............
Automatic Transmission . 176
..........................
Capacity, Fluid . 300
...............
Checking Fluid Level . 228
....
Sequential SportShif t Mode . 179
.......................................
Shif ting . 176
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 176
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 177
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 183
Battery Charging System ...........................
Indicator . 55, 285
............................
Jump Starting . 280
..............................
Maintenance . 236
............................
Specif ications . 301
..............................
Bef ore Driving . 159
....................................
Belts,Seat .8,40
...........................
Beverage Holder . 112
...................................
Body Repair . 270
Brakes ...........
Anti-lock System (ABS) . 186
.............
Break-in, New Linings . 160
...........................................
Fluid . 229
.....................
Light, Burned-out . 256.......................................
Parking . 110
.................
System Indicator . 55, 287
........................
Wear Indicators . 185
Brakes, ABS ...................................
Operation . 186
.................
System Indicator . 55, 187
.............................
Braking System . 185
........................
Break-in, New Car . 160
..
Brightness Control, Instruments . 67
........................
Brights, Headlights . 65
Bulb Replacement ..........................
Back-up Lights . 256
..............................
Brake Lights . 256
........
Front Side Marker Lights . 255
.................................
Headlights . 252
.........
High-mount Brake Light . 257
...........................
Interior Lights . 258
...................
License Plate Light . 258
...............................
Road Lamps . 254
............................
Specif ications . 301
...............................
Trunk Light . 260
....................
Turn Signal Lights . 255
..............................
Bulbs, Halogen . 252 .........
Cables, Jump Starting With . 280
..................................
Cancel Button . 75
............................
Capacities Chart . 300
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 49
............................
Carrying, Cargo . 169
Cassette Player ............................................
Care . 146
...................................
Operation . 142
..............
CAUTION, Explanation of . ii
...................................
CD Changer . 147
..................................
Ceiling Light . 118
........................
Certif ication Label . 298
............................................
Chains . 249
Change Oil ........................................
How to . 219
......................................
When to . 208
....................
Changing a Flat Tire . 273
............
Changing Engine Coolant . 223
...
Charging System Indicator . 55, 285
Checking
Automatic Transmission .......................................
Fluid . 228
.....................
Battery Condition . 236
................................
Brake Fluid . 229
Index
C
B
II