
’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)
2 1. Side vents
2. Side defroster outlets
3. Instrument cluster
4. Center vents
5. Electric moon roof switches and/or
personal lights
6. Glove box
7. Power door lock switches
8. Power window switches
9. Automatic transmission selector lever
10. Seat heater switches
11 . C u p h o l d e r
12. Parking brake lever
13. Second start mode selector button and driving pattern selector button
14. Four −wheel drive control lever
15. Lower vent
16. Hood lock release lever
17. Fuel filler door opener
18. Window lock switch
Instrument panel overview
View A

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)
11 4 OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock11 5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission11 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Four–wheel drive system120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake123
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control123
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Active traction control system126
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vehicle skid control system128
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SECTION
1− 6

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)11 5
”START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the ”ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see Section 3.
”ON”—Engine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
”ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ”ACC” or
”LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key. ”LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
To turn the key from ”ACC” to the ”LOCK”
position, you must put the selector lever
in the ”P” position.
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobiliser system is automatically set. (See
”Engine immobiliser system” in Section 1
–
2.)
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ”LOCK” position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ”ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
electronic ignition system could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)
11 8
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator
pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The ”O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.
Shift into the ”2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than following speed for se-
cond gear, and more powerful engine
braking will be enabled.
Four –wheel drive control lever
in ”H” 112 km/h (70 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
Four –wheel drive control lever
in ”L” 39 km/h (24 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
Shift into the ”L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than following speed for ”L”
position and maximum engine braking
will be enabled.
Four –wheel drive control lever
in ”H” 57 km/h (35 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
Four –wheel drive control lever
in ”L” 12 km/h (7 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
turning off the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ”Cruise control” in this section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting could
cause the vehicle to spin or skid.
(d) Using ”2” and ”L” positions
The ”2” and ”L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously. With the selector lever in ”2” or ”L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ”D”.
With the selector lever in ”2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in ”L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to over-rev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
km/h (mph)
Transmission Transfer L H
2 42 (26) 104 (65) . . . . . . .
L 23 (14) 57 (35) . . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
”2” or ”L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, ”D” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)11 9
(e) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
”R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the ”P” posi-
tion.
If the four–wheel drive control is in the
”N” position while the selector lever is in
the ”P” position, the transmission will
damage and the wheels will not lock.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into ”P” position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope, the
overdrive switch should be turned off.
Be sure to turn the switch on immedi-
ately afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. It
can cause the transmission to over-
heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(h) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the ve-
hicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes un-
stuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.