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Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If the blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Rainsense II Wipers (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, the moisture sensor is
mounted on the interior side of the windshield behind
the rearview mirror. It is used to automatically operate
the wipers by monitoring the amount of moisture
build
-up on the windshield. Wipes occur as needed to
clear the windshield depending on driving conditions
and the sensitivity setting. In light rain or snow, fewer
wipes will occur. In heavy rain or snow, wipes will
occur more frequently. The Rainsense wipers operate in
a delay mode as well as a continuous low or high speed
as needed. If the system is left on for long periods of
time, occasional wipes may occur without any moisture
on the windshield. This is normal and indicates that the
Rainsense system is activated.The Rainsense system can be activated by turning the
wiper band to one of the five sensitivity levels indicated
on the wiper stalk. The position closest to OFF is the
lowest sensitivity setting, level one. This allows more
rain or snow to collect on the windshield between wipes.
Turning the wiper band away from you to higher
sensitivity levels increases the sensitivity of the system
and frequency of wipes. The highest sensitivity setting,
level five is closest to LO. A single wipe will occur each
time you turn the wiper stalk to a higher sensitivity level
to indicate that the sensitivity level has been increased.NOTICE:
The wipers must be turned off when going
through a car wash to avoid damage.
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The MIST and wash cycles operate as normal and are
not affected by the Rainsense function. The Rainsense
system can be overridden at any time by manually
turning the wiper band to LO or HI speed.
NOTICE:
Do not place stickers or other items on the
exterior glass surface directly in front of the
moisture sensor. Doing this could cause the
moisture sensor to malfunction.
Windshield Washer
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
At the top of the turn signal/multifunction lever there is
a paddle with the word PUSH on it. To spray washer
fluid on the windshield, press and release this paddle.
The wipers will clear the windshield and either stop or
return to your preset speed. For more washer cycles,
press and hold the paddle.
CHECK WASHER FLUID will be displayed on the
Driver Information Center (DIC) when the washer fluid
reaches a low level.
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Cruise Control
The buttons to operate cruise control are located on the
steering wheel.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of
approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) or more without
keeping your foot on the accelerator. This is helpful on
long trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h). When cruise control is on, you
will see a CRUISE light on the instrument panel cluster.
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. See ªTraction
Control Systemº in the Index. When road conditions
allow you to safely use it again, you may turn the cruise
control back on.
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Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Press the CRUISE ON/OFF button, located on the
bottom left of the steering wheel, to turn cruise
control on. An indicator light will come on to show
that the cruise control is on.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET/CST (coast) button located on the
bottom right of the steering wheel. The CRUISE
light will display on the instrument panel cluster.
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This shuts off the cruise
control. But you don't need to reset it.
Once the vehicle is traveling approximately 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more, you can press the RES/ACC
(resume/accelerate) button to return to your desired
preset speed. The CRUISE light will be displayed again.
The vehicle will return to and stay at your preset speed.
If you press and hold the RES/ACC button, the vehicle
speed will increase until you release the button or apply
the brake. Unless you want to go faster, do not press and
hold the RES/ACC button.
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Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the SET/CST button, then release the button
and the accelerator pedal. You will now cruise at the
higher speed.
Press the RES/ACC button. Hold it there until you
get up to the speed that you want, and then release
the button. To increase your speed in very small
amounts, briefly press the RES/ACC button and then
release it. Each time you do this, your vehicle will
speed up approximately 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
The accelerate feature will only work after you have set
the cruise control speed by pressing the SET/CST button.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the SET/CST button until you reach the lower
speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
SET/CST button briefly. Each time you do this,
the vehicle will slow down approximately
1 mph (1.6 km/h).Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Applying the brake or shifting
into a lower gear will take you out of cruise control. If
you need to apply the brake or shift to a lower gear due
to the grade of the downhill slope, you may not want to
attempt to use your cruise control feature.
Ending Cruise Control
To turn off the cruise control, step lightly on the brake
pedal, or press the CRUISE ON/OFF button on the
steering wheel.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp control is
located to the left of the
steering wheel on the
instrument panel.
: Turn the control with this symbol on it to operate
the exterior lamps.The exterior lamp control has three positions:
: Turning the control to this position turns off all
lamps except the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
: Turning the control to this position turns on the
parking lamps together with the following:
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
The parking brake indicator light will come on and stay
on when the parking lamps are on with the engine off
and the ignition in ACCESSORY or ON.
: Turning the control to this position turns on
the headlamps, together with the previously listed lamps
and lights.
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Wiper-Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking lamps
after the windshield wipers have been in use for
approximately six seconds. To operate, the Twilight
Sentinel
feature must be turned on. See ªTwilight
Sentinelº in the Index for more information.
When the exterior lamp control is in the off position or
in the parking lamp position and the wiper control is on
delay, LO or HI, the HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED
message will appear on the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
When the ignition is turned to OFF, the wiper
-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. The wiper
-activated
headlamps will also turn off if the Twilight Sentinel or the
windshield wipers are turned off.
Lamps on Reminder
A warning chime will sound if the exterior lamp control
is left on in either the headlamp or parking lamp position
and the driver's door is opened with the ignition off.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully
functional daytime running lamps are required on all
vehicles first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make the low
-beam headlamps
come on at reduced intensity when the following
conditions are met:
It is still daylight and the ignition is on,
the exterior lamp control is in the off position and
the transaxle is not in PARK (P).
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When DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps
(at reduced brightness) will be on. No other exterior
lamps such as the parking lamps, taillamps, etc. will be
on when the DRL are being used. Your instrument panel
won't be lit up either.
When the Twilight Sentinel
lever is on and it's dark
enough outside, the high
-beam headlamps (at reduced
intensity) will turn off and normal low
-beam headlamp
operation will occur. When the Twilight Sentinel lever is
on and it's bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will go off, and the high
-beam headlamps at reduced
brightness will take over.
If it's dark enough outside and the Twilight Sentinel
lever is off, a HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED message
will display on the Driver's Information Center (DIC).
This message informs the driver that turning on the
exterior lamps is recommended even though the
DRL are still illuminated.Turning on the Twilight Sentinel or the headlamps will
deactivate the DRL and remove the HEADLAMPS
SUGGESTED message. If the parking lamps or the
fog lamps were turned on instead, the DRL will still
deactivate and the HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED
message will continue to be displayed.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off at night, turn
off the Twilight Sentinel and shift the transaxle into
PARK (P). Placing your vehicle in PARK (P) disables
the DRL. The DRL will stay off until you shift out
of PARK (P).
To drive your vehicle with the DRL off, turn off the
Twilight Sentinel and manually turn on the parking
lamps or fog lamps (if equipped).
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.