2-112 Oil Life Indicator
This feature lets you know when to change the engine
oil. It's based on the engine oil temperatures and your
driving patterns.To see the display, press the INFO button several
times until ENGINE OIL LIFE appears. If you see
99% ENGINE OIL LIFE, 99 percent of your current
oil life remains.
The DIC may display a CHANGE ENGINE OIL
message. Always keep a written record of the mileage
and date when you changed your oil. For more
information, see ªMaintenance Scheduleº in the Index.
If you see CHANGE ENGINE OIL, it means the oil
life is gone and you should change the oil right away.
The system doesn't check how much oil you have,
so you'll still have to check for that. To see how,
see ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
When the oil is changed, you'll need to reset the system.
See ªOil Life Indicator, How to Resetº in the Index.
3-5
If your vehicle is sitting in direct sunlight on a hot day
and you have the climate control system in AUTO, the
air will first flow out the floor ducts for a few seconds.
This is normal. This removes hot air from the air outlets.
As the air is cooled, the airflow will enter the vehicle
through the instrument panel outlets.
To avoid blowing cold air in cold weather, the system
will start at a reduced fan speed until warm air is
available. The length time required for this to happen
depends on the outside air temperature, engine coolant
temperature or the time since the engine was last started.
As the coolant warms up, the fan speed will gradually
increase and air will flow from the floor ducts, with
some airflow to the windshield to prevent fogging under
most normal conditions. If you select defrost mode or a
fan speed manually, this function will be canceled.
If you leave your vehicle, the system will remember
the control setting the next time you start your engine,
except for recirculation and defrost. Each ignition cycle
cancels recirculation. Defrost will change to automatic
operation when the ignition is shut off and then turned
back on.Electronic Solar Sensor
The sensor monitors the sun's solar radiation and is located
near the end of the instrument panel near the windshield.
The climate control panel uses this information to
automatically make the necessary temperature and
airflow adjustments to maintain your comfort. The
climate control system may supply cooler air to one side
of your vehicle, if that side is facing the sun.
Be sure not to put anything over the electronic solar
sensor. If you do, the climate control system may not
function properly.
3-12
Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it
first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Powerº in the Index.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HR or MN until the time display begins
to change. Release the button as you get close to the
correct time. The time may be set anytime the clock is
displayed. There is a two
-second delay before the clock
goes into time
-set mode.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player
Playing the Radio
PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on
and off.
VOL (Volume): Turn this knob clockwise to increase
volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.
3-29
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the
previous track on the CD.
2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track
on the CD.
3
RW (Rewind): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly through a track.
4
FF (Fast Forward): Press and hold this
pushbutton to advance quickly through a track.
5 DISC Press this pushbutton to select the next disc in
the changer. Each time you press this button, DISC
LOADING will appear on the display and the disc
number on the radio display will go to that of the next
available CD.
6 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order.
RANDOM will appear on the display. Press the PREV
or NEXT pushbuttons, while RDM is on the display, to
randomly seek through discs. Press RDM again to turn
off random play.
SCAN: To scan each track, press SCAN for less than
two seconds, you will hear the first few seconds of each
track on a disc. Press SCAN again to stop scanning.
The CD will mute while scanning and SCAN will
appear on the display.To scan each disc, press SCAN for more than two
seconds, you will hear the first few seconds of the first
track on each disc. Press SCAN again to stop scanning.
The CD will mute while scanning and SCAN will
appear on the display.
SOURCE: Press this button to select a source. The
audio source must be loaded to play. If none of the audio
sources are loaded, NO SOURCE LOADED will appear
on the display. Press this button again or press BAND to
switch back to the radio.
(Eject): Slide the CD changer door all the way
open. Press this button. The CD magazine will eject.
Compact Disc Changer Errors
CD CHANGER ERROR could be displayed for one of
the following reasons:
The road is too rough. The disc should play when the
road is smoother.
The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or loaded label
side down.
The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your dealer.
4-9
Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may hear the
anti
-lock pump or motor operate, and feel the brake
pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only if it senses that
one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the front brakes and reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION ENGAGED message will display on
the Driver Information Center when the traction control
system is limiting wheel spin. See ªDriver Information
Center Messagesº in the Index. You may feel or hear the
system working, but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. See ªCruise Controlº
in the Index.
4-12
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
To help you steer in the direction you want to go, during
certain sharp or sudden cornering maneuvers, gear
selection is controlled. This will maximize the available
drive wheel torque and minimize the transaxle response
time and shift activity. During this kind of maneuver, the
transaxle shifts automatically as vehicle speed changes.Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. See ªBraking in
Emergenciesº earlier in this section. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or right depending on the space available.
4-15
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.
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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid.
If your traction control system is off, then an
acceleration skid is also 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.
4-34 Electronic Level Control
This feature keeps the rear of your vehicle level as the
load changes. It's automatic
-- you don't need to
adjust anything.
Towing a Trailer
CAUTION:
If you don't use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
You may also damage your vehicle; the resulting
repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Pull a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section. Ask your dealer for advice
and information about towing a trailer with
your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in ªWeight of the Trailerº
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That's the reason for this part. In it are many
time
-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load
-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What's more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.