2-18
Theft-Deterrent System
The SECURITY light is
located on the instrument
panel cluster.
If the ignition is off and any door is open, the SECURITY
light will flash, reminding you to arm the system.
To arm the system, do the following:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door using the power door lock switch with
the door open or the remote keyless entry transmitter.
The SECURITY light should come on and stay on.
3. Close all the doors. The SECURITY light should
go off within approximately 30 seconds.
If a door or a trunk is opened without a key or a remote
keyless entry transmitter, the horn will sound and the
lamps will flash for about 30 seconds.Remember, the theft
-deterrent system won't arm if you
lock the doors with a key or use the manual door lock.
It activates only if you use a power door lock with the
door open or the remote keyless entry transmitter.
To avoid activating the alarm by accident do
the following:
The vehicle should be locked with the door key or
the manual door lock after the doors are closed if
you don't want to arm the theft
-deterrent system.
Always unlock a door with a key or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter system. Pressing the unlock
button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
disables the theft
-deterrent system. Unlocking a
door any other way will activate the alarm when a
door or the trunk is opened.
If you activate the alarm by accident, unlock the driver's
door with your key. You can also turn off the alarm
by using the unlock button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter system, or by starting the car with
a valid key.
Changes or modifications made to this system by
other than an authorized service facility could void
authorization to use the theft system.
2-30
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
than SECOND (2). You can use it on very steep hills,
or in deep snow or mud.
If the traction control switch is off, your vehicle will not
go into FIRST (1) gear and the vehicle will accelerate
from stop more slowly. This can help in deep snow or
mud conditions. When the traction control is turned off,
a message will light up on the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can't turn, don't try to drive.
This might happen if you were stuck in very deep
sand or mud or were up against a solid object.
You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don't hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could cause overheating and damage
the transaxle. Use your brakes to hold your
vehicle in position on a hill.
Performance Shift Display (STS Only)
When your vehicle detects a change in driving
conditions, it will automatically initiate the appropriate
performance shift mode. When this occurs, the gear
display on the instrument panel cluster will change to
indicate that the transaxle has shifted to a different gear.
For example, the gear display on the cluster may
indicate D, 3, 2, or 1 even though the gearshift lever is
still in AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (). Once the
performance shift mode ends, the gear display on the
instrument panel cluster will return to normal.
2-31
Parking Brake
The parking brake pedal
is located to the left of
the regular brake pedal,
near the driver's door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push the parking brake
pedal down with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the BRAKE indicator light on the
instrument panel cluster should come on. If it doesn't,
you need to have your vehicle serviced.When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
and the engine is running, the parking brake should
release. If the parking brake has not been fully released
and you try to drive off with the parking brake on, the
BRAKE indicator light will come on and stay on and
a multiple chime will sound.
If the parking brake doesn't fully release, you can
manually release the pedal. However, be sure to read
the following paragraphs:
CAUTION:
Always shift to PARK (P) before pulling the
manual release lever. If your hand or arm is in
the way of the pedal you could be hurt. The pedal
springs back quickly. Keep your hand and arm
away when you use the manual release lever.
Before releasing the manual parking brake, be sure
to put the vehicle in PARK (P) and turn the ignition
to OFF.
2-39
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever located on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer
Flash
-To-Pass Feature
For information on the exterior lamps, see ªExterior
Lampsº later in this section.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever on the left side of the
steering wheel all the way up or down. The lever returns
automatically when the turn is complete.
An arrow located on the
instrument panel cluster
will flash in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it is released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will sound
and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
TURN SIGNAL ON after driving about a mile to
remind you to turn it off.
Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out signal bulb.
Other drivers won't see the turn signal.
Replace burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs
if the arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.
2-40 Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
When the low-beam headlamps are on, push the turn
signal lever away from you to change the headlamps
to high beam.
This light on the
instrument panel cluster
will be on, indicating
high
-beam usage.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you to return to
low
-beam headlamps.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use the high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you briefly to
flash
-to-pass. When you do, the following will occur:
If the headlamps are either off or in the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high
-beam
headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as long
as you hold the lever there. Release the lever to
turn them off.
If the headlamps are on low beam, they will remain
active and the high beam will also illuminate until
you release the lever.
2-43 Windshield Washer
The windshield washer has both a ªdemandº mode and
a ªprogrammedº mode, depending on the amount of
windshield washer fluid you need.
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.
To spray washer fluid on the windshield in the
programmed mode, press and release the button on
the tip of the lever. The washer will provide a measured
amount of fluid to the windshield and the wiper will
either stop or return to your original wiping speed.
To spray washer fluid on the windshield in the demand
mode, press and hold the button until you have enough
fluid, and the wipers will either stop or return to your
original wiping speed.
CHECK WASHER FLUID will be displayed on the
Driver Information Center (DIC) when the washer fluid
reaches a low level.
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.
2-44
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.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 CRUISE ON/OFF, 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 SET/CST (coast) 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.
2-49 Fog Lamps (STS Only)
Use the fog lamps for better vision in foggy or
misty conditions.
When the ignition is on and you push the fog lamp
button located next to the exterior lamps control,
a small indicator light in the fog lamp button, the
LIGHTS ON and fog lamp indicator lights on the
instrument panel cluster will come on to indicate that
the fog and the parking lamps are on.
Press the fog lamp button again to turn off the
fog lamps.
If you turn on the high
-beam headlamps, the fog
lamps will turn off. They'll turn back on again when
you switch to low
-beam headlamps.
When the Twilight Sentinel
is on and the fog lamps
are turned on, the fog lamps, headlamps and parking
lamps will remain on.
The ignition must be on for the fog lamps to operate.
Cornering Lamps
The cornering lamps come on when the headlamps
or parking lamps are on and you signal a turn with
the multifunction lever. They provide more light
for cornering.
Twilight Sentinel
This lever is located below
the exterior lamps control.
It automatically turns the
lamps on and off by sensing
how dark it is outside.
To operate the Twilight Sentinel, leave the exterior
lamps control off and slide the TWILIGHT lever to
any position but OFF.
If you move the lever all the way to the right, the lamps
will remain on for approximately three minutes after the
ignition has been turned to OFF. If you move the lever
so it is barely on, the lamps will go off quickly when
you turn the ignition switch out of OFF. You can
adjust the delay time from only a few seconds to
about three minutes.
If it's dark enough outside and the Twilight Sentinel
lever is off, a HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED message
will display on the Driver Information Center (DIC).