
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, see your dealer or qualified service
center to prepare the vehicle for inspection.
Cruise Control Light
The cruise light comes on whenever you set your cruise
control. See“Cruise Control”underTurn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7.
Fuel Gage
When the indicator nears empty, you still have a little
fuel left, but you should get more soon.
If your fuel is low, the warning message in the message
center will come on. SeeLow Fuel Warning Message
on page 3-50.
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left when the ignition is on. United States
Canada
United StatesCanada
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Charging System Indicator Message
The charging system
battery symbol will come
on in the message
center when you turn on
the ignition as a check
to show you it is working.
It will remain on as long as the engine is not running.
It should go out once the engine is running. If it stays on,
or comes on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with the charging system. It could indicate that
you have problems with a generator drive belt, or
another electrical problem. Have it checked right away.
Driving while this indicator appears in the message
center could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the message on,
be certain to turn off all your accessories, such as
the radio and air conditioner.
Low Oil Pressure Message
Your vehicle is equipped with a low oil pressure warning
message.
Your oil pressure message lets you know when you
may have a problem with your engine oil pressure.
When the engine is running and this message appears,
the engine oil level may be too low. There may also
be another problem causing low oil pressure.
United StatesCanada
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Program Mode Message
If you receive this message, your vehicle is in program
mode. You are ready to begin programming your
vehicle’s customization features.
If your vehicle does not have the Driver Information
Center (DIC), seeVehicle Personalization on page 2-46.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Driver Information
Center (DIC), seeDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-57.
Remote Keyless Entry Transmitter
Battery Low Warning Message
If you receive this message, the battery in the remote
keyless entry needs to be replaced. See“Battery
Replacement”underRemote Keyless Entry System
Operation on page 2-6for instructions. United States
Canada
United StatesCanada
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Before You Drive
The RSE is designed for rear seat passengers only.
The driver cannot safely view the video screen
while driving and should not try to do so.
Your DVD system is designed to be inoperable when
the vehicle is exposed to extremely low or high
temperatures, in order to protect your system from
damage. Operate your DVD system under normal or
comfortable cabin temperature ranges.
Headphones
The entertainment system includes two cordless
headphones.
The cordless headphones have an ON/OFF switch, and
a volume control. To use the headphones turn the
switch to ON. An indicator light on the headphones will
illuminate. If the light does not illuminate, the batteries
may need to be replaced. See“Battery Replacement”
later in this section for more information. Switch the
headphones to OFF when not in use.
If the DVD system is shut off, or if the headphones are
out of range of the transmitters, located below the
overhead RSE control panel, for more than three
minutes, the headphones will shut off automatically to
save the battery power. If you move too far forward
or step out of the vehicle, the headphones will lose the
audio signal.To adjust the volume on the cordless headphones, use
the volume control.
Notice:Do not store the headphones in heat or
direct sunlight. This could damage the headphones
and repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Keep the headphones stored in a cool, dry place.
If there is a decreased audio signal during CD or DVD
play, you may hear a low“hissing”noise through the
speakers and/or headphones. If the hissing sound in the
wireless headphones seems excessive, make sure
that the headphone batteries are fully charged. Some
amount of hissing is normal.
Battery Replacement
To change the batteries, do the following:
1. Loosen the screw on the battery compartment door
located on the left side of the headphone earpiece.
2. Replace the two AAA batteries in the compartment.
Make sure that they are installed correctly using the
diagram on the inside of the battery compartment.
3. Tighten the screw on the battery compartment door.
If the headphones are to be stored for a long period
of time, remove the batteries, and keep them in a cool,
dry place.
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U(Camera):This button changes camera angles on
DVDs that have this feature. Press this button to
call-up a menu that will operate only when a DVD is
being played. The format and content of this function will
vary from disc to disc.
{(Subtitles):This button turns on subtitles and
moves through subtitle options (English, Spanish,
French, etc., if available). Press this button to call-up a
menu that will operate only when a DVD is being
played. The format and content of this function will vary
from disc to disc.
[(Fast Forward):Press this button to fast forward
the DVD. To stop fast forwarding, press this button
again. This button may not work when the DVD
is playing the copyright information or the previews.
s(Play/Pause):Press this button to start play of a
DVD or CD. Press this button while a DVD is playing
to pause it. Press it again to continue playing the DVD
or CD.
u(Next Chapter/Track):Press this button to go to
the beginning of the next chapter or track. This
button may not work when the DVD is playing the
copyright information or the previews.
Setup Menu
To access the setup menu, ensure that a DVD disc is in
the player and the video is stopped. Press the main menu
button. Once the menu is activated, use the directional
arrows and the enter button to navigate the screen.
The setup menu allows the user to select default
preferences for Menu Language, Subtitle Language,
Audio Language, TV Aspect, TV Mode, and Dynamic
Range Compression.
Not all DVDs support all the feature defaults in the setup
menus. In the event a particular feature is not supported,
defaults will be provided by the DVD media.
Exit the setup menu by pressing the return button on
the remote control or the DVD player. If you make
changes to the system setup defaults, the disc
will resume play from its beginning and not where it
previously left off.
Battery Replacement
To change the remote control batteries, do the following:
1. Unclip the battery door located on the back of the
remote control.
2. Remove the batteries from the compartment.
3. Replace the two AA batteries. Make sure that they
are installed correctly, using the diagram on the
inside of the battery compartment.
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BAND:Press this button to switch between AM, FM1,
FM2, or XM1 or XM2 (USA only, if equipped). If the
front passengers are already listening to the radio, the
RSA controller will not switch between the bands
and cannot change the frequency. Press this button to
play a cassette tape or a compact disc when listening
to the radio.
wSEEKx:While listening to the radio, press the up
or the down arrow to tune to the next or the previous
station and stay there. The SEEK button is inactive if the
front radio is in use.
While listening to a cassette tape, press the up or the
down arrow to hear the next or the previous selection.
The SEEK button is inactive if the tape mode on
the front radio is in use.
While listening to a CD, press the up arrow to hear the
next track on the CD. Press the down arrow to go
back to the start of the current track (if more than eight
seconds have played). The SEEK button is inactive
if the CD mode on the front radio is in use.
To scan stations, press and hold one of the SEEK
arrows until the radio goes into scan mode. The radio
will scan to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on
to the next station. Press SEEK again to stop scanning.
The scan function is inactive if front radio is in use.P.SET PROG (Preset Program):The front passengers
must be listening to something different for each of
these functions to work:
•Press this button to scan through the preset radio
stations set on the pushbuttons on the main radio.
The radio will go to a preset station stored on
your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go
on to the next preset station. Press this button
again to stop scanning presets.
•When a cassette tape is playing, press this button
to go to the other side of the tape.
•When a CD is playing, press this button to
select a disc.
TAPE CD:Press this button to switch between playing
a cassette tape or a compact disc when listening to
the radio. The inactive tape or compact disc will remain
safely inside the radio for future listening.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed and the
radio is placed in a different vehicle. This feature
requires no user input to be activated. It is automatically
armed when it is put into the vehicle for thefirst time.
When the ignition is turned off, the blinking red light
indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
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{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see it or
smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
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Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Specifications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-6
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-8
Checking Things Under
the Hood......................................................5-9
Hood Release................................................5-9
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-10
Engine Oil...................................................5-11
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-15
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-17
Engine Coolant.............................................5-19
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-21
Engine Overheating.......................................5-22
Cooling System............................................5-24
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-31Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-32
Brakes........................................................5-33
Battery........................................................5-36
Jump Starting...............................................5-36
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-41
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-42
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-43
Headlamps..................................................5-43
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Parking Lamps..........................................5-44
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps............5-45
Taillamps and Back-Up Lamps.......................5-45
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-46
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-47
Tires..............................................................5-48
Inflation -- Tire Pressure................................5-49
Check Tire Pressure System..........................5-49
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-51
When It Is Time for New Tires
.......................5-52
Buying New Tires
.........................................5-53
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
..........................5-54
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
..................5-55
Wheel Replacement
......................................5-55
Section 5Service and Appearance Care
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