Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-4
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-5
Other Warning Devices...................................3-6
Horn.............................................................3-6
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-7
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-7
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-13
Interior Lamps..............................................3-15
Instrument Panel Switchbank..........................3-16
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-17
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-18
Climate Controls............................................3-19
Climate Control System.................................3-19
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-22
Rear Heating System....................................3-23
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators............3-23
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-24
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-25
Tachometer.................................................3-26
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-26
Safety Belt Reminder Tone............................3-26
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-27
Air Bag Off Light..........................................3-28Charging System Light..................................3-30
Voltmeter Gage............................................3-30
Service Transmission Warning Light................3-31
Range Inhibit Warning Indicator......................3-31
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-31
Parking Brake Warning Light..........................3-34
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-34
Trailer Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light...........................................3-35
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-35
Low Coolant Warning Light............................3-36
Wait to Start Indicator...................................3-36
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-37
Oil Pressure Gage........................................3-37
Low Oil Level Light.......................................3-38
Change Engine Oil Light................................3-39
Engine Overspeed Warning Light....................3-39
Engine Shutdown Warning Light.....................3-39
Transmission Temperature Gage.....................3-40
Exhaust Brake Indicator Light.........................3-40
Differential Lock Indicator Light.......................3-40
Reduced Engine Power Light.........................3-41
Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light...........3-41
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1
Your hazard warning
flashers button is located
on top of the steering
column.
Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key isn’t in.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lamps flash on and off. Press the button again to
turn the flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers are on, your turn
signals won’t work. The hazard warning flashers will not
flash if the brakes are applied.Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road behind your vehicle in the
recommended manner per Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulation (FMCSR) Section 392.22, to warn others.
Horn
Sound the horn by pushing the center of the steering
wheel. If you have the optional air horn, it is controlled
by a cord that you’ll find up above and to the left of
the driver. The harder you pull on the cord, the louder
the air horn will sound. The air horn works only after
your air brake system pressure gets up to about
115 psi (790 kPa). The air horn will work properly
unless the the air brake system pressure drops below
60 psi (415 kPa).
3-6
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit and enter
the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever. Then
move the wheel to a comfortable position and release
the lever to lock the wheel in place.
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
•Windshield Wipers
•Windshield Washer
•Cruise Control (Option)
3-7
Cruise Control
If your vehicle has this
feature, it is located at the
end of the multifunction
lever.
T(Set):Pressing in this button at the end of the
lever sets the cruise control speed.
9(Off):Moving the switch to this position turns off
the cruise control.
R(On):Moving the switch to this position turns on the
cruise control.
S(Resume/Accelerate):Moving the switch to this
position turns on resume/accelerate.With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
30 mph (48 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. Cruise control does not work
at speeds below about 30 mph (48 km/h).
If you have an automatic transmission and you apply
your brakes, the cruise control will shut off.
If you have a manual transmission and you apply your
brakes or push the clutch pedal, the cruise control
will shut off.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can not drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not 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. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
3-10
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
This feature controls the brightness of the instrument
panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located to the right of
the exterior lamp control.
Turn the thumbwheel up to brighten the lights. When
the thumbwheel is moved to the first position, the radio
display and transmission selection display will go to
full intensity. The instrument panel cluster will also be
dimly lit. Moving the thumbwheel up to the next position
will activate the interior dome lamps.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open a door.
You can also turn the dome lamps on by moving
the thumbwheel, located to the right of the exterior lamp
control, all the way up to the second position. In this
position, the dome lamps will remain on whether a door
is open or closed.
You can use the dome override button to set the dome
lamps to automatically come on when a door is
open, or to remain off.The dome override button is located below the exterior
lamp control.
If the dome override button is pushed in, the dome
lamps will not come on. Use this feature when you want
to leave your door(s) open for an extended period of
time and do not want to run the battery down.
If the dome override button is in the out position, the
interior lamps will work as usual.
3-15
Rear Heating System
If your vehicle has a rear
heater, the thumbwheel for
this feature is located on
the headliner.
To increase and decrease the flow of heated air to
the rear floor vents, turn the thumbwheel to the
desired fan speed. To turn the fan off, turn the
thumbwheel down.
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly – and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
3-23
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pacewith the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Hydraulic Brake Systems
If your engine stops running, or if your primary brake
system stops working, your vehicle has a reserve power
assist system to help you slow down. Just slowly and
steadily apply the brake pedal until you can safely get off
the road. The pedal will seem harder to push down.
Do not pump the pedal; the system will not work well or
at all that way.
You may find that the steering wheel seems hard to turn
when you are turning and braking at the same time.
Also, the PRIMARY BRAKE warning light may come on
and the warning tone may sound. This is normal
because the main hydraulic brake system and power
steering both use the power steering pump. If this ever
happens, let up on the brake pedal a little. When
you let up on the brake pedal in that situation, it lets the
steering get a little more help from the pump.
4-6
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-34.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each wheel.
4-7