Page 9 of 236

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You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ). While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster
and a lap/shoulder belt until they
canusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see page ). 3015
46 148
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
8
Page 130 of 236
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Your vehicle has several convenient
storage areas:Glove box
Front door and seat-back pockets
Console compartment
Trunk
Roof -rack (if installed)
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can af f ect
your vehicle’s handling, stability,
stopping distance, and tires, and
make it unsaf e. Bef ore carrying any
type of cargo, be sure to read the
f ollowing pages.
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving
129
FRONT DOOR POCKET
TRUNK GLOVE BOX
CONSOLE COMPARTMENT
SEAT-BACK POCKET: On LX, U.S. EX, and Canadian Si models
Page 172 of 236
Examine the new wiper blades. If
they have no plastic or metal
reinf orcement along the back
edge, remove the metal
reinf orcement strips f rom the old
wiper blade, and install them in
the slots along the edge of the new
blade.Slide the new wiper blade into the
holder until the tabs lock.
Slide the wiper blade assembly
onto the wiper arm. Make sure it
locks in place.
Lower the wiper arm down against
the windshield.
To saf ely operate your vehicle, your
tires must be the proper type and
size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inf lated.
The f ollowing pages give more
detailed inf ormation on how to take
care of your tires and what to do
when they need to be replaced.
4. 5.
6.
7.
Wiper Blades, Tires
Tires
Maint enance
171
BLADE
REINFORCEMENT
Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.
Page 177 of 236

´
Wheels:
Tires: Tires marked ‘‘M S’’ or ‘‘All
Season’’ on the sidewall have an all-
weather tread design suitable for
most winter driving conditions.
For the best perf ormance in snowy
or icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under
certain conditions.
If you mount snow tires on your
vehicle, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load range
as original tires. Mount snow tires on
all f our wheels. The traction
provided by snow tires on dry roads
maybelowerthanyouroriginaltires.
Check with the tire dealer f or
maximum speed recommendations.
See page f or DOT tire quality
grading inf ormation, and page
f or tire size inf ormation.
(DX)
(LX, EX and Canadian Si)
(DX)
(Canadian LX)
(U.S.EX,LX,CanadianSi)
210
212
Wheel and T ire Specif ications Winter Driving
Snow T ires
Tires
176
14x51/2JJ
15x6JJ
P185/70R14 87S
P185/65R15 86H
P195/60R15 87H
Installing improper tires on your
vehicle can affect handling and
stability. This can cause a crash
in which you can be seriously
hurt or killed.
Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in this
owner’s manual.
Page 178 of 236
When installing cables, f ollow the
manuf acturer’s instructions, and
mount them as tight as you can.
Make sure they are not contacting
the brake lines or suspension. Drive
slowly with them installed. If you
hear them coming into contact with
the body or chassis, stop and
investigate. Remove them as soon as
you begin driving on cleared roads. Because your vehicle has limited tire
clearance, mount only SAE Class ‘‘S’’
cable-type traction devices, with
rubber chain tensioners on the f ront
tires. Use traction devices only when
required by driving conditions or
local laws. Make sure they are the
correct size f or your tires. Make link-
type ‘‘chains’’ should not be used. Tire Chains
Tires
Maint enance
177
Traction devices that are the wrong
size or improperly installed can
damage your vehicle’s brake lines,
suspension, body, and wheels. Stop
driving if they are hitting any part of
the vehicle.
Page 203 of 236

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There are three popular types of
prof essional towing equipment.
The tow
truck uses two pivoting arms that go
under the tires (f ront or rear) and lif t
them of f the ground. The other two
tires remain on the ground. Release the parking brake.
Shif t the transmission to Neutral.
Release the parking brake.
Start the engine.
ShifttoD,thentoN.
Turn of f the engine.
If your vehicle needs to be towed,
call a prof essional towing service or
organization. Never tow your vehicle
with just a rope or chain. It is very
dangerous.
The operator
loads your vehicle on the back of a
truck. The tow
truck uses metal cables with hooks
on the ends. These hooks go around
parts of the f rame or suspension and
the cables lif t that end of the vehicle
of f the ground. Your vehicle’s sus-
pension and body can be seriously
damaged.
If your vehicle cannot be transported
by f lat-bed, it should be towed by
wheel-lif t equipment with the f ront
wheels of f the ground. If , due to
damage, your vehicle must be towed
with the f ront wheels on the ground,
do the f ollowing:
5-speed Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Emergency T owing
Wheel-lif t Equipment
Flat -bed Equipment Sling-t ype Equipment
T his is
an acceptable way to tow your
vehicle. This is the best way to trans-
port your vehicle. T his method of towing
is unacceptable.
202
Improper towing preparation will
damage the transmission. Follow the
above procedure exactly. If you cannot
shif t the transmission or start the
engine (automatic transmission), your
vehicle must be transported with the
f ront wheels of f the ground.
Page 210 of 236

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Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation
209
Air Conditioning
Fuses
Alignment
Battery Lights Tires
HFC-134a (R-134a)
17.6 19.4 oz (500 550 g) SP-10
12 V 60 W (HB3)
2°14’0°45’0°
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
P185/65R15 86H P185/70R14 87S
0.08 in (2.0 mm)
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant oil type
Interior
Under-hood
Toe-in
Camber
Caster
Capacity 12 V 36 AH/5 HR
Headlights
Front turn signal/side marker
lights
Rear turn signal lights
Stop/Taillights/Rear side
marker lights
Back-up lights
Taillights
High-mount brake light
License plate lights
Ceiling light
Front ceiling light
Spotlights
Trunk light
12 V
12 V 12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V 12 V 12 V 12 V
5W 8W
5W 8W 3CP
21 W
3CP
21 W 21/5 W 21 W 27/8 W
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm
)
30 psi (210 kPa , 2.1 kgf/cm)
T125/70D15 95M T115/70D14 88M
Size
Pressure
12 V 51 W (HB4)
5W P195/60R15 87H
See page
201or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the steering
column.
See page 200or the fuse box
cover.
1:
2: U.S.: DX, LX without ABS
U.S.: LX with ABS, EX
U.S.: EX
Canada: Si
LX High
Low
Front/Rear
Spare
Front/Rear
Spare Front
Rear
Front
Rear
Front
U.S.: LX, EX, Canada: Si
Canada: DX
1:
2:
3:
4:
5: DX, Canadian SE
Canadian LX-G
Canada: LX-G, Si
1
2 1
2
3
4
5
1
Page 213 of 236

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The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
of tire size with an explanation of
what each component means.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial).
Rim diameter in inches. Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Tire Identif ication Number (TIN) is
a group of numbers and letters that
look like the f ollowing example TIN.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code.
Date of manufacture. The maximum air
pressurethetirecan
hold.
The maximum load the
tire can carry at
maximum air pressure.
P
225
55
R
16 94
V
DOT
B97R
FW6X
2202
Max Press
Max Load
Tire Labeling
Tire Labeling
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion NumberMaximum T ire Pressure
Maximum T ire L oad
212
P225/55R 16 94V DOT B97R FW6X 2202