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Descend a hill in the same gear you
would use to climb up the hill to
avoid excessive brake application
and brake overheating. Do not
descend in neutral; instead,
disengage overdrive or manually
shift to a lower gear. When
descending a steep hill, avoid
sudden hard braking as you could
lose control. When you brake hard,
the front wheels can’t turn and if
they aren’t turning, you won’tbe
able to steer. The front wheels have to be turning in order to steer the
vehicle.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, apply the brakes steadily. Do not
“pump”the brakes.
Driving on snow and ice
AWD vehicles have advantages over 2WD vehicles in snow and ice but
can skid like any other vehicle.
Should you start to slide while driving on snowy or icy roads, turn the
steering wheel in the direction of the slide until you regain control.
Avoid sudden applications of power and quick changes of direction on
snow and ice. Apply the accelerator slowly and steadily when starting
from a full stop.
Avoid sudden braking as well. Although an AWD vehicle may accelerate
better than a two-wheel drive vehicle in snow and ice, it won’t stop any
faster, because as in other vehicles, braking occurs at all four wheels. Do
not become overconfident as to road conditions.
Make sure you allow sufficient distance between you and other vehicles
for stopping. Drive slower than usual and consider using one of the lower
gears. In emergency stopping situations, apply the brake steadily. Since
your vehicle is equipped with a four wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS),
do not“pump”the brakes. Refer to theBrakessection of this chapter
for additional information on the operation of the anti-lock brake system.
Never drive with chains on the front tires of AWD vehicles without also
putting them on the rear tires. This could cause the rear to slide and
swing around during braking.
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•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between gears occurs. Unnecessary shifting of
this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toLubricant specificationsin
this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in your vehicle scheduled maintenance guide.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
•Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
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Steering
speed sensitive .......................275
Steering wheel
controls ....................................134
tilting .......................................121
T
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Driving .....................................288
Maintenance and
Specifications ..........................247
Roadside Emergencies ...........229
Warning Displays ......................13
Tires ...........................223–224, 229
alignment ................................244
care ..........................................243
changing ..........................229, 234
checking the pressure ............226
inspecting and inflating .........225
label .........................................242
replacing ..........................228, 234
rotating ....................................245
safety practices .......................244
sidewall information ...............238
snow tires and chains ............251
spare tire .................229, 231–233
terminology .............................225
tire grades ...............................224
treadwear ........................224, 243
Towing .......................................258
recreational towing .................264
trailer towing ..........................258
wrecker ....................................309Transmission .............................276
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....276
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................350
fluid, refill capacities ..............352
lubricant specifications ..354, 356
Trunk .........................................161
Turn signal ................................109
V
Vehicle dimensions ...................356
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................358
Vehicle loading ..........................252
Ventilating your vehicle ...........268
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......10
Washer fluid ..............................328
Water, Driving through .............291
Windows
power .......................................125
rear wiper/washer ...................121
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ........................................120
checking and adding fluid .....328
liftgate reservoir .....................328
operation .................................120
replacing wiper blades ...........121
Wrecker towing .........................309
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Index
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