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If the airbag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your
airbag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the airbag system
may not be working properly. The airbags in
your vehicle may not in ate in a crash, or they
could even in ate without a crash. To help avoid
injury to yourself or others, have your vehicle
serviced right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
The airbag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on for a few
seconds when you turn on
the ignition as a check
to show you it is working.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving and you
hear a chime, you may have a problem with the
electrical charging system. It could indicate that you
have a loose generator drive belt or another electrical
problem. Have it checked right away. Driving while
this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-35.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service.
United States
Canada
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
If your vehicle has the
anti-lock brake system, the
light will come on when
your engine is started and
may stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon
as possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays
on, or comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning
light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-27.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON. This is
normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Enhanced Traction System Warning
Light
When the system is on
and the parking brake is
fully released, this warning
light will come on to let
you know if there’s a
problem.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system off if
you prefer.
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Enhanced Traction System Active
Light
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction System
(ETS), this light will
come on when the system
is limiting wheel spin.
Slippery road conditions may exist if the Enhanced
Traction System active light comes on, so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel spin.
The Enhanced Traction System active light also comes
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON. If
the light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it will be
there to tell you when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, the light comes
on and you hear a chime, your engine is too hot! It
means that your engine coolant has overheated. See
Engine Overheating on page 5-24.
United StatesCanada
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If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still
flashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation
on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
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Security Light
This light will come on
when you turn the key to
ON and will stay on
until the vehicle starts.
If you’re driving and the security light comes on and
remains on, your Passlock
®system is not working
properly. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock®and
you should see your dealer.
Highbeam On Light
This light will illuminate
when the headlamp high
beams are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you turn on
the ignition. It will also stay
on, or come on and a
chime will sound, if
the windshield washer fluid
reservoir is less than
one-third full.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition to ON.
It will stay on, or come on and a chime will sound if it
detects a problem on the vehicle, such as a Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) or an automatic headlamp
system malfunction. If this happens, see your dealer as
soon as possible.
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Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population — choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 21,
it is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too
much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less
than many might think. Although it depends on each
person and situation, here is some general information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
•The amount of alcohol consumed
•The drinker’s body weight
•The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
•The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol
According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb
(82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml)
bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach thesame BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka.
It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces
or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person
who consumes food just before or during drinking will
have a somewhat lower BAC level.
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4. To prevent your battery from draining while the
vehicle is being towed, remove the following
fuses from the driver’s side instrument panel fuse
block: WIPER, PCM ACC and IPC/BFC ACC.
See “Instrument Panel Fuse Block ” underFuses
and Circuit Breakers on page 5-80for the location of
these fuses.
5. Turn the ignition switch to ACCESSORY.
6. Shift your transaxle to Neutral (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Remember to reinstall the fuses once you reach your
destination. To reinstall a fuse do the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Put the fuse back in.
Notice:If you exceed 65 mph (110 km/h) while
towing your vehicle, it could be damaged. Never
exceed 65 mph (110 km/h) while towing your vehicle.Notice:Towing your vehicle from the rear could
damage it. Also, repairs would not be covered by the
warranty. Never have your vehicle towed from
the rear.
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