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disabled for about 4 minutes until the brakes have
cooled. The system will automatically reactivate and turn
off the Traction Control Light.
9. Tachometer
The red segments indicate the maximum permissible
engine revolutions-per-minute (r.p.m. x 1000) for each
gear range. Before reaching the red area, ease up on the
accelerator.
10. Trip Odometer Button
Press this button to change the display from odometer to
either of the two trip odometer settings. The word TRIP
and either “A” or “B” will appear when in the trip
odometer mode. Push in and hold the button for two
seconds to reset the trip odometer to 0 miles or kilome-
ters. The odometer must be in trip mode to reset. 11. Transmission Range Indicator
This display indicator shows the automatic transmission
gear selection.
12. AutoStick Light
This display indicator illuminates when the gearshift
lever is moved to the AutoStick position.
13. Odometer/Trip Odometer
The odometer shows the total distance the vehicle has
been driven.
U.S. federal regulations require that upon transfer of
vehicle ownership, the seller certify to the purchaser the
correct mileage that the vehicle has been driven. There-
fore, if the odometer reading is changed during repair or
replacement, be sure to keep a record of the reading
before and after the service so that the correct mileage can
be determined.
172 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
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Pressing the MENU button will change the displayed
programming features. Pressing the STEP button will
display the available choices. Pressing the MENU button
a second time accepts a selected choice.
When the appropriate conditions exist, the Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) displays the following
messages.
•LEFT/RIGHT TURN SIGNAL ON (with a continuous
warning chime)
•INVALID KEY & FOB (with a single chime)
•PARK ASSIST DISABLED
•SERVICE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM
•SERVICE IMMOBILIZER (with a single chime)
•KEY FOB BATTERY LOW (with a single chime)
•KEY & FOB PROGRAMMED (with a single chime)
•PROGRAM KEY & FOB
•MEMORY #1/#2 POSITION SET (with a single chime)
•MEMORY #1/#2 POS SELECTED
•MEMORY SYSTEM DISABLED VEHICLE NOT IN
PARK (with a single chime)
•SET INHIBITED DUE TO MOTION (with a single
chime)
•FOB LINKED (with a single chime)
•FOB UNLINKED (with a single chime)
•PARK BRAKE ENGAGED (with a single chime)
•LOW BRAKE FLUID (with a single chime)
•LOW FUEL (with a single chime)
•MENU IN PARK ONLY
•LIST # ALERT MESSAGES
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 177
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STARTING AND OPERATING
CONTENTS
Starting Procedures .....................258
▫ Normal Starting ......................258
Engine Block Heater — If Equipped .........260
Automatic Transmission ..................261
▫ Brake/Transmission Interlock System .......261
▫ Automatic Transmission Ignition Interlock
System .............................262
▫ Four Speed Automatic Transmission ........262
AutoStick ............................264 ▫
AutoStick Operation ...................264
▫ AutoStick General Information ............265
All Wheel Drive — If Equipped ............266
Parking Brake .........................266
Brake System ..........................268
▫ Anti-Lock Brake System ................269
Power Steering ........................271
Traction Control — If Equipped ............272
Tire Safety Information ...................274
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STARTING PROCEDURES
CAUTION!
Long periods of engine idling, especially at high
engine speeds, can cause excessive exhaust tempera-
tures which can damage your vehicle. Do not leave
your vehicle unattended with the engine running.
WARNING!
Do not leave animals or children inside parked
vehicles in hot weather; interior heat build up may
cause serious injury or death.
The gear selector must be in the NEUTRAL or PARK
position before you can start the engine. Apply the brakes
before shifting into any driving gear.
Normal Starting
Normal Starting of either a cold or a warm engine is
obtained without pumping or depressing the accelerator
pedal. Turn the key to the “START” position and release
when the engine starts. If the engine has not started
within 3 seconds, slightly depress the accelerator pedal
while continuing to crank. If the engine fails to start
within 15 seconds, turn the key to the “OFF” position,
wait 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat the normal starting
procedure.
Extremely Cold Weather (below29°Cor20° F). To
insure reliable starting at these temperatures, use of an
externally powered electric engine block heater (available
from your dealer) is recommended.
258 STARTING AND OPERATING
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the follow-
ing precautions are not observed:
•Shift into PARK only after the vehicle has come to
a complete stop.
•Shift into or out of REVERSE only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop and the
engine is at idle speed.
•Do not shift from REVERSE, PARK, or NEUTRAL
into any forward gear when the engine is above
idle speed.
•Before shifting into any gear, make sure your foot
is firmly on the brake pedal.
WARNING!
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out of “P” or
“N” if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in re-
verse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear when
the engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Brake/Transmission Interlock System
This system prevents you from moving the gear shift out
of PARK and into any gear unless the brake pedal is
pressed. This system is active only while the ignition
switch is in the ACCESSORY or ON position. Always
depress the brake pedal first, before moving the gear
selector out of PARK.
STARTING AND OPERATING 261
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possible convenience. Your dealer has diagnostic equip-
ment to determine if the problem could recur.
If the transmission cannot be reset, dealer service is
required.
Gear Ranges
DO NOT race the engine when shifting from PARK or
NEUTRAL positions into another gear range.
“P” Park
Supplements the parking brake by locking the transmis-
sion. The engine can be started in this range. Never
attempt to use PARK while vehicle is in motion.
Apply parking brake when leaving vehicle in this range.
For electrical system malfunctions there is an override for
the interlock system. In order to override this system the
key must be in the ignition with the switch in the ACC or
ON positions. Pull up and rearward on the shifter bezel
ring. The override can be activated by pressing the pink-
colored tab, which can be accessed through the lower
right corner of the shifter bezel ring. While the override is
pressed, the shifter can be moved out of the park position
without pressing the brake. After operation return the
shifter bezel ring to its original position.
Brake Interlock Override
STARTING AND OPERATING 263
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•If the system detects a problem it will disable the
AutoStick mode and the transmission will return to
the automatic mode until the problem is corrected.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE — IF EQUIPPED
This feature provides full time, on-demand, All Wheel
Drive (AWD). The system is automatic with no driver
inputs or additional driving skills required. Under nor-
mal driving conditions, the front wheels provide most of
the traction. If the front wheels begin to lose traction,
power is shifted automatically to the rear wheels. The
greater the front wheel traction loss, the greater the
power transfer to the rear wheels.
CAUTION!
All wheels must have the same size and type tires.
Unequal tire sizes must not be used. Unequal tire
size may cause failure of the power transfer unit
and/or the viscous coupling.
PARKING BRAKE
When the parking brake is applied with the ignition
switch on, the brake light in the instrument cluster will
turn on.
NOTE: This light only shows that the parking brake is
applied. It does not show the degree of brake application.
266 STARTING AND OPERATING
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Before leaving the vehicle, make sure that the parking
brake is fully applied and place the gear selector in the
Park position. To release the parking brake, pull out on
the parking brake release located on the left side of the
instrument panel. When parking on a hill, it is important to set the parking
brake before placing the gear selector in Park, otherwise
the load on the transmission locking mechanism may
make it difficult to move the selector out of park. As an
added precaution, turn the front wheels toward the curb
on a downhill grade and away from the curb on a uphill
grade.
The parking brake should always be applied when the
driver is not in the vehicle.
Parking Brake Release
STARTING AND OPERATING 267
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