2006 Ridgeline Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .3
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
........................................ .55
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Features ........................................................................\
................................................................... .119
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................173
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .189
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................223
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................263
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
............................................ .289
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................301
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................305
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Important Handling Information........................................................................\
.............................iii
This indicator monitors the
temperature of the automatic
transmission f luid. It should come on
f or a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it comes
on while driving, it means the
transmission fluid temperature is too
high. Pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e, shif t to Park, and let
the engine idle until the indicator
goes out.This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it comes
on at any other time, there is a
problem in the 4WD system. Take
the vehicle to your dealer to have it
checked.
If the indicator blinks while driving,
the VTM-4 fluid temperature is too
high. Pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e, shif t to Park, and let
the engine idle until the indicator
goes out.
This indicator reminds you that the
exterior lights are on. It comes on
when you turn the headlight control
dial to either the or
position.
If you turn the ignition switch to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0)
without turning of f the headlight
control dial, this indicator remains on.
A reminder chime will also sound
when you open the driver’s door. Lights On Indicator A/T Temperature
IndicatorVTM-4 Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
63
Continuing to drive with the A/T
temperature indicator on may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
Continuing to drive with the VTM-4
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.
—
—y
y
(yy
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:If you need to decrease your
speed quickly, use the brakes as you
normally would.
Press and hold the SET/DECEL
button. Release the button when
you reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/DECEL
button. Each time you do this,
your vehicle will slow down about
1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Tap the brake pedal lightly with
your f oot. The CRUISE
CONTROL indicator on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the vehicle slows to the
desired speed, press the SET/
DECEL button.
You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. When you reach the
desired cruising speed, release the
button.
Push on the accelerator pedal until
you reach the desired cruising
speed, then press the SET/
DECEL button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RES/
ACCEL button. Each time you do
this, the vehicle will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Cruise control may not hold the set
speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down. This will cancel cruise
control. To resume the set speed,
press the RES/ACCEL button. The
indicator on the instrument panel will
come back on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
Changing the Set Speed
Cruise Control
164
NOTE:
—
—y
y
(y
y
This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the VTM-4system, the VSA
system, the tire pressure monitoring
system, and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Driving Guidelines .190
........................
Preparing to Drive .191
.......................
Starting the Engine .192
..............
Automatic Transmission .193
Variable Torque Management
.........
4WD (VTM-4) System .198
..............................
VTM-4Lock .198
Tire Pressure Monitoring System ......................................
(TPMS) .199
...........................................
Parking .201
.............................
Braking System .202
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .203
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
........................................
System .205
.................
Towing Weight Limits .207
..........
Towing Weight Guidelines .209
...........................
Towing a Trailer .210
Of f -Highway Driving
..................................
Guidelines .219
Driving
Driving
189
—
—y
y
(y
y
These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission.
If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
To shif t f rom Park to any position,
pressfirmlyonthebrakepedal,and
pull the shif t lever toward you. You
cannot shif t out of Park when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position.
CONT INUED
Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
193
SHIFT LEVER
—
—y
y
(y
y
µµµ
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Pull the shif t lever
towards you, then move it out of
Park.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
You must also pull the shif t lever
towards you to shift into Park. To
avoid transmission damage, come to
a complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park. The shif t lever must be in Park
for you to remove the key from the
ignition switch. Press the brake
pedal and pull the shif t lever towards
you to shif t f rom Park to reverse. To
shif t f rom reverse to neutral, come
to a complete stop, and then shif t.
Pull the shif t lever towards you
bef ore shif ting into reverse f rom
neutral.
Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear.
197
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal, and
pull the shift lever towards
you.
Pull the shift lever towards
you.
Move the shift lever.
Automatic Transmission
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
194
—
—y
y
(y
y
µ
CONT INUED
Af ter you stop in D, 2, 1, N, or R
position with the ignition switch in
ACCESSORY (I) f or an extended
period, you may not be able to move
the shift lever from neutral to
reverse or Park. In this case, press
the brake pedal, and turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position, then
shif t out of neutral.Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shif ting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster. When D3 is on, the transmission
selects only the f irst three gears.
Use D3 f or engine braking when
going down a steep hill.
Press the D3 switch on the end of
the shif t lever to turn this mode on
or of f ; the D3 indicator comes on
whenever D3 is selected.
TheD3switchcanbeoperatedonly
when the ignition switch is in the ON
(II) position and the shif t lever is in
the D position.
Automatic Transmission
Drive (D)
D3
Driving
195
D3 SWITCH
D3 INDICATOR
—
—y
y
(yy
µ
µ To shif t f rom second to
first, pull the shift lever towards you,
then shif t to the lower gear. This
position locks the transmission in
f irst gear. By upshif ting and
downshif ting through 1, 2, and D,
you can operate the transmission
much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal.
To shif t to second,
pull the shif t lever towards you, then
shif t to the lower gear. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshif t to f irst
gear when you come to a stop.
Use second gear: For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow.
To help reduce wheel spin.
When driving downhill with a
trailer.
When towing a trailer on level roads
under normal driving conditions, do
not use D3. This will increase the
automatic transmission fluid
temperature and may cause
overheating.
Shif ting out of the D position will
cancel D3, and cause the D3
indicator to go out. Selecting the D
position again will resume D3, and
the indicator will come on.
Turning the ignition switch to LOCK
(0) turns D3 of f . To use D3 when
you restart the engine, select the D
position and press the D3 switch
again.
TheD3indicatoralsocomesonfora
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II).
If you shif t into f irst position when
the vehicle speed is above 28 mph
(45 km/h), the transmission shif ts
into second gear first to avoid
sudden engine braking.
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
Automatic Transmission
First (1)
Engine Speed L imiter
Second (2)
196
—
—y
y
(y
y