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212
1. Check the area around the vehicle be-fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion height, head restraint
height and steering wheel angle.
3. Adjust the inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all the side doors and back door. Close the glass hatch.
5. Fasten seat belts. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Manual transmission: Press the clutch
pedal to the floor and shift the trans-
mission into neutral. Hold the clutch
pedal to the floor until the engine is
started. A starter safety device will pre-
vent the starter from operating if the
clutch pedal is not fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the se-
lector lever in “P”. If you need to re-
start the engine while the vehicle is
moving, put the selector lever in “N”.
A starter safety device will prevent the
starter from operating if the selector
lever is in any drive position.
4. Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it to
the floor until driving off. Before starting the engine, be sure to fol-
low the instructions in “(a) Before crank-
ing”.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequen-
tial multiport fuel injection system in your
engine automatically controls the proper
air
−fuel mixture for starting. You can start
a cold or hot engine as follows:
With your foot off the accelerator pedal,
crank the engine by turning the key to
“START”. Release it when the engine
starts.
Engine should be warmed up by driving,
not in idle. For warming up, drive with
smoothly turning engine until engine cool-
ant temperature is within normal range.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct proce-
dure given in normal starting.
If the engine will not start...
See “If your vehicle will not start” on page
226 in Section 4.
Before starting the engine How to start the engine—
(a) Before cranking
(b) Starting the engine
’06 MATRIX_U (L/O 0508)
221
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle −trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle −to −vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer). Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission) or overdrive (automatic
transmission).
’06 MATRIX_U (L/O 0508)
308
18. TAIL 15 A: Tail lights, license plate
lights, instrument panel lights, instru-
ment cluster lights, clock
19. OBD 7.5 A: On−board diagnosis sys-
tem
20. WIPER 25 A: Windshield wipers
21. AM2 15 A: Charging system, multiport
fuel injection system/sequential multi-
port fuel injection system, starting sys-
tem, SRS airbag system
22. STOP 15 A: Stop lights, high mounted
stoplight, anti −lock brake system, shift
lock control system, multiport fuel in-
jection system/sequential multiport fuel
injection system, cruise control system
23. DOOR 25 A: Power door lock system,
glass hatch opener switch
24. AM1 25 A: “CIG” fuse
25. ECU IG 10 A: Electric cooling fan,
anti −lock brake system, traction control
system, vehicle stability control system,
brake assist system, shift lock control
system, cruise control system
26. RR WIPER 15 A: Rear window wiper
27. A/C 10 A: Air conditioning system
28. INV 15 A: Power outlet (115 VAC)
29. P/POINT 15 A: Power outlet (12 VDC/
in the rear console box) 30. ECU B 10 A:
Daytime running light
system
31. CIG 15 A: Power outlet (12 VDC/on
the instrument panel) or cigarette light-
er, audio system, clock, shift lock con-
trol system
32. GAUGE 10 A: Gauges and meters, air
conditioning system, daytime running
light system, charging system, auto
anti −glare inside rear view mirror, pow-
er windows, cruise control system, rear
window defogger, back −up lights, front
passenger ’s seat belt reminder light,
emergency flasher
33. WASHER 15 A: Windshield washer,
rear window washer
34. M HTR/DEF I UP 10 A: Engine control
system
Fuses (type B)
35. ABS NO.1 30 A: Anti−lock brake sys-
tem, traction control system, vehicle
stability control system, brake assist
system
36. RDI FAN 40 A: Electric cooling fan 37. ABS NO.2 40 A (without vehicle sta-
bility control system): Anti−lock brake
system
ABS NO.2 50 A (with vehicle stability
control system): Anti−lock brake sys-
tem, traction control system, vehicle
stability control system, brake assist
system
38. HEAD MAIN 40 A: “HEAD LH UPR”,
“ H
EAD RH UPR”, “HEAD LH LWR” and
“HEAD RH LWR” fuses
39. AIR PUMP 50 A (1.8 L 4 cylinder [1ZZ FE] engine with four wheel
drive models and 1.8 L 4 cylinder
[2ZZ GE] engine only): Emission con-
trol system
40. HTR 40 A: Air conditioning system
41. DEF 30 A: Rear window defogger,
“M −HTR/DEF I −UP” fuse
42. POWER 30 A: Power windows, electric
moon roof
Fuses (type C)
43. ALT 100 A: “ABS NO.1”, “ABS NO.2”,
“RDI FAN”, “FOG”, “HTR”, “AM1”,
“POWER”, “DOOR”, “ECU −B”, “TAIL”,
“STOP”, “P/POINT”, “INV” and “OBD”
fuses, charging system