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 super handling-all wheel
drive (SH-AWD) system, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA) system, active
damper system, the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS), and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer or drive off-high way.........................
Driving Guidelines .330
........................
Preparing to Drive .330
.......................
Starting the Engine .332
Check Starting System .................................
Message .332
..............
Automatic Transmission . 333
Super Handling-All Wheel Drive ...................
(SH-AWD) System . 340
...........................................
Parking .342
Tire Pressure Monitoring System ......................................
(TPMS) .343
.............................
Braking System .348
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 349
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ........................................
System .351
................
Active Damper System . 353
...........................
Towing a Trailer .355
..................
Trailer Stability Assist . 367
..............
Of f -Highway Guidelines . 369
Driving
Driving
329
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Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator in the instrument
panel to come on. If this happens,
you will see which tire is losing
pressure on the multi-inf ormation
display along with a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message.When the low tire pressure indicator
is on, one or more of your tires is
signif icantly underinf lated. You
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inf late them to
the proper pressure as indicated on
the vehicle’s tire inf ormation placard.
It is possible that the pressures
shown on the multi-inf ormation
display and the pressures you
manually measure are slightly
dif f erent.
If the dif f erence is signif icant or you
cannot make the low tire pressure
indicator and message on the multi-
inf ormation display go out af ter
inf lating the tires to the specif ied
values, have your dealer check the
system as soon as possible.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure indicator may
come on unexpectedly. Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability. If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire.
CONT INUED
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
Driving
343
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The TPMS can misinterpret the tire
pressure because of differences in
the air temperatures. For example, if
youcheckandfillyourtiresina
warm area, then drive in extremely
cold weather, the tire pressure will
be lower than measured and could
be underinflated and cause the
TPMS indicators to come on. Or, if
youcheckandadjustyourtire
pressu re in cooler conditions, and
drive into extremely hot conditions,
thetiresmaybecomeoverinflated.
However, the TPMS indicators will
not come on if the tires are
overinflated.
Refer to page for tire inflation
guidelines. Al
though your tire pressure is
monito red, you must manually check
thetirepressuresmonthly.
Each tire, including the spare, should
be checked monthly when the
vehicle is cold, and set to the
recommended inflation pressure as
sp ecified on the vehicle placard and
intheowner’smanual(seepage ).
Toselectthetirepressuremonitor,
press the INFO button several times
with the ignition switch in the ON
(II) position.
You will see the above display on the
multi-inf ormation display when all
tire pressures are normal.
409 410 Tire Pressure Monitor
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
344
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CONT INUED
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator in the instrument
panel to come on. If this happens,
you will see which tire is losing
pressure on the multi-inf ormation
display along with a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message.
To see the inf lation pressures of all
f our tires, press the SEL/RESET
button. The display changes as
shown above.
Each tire pressure is shown in PSI
(U.S. models) or in kPa (Canadian
models).
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
345
U.S. model
Canadian model This shows that front left tire is
losing pressure.
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If any of the tires has low pressure,
thetirepressuremonitoralsoshows
above message to warn you about
the low tire pressure when you select
the display by pressing the INFO
button several times. Following this
display, press the SEL/RESET
button to see each tire pressure.
When you continue driving af ter
installing the spare tire, you will also
see this message on the multi-
inf ormation display.If there is a problem with the TPMS,
thetirepressuremonitorshowsa
‘‘SYSTEM FUNCTION ERROR’’ and
the tire pressure readings are not
displayed. If this happens, f irst you
will see a system warning message
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’ on the
multi-inf ormation display.
If there is a problem with the TPMS,
you will see the above message on
the multi-information display.
If you see this message, the system
is of f and is not monitoring the tire
pressures. Have the system checked
by your dealer as soon as possible.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
TPMS System Failure
346
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As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s
au thority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Industry
Canada Standard RSS-210.
Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device.If the low tire pressure indicator
comes on, or the multi -information
display shows a ‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’ message, the VSA system
automatically turns on even when
the VSA system is turned off by
pressing the VSA OFF button (see
page ). If this happens, you
cannot turn the VSA system off by
pressing the VSA OFF button again.
When you restart the vehicle with
thecompactsparetire,theTPMS
system message may also be
displayed on the multi -information
display after driving several miles
(kilometers).
If you have a flat tire, the low tire
pressu re and tire monitor indicators
will come on. Replace the indicated
flat tire with the compact spare tire
(see page ). Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor mounted inside the
tire behind the valve stem. You must
use TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
qualif ied technician.
Af ter you replace the f lat tire, the
low tire pressure indicator stays on.
This is normal; the system is not
monitoring the spare tire pressure.
Manually check the spare tire
pressure to be sure it is correct.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.
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352
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Changing a T ire with T PMS
Driving
347
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When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times. There may also
be some noise from the modulator. When
VSA activates, you will see the
VSA activation indicator blink. There
mayalsobesomenoisefromthe
modulator.
The
vehicle stability assist (VSA)
system helps to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering if the vehicle turns
more or less than desired. It also
assists you in maintaining traction
while accelerating on loose or
slippery road surfaces. It does this
by regulating the engine’s output and
by selectively applying the brakes.
If the VSA system indicator comes
on while driving, pull to the side of
theroadwhenitissafe,andturnoff
the engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine. If the VSA
system indicator stays, or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your deale r. If
the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON (II) position, there may be a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your dealer inspect your vehic le as
soon as possible.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK VSA
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
information display if there is a
problem with the VSA system.
If the low tire pressure indicator
comes on (see page ), or the
multi-info rmation display shows a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’ message
(see page ), the VSA system
automatically turns on even if you
turn it of f with the VSA OFF switch.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.
The VSA system cannot enhance the
vehicle’s driving stability in all
situations and does not control your
vehicle’s entire braking system. It is
still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
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343
VSA A ctivation Indicator
VSA System Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving
351
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To safely operate your vehicle, your
ti res must be the proper type and
size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inflated. Keeping
the tires properly inflated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread life, and riding
comfort.
Thetirepressuremonitoringsystem
(TPMS)will warnyouwhenatire
pressu re is low. See page for
inform ation on the TPMS.
The f ollowing pages give more
detailed inf ormation on how to take
care of your tires and what to do
when they need to be replaced.
Underinf lated tires wear unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel
economy, and are more likely to
fail from being overheated.
Overinf lated tires can make your
vehicleridemoreharshly,are
more prone to damage f rom road
hazards, and wear unevenly.
We recommend that you visually
check your tires everyday. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge. Use a gauge to measure the air
pressure in each tire at least once a
month. Even tires that are in good
condition may lose 1 to 2 psi (10 to
20 kPa, 0.1 to 0.2 kgf /cm ) per
month. Remember to check the
sparetireatthesametime.
343
CONT INUED
Inf lation Guidelines
Tires
Maint enance
409
Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.
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