
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle
with the engine running. Your vehicle
could move suddenly if the shift lever is
not fully in PARK (P) with the parking
brake rmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch re. You or
others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P)
and your parking brake is rmly set before you
leave it. After you have moved the shift lever into
PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down.
Then, see if you can move the shift lever
away from PARK (P) without rst pulling it toward
you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
was not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift
your transmission into PARK (P) properly,
the weight of the vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in the transmission. You
may nd it difficult to pull the shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called torque lock. To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To nd out how, seeShifting Into
Park (P) (Automatic Transmission) on page 132.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift
lever out of PARK (P) before you release the
parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to
have another vehicle push yours a little uphill to
take some of the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, so you can pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P).
133

Engine Exhaust
{CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the
gas carbon monoxide (CO), which you
cannot see or smell. It can cause
unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange
or different.
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a
collision.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Your vehicle was damaged when
driving over high points on the road
or over road debris.
Repairs were not done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system has
been modi ed improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows
down to blow out any CO; and
Have your vehicle xed immediately.
136

Running the Engine While Parked
It is better not to park with the engine running. But if
you ever have to, here are some things to know.
{CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust
into your vehicle. See the earlier caution
underEngine Exhaust on page 136.
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let
deadly carbon monoxide (CO) into your
vehicle even if the climate control fan is
at the highest setting. One place this can
happen is a garage. Exhaust — with
CO — can come in easily. NEVER park
in a garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard.
SeeWinter Driving on page 280.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your
vehicle if the automatic transmission shift
lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. Do not leave your vehicle when the
engine is running unless you have to.
If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle
will not move, even when it is on fairly
level ground, always set the parking brake
and move the automatic transmission
shift lever to PARK (P), or the manual
transmission shift lever to NEUTRAL.
137

Instrument Panel Overview........................ 156
Hazard Warning Flashers.......................... 158
Other Warning Devices............................. 158
Horn.......................................................... 158
Tilt Wheel.................................................. 158
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.................. 159
Turn and Lane-Change Signals................. 160
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.......... 161
Flash-to-Pass............................................ 161
Windshield Wipers..................................... 161
Windshield Washer.................................... 162
Cruise Control........................................... 163
Exterior Lamps.......................................... 166
Headlamps on Reminder........................... 167
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)................. 167
Automatic Headlamp System..................... 168
Fog Lamps................................................ 169
Exterior Cargo Lamps................................ 169
Interior Lamps........................................... 170
Instrument Panel Brightness...................... 170
Dome Lamp.............................................. 170
Dome Lamp Override................................ 170
Exit Lighting.............................................. 171
Electric Power Management...................... 171
Battery Run-Down Protection..................... 171Accessory Power Outlet(s)........................ 172
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter................ 173
Climate Controls......................................... 173
Climate Control System............................. 173
Outlet Adjustment...................................... 176
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators..... 177
Instrument Panel Cluster........................... 178
Speedometer and Odometer...................... 179
Trip Odometer........................................... 179
Tachometer............................................... 179
Safety Belt Reminder Light........................ 180
Passenger Safety Belt Reminder Light....... 180
Airbag Readiness Light............................. 181
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator............. 182
Battery Warning Light................................ 184
Up-Shift Light (Manual Transmission)........ 185
Brake System Warning Light..................... 185
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light...... 186
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage............ 187
Tire Pressure Light.................................... 187
Malfunction Indicator Lamp........................ 188
Oil Pressure Light..................................... 191
Security Light............................................ 192
Cruise Control Light.................................. 192
Section 3 Instrument Panel
153

Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on
when you remove the key from the ignition.
The lamps will not come on if the dome override
button is pressed in.
Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management
(EPM) that estimates the battery’s temperature and
state of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for
best performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage, you may
see the voltage move up or down. This is normal.
If there is a problem, an alert will be displayed.The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate
control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome lamp if it is left on
for more than 20 minutes when the ignition is
in LOCK. This will help prevent your battery from
running down.
171

#(Air Conditioning):Press this button to turn
the air conditioning system on or off. An indicator
light on the button will come on to let you know
the air conditioning is activated. When the system
is on, this setting cools and dehumidi es the
air entering your vehicle.
The air conditioning will not function if the fan is
turned off.
You may notice a slight change in engine
performance when the air conditioning compressor
shuts off and turns on again. This is normal.
The system is designed to make adjustments to
help with fuel economy while still maintaining
the selected temperature.
The air conditioning system removes moisture
from the air, so you may sometimes notice a small
amount of water dripping underneath your
vehicle while idling or after turning off the engine.
This is normal.Defogging and Defrosting
Fog on the inside of windows is a result of high
humidity (moisture) condensing on the cool
window glass. This can be minimized if the
climate control system is used properly. There
are two modes to clear fog or frost from your
windshield and side windows. Use the defog mode
to clear the windows of fog or moisture and
warm the passengers. Use the defrost mode to
remove fog or frost from the windshield more
quickly. For best results, clear all snow and ice
from the windshield before defrosting.
175

Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages
that may be on your vehicle. The pictures will
help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that
something is wrong before it becomes serious
enough to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to your warning
lights and gages could also save you or others
from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or
is a problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in the details on the next few
pages, some warning lights come on brie y when
you start the engine just to let you know they
are working. If you are familiar with this section,
you should not be alarmed when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
Often gages and warning lights work together to
let you know when there is a problem with
your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and
stays on when you are driving, or when one of
the gages shows there may be a problem, check
the section that tells you what to do about it.
Please follow this manual’s advice. Waiting to
do repairs can be costly — and even dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights and
gages. They are a big help.
Your vehicle has a DIC that works along with the
warning lights and gages. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 194for more information.
177

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed
in both miles per hour (mph) and kilometers
per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle
has been driven, in either miles (used in the
United States) or kilometers (used in Canada).
The odometer mileage can be checked without the
vehicle running. Simply press the trip information
stem. See “Odometer” underDIC Controls
and Displays on page 194for more information.
You may wonder what happens if your vehicle
needs a new odometer installed. If the new one
can be set to the mileage total of the old odometer,
then it must be. But if it cannot, then it is set at
zero, and a label must be put on the driver’s door
to show the old mileage reading when the new
odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
Your vehicle has a trip odometer that can tell you
how far your vehicle has been driven since
you last set the trip odometer to zero.
See “Trip Odometer” underDIC Controls and
Displays on page 194for more information.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in
revolutions per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your
vehicle could be damaged, and the damages
would not be covered by your warranty. Do not
operate the engine with the tachometer in
the shaded warning area.
179