Knowing your vehicle20
3Adjusting height of the driver’s seat
cushion (if equipped)To change the height of the seat cushion:
Pivot the lever upward to raise the seat
cushion.
Pivot the lever downward to lower the
seat cushion.
Adjusting the seatback reclinerTo recline the seatback:
1. Lean forward slightly and lift up on the
seatback recline lever located on the
outside of the seat, at the rear.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat and adjust the seatback to the desired
position.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seatback is locked in place. (The lever
MUST return to its original position for
the seatback to lock.)
WARNING
- Driver respon-
sibility for front seat pas-
senger
Driving or riding in a vehicle with a
front seatback reclined could lead
to serious or fatal injury in an acci-
dent. If a front seat is reclined dur-
ing an accident, the occupant’s hips
may slide under the lap portion of
the safety belt applying great force
to the unprotected abdomen or
neck. Serious or fatal internal
injuries could result. The driver
must advise the front passenger to
keep the seatbacks in comfortably
upright position whenever the vehi-
cle is in motion.
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Knowing your vehicle22
3Adjusting the seatback reclinerMove the lever forward or backward to
the desired angle and release the lever. If
the lever is released, seatback will lock in
place. After adjustment, make sure that
the lever has returned to its original
locked position.
Warming the front seat
(if equipped)The front seats can be electrically heated
individually when the ignition switch is
ON. When the switch is ON, a number
ranging from 1 to 5 is displayed on the
switch (5 = warmest setting).
To turn off the seat warmer, set the
switch to 0.
The seat warmer turns off automatically
when the seat temperature reaches the
selected range and will turn on again if
the temperature drops below the select-
ed range.
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WARNING
- Driver respon-
sibility for front seat pas-
senger
Driving or riding in a vehicle with a
front seatback reclined could lead
to serious or fatal injury in an acci-
dent. If a front seat is reclined dur-
ing an accident, the occupant’s hips
may slide under the lap portion of
the safety belt applying great force
to the unprotected abdomen or
neck. Serious or fatal internal
injuries could result. The driver
must advise the front passenger to
keep the seatbacks in comfortably
upright position whenever the vehi-
cle is in motion.
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Knowing your vehicle
Restraint of pregnant women Pregnant women should wear lap/shoul-
der belt assemblies whenever possible
according to specific recommendations
by their doctors. The lap portion of the
belt should be worn AS SNUGLY AND
LOW AS POSSIBLE.
Restraint of infants and small
children To increase their safety, infants and
young children should always be
restrained by a restraint system
approved for their age and size.
Never allow a child to stand or kneel on
the seat of a moving vehicle. Never allow
a safety belt to be placed around both a
child and an adult or around two children
at the same time.
It is best for children to be seated in the
rear seats.
Many companies manufacture child
restraint systems (often called child
seats) for infants and small children. An
acceptable child restraint system must
always satisfy Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards and your applicable
state laws. Make sure that any child-
restraint system you use in your vehicle
is labelled as complying with Federal
Safety Standards.
The child-restraint system should be
chosen to fit both the size of the child and
the size of the vehicle seat. Be sure to fol-
low any instructions provided by the
child-restraint system manufacturer
when installing the child-restraint system.
WARNING
- Pregnantwomen
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen where
the fetus is located or above the
abdomen where the belt could
crush the fetus during an impact.
WARNING
- Belt cleaning
Do not bleach or dye the webbing
because this may weaken the web-
bing fibers and allow them to fail
when loaded in a collision.
383
Knowing your vehicle
Map light (if equipped)The lights are turned ON or OFF by
pressing the corresponding switch.✽ ✽NOTICEDo not use the interior lights for extend-
ed periods when engine is not running.
It may cause battery discharge.
Dome light (if equipped)(1) OFF
: The light stays off even when a dooris open.
(2) DOOR : The light turns on when a door isopened or when a door is unlocked
by the transmitter (if equipped).
Interior light goes out slowly after 30
seconds if the door is closed.
However if the ignition switch is ON
or all vehicle doors are locked when
the door is closed, interior light will
turn off even within 30 seconds.
(3) ON
: The light turns on and stays on even when the doors are all closed.
✽ ✽ NOTICEDo not use the interior lights for extend-
ed periods when engine is not running.
It may cause battery discharge.
INTERIOR LIGHTS
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Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF usageWhen driving It’s a good idea to keep the ESC turnedon for daily driving whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving on a flat
road surface.
Never press ESC OFF button while ESC
is operating (ESC indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is operat-
ing, the vehicle may slip out of control.✽ ✽ NOTICE• When measuring the vehicle speed
with a Chassis dynamo-meter, make
sure the ESC is turned off (ESC OFF
light illuminated). If the ESC is left
on, it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and cause a false
diagnosis of a faulty speedometer.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
• When attempting to free an ESC- equipped vehicle that is stuck in snow,
sand, or mud, use the ESC OFF but-
ton to temporarily deactivate the ESC
system.
WARNING
- ESC
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC may be operating, such
as on slippery or winding roads. If
the ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out
of control. To turn ESC off while
driving, press the ESC OFF button
while driving on a flat, straight, dry
road surface.
Driving your vehicle24
4INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
1. Tachometer
2. Turn signal indicators
3. Speedometer
4. Engine temperature gauge
5. Warning and indicator lights
6. Odometer / Tripmeter
7. Shift position indicator
(Automatic transaxle only)
8. Fuel gauge
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➁
➁
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➃
➄
➄
➄
➅
\f
➆
425
Driving your vehicle
Speedometer The speedometer indicates the forward
speed of the vehicle.OdometerThe odometer indicates the total dis-
tance the vehicle has been driven.
TripmeterYou can choose the tripmeter A and trip-
meter B by pressing the tripmeter mode
button.
TRIP A: Tripmeter A (if equipped)
TRIP B: Tripmeter B (if equipped)
The tripmeter indicates the distance of
individual trips selected by the driver.
Tripmeter A and B can be reset to 0 by
pressing the reset button for 1 second or
more, and then releasing.
Tachometer The tachometer indicates the approxi-
mate number of engine revolutions per
minute (rpm).
Use the tachometer to select the correct
shift points and to prevent lugging and/or
over-revving the engine.
The tachometer pointer may move slight-
ly when the ignition switch is in ACC or
ON position with the engine OFF. This
movement is normal and will not affect
the accuracy of the tachometer once the
engine is running.✽ ✽NOTICEDo not operate the engine within the
tachometer's RED ZONE.
This may cause severe engine damage.
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Driving tips
When you are ready to leave afterparking on a hill 1. With the automatic transaxle in P (Park), apply your brakes and hold the
brake pedal down while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly forward until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.Maintenance when trailer towing Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip. Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in hot
days or during uphill driving. If the
coolant gauge indicates over-heating,
switch off the A/C and stop the vehicle
in a safe area to cool down the engine.
• When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
• If your vehicle is not equipped with the air conditioner, you should install
a condenser fan to improve engine
performance when towing a trailer.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You can
ask a hitch dealer about sway control.
After your odometer indicates 800 km (500 miles) or more, you can tow a
trailer. For the first 800 km (500 miles)
that you tow a trailer, don’t drive over
80 km/h (50 mph) and don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle
“wear” in at the heavier loads.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h (60
mph)).
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
The important considerations have to do with weight:
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy. If you feel that
the trailer is adversely affecting the move-
ment of your vehicle, reduce your speed,
avoid uneven or winding roads, avoid
roads with steep grades, and/or lighten
your trailer load.