2007 SUZUKI XL7 warning light

4-14 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
of the road. Drive at speeds that let you
stay in your own lane.
 As you go over the top of a hill, be alert.
There could be something in your lane,
like a stalled car or an accident.
 You may see highway signs on moun-
tains that warn of special problems.
Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a falling rocks area,
or winding roads. Be alert to these and
take appropriate action.Winter Driving
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Here are some tips for winter driving:
 Have your vehicle in good shape for win-
ter.
 You may want to put winter emergency
supplies in your vehicle.Also refer to “Tires” in the “Service and
Appearance Care” section.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or
broom, a supply of windshield washer fluid,
a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small
shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth, and a cou-
ple of reflective warning triangles. And, if
you will be driving under severe conditions,
include a small bag of sand, a piece of old
carpet, or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure you properly
secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the
tires meet the road probably have good
traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between
the tires and the road, you can have a very
slippery situation. You will have a lot less
traction, or grip, and will need to be very
careful.
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What is the worst time for this? Wet ice.
Very cold snow or ice can be slick and hard
to drive on. But wet ice can be even more
trouble because it may offer the least trac-
tion of all. You can get wet ice when it is
about freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing
rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on
wet ice until salt and sand crews can get
there.
Whatever the condition – smooth ice,
packed, blowing, or loose snow – drive
with caution.
Traction control improves your ability to
accelerate when driving on a slippery road.
But you can turn the traction system off if
you ever need to. You should turn the trac-
tion system off if your vehicle ever gets
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. Refer to
“If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow” in this section. Even though your

4-15 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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vehicle has a traction system, you will want
to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions,
you may want to turn the traction system
off, such as when driving through deep
snow and loose gravel, to help maintain
vehicle motion at lower speeds. Refer to
“Traction Control System (TCS)” and
“Electronic Stability Control” in this section.
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
improves your vehicle’s stability when you
make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have ABS, you will want to
begin stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. Refer to “Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS)” in this section.
 Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
 Watch for slippery spots. The road might
be fine until you hit a spot that is covered
with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice
patches may appear in shaded areas
where the sun cannot reach, such as
around clumps of trees, behind build-
ings, or under bridges. Sometimes the
surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead
of you, brake before you are on it. Try not
to brake while you are actually on the
ice, and avoid sudden steering maneu-
vers.If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless you
know for sure that you are near help and
you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
 Turn on your hazard flashers.
 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert
police that you have been stopped by the
snow.
 Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket
around you. If you do not have blankets
or extra clothing, make body insulators
from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
floor mats – anything you can wrap
around yourself or tuck under your cloth-
ing to keep warm.
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You can run the engine to keep warm, but
be careful.
Run your engine only as long as you must.
This saves fuel. When you run the engine,
make it go a little faster than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This uses
less fuel for the heat that you get and it
keeps the battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signal-
ing later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve the
heat. Start the engine again and repeat
this only when you feel really uncomfort-
WARNING
Snow can trap exhaust gases under
your vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get
inside. CO could overcome you and
kill you. You cannot see it or smell it,
so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is blocking the
exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure
snow does not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the
side of the vehicle that is away from
the wind. This will help keep CO out.

4-16 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
able from the cold. But do it as little as pos-
sible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of the
vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exer-
cises every half hour or so until help
comes.If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or SnowIn order to free your vehicle when it is
stuck, you will need to spin the wheels, but
you do not want to spin your wheels too
fast. The method known as rocking can
help you get out when you are stuck, but
you must use caution.For information about using tire chains on
your vehicle, refer to “Tire Chains” in
“Tires” in the “Service and Appearance
Care” section.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn the steering wheel left and right.
That will clear the area around the front
wheels. If your vehicle has traction control,
you should turn the traction control system
off. Refer to “Traction Control System
(TCS)” in this section. Then shift back and
forth between REVERSE (R) and a for-
ward gear, spinning the wheels as little as
possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the transaxle is in
gear. By slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions, you will
cause a rocking motion that may free your
vehicle. If that does not get your vehicle
out after a few tries, it may need to be
towed out. If your vehicle does need to be
towed out, refer to “Towing Your Vehicle”
in this section.
Loading Your VehicleIt is very important to know how much
weight your vehicle can carry. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry, the Tire and Loading
Information label and the Vehicle Certifica-
tion label.
WARNING
If you let your vehicle’s tires spin at
high speed, they can explode, and
you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could
cause an engine compartment fire or
other damage. When you are stuck,
spin the wheels as little as possible.
Do not spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedom-
eter.
CAUTION
Spinning the wheels can destroy
parts of your vehicle as well as the
tires. If you spin the wheels too fast
while shifting the transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy the transaxle.
Refer to “Rocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out” in this section.
WARNING
Do not load your vehicle any heavier
than the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the maximum front
or rear Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change
the way your vehicle handles. These
could cause you to lose control and
crash. Also, overloading can shorten
the life of your vehicle.

5-2 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
FuelUse of the recommended fuel is an impor-
tant part of the proper maintenance of your
vehicle. To help keep the engine clean and
maintain optimum vehicle performance, we
recommend the use of gasoline advertised
as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.Gasoline OctaneUse regular unleaded gasoline with a
posted octane rating of 87 or higher. If the
octane rating is less than 87, you may
notice an audible knocking noise when you
drive, commonly referred to as spark
knock. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated
at 87 octane or higher as soon as possible.
If you are using gasoline rated at 87
octane or higher and you hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.
Gasoline SpecificationsAt a minimum, gasoline should meet
ASTM specification D 4814 in the United
States or CAN/CGSB-3.5 in Canada.
Some gasolines contain an octane-
enhancing additive called methylcyclopen-
tadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).
We recommend against the use of gaso-
lines containing MMT. Refer to “Additives”
in this section for additional information.California FuelIf your vehicle is certified to meet California
Emissions Standards, it is designed to
operate on fuels that meet California spec-
ifications. See the underhood emission
control label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions stan-
dards, your vehicle will operate satisfacto-
rily on fuels meeting federal specifications,
but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp may turn on and your vehicle may fail
a smog-check test. Refer to “Malfunction
Indicator Lamp” in “Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators” in the “Instrument Panel”
section. If this occurs, return to your autho-
rized dealer for diagnosis. If it is deter-
mined that the condition is caused by the
type of fuel used, repairs may not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
AdditivesTo provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the
United States are now required to contain
additives that will help prevent engine and
fuel system deposits from forming, allow-
ing your emission control system to work
properly. In most cases, you should not
have to add anything to your fuel. How-
ever, some gasolines contain only the min-
imum amount of additive required to meet
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
regulations. To help keep fuel injectors and
intake valves clean, or if your vehicle expe-
riences problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, look for gasoline that is advertised
as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. Also,
your dealer has additives that will help cor-
rect and prevent most deposit-related
problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as
ethers and ethanol, and reformulated gas-
olines may be available in your area. We
recommend that you use these gasolines,
if they comply with the specifications
described earlier. However, E85 (85% eth-
anol) and other fuels containing more than
10% ethanol must not be used in vehicles
that were not designed for those fuels.

5-4 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
Be careful not to spill fuel. Do not top off or
overfill the tank and wait a few seconds
after you have finished pumping before
removing the nozzle. Clean fuel from
painted surfaces as soon as possible.
Refer to “Washing Your Vehicle” in this
section.
When replacing the fuel cap, turn it clock-
wise until it clicks. Make sure the cap is
fully installed. The diagnostic system can
determine if the fuel cap has been left off
or improperly installed. This would allow
fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
Refer to “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
“Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in
the “Instrument Panel” section.
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
WARNING
If a fire starts while you are refueling,
do not remove the nozzle. Shut off
the flow of fuel by shutting off the
pump or by notifying the station
attendant. Leave the area immedi-
ately.
CAUTION
If you need a new fuel cap, be sure to
get the right type. Your dealer can get
one for you. If you get the wrong
type, it may not fit properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator
lamp to light and may damage your
fuel tank and emissions system.
Refer to “Malfunction Indicator
Lamp” in “Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators” in the “Instrument
Panel” section.
WARNING
Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is in your vehicle. Static elec-
tricity discharge from the container
can ignite the gasoline vapor. You
can be badly burned and your vehicle
damaged if this occurs. To help avoid
injury to you and others:
 Dispense gasoline only into
approved containers.
 Do not fill a container while it is
inside a vehicle, in a vehicle’s
trunk, pickup bed, or on any sur-
face other than the ground.
 Bring the fill nozzle in contact with
the inside of the fill opening before
operating the nozzle. Contact
should be maintained until the fill-
ing is complete.
 Do not smoke while pumping gaso-
line.
 Do not use a cellular phone while
pumping gasoline.

5-9 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
system to work properly, you must reset
the system every time the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil
life has been diminished, it will indicate
that an oil change is necessary. A change
engine oil light and a CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message will come on. Refer to
“Change Engine Oil Light” in “Warning
Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in the
“Instrument Panel” section and “DIC Warn-
ings and Messages” in “Driver Information
Center (DIC)” in the “Instrument Panel”
section. Change your oil as soon as possi-
ble within the next 600 miles (1000 km). It
is possible that, if you are driving under the
best conditions, the oil life system may not
indicate that an oil change is necessary for
over a year. However, your engine oil and
filter must be changed at least once a year
and at this time the system must be reset.
Your dealer has trained service people
who will perform this work and reset the
system. It is also important to check your
oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you
must change your oil at 3000 miles (5000
km) since your last oil change. Remember
to reset the oil life system whenever the oil
is changed.
How to Reset the Engine Oil Life Sys-
tem
The Engine Oil Life System calculates
when to change your engine oil and filter
based on vehicle use. Anytime your oil ischanged, reset the system so it can calcu-
late when the next oil change is required. If
a situation occurs where you change your
oil prior to a change engine oil light or
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON message
being turned on, reset the system.
1) Turn the ignition key to RUN with the
engine off.
2) Fully press and release the accelerator
pedal three times within five seconds.
The change engine oil light will flash
while the system is resetting.
3) When the light stops flashing, turn the
key to LOCK.
If the light or message comes back on and
stays on when you start your vehicle, the
engine oil life system has not reset.
Repeat the procedure.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain elements
that may be unhealthy for your skin and
could even cause cancer. Do not let used
oil stay on your skin for very long. Clean
your skin and nails with soap and water, or
a good hand cleaner. Wash or properly
dispose of clothing or rags containing used
engine oil. See the manufacturer’s warn-
ings about the use and disposal of oil prod-
ucts.
Used oil can be a threat to the environ-
ment. If you change your own oil, be sure
to drain all the oil from the filter before dis-
posal. Never dispose of oil by putting it inthe trash, pouring it on the ground, into
sewers, or into streams or bodies of water.
Instead, recycle it by taking it to a place
that collects used oil. If you have a prob-
lem properly disposing of your used oil,
ask your dealer, a service station, or a
local recycling center for help.
Engine Air Cleaner/FilterThe engine air cleaner/filter is located in
the engine compartment on the passen-
ger’s side of the vehicle. Refer to “Engine
Compartment Overview” in this section for
more information on location.
When to Inspect the Engine Air Cleaner/
Filter
Inspect the air cleaner/filter at the Mainte-
nance II intervals and replace it at the first
oil change after each 50000 mile (83000
km) interval. Refer to “Scheduled Mainte-
nance” in “Maintenance Schedule” in the
“Maintenance Schedule” section for more
information. If you are driving in dusty/dirty
conditions, inspect the filter at each engine
oil change.
How to Inspect the Engine Air Cleaner/
Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/filter remove the
filter from the vehicle and lightly shake the
filter to release loose dust and dirt. If the fil-
ter remains caked with dirt, a new filter is
required.

5-11 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
Fluids and Lubricants” in “Maintenance
Schedule” in the “Maintenance Schedule”
section.Engine CoolantThe cooling system in your vehicle is filled
with DEX-COOL
® engine coolant. This
coolant is designed to remain in your vehi-
cle for five years or 150,000 miles (240
000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add
only DEX-COOL® extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system
and how to add coolant when it is low. If
you have a problem with engine overheat-
ing, refer to “Engine Overheating” in this
section.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX-COOL® coolant will:
 Give freezing protection down to –34°F
(–37°C).
 Give boiling protection up to 265°F
(129°C).
 Protect against rust and corrosion. Help keep the proper engine tempera-
ture.
 Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable
water and one-half DEX-COOL
® coolant
which will not damage aluminum parts. If
you use this coolant mixture, you do not
need to add anything else.
CAUTION
Use of the incorrect automatic tran-
saxle fluid may damage your vehicle,
and the damages may not be covered
by your warranty. Always use the
automatic transaxle fluid listed in
“Recommended Fluids and Lubri-
cants” in “Maintenance Schedule” in
the “Maintenance Schedule” section.
CAUTION
Using coolant other than DEX-COOL
®
may cause premature engine, heater
core, or radiator corrosion. In addi-
tion, the engine coolant may require
changing sooner, at the first mainte-
nance service after each 30000 miles
(50000 km) or 24 months, whichever
occurs first. Any repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Always
use DEX-COOL
® (silicate-free) cool-
ant in your vehicle.
WARNING
Adding only plain water to your cool-
ing system can be dangerous. Plain
water, or some other liquid such as
alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will. Your vehicle’s
coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain
water or the wrong mixture, your
engine could get too hot but you
would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and you
or others could be burned. Use a 50/
50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX-COOL
® coolant.
CAUTION
If you use an improper coolant mix-
ture, your engine could overheat and
be badly damaged. The repair cost
would not be covered by your war-
ranty. Too much water in the mixture
can freeze and crack the engine, radi-
ator, heater core, and other parts.

5-12 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
If you have to add coolant more than four
times a year, have your dealer check your
cooling system.
Checking Coolant
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The surge tank is located on the driver’s
side of the engine compartment. Refer to“Engine Compartment Overview” in this
section for more information on location.
The vehicle must be on a level surface.
When your engine is cold, the coolant level
should be at the COLD FILL line. When
your engine is warm, the level should be at
the COLD FILL line or a little higher.
Adding Coolant
If you need more coolant, add the proper
DEX-COOL
® coolant mixture at the surge
tank, but only when the engine is cool.
When replacing the pressure cap, make
sure it is hand-tight and fully seated.
Engine OverheatingThere is a coolant temperature gage and a
warning light on the instrument panel clus-
ter that indicate an overheated engine con-
dition. Refer to “Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage” and “Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning Light” in “Warning
Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in the
“Instrument Panel” section for more infor-
mation.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
CAUTION
If you use extra inhibitors and/or
additives in your vehicle’s cooling
system, you could damage your vehi-
cle. Use only the proper mixture of
the engine coolant listed in this man-
ual for the cooling system. Refer to
“Recommended Fluids and Lubri-
cants” in “Maintenance Schedule” in
the “Maintenance Schedule” section
for more information.
WARNING
Turning the surge tank pressure cap
when the engine and radiator are hot
can allow steam and scalding liquids
to blow out and burn you badly.
Never turn the surge tank pressure
cap – even a little – when the engine
and radiator are hot.
WARNING
You can be burned if you spill cool-
ant on hot engine parts. Coolant con-
tains ethylene glycol, and it will burn
if the engine parts are hot enough. Do
not spill coolant on a hot engine.
WARNING
Steam from an overheated engine
can burn you badly, even if you just
open the hood. Stay away from the
engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it. Turn it off and get every-
one away from the vehicle until it
cools down. Wait until there is no
sign of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when the vehicles
engine is overheated, the liquids in it
can catch fire. You or others could be
badly burned. Stop your engine if it
overheats, and get out of the vehicle
until the engine is cool.
Refer to “Overheated Engine Protec-
tion Operating Mode” in this section
for information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.