2008 Acura RDX Owner's Manual

These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it f lashes while driving (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.
If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem with the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
To shif t f rom Park to any position,
press firmly on the brake pedal and
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shif t lever, then pull the lever.
YoucannotshiftoutofParkwhen
the ignition switch is in the LOCK
(0) or the ACCESSORY (I) position.
When the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display (see page
).
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Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
293
SHIFT LEVER
RELEASE BUTTON
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If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page . This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
buttononthefrontof theshiftlever
to move it.
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. You must also press the
release button to shift into Park. The
shif t lever must be in Park bef ore
you can remove the key f rom the
ignition switch. Press the brake
pedal and press the release button
on the f ront of the shif t lever to shif t
f rom Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear.
296To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR DtoS
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release
Park (P) Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
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Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically adjusts to keep
the engine at the best speed f or the
driving conditions.
To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. This position is similar
to D, except only gears f rom f irst to
f ourth are selected. The S position
keeps the transmission f rom cycling
between fourth and fifth gears in
stop-and-go driving. With the shift lever in D or S, you
canalsousethepaddleshiftersto
shif t the transmission up or down.
Once you begin to use the paddle
shif ters in S, the transmission will no
longer upshif t or downshif t
automatically. For more inf ormation
of driving with the paddle shif ters,
see page .
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
297
Automatic Transmission
Drive (D)
S position (S) Engine Speed L imiter
Driving
295
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This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.Set the parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
shif t lever and move the shif t lever
out of Park to neutral.
Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.
Putaclothonthenotchof the
shif t lock release slot cover. Using
a small f lat-tipped screwdriver or a
metal f ingernail f ile, caref ully pry
on the notch of the cover to
remove it. Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then install the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the rear.
Return the key to the ignition
switch, press the brake pedal, and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
296
COVER
RELEASE
BUTTON
NOTCH
SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOTKEY
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Each time you pull the (right), the
transmission shifts to a higher gear.
Pull the (lef t) to downshif t. You
will see the selected gear number on
the instrument panel.
When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
When you are driving in D position,
pulling the either paddle shif ter
switches f rom the ordinary
automatic transmission [drive mode
(D)] to the D-paddle shif t mode. You
can shif t the transmission up or
down manually with the paddle
shif ters.
To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
each side of the steering wheel.
Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
Using the Paddle Shif ters in D
position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
297
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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The transmission downshif ts to f irst
gear and returns to drive mode (D)
when the vehicle comes to a
complete stop and the vehicle speed
is about 6 mph (10 km/h).
If there is a problem in the
transmission while you are driving
with the paddle shifters, the D
indicator f lashes, the D-paddle shif t
mode is canceled, and the
transmission returns to drive mode
(D).
Each time you pull either paddle
shif ter, the transmission shif ts one
gear up or down. If you want to shif t
up or down more than two gears, pull
the paddle shif ter twice, pause, and
then pull it again. The automatic transmission will not
allow you to change shif t if :
You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the upper limit of
the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear
position indicator will f lash the
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to a higher gear.
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the lower limit of
the higher gear.
You press both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.
You press one of the two paddle
shifters with another paddle
shif ter being pressed.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
298
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Whenthetransmissionreturnsto
drivemode(D),thedisplayedgear
numbergoesout.
Thetransmissionremainsinthe
selectedgearifyoudonotaccelerate.
The transmission control system
monitors the accelerator pedal use
and your driving conditions. When
you press the accelerator pedal as in
normal driving, the system
judges that you are driving at a
constant cruising speed without
using the paddle shif ters. Under
these conditions, D-paddle shif t
mode is canceled, and the
transmission automatically returns to
drive mode(D).
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When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to ‘‘S’’ position and pull either
paddle shif ter, the gear position
indicator displays on ‘‘M’’ along with
the selected gear number.
To upshif t, pull the (right) paddle
shif ter. To downshif t, pull the
(lef t) paddle shif ter. When you accelerate f rom a stop,
the transmission starts in f irst gear,
and you must manually upshif t
between f irst and f if th gears. Make
sure you upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the tachometer’s red
zone.
The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(5,4,3,2,or1).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor.
When you are driving in 4th or 5th
gear, the transmission downshifts to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.
You press the brake pedal.
With the shif t lever in S position, you
can select the sequential shif t mode
to shif t gears; much like a manual
transmission using the paddle
shif ters, but without a clutch pedal.
To enter the sequential shif t mode,
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shift lever, move the lever to
the S position, then pull either paddle
shif ter. To cancel the sequential shif t
mode and return to the ordinary
automatic transmission, move the
shif t lever f rom S position. When
moving the shift lever, be careful not
to operate incorrectly. While you are
driving in the sequential shif t mode,
the transmission will not
automatically return to ordinary
automatic transmission.
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Using the Paddle Shif t in S
position (Sequential Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
299
‘‘M’’ INDICATOR
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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à
à
à
à
à
à
à
Downshifting with the paddle shifter
allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshif t the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm. Driving in the
higher gear helps f uel economy.
The transmission also shif ts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshif ts to f irst
gear when the vehicle speed reaches
6mph(10km/h)orless.
To shiftfrom
21
32
43
54 Speed range
under 29 mph (47 km/h)
under 63 mph (100 km/h)
under 94 mph (150 km/h)
under 114 mph (182 km/h)
Here are the speed ranges f or
upshif ting and downshif ting.
To shift from
12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 8 mph (13 km/h)
over 17 mph (27 km/h)
over 47 mph (75 km/h)
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to change shif t if :
You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the upper limit of
the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear
position indicator will f lash the
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to a higher gear.
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the lower limit of
the higher gear.
You try to shif t to third or a higher
gear when the vehicle is stationary.
You press both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.
You press one of the two paddle
shifters with another paddle
shif ter being pressed.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
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