2-15FEATURES AND CONTROLS
85Z04-03E
SECOND (2):
This position gives you more power than
THIRD (3) but lower fuel economy. You can
use SECOND (2) on hills. It can help con-
trol your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also
want to use your brakes off and on.
FIRST (1):
This position gives you even more power
than SECOND (2) but lower fuel economy.
You can use it on very steep hills, or in
deep snow or mud. If the shift lever is put
in FIRST (1), the transmission won’t shift
into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.Fuzzy Function
Your automatic transmission will automati-
cally select a adaptive shift pattern using
fuzzy logic.
Economy mode is applied as often as
possible. Driver adaptive shift patterns are acti-
vated for a minimum time.
“Load 1” is designed for a driving on
moderate road gradients.
“Load 2” is active while going up steep
hills.
“Load 3” is intended for downhill driving
for better engine braking.
Emergency Operation
If the automatic transmission experiences
a malfunction, the malfunction indicator
CAUTION
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) at speeds
over 65 mph (105 km/h), or you can
damage your transmission. Use
THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC OVER-
DRIVE (D) as much as possible. Don’t
shift into SECOND (2) unless you are
going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h)
or you can damage your engine.
CAUTION
If your front wheels won’t turn, don’t
try to drive. This might happen if you
were stuck in very deep sand or mud
or were up against a solid object. You
could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill,
don’t hold your vehicle there with
only the accelerator pedal. This could
overheat and damage the transmis-
sion. Use your brakes to hold your
vehicle in position on a hill.
CAUTION
The first few shifts may be somewhat
rough on a new vehicle. This is nor-
mal condition and shift feel will
improve soon because the automatic
transmission control system per-
forms adaptation functions.
L3U2037AS
Economy Medium
Load 1
Load 2
Load 3Sport
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle:
2-17FEATURES AND CONTROLS
85Z04-03E
(2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal
as you press the accelerator pedal.
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5):
Shift into THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and
FIFTH (5), the same way you do for SEC-
OND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch pedal
as you press the accelerator pedal.
To stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and
press the brake pedal. Just before the
vehicle stops, press the clutch pedal and
brake pedal, and shift to NEUTRAL.
NEUTRAL:
Use this position when you start or idle
your engine.
REVERSE (R):
To back up, press down the clutch pedal,
lift up the ring on the shift lever and shift
into REVERSE (R). Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator
pedal.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the
parking brake, for parking your vehicle.Shift Speed
Parking BrakeThe parking brake lever is located between
the bucket seats.
To set the parking brake, hold the brake
pedal down and pull up on the parking
brake lever. If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the
brake pedal down. Pull the parking brakelever up until you can press the release
button. Hold the release button in as you
move the brake lever all the way down.
Winter parking tip
Under cold weather conditions, the parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely to happen if the brakes
are wet.
If there is a risk that the parking brake may
freeze after driving through water deep
enough to wet brake components or after
having the vehicle washed:
1) Apply the parking brake only tempo-
rarily while you put the gear selector
lever in PARK (P) (for automatic tran-
saxle) or in first or reverse gear (for
manual transaxle).
2) Block the rear wheels with wedge
blocks.
3) Release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Shift into REVERSE (R) only after
your vehicle is stopped. Shifting into
REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving could damage your transmis-
sion. The repairs would not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
WARNING
If you skip a gear when you down-
shift, you could lose control of your
vehicle. You could injure yourself or
others. Don’t shift down more than
one gear at a time when you down-
shift.
N4U2016A
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake on can
cause your rear brakes to overheat.
You may have to replace them, and
you could also damage other parts of
your vehicle. Verify that the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle:
3-3INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
Hazard Warning FlashersYour hazard warning flashers let you warn
others. They also let police know you have
a problem. Your front and rear turn signal
lamps will flash on and off.The hazard warning flasher button is
located on the center of the instrument
panel.
Your hazard warning flashers work no mat-
ter what position your key is in, and even if
the key isn’t in.
Press the button to make the front and rear
turn signal lamps flash on and off. Press
the button again to turn the flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers are on,
your turn signals won’t work. Make sure
the hazard warning flasher button is turned
off all the way for normal turn signal opera-
tion.
Other Warning DevicesIf you carry reflective triangles, you can set
one up at the side of the road about 300
feet (100m) behind your vehicle.HornYou can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbol on your steering wheel.
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(Sedan) (Wagon)
Instrument Panel Overview:
3-4
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
Tilt WheelYour vehicle has a tilt wheel which allows
you to adjust the steering wheel before you
drive. You can raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit
and enter the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering
wheel is located under the steering col-
umn.
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and push
the lever away from you. Then, move the
wheel to a comfortable position and pull
the lever toward you to lock the wheel in
place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction LeverThe lever on the left side of the steering
column includes the following:
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Fog Lamps, if available
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Flash-to-Pass
For information on the exterior lamps, see
“Exterior Lamps” in this section.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has three positions. The
upward and downward positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change. At the
center position, the turn signal is off.To signal a turn, move the lever all the way
up or down. When the turn is finished, the
lever will return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument panel cluster
will flash in the direction of the turn or lane
change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower
the lever until the arrow starts to flash.
Hold it there until you complete your lane
change. The lever will return by itself when
you release it.
WARNING
Never attempt to adjust the steering
wheel height while the vehicle is
moving or you could lose control of
the vehicle.
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N6U3002A
Instrument Panel Overview:
3-5INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if
the arrows flash rapidly, a signal bulb may
be burned out and other drivers won’t see
your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help
avoid an accident. If the arrows don’t go on
at all when you signal a turn, check for
burned-out bulbs and then check the fuse.
See “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in sec-
tion 5.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam
to high beam, push the turn signal multi-
function lever away from you.When the high beams are on, a light on the
instrument panel cluster also will be on if
the ignition is ON.
To change the headlamps from high beam
to low beam, pull the turn signal/multifunc-
tion lever toward you.
Flash-to-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam
headlamps to signal a driver in front of you
that you want to pass.
To use it, pull the turn signal/multifunction
lever toward you until the high-beam head-
lamps come on, then release the lever to
turn them off.
Windshield Wiper/Washer LeverThe windshield wiper/washer lever is
located on the right side of the steering
wheel.
Windshield Wiper
Use the windshield wiper/washer lever to
operate the windshield wipers.
HI (High Speed):
Move the lever to this position for wiping at
high speed.
LO (Low Speed):
Move the lever to this position for steady
wiping at low speed.
INT (Intermittent):
Move the lever to this position to choose a
delayed wiping cycle. Turn the band on the
windshield wiper lever toward FAST or
SLOW for a shorter or longer delay
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Instrument Panel Overview:
3-7INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
Rear Window Washer/WiperIf your vehicle has this feature, operate the
rear window washer/wiper system by
pushing the windshield wiper/washer lever
away from you. The wiper operates contin-
uously when the lever is in the first posi-
tion.Washer fluid sprays onto the rear window
and the wiper operates continuously when
the lever is pushed to the second position.
Cruise ControlCruise Control
If your vehicle has cruise control, you can
maintain a speed of about 24 mph (39 km/
h) or more without keeping your foot on the
accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at
speeds below 24 mph (39 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, or depress
the clutch pedal if you have a manual
transmission, the cruise control shuts off.Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION
(Continued)
Check the washer fluid level regu-
larly. Check it often when the
weather is bad.
Only fill the washer fluid reservoir
3/4 full during cold weather to allow
room for expansion if the tempera-
ture falls low enough to freeze the
solution.
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FASTSLOW
WARNING
Do not spray washer fluid on the
liftgate window in freezing weather.
Warm the tailgate window before
you operate the liftgate window
washer.
Washer fluid can form ice on a frozen
liftgate window and obstruct your
vision.
WARNING
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at a
steady speed. So, do not use your
cruise control on winding roads or in
heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast
changes in tire traction can cause
excessive wheel slip, and you could
lose control. Do not use cruise con-
trol on slippery roads.
WARNING
If you leave your cruise control on
when you are not using cruise, you
might hit a button and go into cruise
when you do not want to. You could
be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off
until you want to use cruise control.
Instrument Panel Overview:
3-8
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
The cruise control pad is located on the
right side of the steering wheel.
1) Press the ON/OFF button to turn cruise
control on.
2) Accelerate to the speed you want.
3) Press the SET button and release it. An
indicator light on the instrument panel
cluster will come on to show you that
the cruise control is on. See “Cruise
Control Light” in this section.
4) Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a
desired speed and then you apply the
brake pedal, or depress the clutch pedal if
you have a manual transmission. This, of
course, shuts off the cruise control. But
you do not need to reset it. Once you aregoing about 24 mph (39 km/h) or more,
you can tap the RESUME button.
You will go right back up to your chosen
speed and stay there.
If you hold in the RESUME button longer,
the vehicle will keep going faster until you
release the button or apply the brake
pedal. So unless you want to go faster, do
not hold in the RESUME button.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher
speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to a
higher speed. Press the SET button,
then release the button and the acceler-
ator pedal. You will now cruise at the
higher speed.
Press the RESUME button. Hold it there
until you get up to the speed you want,
and then release the button. To increase
your speed in very small amounts, tap
the RESUME button and then release it.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will
go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster. The
accelerate feature will only work after
you turn on the cruise control by press-
ing the SET button.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed
while using cruise control: Press the SET button until you reach the
lower speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, tap
the SET button. Each time you do this,
you will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h)
slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your
speed. When you take your foot off the
pedal, your vehicle will slow down to the
cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on
hills depends upon your speed, load and
the steepness of the hills. When going up
steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to
brake or shift to a lower gear to keep your
speed down. Of course, applying the brake
pedal takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers find this to be too much trouble and
do not use cruise control on steep hills.
Disengaging Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise
control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal, or
depress the clutch pedal, if you have a
manual transmission.
Press the ON/OFF button on the cruise
control pad.
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RESUME
ACC
CRUISE
SET
COASTON-OFF
Instrument Panel Overview:
3-10
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
An indicator light on the secondary infor-
mation center will come on when the fog
lamps are on. See “Fog Lamp Light” in this
section.
When using fog lamps, the ignition must be
on as well as the parking lamps or low-
beam headlamps.
The fog lamps will turn off whenever the
high-beam headlamps are turned on.
When the high beams are turned off, the
fog lamps will come on again.
Interior LampsInstrument Panel Brightness
This feature controls the brightness of the
instrument panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located
on the instrument panel to the left of the
steering wheel.
Turn the thumbwheel up to brighten the
instrument panel lights or down to dim
them. Dome Lamp
The switch on this lamp has three posi-
tions.
ON:
The light comes on and stays on regard-
less of whether a door is open or closed.
• (Door):
The light comes on when a door is opened.
After all doors are closed, the light stays on
for about 7 seconds, and then fades out.
OFF:
The light remains off even when a door is
opened.
Map Lamps
Your vehicle has map lamps. To turn a
lamp on, press the button next to it. Press
the button again to turn it off.
Instrument Panel Overview: