2008 SUZUKI FORENZA light

2-12
FEATURES AND CONTROLS
85Z04-03E
Starting and Operating Your
VehicleNew Vehicle Break-InIgnition Positions
With the key in the ignition switch, you can
turn the key to four different positions.LOCK:
This position locks your steering wheel,
ignition, automatic transmission shift lever
and automatic transmission. This is the
only position from which you can remove
the key. For easier key operation when
unlocking the steering wheel, move the
steering wheel back and forth while turning
the key to the ACC position.
ACC (ACCESSORY):
This position operates some of your elec-
trical accessories, such as the radio, but
not the ventilation fan. Press in the switch
as you turn it away from you.
ON:
This is the position to which the switch
returns after you start your engine and
release the key. The switch stays in ON
when the engine is running. But even when
the engine is not running, you can use ON
to operate your electrical accessories, and
to display some instrument panel warning
lights.
START:
This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition
switch will return to ON for normal driving.
Do not turn the key to START if the engine
is running.
Even if the engine is not running, ACC and
ON allow you to operate electrical acces-
sories, such as the radio.
CAUTION
Your vehicle doesn’t need an elabo-
rate “break-in.” But it will perform
better in the long run if you follow
these guidelines:
 Don’t drive at any one speed – fast
or slow – for the first 500 miles (805
km). Don’t make full-throttle starts.
 Avoid making hard stops for the
first 200 miles (322 km) or so. Dur-
ing this time your new brake linings
aren’t yet broken in. Hard stops
with new linings can mean prema-
ture wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this break-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
WARNING
On manual transmission vehicles,
turning the key to LOCK and remov-
ing it will lock the steering column
and result in a loss of ability to steer
the vehicle. This could cause a colli-
sion. If you need to turn the engine
off while the vehicle is moving, turn
the key only to ACC. Don’t push the
key in while the vehicle is moving.
CAUTION
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and
you can’t turn it, be sure you are
using the correct key; if so, is it all
the way in? If it is, then turn the steer-
ing wheel left and right while you turn
the key hard. Turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force it
could break the key or the ignition
switch. If none of these works, then
your vehicle needs service.
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Starting and Operating Your Vehicle:

2-16
FEATURES AND CONTROLS
85Z04-03E
lamp (MIL) or the HOLD mode light may
come on or may blink. In this situation,
automatic shifting can be canceled or can
default to a severe condition mode.
You should consult your SUZUKI dealer
and have the problem repaired as soon as
possible when this condition occurs.
Hold Mode
You can select this mode to drive with
some characteristics of a manual transmis-
sion. With the HOLD mode turned on, the
automatic transmission will stay in a spe-
cific gear range.
Press the HOLD button on the shift lever to
turn on the HOLD mode.
While on, the HOLD indicator light on the
instrument panel will light up. See “Hold
Mode Light” in section 3. Press the button
again to turn off the HOLD mode, andreturn to normal automatic transmission
operation.
When the hold mode is activated, the
transmission operates as follows:
Function Features of HOLD Mode
Winter function
When a vehicle is on a slippery road such
as one that is covered with snow, mud etc.,
the vehicle can easily overcome the slip-
pery road conditions by activating the hold
mode with the transmission selector lever
in the D, 3 or 2-position.
To avoid busy shifting
Fuzzy logic is applied to avoid busy shifting
in most hilly driving conditions. Using the
HOLD button & shifting into the 3-position
are other ways to avoid busy shifting in
case fuzzy logic is not sufficient.Driving like manual transmission
When in the hold mode condition, you can
use the automatic transmission as a 4-
speed manual transmission.
Manual Transmission OperationFive-Speed
This is your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate your manual trans-
mission:
FIRST (1):
Press the clutch pedal and shift into FIRST
(1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal
as you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST (1) when you’re
going less than 20 mph (32 km/h). If you’ve
come to a complete stop and it’s hard to
shift into FIRST (1), put the shift lever in
NEUTRAL and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into
FIRST (1).
SECOND (2):
Press the clutch pedal as you let up on the
accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND
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HOLD
Selector Lever
PositionGear range
D2
nd ↔ 3
rd ↔ 4
th
(mainly 4
th gear)
32
nd ↔ 3
rd
(mainly 3rd gear)
22
nd (fixed)
11st (fixed)
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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:

2-25FEATURES AND CONTROLS
85Z04-03E
Luggage Compartment Cover
(Wagon only)Luggage or other cargo placed in the lug-
gage compartment can be hidden from
view by the luggage compartment cover.
To close the cover, pull the handle of the
cover toward you and then insert the
retainer into the slot located on both sides
of the tailgate opening.To remove the cover, release the handle
after pulling it toward you a little. The cover
retracts automatically.
Roof Rack (Wagon only)The roof rack can be used to conveniently
carry additional cargo, or bulky items, such
as bicycles, which are better carried out-
side than inside.AntennaFor the Sedan models, an antenna is inte-
grated with the rear window defogger,
located in the rear window. For the Wagon
models, an antenna is located in the wind-
shield glass. Be sure that the inside sur-
face of the rear window or windshield glass
is not scratched and that the lines on the
glass are not damaged. If the inside sur-
face is damaged, it could interfere with
radio reception.
Because this antenna is built into your rear
window or windshield glass, there is a
reduced risk of damage caused by car
washes and vandals.If you choose to add a cellular telephone to
your vehicle, and the antenna needs to be
attached to the glass, be sure that you do
not damage the grid lines for the antenna.
There is enough space between the lines
to attach a cellular telephone antenna with-
out interfering with radio reception.
Do not apply aftermarket glass tinting to
the back glass. The metallic film in some
tinting materials will interfere with or distort
the incoming radio reception. Care must
be taken when cleaning the rear window or
CAUTION
Do not carry items on top of the lug-
gage compartment cover, even if they
are small and light. Objects on top of
the cover could be thrown about in an
accident, causing injury, or could
obstruct the driver’s rear view.
N5U2005A
WARNING
A loaded roof rack changes the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity. Do not drive at
high speeds. Take precautions when
driving in crosswinds. Failure to fol-
low this caution can result in vehicle
damage and personal injury.
WARNING
Using a razor blade or sharp object to
clear the inside rear window or wind-
shield glass may damage the antenna
and/or the rear window defogger.
Repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not clear the inside
of the rear window or windshield with
sharp objects.
WARNING
Do not apply aftermarket glass tinting
with metallic film. The metallic film in
some tinting materials will interfere
with or distort the incoming radio
reception. Any damage caused to
your backglass antenna due to metal-
lic tinting materials will not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
Storage Areas:
Sunroof:

INSTRUMENT PANEL
3
85Z04-03E
INSTRUMENT PANELInstrument Panel Overview (Sedan) .................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview (Wagon) ................................. 3-2
Climate Controls ................................................................. 3-13
Warning Lights, Gauges and Indicators ........................... 3-18
Audio System ...................................................................... 3-28

3-1INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
Instrument Panel Overview (Sedan)The main components of your instrument panel are the following:
A. Air Outlet
B. Instrument Panel Cluster
C. Air Outlet
D. Hazard Warning Flashers Button
E. Digital ClockF. Audio System
G. Instrument Panel Brightness Control
H. Hood Release
I. Climate Control System
J. AshtrayK. Cigarette Lighter
L. Glove Box
Instrument Panel Overview:

3-2
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
Instrument Panel Overview (Wagon)The main components of your instrument panel are the following:
A. Air Outlet
B. Instrument Panel Cluster
C. Air Outlet
D. Hazard Warning Flashers Button
E. Digital ClockF. Audio System
G. Instrument Panel Brightness Control
H. Hood Release
I. Climate Control System
J. AshtrayK. Cigarette Lighter
L. Glove Box
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AG
H
I
L
J
K CD E F
B
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: