2008 SUZUKI SX4 warning

8-2
VEHICLE LOADING AND TOWING
80J21-03E
Trailer Towing
54G639
Do not use your vehicle to tow a trailer. The
vehicle is not designed or intended for
such use. Towing a trailer can adversely
affect handling, durability and fuel econ-
omy.
Towing Your Vehicle
(recreational towing)Your vehicle may be towed behind another
vehicle (such as a motorhome), provided
you use the proper towing method speci-
fied for your vehicle. The towing method
you must use depends on the specifica-
tions of your vehicle: whether it is a 2-
wheel drive (2WD) or intelligent All Wheel
Drive (i-AWD) vehicle.
Use the towing instruction table to select
the proper towing method for your vehicle,
and carefully follow the corresponding
instructions. Be sure to use proper towing
equipment designed for recreational tow-
ing and make sure that towing speed does
not exceed 90 km/h (55 mph).TOWING INSTRUCTION TABLE
80J010
WARNING
Always use a safety chain when tow-
ing your vehicle and be sure to
observe federal, state, and local
requirements for trailer hitches, tow
bars, lights, etc.
DRIVE
TRAINTRAN-
SAXLETOWING
METHOD
2WDA/T (AUTO)A
M/T
(MANUAL)A B
i-AWD
including
2WD modeA/Tnone
M/TB
CAUTION
For the automatic transaxle of intelli-
gent All Wheel Drive (i-AWD) models,
don’t tow your vehicle behind
another vehicle such as a motor-
home, or the drive train may be seri-
ously damaged.
Trailer Towing: 5, 11, 13
Towing Your Vehicle (recreational towing): 13

9-1INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
60A187S
WARNING
You should take extreme care when
working on your vehicle to prevent
accidental injury. Here are a few pre-
cautions that you should be espe-
cially careful to observe:
 To prevent damage or unintended
inflation of the air bag system, be
sure the battery is disconnected
and the ignition switch has been in
the “LOCK” position for at least 90
seconds before performing any
electrical service work on your
SUZUKI. Do not touch air bag sys-
tem components or wires. The
wires are wrapped with yellow tape
or yellow tubing, and the couplers
are yellow for easy identification.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
 Do not leave the engine running in
garages or other confined areas.
 When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, tools and other
objects away from the moving fan
and drive belt.
 When it is necessary to do service
work with the engine running, make
sure that the parking brake is set
fully and the transaxle is in Neutral
(for manual transaxle vehicles) or
Park (for automatic transaxle vehi-
cles).
 Do not touch ignition wires or other
ignition system parts when starting
the engine or when the engine is
running, or you could receive an
electric shock.
 Be careful not to touch a hot
engine, exhaust manifold and
pipes, muffler, radiator and water
hoses.
 Do not allow smoking, sparks or
flames around gasoline or the bat-
tery. Flammable fumes are present.
 Do not get under your vehicle if it is
supported only with the portable
jack provided in your vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
 Be careful not to cause accidental
short circuits between the positive
and negative battery terminals.
 Keep used oil, engine coolant and
other fluids away from children and
pets. Dispose of used fluids prop-
erly; never pour them on the
ground, into sewers, etc.

9-2
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
NOTICE (for U.S.A.)
Maintenance, replacement or repair of
the emission control devices and sys-
tems may be performed by any automo-
bile repair establishment or individual
using any part which has been certified
under the provisions in the Clean Air
Act sec. 207. (a) (2).
Maintenance ScheduleThe following table shows the times when
you should perform regular maintenance
on your vehicle. This table shows in miles,
kilometers and months when you should
perform inspections, adjustments, lubrica-
tion and other services. These intervals
should be shortened if driving is usually
done under severe conditions (refer to
“Maintenance Recommended Under
Severe Driving Conditions”).
WARNING
SUZUKI recommends that mainte-
nance on items marked with an aster-
isk (*) be performed by your
authorized SUZUKI dealer or a quali-
fied service technician. If you are
qualified, you may perform mainte-
nance on the unmarked items by
referring to the instructions in this
section. If you are not sure whether
you can successfully complete any of
the unmarked maintenance jobs, ask
your authorized SUZUKI dealer to do
the maintenance for you.
CAUTION
Whenever it becomes necessary to
replace parts on your vehicle, it is
recommended that you use genuine
SUZUKI replacement parts or their
equivalent.
WARNING
The shock absorbers are filled with
high pressure gas. Never attempt to
disassemble it or throw it into a fire.
Avoid storing it near a heater or heat-
ing device. When scrapping the
absorber, the gas must be released
from the absorber safely. Ask your
dealer for assistance.
Maintenance Schedule: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10

9-12
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
Refilling
81A147
Remove the oil filler cap and pour oil slowly
through the filler hole to bring the oil level
to the upper limit on the dipstick. Be careful
not to overfill. Too much oil is almost as
bad as too little oil. After refilling, start the
engine and allow it to idle for about a
minute. Stop the engine, wait about 5 min-
utes and check the oil level again.
Changing Engine Oil and Filter
60G306
Drain the engine oil while the engine is still
warm.
1) Remove the oil filler cap.
2) Place a drain pan under the drain plug.
3) Using a wrench, remove the drain plug
and drain out the engine oil.4) Reinstall the drain plug and gasket.
Tighten the plug with a wrench to the
specified torque.
EXAMPLEOpen Close
WARNING
The engine oil temperature may be
high enough to burn your fingers
when the drain plug is loosened. Wait
until the drain plug is cool enough to
touch with your bare hands.EXAMPLE
WARNING
New and used oil and solvent can be
hazardous. Children and pets may be
harmed by swallowing new or used
oil or solvent. Repeated, prolonged
contact with used engine oil may
cause [skin] cancer. Brief contact
with used oil or solvent may irritate
skin.
 Keep new and used oil and solvent
away from children and pets.
 Wear a long-sleeve shirt and water-
proof gloves.
 Wash with soap if oil or solvent
contacts your skin.
Tightening torque specification
35 Nm (25.3 lb-ft, 3.5 kg-m)
Automatic Transaxle Fluid: 10

9-16
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
Automatic Transaxle FluidSpecified FluidUse an automatic transaxle fluid equivalent
to DEXRON
®-III.
Fluid Level CheckYou must check the fluid level with the
automatic transaxle fluid at normal operat-
ing temperature.
To check the fluid level:
1) To warm up the transaxle fluid, drive the
vehicle or idle the engine until the tem-
perature gauge indicates normal oper-
ating temperature.
2) Then drive for ten more minutes.
NOTE:
Do not check the fluid level if you have just
driven the vehicle for a long time at high
speed, or if you have driven in city traffic in
hot weather. Wait until the fluid cools down
(about 30 minutes), or the fluid level indica-
tion will not be correct.
3) Park your vehicle on level ground.
4) Apply the parking brake and then start
the engine in “P” (Park). Let it idle for
two minutes and keep it running during
the fluid level check.5) With your foot on the brake pedal, move
the gearshift lever through each gear,
pausing for about three seconds in
each range. Then move it back to the
“P” (Park) position.
75F08654G317
(1) FULL
(2) LOW
(3) The lowest point = Fluid level
6) The handle of the A/T fluid dipstick is
colored red for easy identification.
Remove the dipstick, clean it and push
it back in until the cap seats. Pull out
the dipstick and read the fluid level.
The fluid level should be between the
two marks in the “HOT” range on the
dipstick.
7) Add just enough specified fluid through
the dipstick hole to fill the transaxle to
the proper level. It takes only 0.4 liters
(0.85 US pt) for 4-speed automatic tran-
saxle to raise the level from “LOW” to
“FULL”.
CAUTION
Driving with too much or too little
fluid can damage the transaxle.
WARNING
Be sure to depress the brake pedal
when moving the gearshift lever, or
the vehicle can move suddenly.
(1)(2) (3)(1)
(2)(3)
Windshield Washer Fluid: 3
Air Cleaner: 1, 2

9-18
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
Coolant Level CheckCheck the engine coolant level at the
reserve tank, not at the radiator. With the
engine cool, the engine coolant level
should be between the “FULL” and “LOW”
marks.Adding CoolantIf the engine coolant level is below the
“LOW” mark, more engine coolant should
be added. Remove the reserve tank cap
and add engine coolant until the reserve
tank level reaches the “FULL” mark. Never
fill the reserve tank above the “FULL” mark.
Coolant ReplacementSince special procedures are required, we
recommend you take your vehicle to your
SUZUKI dealer for coolant replacement.
CAUTION
(Continued)
 Do not add extra inhibitors or addi-
tives. They may not be compatible
with your cooling system.
 Do not mix different types of base
coolants. Doing so may result in
accelerated seal wear and/or the
possibility of severe overheating
and extensive engine/automatic
transaxle damage.
CAUTION
 The mixture you use should con-
tain 50% concentration of anti-
freeze.
 If the lowest ambient temperature
in your area is expected to be –
35°C (–31°F) or below, use higher
concentrations up to 60% following
the instructions on the antifreeze
container.
 When putting the cap on the reser-
voir tank, line up the arrow on the
cap and the arrow on the tank. Fail-
ure to follow this can result in cool-
ant leakage.
WARNING
Engine coolant is harmful or fatal if
swallowed or inhaled. Do not drink
antifreeze or coolant solution. If swal-
lowed, do not induce vomiting. Imme-
diately contact a poison control
center or a physician. Avoid inhaling
mist or hot vapors; if inhaled, remove
to fresh air. If coolant gets in eyes,
flush eyes with water and seek medi-
cal attention. Wash thoroughly after
handling. Solution can be poisonous
to animals. Keep out of the reach of
children and animals.
Brakes: 6

9-19INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
Windshield Washer Fluid
65D108
80J008
Check that there is washer fluid in the tank
by looking at the washer fluid level gauge
which is attached to the cap of the washer
fluid tank. If the fluid level is near “E” mark,
refill it.
Use a good quality windshield washer
fluid, diluted with water as necessary.
Air Cleaner
80J003
If the air cleaner is clogged with dust, there
will be greater intake resistance, resulting
in decreased power output and increased
fuel consumption.
Unclamp the side clamps, and remove the
element from the air cleaner case. If it
appears to be dirty, replace it with a new
one.
(or opposite side)
WARNING
Do not use “anti-freeze” solution in
the windshield washer reservoir. This
can severely impair visibility when
sprayed on the windshield, and also
damage your vehicle’s paint.
CAUTION
Damage may result if the washer
motor is operated with no fluid in the
washer tank.
CAUTION
The air cleaner element should be
replaced every 50000 km (30000
miles). More frequent replacement is
necessary when you drive under
dusty conditions.
Brakes: 6

9-21INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
80J21-03E
BrakesBrake Fluid
80J004
Check the brake fluid level by looking at
the reservoir in the engine compartment.
Check that the fluid level is between the
“MAX” and “MIN” lines. If the brake fluid
level is near the “MIN” line, fill it up to the
“MAX” line with DOT3 brake fluid.
80J104
EXAMPLE
WARNING
Failure to follow the guidelines below
can result in personal injury or seri-
ous damage to the brake system.
 If the brake fluid in the reservoir
drops below a certain level, the
brake warning light on the instru-
ment panel will come on (the
engine must be running with the
parking brake fully disengaged.)
Should the light come on, immedi-
ately ask your SUZUKI dealer to
inspect the brake system.
 A rapid fluid loss indicates a leak in
the brake system which should be
inspected by your SUZUKI dealer
immediately.
 Brake fluid can harm your eyes and
damage painted surfaces. Use cau-
tion when refilling the reservoir.
(Continued)
or
WARNING
(Continued)
 Do not use any fluid other than
DOT3 brake fluid. Do not use
reclaimed fluid or fluid that has
been stored in old or open contain-
ers. It is essential that foreign parti-
cles and other liquids are kept out
of the brake fluid reservoir.
WARNING
Brake fluid is harmful or fatal if swal-
lowed, and harmful if it comes in con-
tact with skin or eyes. If swallowed,
do not induce vomiting. Immediately
contact a poison control center or a
physician. If brake fluid gets in eyes,
flush eyes with water and seek medi-
cal attention. Wash thoroughly after
handling. Solution can be poisonous
to animals. Keep out of the reach of
children and animals.
CAUTION
The brake fluid should be replaced
according to the maintenance sched-
ule. Have the brake fluid replaced by
your SUZUKI dealer.
Clutch Pedal: 6
Tires: 6