2009 Acura TL Owner's Manual

µTo 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.
With the paddle shifters, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal. For more inf ormation
on 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.
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.
Remove the built-in key from the
keyless access remote (see page ).
1.
2.
514 192
On models without keyless access
system
On models with keyless accesssystem
S Position (S) Shif t L ock Release
Engine Speed L imiter
Automatic Transmission
510
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2009 TL

Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover. Use a small
f lat-tipped screwdriver or metal
f ingernail f ile to caref ully pry up
the edge of the cover and remove
it f rom the slot.Insert a key or built-in key in the
shif t lock release slot.
Push down on the key or built-in
key while you press the release
buttonontheshiftleverandmove
the shift lever out of Park to
neutral.Remove the key or built-in key
from the shift lock release slot,
then reinstall the cover. Make
sure the notch on the cover is on
the rear side. 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.
3. 6.
5.
4.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
511
COVER SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOT
Vehicle without keyless access system
is shown.
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2009 TL

´
µ
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µ
When you are driving in D position,
you can shif t the transmission up or
down manually with the paddle
shif ters.
Each time you pull (right), the
transmission shif ts to a higher gear.
Pull (lef t) to downshif t. You will
see the selected gear number on the
instrument panel.
To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
each side of the steering wheel. 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.
When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
Using the Paddle Shif ters in D
position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
512
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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2009 TL

´
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).
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed rises above the lower limit
of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.
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 shif t up or down if :
You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed f alls below 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.
Hold the paddle shifter for 2
seconds to return to drive mode (D).
When the transmission returns to
drive mode (D), the displayed gear
number disappears.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear if you do not accelerate. The transmission downshif ts to f irst
gear and returns to drive mode (D)
when the vehicle comes to a
complete stop or the vehicle speed is
about 9 mph (15 km/h).
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
513
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2009 TL

´µ
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to ‘‘S’’ position and pull either
paddle shif ter, the gear position
indicator displays ‘‘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.
With the shif t lever in S position, you
can manually shif t up or down with
thepaddleshifters.The
transmission goes into the sequential
shif t mode and holds the selected
gear.
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 return to drive mode (D),
move the shif t lever to the D position.
While you are driving in the
sequential shif t mode, the
transmission will not automatically
return to drive mode (D).
Using the Paddle Shif ters in S
position (Sequential Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
514
‘‘M’’ INDICATOR
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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2009 TL

The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shif t up or down if :If the vehicle speed decreases
below the redline of the selected
lowergearwhiletheindicatoris
f lashing, the transmission
downshif ts, and the indicator
displays the selected gear.
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed rises above the lower limit
of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.
You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed f alls below 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.
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
9mph(15km/h)orless.
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 downshif ts to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.
You press the brake pedal.
CONT INUED
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
515
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2009 TL

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à
à
à
à
à
à
à
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Here are the speed ranges f or
upshif ting and downshif ting.
Speed range
under 130 mph (209 km/h) under 94 mph (150 km/h)
under 63 mph (100 km/h) under 37 mph (59 km/h) Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 9 mph (15 km/h)
over 17 mph (28 km/h)
over 38 mph (60 km/h) When you are in sequential shif t
mode, and the vehicle is stopped,
pull the (right) paddle shifter to
shif t to second gear. You will see
‘‘M2’’ in the display. Starting in
second gear helps to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace.
To Shift
form
12
23
34
45
To Shift from
54
43
32
21
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
St art ing in Second Gear
516
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2009 TL

µ
µ
The SH-AWD torque distribution
monitor on the multi-inf ormation
display shows you the amount of
torque being sent to the wheels.
Each wheel right f ront (RF), lef t
front(LF),rightrear(RR),andleft
rear (LR) has its own torque
indicator. Each torque indicator is displayed as
a bar graph divided into 5 segments.
The number of segments represents
the amount of torque distributed to
each wheel.
When there is only a slight change in
torque distribution while driving,
such as cruising on level roads at the
same speed, the torque distribution
monitor may stop displaying the
amount of torque. This is not a
system problem. The monitor will
show the amount if the system
senses any change in torque
distribution.
While the SH-AWD system helps to
enhance the vehicle’s driving
stability in all situations, it is still
your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
The super handling-all wheel drive
(SH-AWD) system is a f ull time all-
wheel-drive system that
automatically controls and transfers
varying amounts of engine torque to
all wheels independently, according
to the driving conditions.
If equipped
CONT INUED
SH-AWD T orque Distribution
Monitor
Super Handling-A ll Wheel Drive (SH-A WD)System
Driving
517
TORQUE INDICATOR TORQUE INDICATOR
U.S. model is shown.
TM
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2009 TL