2010 ACURA ZDX transmission

ShiftingTo shift from Park to any position,
press firmly on the brake pedal, and
press the release button on the front
of the shift lever, then move the
lever. You cannot shift out of Park
when the ignition switch is in the
LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position.Models equipped with the keyless
access system have an engine start/
stop button instead of an ignition
switch. VEHICLE OFF (LOCK)
mode is the equivalent of LOCK (0);
and ACCESSORY mode is the
equivalent of ACCESSORY (I). See
page 196 for ignition switch and
power mode comparison.
To shift from:
Do this:
PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
RtoP
NtoR DtoS Press the shift lever release
button.
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Move the shift lever.
Park (P)
－This position
mechanically locks the transmission.
Use Park whenever you are turning
off or starting the engine. To shift out
of Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and press the release button on
the shift lever. Make sure your foot is
off the accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on
page 480.
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You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop before shifting into
Park.On models without keyless accesssystemThe shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from
the ignition switch.On models with keyless access
systemThe shift lever must be in Park
before you change the power mode
from ON to VEHICLE OFF (LOCK). Reverse (R)
－Press the brake
pedal and press the release button on
the front of the shift lever to shift
from Park to reverse. To shift from
reverse to neutral, come to a
complete stop, and then shift. Press
the release button before shifting
into reverse from neutral.
Neutral (N) －Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with the
engine idling. Shift 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. Drive (D)
－Use this position for
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 6) for your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shifting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up faster.
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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S position (S)－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 from first to
fifth are selected. (When shifting up
automatically, the vehicle speed is
higher than when in the D position.)
The S position keeps the
transmission from cycling between
fourth, fifth, and sixth gears in stop-
and-go driving.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
can also use the paddle shifters to
shift 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 information on
driving with the paddle shifters, see
page 482. Engine Speed Limiter
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you may feel 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.
The engine may cut in and out in R
position or depending on the road
condition, even when the engine
speed is lower than the tachometer's
red zone. This is the engine's
computer working to protect the
transmission.
Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release button
does not work.
1. Set the parking brake.
2.
On models without keyless access
systemRemove the key from the ignition
switch.On models with keyless accesssystemRemove the built-in key from the
keyless access remote (see page
207).
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3. Put a cloth on the edge of the shiftlock release slot cover to prevent
scratches. Use a small flat-tip
screwdriver or metal fingernail file
to carefully pry up the edge of the
cover and remove it from the slot.
4. Insert a key into the shift lockrelease slot.
5. Push down on the key or built-in key while you press the release
button on the front of the shift
lever and move the shift lever out
of Park to neutral. 6. 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 shift lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by a dealer.
COVER
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
On models with keyless
access system
Automatic Transmission
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Using the Paddle Shifters in the D
position (D-Paddle Shift Mode)
When you are driving in the D
position, you can shift the
transmission up or down manually
with the paddle shifters.To shift up or down, use the＋
(right) or －(left) paddle shifter on
either side of the steering wheel.
Each time you pull ＋(right), the
transmission shifts to a higher gear.
Pull －(left) to downshift. You will
see the selected gear number on the
instrument panel.
When you pull either paddle shifter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number. 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
upshift the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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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 shifters. Under these
conditions, D-paddle shift mode is
canceled, and the transmission
automatically returns to drive mode
(D).
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. Each time you pull either paddle
shifter, the transmission shifts one
gear up or down. If you want to shift
up or down more than two gears, pull
the paddle shifter twice, pause, and
then pull it again.
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shift up or down if:
●You downshift before the engine
speed reaches the highest
threshold of the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear
position indicator will flash the
number of the lower gear several
times, then return to a higher gear.●You upshift before the engine
speed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher gear.●You pull both paddle shifters at the
same time.●You pull one of the two paddle
shifters while another paddle
shifter is being pressed.
●You are trying to downshift from
second to first with the accelerator
pedal off . This will only work
when the accelerator pedal is
applied deeply.
The transmission downshifts to first
gear and returns to drive mode (D)
when the vehicle comes to a
complete stop or the vehicle speed is
about 6 mph (9 km/h).
If there is a problem in the
transmission while you are driving
with the paddle shifters, the D
indicator flashes, the D-paddle shift
mode is canceled, and the
transmission returns to drive mode
(D).
CONTINUED
Driving with the Paddle Shifters
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Using the Paddle Shifters in the S
position (Sequential Shift Mode)
With the shift lever in the S position,
you can select the sequential shift
mode to shift gears; much like a
manual transmission using the
paddle shifters, but without a clutch
pedal.
Shifting between first and second
gears may occur automatically.
Downshifting from second to first
with the accelerator pedal off is not
allowed.To enter the sequential shift mode,
press the release button on the front
of the shift lever, move the lever to
the S position, then pull either paddle
shifter. To cancel the sequential shift
mode and return to the ordinary
automatic transmission, move the
shift lever from S position. When
moving the shift lever, be careful not
to operate incorrectly. While you are
driving in the sequential shift mode,
the transmission will not
automatically return to ordinary
automatic transmission.
When you move the shift lever from
‘‘
D ’’to ‘‘S ’’ and pull either paddle
shifter, the gear position indicator
displays ‘‘M’’ along with the selected
gear number.
To upshift, pull the ＋(right) paddle
shifter. To downshift, pull the －
(left) paddle shifter.
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
‘‘ M’’ INDICATOR
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When you accelerate from a stop, the
transmission starts in first gear, and
shifts from first to second
automatically.You must manually
upshift between second and fifth
gears. Make sure you upshift before
the engine speed reaches the
tachometer's red zone.The transmission remains in the
selected gear (6, 5, 4, 3, or 2). There
is no automatic downshift when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
floor.
When you are driving, the
transmission downshifts to the lower
gear under the following conditions:
●The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.●You press the brake pedal.●The vehicle detects that you are
driving uphill or downhill.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
upshift the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
The transmission also shifts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshifts to first
gear when the vehicle speed reaches
6 mph (9 km/h) or less.
CONTINUED
Driving with the Paddle Shifters
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