Section 5 Driving Your Vehicle
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle. . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Passing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Racing or Other Competitive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17 Driving at Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Before Leaving on a Long Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Loading the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Towing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Towing a Trailer (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . 5-32
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . 5-40
5-1
Notice:If the wheel(s) of one axle are allowed to
spin excessively while the ESC/TCS, ABS and
Brake warning lights and the SERVICE ESC and/or
SERVICE TRACTION messages are displayed, the
differential could be damaged. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin the wheel(s)
excessively while these lights and this message
are displayed.
Notice: When traction control is turned off,
or Competitive Driving Mode is active, it is
possible to lose traction. If you attempt to shift with
the drive wheels spinning with a loss of traction,
it is possible to cause damage to the transmission.
Do not attempt to shift when the drive wheels do
not have traction. Damage caused by misuse of the
vehicle is not covered. See the warranty book for
additional information.
The traction control system may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this happens, a reduction
in acceleration may be noticed or a noise or vibration
may be heard. This is normal.
If the vehicle is in cruise control while the system
activates, the ESC/TCS light flashes and the cruise
control automatically disengages. The cruise control
can be re-engaged when road conditions allow. See
Cruise Control on page 4‑8. Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer accessories can affect
the vehicle's performance. See
Accessories and
Modifications
on page 6‑3for more information.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
The vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning
or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power and may also upshift the
transmission to limit wheel spin.
If the vehicle has ETS, there is not an ESC/TCS button
on the instrument panel. To turn the system off, shift to
L (Low) or R (Reverse). There is more information about
how to turn the system off later in this section.
The ETS indicator/warning light flashes and LOW
TRACTION appears on the Driver Information Center
(DIC) when the traction control system is actively
limiting wheel spin. The system may be heard or felt
while it is working, but this is normal. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this message is displayed, so
adjust your driving accordingly.
If the vehicle is in cruise control when the ETS begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. The cruise control can be re-engaged when
road conditions allow. See Cruise Control on page 4‑8.
5-11
transmission is shifted to L (Low) or R (Reverse) to turn
the system off, the indicator/warning light and
TRACTION OFF will come on in L (Low). But the
system will not turn off right away. It will wait until there
is no longer a current need to limit wheel spin. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages
on page 4‑48for more
information on the messages associated with this light.
The system can be turned back on at any time by
shifting to D (Automatic Overdive) or I (Intermediate).
The ETS indicator/warning light should go off.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer accessories can affect
the vehicle's performance. See Accessories and
Modifications
on page 6‑3for more information.
Limited-Slip Differential
Vehicles with a limited-slip differential can give more
traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like
a standard axle most of the time, but when traction is
low, this feature allows the drive wheel with the most
traction to move the vehicle. The limited slip design has
minimal impact to the steering feel, but boosts the
traction performance under all conditions.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
If the engine stalls while driving, the power steering
assist system will continue to operate until you are
able to stop the vehicle. If power steering assist is lost
because the electric power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be steered but it will take
more effort.
If you turn the steering wheel in either direction several
times until it stops, or hold the steering wheel in the
stopped position for an extended amount of time, you
may notice a reduced amount of power steering assist.
The normal amount of power steering assist should
return shortly after a few normal steering movements.
The electric power steering system does not require
regular maintenance. If you suspect steering system
problems and/or the POWER STEERING message
comes on, contact your dealer/retailer for service
repairs. See DIC Warnings and Messages
on
page 4‑48.
5-13
CoolantEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29
Engine Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Engine Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-8
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-5 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Customer Information Service Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . 8-14
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-2
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Differential, Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Disc, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-74
Display Reconfigurable Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4
Dome Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14 Door
Automatic Door Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Rear Side Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Driver Seat Height Adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-46
DIC Operation and Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-46
DIC Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-54
DIC Warnings and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Driving At Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Before a Long Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
In Rain and on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
i - 4
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
LATCH System for Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45
LiftgateCarbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Lighting Entry/Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) Active . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-39
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Highbeam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-39
Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-39
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Loading Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24 Locks
Automatic Door Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45
Lumbar Power Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
M
Maintenance ScheduleMaintenance Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Maintenance Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Owner Checks and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Manual Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Message DIC Warnings and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
i - 8
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels,
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-77
Changing a Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-88
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-117
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-110
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-77
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-63
Inspection and Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-69
Installing the Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-92, 6-96
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-65
Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64
Removing the Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-92, 6-96
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-89
Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-78, 6-87
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-56
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools . . . . . . . . . . .6-106
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-60
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-76
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-76
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-71 Towing
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Towing a Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32, 5-40
Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Traction System Enhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Transmission Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Transmission Operation, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Transmission Operation, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
U
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
V
Vehicle Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Parking Your . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
i - 13