Page 232 of 286
On LX modelDo not attempt to forcibly pry the
wheel cover off with a screwdriver
or other tool. The wheel cover
cannot be removed without first
removing the wheel nuts.
12. Before mounting the spare tire,wipe any dirt off the mounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully; it may be hot from
driving. 13. Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on finger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel nut wrench
until the wheel is firmly against the
hub. Do not try to tighten the
wheel nuts fully.
WHEEL NUTS
WHEEL NUTS
WHEEL COVER
BRAKE HUB
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Page 233 of 286
14. Lower the vehicle to the ground,and remove the jack.
15. Tighten the wheel nuts securely in the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
facility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m, 11 kgf·m) 16. Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack's end bracket to lock it in
place. Store the tools.
17. Remove the center cap (if equipped) from the flat tire, and
store it in the spare tire well.
Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.
18. Remove the wing bolt on the sparetire mount, and pivot the arm 90°
to the upright position. Then
tighten the wing bolt securely.
ARM
WING BOLT
CONTINUED
Changing a Flat Tire
227
Taking Care of the Unexpected
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Page 234 of 286
19. Remove the small round plug fromthe cargo area floor by pushing it
from the back side to make a hole.
Store the removed plug in a place
you can easily remember.
20. Reinstall the cargo area floor.Place the flat tire face down on the
cargo area floor.
21. Align the center of the flat tire with the hole in the cargo area floor.
Remove the spacer cone from the
wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt. 22. Secure the flat tire by screwing the
wing bolt to the spare tire mount
through the hole in the cargo area
floor.
23. Your vehicle's original tire has a tire pressure monitoring system
sensor. To replace a tire, refer to
Changing a Tire with TPMS (see
page 170).
SPACER CONE
WING BOLT
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Page 250 of 286

If your vehicle needs to be towed, call
a professional towing service or
organization. Never tow your vehicle
with just a rope or chain. It is very
dangerous.On 4WD modelsThe only way you can safely tow
your vehicle is with flat-bed
equipment.The operator will load
your vehicle on the back of a truck.
Any other method of towing will
damage the drive system. When you
contact the towing agency, inform
them a flat-bed is required.Towing with only two tires on the
ground will damage parts of the 4WD
system. It should be transported on a f
lat-bed truck or trailer.
On 2WD modelsThere are two ways to tow your
vehicle:Flat-bed Equipment
- The operator
loads your vehicle on the back of a
truck. This is the best way to
transport your vehicle.
Wheel-lift Equipment
- The tow
truck uses two pivoting arms that go
under the front tires and lift them off
the ground. The rear tires remain on
the ground. This is an acceptable
way to tow your vehicle. If, due to damage, your vehicle must
be towed with the front wheels on
the ground, do this:
●Start the engine.●Shift to D position and hold for 5
seconds, then to N.●Turn off the engine.●Leave the ignition switch in the
ACCESSORY (I) position so the
steering wheel does not lock.●Release the parking brake.Improper towing preparation will
damage the transmission. Follow the
above procedure exactly. If you cannot
shift the transmission or start the
engine, your vehicle must be
transported with the all four wheels off
the ground.
Emergency Towing24410/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu
Page 260 of 286

Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.Warning: The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible
tire failure.DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)25410/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu
Page 262 of 286

Glossary of Tire Terminology
Cold Tire Pressure - The tire air
pressure when the vehicle has been
parked for at least three hours or
driven less than 1 mile (1.6km).
Load Rating - Means the maximum
load that a tire is rated to carry for a
given inflation pressure.
Maximum Inflation Pressure - the
maximum tire air pressure that the
tire can hold.
Maximum Load Rating - Means the
load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Recommended Inflation Pressure -
The cold tire inflation pressure
recommended by the manufacturer.
Treadwear Indicators (TWI) - Means
the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual
indication of the degrees of wear of
the tread.Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to
the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label, you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale
when one or more of your tires is
significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure.
Tire Labeling, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
-Required Federal Explanation25610/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu
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Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle's handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver's
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malfunction indicator is provided by
a separate telltale, which displays the
symbol
‘‘TPMS ’’when illuminated.
When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as
intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
-Required Federal Explanation
257
Technical Information
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Page 276 of 286

Bulbs, Halogen
..........................
202
Bungee Cords
............................
155
C
Capacities Chart
.........................
251
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
............
52
Cargo
.........................................
151
Cargo Area Light
..........................
96
Cargo Hooks
..............................
156
Cargo, How to Carry
..................
151
Carrying Cargo
..........................
151
CAUTION, Explanation of
............
iii
CD Care
.....................................
127
Ceiling Light
................................
96
Certification Label
......................
248
Chains, Tires
..............................
217
Changing a Flat Tire
..................
223
Changing Oil How to
....................................
194
When to
..................................
185
Charging System Indicator
...........................
58, 235
Check Fuel Cap Message
............
66
Checklist, Before Driving
...........
159 Child Safety
..................................
35
Booster Seats
...........................
50
Child Seats
....................
40, 41, 42
Important Safety Reminders
.....
39
Infants
......................................
40
Larger Children
.......................
49
LATCH
.....................................
44
Risks with Airbags
...................
36
Small Children
.........................
41
Tethers
....................................
48
Warning Labels
........................
37
Where Should a Child Sit?
........
36
Child Seats
.............................
35, 42
LATCH Anchorage Points
........
44
Tether Anchorage Points
.........
48
Cleaning the Seat Belts
..............
209
Clock
..........................................
133
Code, Audio System
...................
132
CO in the Exhaust
................
52, 258
Cold Weather, Starting in
...........
160
Compact Spare Tire
....................
222
Controls, Instruments and
............
55
Coolant Adding
....................................
196
Checking
................................
145
Proper Solution
.......................
196 Temperature Gauge
.................
67
Cooler Box
...................................
98
Crankcase Emissions Control System
...................................
258
Cruise Control Indicator
...............
60
Cruise Control Operation
...........
137
Cruise Main Indicator
..................
60
Cup Holders
.................................
99
Customer Service
.......................
264
D
DANGER, Explanation of
.............
iii
Dashboard
...............................
3, 56
Daytime Running Lights
..............
72
Daytime Running Lights Indicator
...................................
60
Dead Battery
..............................
231
Defects, Reporting Safety
...........
266
Defogger, Rear Window
...............
74
Dimensions
................................
250
Dimming the Headlights
..............
71
Dipstick
Automatic Transmission
.........
198
Engine Oil
...............................
145
IndexII10/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu