Page 62 of 207

345
Safety system of your vehicle
C040600APB
Side impact air bag (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with a side
impact air bag in each front seat. The
purpose of the air bag is to provide the
vehicle's driver and/or the front passen-
ger with additional protection than that
offered by the seat belt alone.
OPB039042
OED036107
(Continued)
• If a driver brakes the vehicle
heavily in urgent situations,
occupants will be thrown for-
ward. If front passengers are not
wearing the seat belts, they will
be directly in front of the air bags
when inflation occurs. In that sit-
uation, severe injury or death is
possible.
• Never allow a front passenger to
put their hands or feet on the
instrument panel or put their face
close to the instrument panel.
The air bag will impact the front
passenger when it inflates.
(Continued)(Continued)
• Never allow children/elder
and feeble persons/pregnant
women to sit on the front passen-
ger’s seat. Do not put child
restraint system on the front pas-
senger’s seat either. They may be
seriously injured by the air bag
inflation when the air bag
deploys.
• Do not put objects or stickers on
the instrument panel. Do not
apply any accessory on the front
windshield glass or do not install
aftermarket mirrors or acces-
sories on the factory installed
rearview mirror. These may inter-
fere with the deployment of air
bag inflation or could hit your
body at high speed and cause
severe bodily injury and even
death.
Page 81 of 207

49
Features of your vehicle
D050100APB
Operating door locks from out-
side the vehicle
• Turn the key toward the rear of the
vehicle to unlock and toward the front
of the vehicle to lock.
• If you lock/unlock the driver’s (or pas-
senger’s) door with a key, all vehicle
doors will lock/unlock automatically. (if
equipped with central door lock sys-
tem)• Doors can also be locked and
unlocked with the transmitter (if
equipped).
• Once the doors are unlocked, they
may be opened by pulling the door
handle.
• When closing the door, push the door
by hand. Make sure that doors are
closed securely.
✽NOTICE
• In cold and wet climates, door lock
and door mechanisms may not work
properly due to freezing conditions.
• If the door is locked/unlocked multi-
ple times in rapid succession with
either the vehicle key or door lock
switch, the system may stop operating
temporarily in order to protect the
circuit and prevent damage to system
components.
To lock a door without the key, push the
inside door lock button (1) to the “Lock”
position and close the door (2). (if not
equipped with central door lock system)
✽NOTICE
The central door lock system will oper-
ate only when all doors and tailgate are
closed.
✽NOTICE
Always remove the ignition key, engage
the parking brake, close all windows
and lock all doors when leaving your
vehicle unattended.
DOOR LOCKS
OPB049010/H
Lock
Unlock
OPB049011R
Page 187 of 207

Driving your vehicle
4 5
Ignition switch position
E030201AUN
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. The ignition key can be
removed only in the LOCK position.
When turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, push the key inward at
the ACC position and turn the key toward
the LOCK position.
E030202AUN
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked and elec-
trical accessories are operative.
✽NOTICE
If difficulty is experienced turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position, turn
the key while turning the steering wheel
right and left to release the tension.
E030203AUN
ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is the
normal running position after the engine
is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if the
engine is not running to prevent battery
discharge.
E030204APB
START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The engine
will crank until you release the key; then
it returns to the ON position. The brake
warning light can be checked in this posi-
tion.
E030205APB
KEY POSITIONS
OPB059002
WARNING - Ignition switch
• Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss of
directional control and braking
function, which could cause an
accident.
• The anti-theft steering column lock
is not a substitute for the parking
brake. Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the shift
lever is engaged in 1
stgear for man-
ual transaxle or P (Park) for auto-
matic transaxle, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement may occur if these pre-
cautions are not taken.
• Never reach for the ignition switch,
or any other controls through the
steering wheel while the vehicle is
in motion. The presence of your
hand or arm in this area could
cause a loss of vehicle control, an
accident and serious bodily injury
or death.
• Do not place any movable objects
around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interfere
with the driver and lead to an acci-
dent.
Page 191 of 207

Driving your vehicle
8 5
• During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant has
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R (Reverse),
put the shift lever in N (Neutral) posi-
tion and release the clutch. Depress
the clutch pedal back down, and then
shift into 1st or R (Reverse) gear posi-
tion.E050101APB
Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all the
way to the floor before shifting, then
released slowly. The clutch pedal should
always be fully released while driving. Do
not rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unneces-
sary wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an incline.
This causes unnecessary wear. Use the
foot brake or parking brake to hold the
vehicle on an incline. Do not operate the
clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
E050102APB
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you need to increase your speed
again. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch
pedal. Also, don’t use the clutch
to hold the vehicle on an uphill
grade, while waiting for a traffic
light, etc.
• Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as this
can result in premature wear of
the transaxle shift forks.
WARNING
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then
make sure the transaxle is shifted
into 1st gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill grade,
and shifted into R (Reverse) on a
downhill grade. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are not
followed in the order identified.
• If your vehicle has a manual
transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may move
and cause a serious accident
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal while
the parking brake is released and
the shift lever not in the N
(Neutral) position.