Introduction
21
We want to help you get the greatest
possible driving pleasure from your vehi-
cle. Your Owner’s Manual can assist you
in many ways. We strongly recommend
that you read the entire manual.
Especially, in order to minimize the
chance of death or injury, you must read
the WARNING and CAUTION sections
spread throughout the manual.
Illustrations complement the words in this
manual to best explain how to enjoy your
vehicle. By reading your manual, you will
learn about features, important safety
information, and driving tips under vari-
ous road conditions.
The general layout of the manual is pro-
vided in the Table of Contents. A good
place to start is the index; it has an alpha-
betical listing of all information in your
manual.
Sections: This manual has eight sections
plus an index. Each section begins with a
brief list of contents so you can tell at a
glance if that section has the information
you want.You’ll find various WARNING’s,
CAUTION’s, and NOTICE’s in this manu-
al. These were prepared to enhance your
personal safety. You should carefully read
and follow ALL procedures and recom-
mendations provided in these WARN-
INGS, CAUTIONS and NOTICES.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A NOTICE indicates a situation in
which damage to your vehicle could
result if the notice is ignored.
No special break-in period is needed. By
following a few simple precautions for the
first 1,000 km (600 miles) you may add to
the performance, economy and life of
your vehicle.
Do not race the engine.
Do not maintain a single speed for long
periods of time, either fast or slow.
Varying engine speed is needed to
properly break-in the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emergen- cies, to allow the brakes to seat prop-
erly.
Avoid full-throttle starts.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
WARNING
A WARNING indicates a situation in
which serious bodily injury or death
could result if the warning is ignored.
CAUTION
A CAUTION indicates a situation in which personal injury, perhapssevere, could result if the caution isignored.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN PROCESS
Knowing your vehicle
52
3
Front passenger’s air bag
Front passenger’s air bag is stored in the
instrument panel on the glove box.
Never put any objects or ornaments on
the instrument panel.
1JBA3056
HLZ2121
WARNING- Steering
wheel
You must always sit as far back
from the steering wheel air bag as
possible (chest at least 250 mm
(10 inches ) away from the steer-
ing wheel), while still maintaining
a comfortable seating position for
good vehicle control, in order to
reduce the risk of injury or death
in a collision.
Never place objects over the air bag storage compartments or
between the air bags and your-
self. Due to the speed and force of
the air bag inflation, such objects
could hit your body at high speed
and cause severe bodily injury
and even death.
Do not put stickers or ornaments on the steering wheel cover.
These may interfere with the
deployment of the air bag.
WARNING
The front seat passenger’s air bagis much larger than the steering
wheel air bag and inflates with
considerably more force. It can
seriously hurt or kill a passenger
who is not in the proper position
and wearing the safety belt prop-
erly. The front passengers should
always move their seat as far
back as practical and sit back in
their seat.
It is essential that the front pas- sengers always wear their safety
belts when vehicle is in motion,
even when the vehicle is moving
in a parking lot or up a driveway
into garage.
If the driver brakes the vehicle heavily in urgent situations, occu-
pants will be thrown forward. If
front passengers are not wearing
the safety belts, they will be
directly in front of the air bags
when inflation occurs. In that sit-
uation, severe injury or death is
possible.
(Continued)
Driving your vehicle
64
Automatic transaxle operation
All normal forward driving is done with
the shift lever in the D (Drive) position.
To move the shift lever from the P (Park)
position, the brake pedal must be
depressed and the lock release button
must be pressed.
For smooth operation, depress the brakepedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• To avoid damage to your transaxle, do
not accelerate the engine in R
(Reverse) or any forward gear posi-
tion with the brakes on.
• When stopped on an upgrade, do not hold the vehicle stationary with
engine power. Use the service brake
or the parking brake.
(Continued)
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever is
in the P (PARK) position; then set
the parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
these precautions are not followed
in the order identified.
OAM059002
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting, if your vehicle is
equipped shift lock system. The shift lever can be shifted without depressing the lock release button.
The lock release button must be depressed while moving the shift lever.
47
Driving your vehicle
(Continued)
• Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P(Park) into D (Drive), or R (Reverse)
when the engine is above idle speed.
Transaxle ranges
P (Park)
This position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the front wheels from rotating.
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into this position.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
The transaxle may be damaged if you
shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in
motion.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you
may damage the transaxle if you shift
into R while the vehicle is in motion.
N (Neutral)
With the gearshift in the N position, the
wheels and transaxle are not locked. The
vehicle will roll freely even on the slight-
est incline unless the parking brake or
service brakes are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving posi-
tion. The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 4-gear sequence, providing the
best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing grades, depress the
accelerator fully, at which time the
transaxle will automatically downshift to
the next lower gear.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into D (Drive).
(Continued)
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position. Set the
parking brake fully, shut the
engine off and take the key with
you. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
you do not follow these precau-
tions in the order specified.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
so that it cannot be moved unless
the lock release button is pushed
in, AND set the parking brake fully.
(Continued)
Driving your vehicle
84
2 (Second Gear)
Use 2 (Second Gear) for more power
when climbing hills and for increased
braking when going down hills. This posi-
tion also helps reduce wheel spin on slip-
pery surfaces. When the shift lever is
placed in 2 (Second Gear), the transaxle
will automatically shift from first to sec-
ond gear.
L (Low)
Move the shift lever to this position in
hard pulling situations and for climbing
steep grades.
O/D (Over Drive) system
(if equipped)
Pressing the O/D system button cancels
and engages the overdrive system.
When the O/D system is cancelled, the
O/D OFF indicator illuminates and the
transaxle gear range is limited to 1st
through 3rd. The transaxle will not shift to
4th gear until the O/D system button is
pressed again to release the switch.
When driving down a sloping road with
the transaxle in O/D (4th), you can
decrease the vehicle speed without using
the brakes by pressing the O/D button.
When the ignition is switched OFF, O/D
OFF mode is automatically cancelled.
O/D OFF Indicator ( )
This indicator light illuminates in the
instrument panel when the O/D mode is
cancelled.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the
appropriate gear depending on load
weight and steepness of the grade, and
release the parking brake. Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
O/D
OFF
CAUTION
Do not exceed the recommended
maximum speeds in 2 (Second Gear) or L (Low). Operating thevehicle at speeds above the maxi-mum recommended, for 2 (SecondGear) or L (Low) may cause exces-sive heat to develop which couldresult in damage to or failure of theautomatic transaxle.
OJB030404
49
Driving your vehicle
Shift lock system
For your safety, the Automatic Transaxle
has a shift lock system which prevents
shifting the transaxle out of P (Park)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle out of P (Park):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition tothe ON position.
3. Depress the lock release button and move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering
sound near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position. If the ignition switch is in any
other position, the key cannot be
removed.
BRAKE SYSTEM
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you nor-
mally would. The stopping distance, how-
ever, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied. Do
not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when neces-
sary to maintain steering control on slip-
pery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while the
vehicle is in motion, you can make an
emergency stop with the parking brake.
The stopping distance, however, will be
much greater than normal.
WARNING- Parking brake
Pulling the parking brake while the
vehicle is moving at normal speeds
can cause a sudden loss of control
of the vehicle. If you must use the
parking brake to stop the vehicle,
use great caution in applying the
brake.
WARNING - Brakes
Do not drive with your foot rest- ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormal high brake tem-
peratures, excessive brake lining
and pad wear, and increased
stopping distances.
When descending a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear and
avoid continuous application of
the brakes. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
(Continued)
Driving your vehicle
10
4
Disc brakes wear indicator
Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and it's
time for new pads, you will hear a high-
pitched warning sound from your front
brakes or rear brakes (if equipped). You
may hear this sound come and go or it
may occur whenever you depress the
brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
To avoid costly brake repairs, do not
continue to drive with worn brake pads.
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then without pressing
the release button in, pull the parking
brake lever up as far as possible. In addi-
tion it is recommended that when parking
the vehicle on a gradient, the shift lever
should be positioned in the appropriate
low gear on manual transaxle vehicles or
in the P (Park) position on automatic
transaxle vehicles.
(Continued)
Wet brakes may result in the vehi-
cle not slowing down at the usual
rate and pulling to one side when
the brakes are applied. After
going through water, apply the
brakes lightly to regain smooth
braking performance.
WARNING- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs service.
If you ignore this audible warning,
you will eventually lose braking per-
formance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION
Always replace brake pads as com-plete front or rear axle sets toensure smooth brake performance.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake applied will cause excessive brakepad (or lining) and brake rotor wear.
1JBA4005
Driving your vehicle
12
4
Parking on curbed streets
When parking your vehicle on an uphill
grade, park as close to the curb as
possible and turn the front wheels
away from the curb so that the front
wheels will contact the curb if the vehi-
cle moves backward.
When parking your vehicle on a down- hill grade, park as close to the curb as
possible and turn the front wheels
toward the curb so that the front
wheels will contact the curb if the vehi-
cle moves forward.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if equipped)The ABS continuously senses the speed
of the wheels. If the wheels are going to
lock, the ABS repeatedly modulates the
hydraulic brake pressure to the wheels.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ABS is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS in an emergency situation,
do not attempt to modulate your brake
pressure and do not try to pump your
brakes. Press your brake pedal as hard
as possible or as hard as the situation
warrants and allow the ABS to control the
force being delivered to the brakes.
Even with the anti-lock brake system,your vehicle still requires sufficient
stopping distance. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from exces-
sive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake system
may result in a longer stopping dis-
tance than for vehicles equipped with a
conventional brake system.
WARNING- ABS Brakes
Your ABS is not a substitute for
good driving judgement. You can
still have an accident. In fact, your
ABS will probably not be able to
prevent an accident in the following
driving conditions:
Dangerous driving, such asneglecting safety precautions,
speeding, or driving too close to
the vehicle in front of you.
Driving at high speed in situa- tions providing considerably less
traction, such as wet conditions
where hydroplaning could occur.
Driving too fast on poor road sur- faces. The ABS is designed to
improve maximum braking effec-
tiveness on typical highways and
roads in good condition. On poor
road surfaces, the ABS may actu-
ally reduce braking effectiveness.