Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.
The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled Maintenancechapter) will help your tires wear more evenly,
providing better tire performance and longer tire life.
•Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles
(front tires at top of diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
Tires, Wheels and Loading
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Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inscheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
Maintenance and Specifications
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S
Safety belts (see Safety
restraints) ..........185–186, 188, 190
Safety Canopy ...........................204
Safety defects, reporting ..........327
Safety information ......................60
Safety restraints ........185–188, 190
Belt-Minder...........................191
extension assembly ................189
for adults .........................186, 188
for children .............................210
Occupant Classification
Sensor ......................................183
warning light and chime ........190
Safety restraints - LATCH
anchors ......................................218
Safety seats for children ..........214
Safety Compliance
Certification Label ....................373
Satellite Radio Information ........54
Scheduled Maintenance Guide
Normal Scheduled
Maintenance and Log .............387
Seats ..........................................173
child safety seats ....................214
heated ......................................178
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ........................................168
Selecting your media source
(USB, Line in, BT audio) ...........93
Servicing your vehicle ..............335
Setting the clock .............37, 42, 45
Side air curtain .........................206
SOS Post Crash Alert ...............209Spark plugs,
specifications .............368, 372–373
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................369
Speed control ............................141
Starting your
vehicle ........................258–259, 261
jump starting ..........................314
push button start system .......261
Steering wheel
controls ....................................143
tilting .......................................135
SYNCcustomer support .........107
SYNC..........................................58
SYNCServices ...........................81
T
Text messaging ...........................73
Text messaging (sending,
downloading, deleting) .........73, 75
Tilt steering wheel ....................135
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....243
Tires ...........................228–229, 308
alignment ................................237
care ..........................................233
changing ..........................308, 311
checking the pressure ............233
inflating ...................................230
label .........................................242
replacing ..................................234
rotating ....................................237
safety practices .......................236
sidewall information ...............238
snow tires and chains ............248
spare tire .................................308
Index
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