2012 HONDA PILOT engine

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Variable Torque
Management
4-wheel drive
(VTM-4
) system, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA
), aka
Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
system, the tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS), and f acts you need
if you are planning to tow a trailer or
drive of f -highway. ........................
Driving Guidelines . 512
........................
Preparing to Drive . 512
.......................
Starting the Engine . 513
Check Starter System .................................
Message . 514
..............
Automatic Transmission . 515
............................
VTM-4
System . 520
...........................................
Parking . 521
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
......................................
(TPMS) . 522
.............................
Braking System . 530
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 531
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
),
aka Electronic Stability ........
Control (ESC), System . 533
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 536
Of f -Highway Driving
..................................
Guidelines . 552
Driving
Driving
511
Main Menu

CONT INUED
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, then
release the ignition switch. You do
not need to hold the ignition
switch in the START (III) position
to start the engine. Depending on
the outside temperature, thestarter motor runs f or about 6 to 9
seconds until the engine starts.
If you hold the ignition switch in
the START (III) position f or more
than 7 seconds, the starter motor,
depending on the outside
temperature, runs f or about 10 to
25 seconds until the engine starts.
If the engine does not start, wait at
least 10 seconds bef ore trying
again.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Apply the parking brake.
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ). Your vehicle

If this message is on, the ignition
switchhastobeheldinthe
START (III) position manually
until the engine starts. The
ignitionswitchcanbeheldinthat
position up to 15 seconds.
Even though you may be able to
start the engine manually without
the auto control mode of the starter
system, have your dealer inspect
your vehicle.
If there is a problem with the starter
system, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
STARTER SYSTEM

µ
µ
µ Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
Press the brake
pedal and the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and the release button on the
shif t lever. Make sure your f oot is of f
the accelerator pedal. 518Do this:
Press the brake pedal and the
shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
Press the D button.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN
NtoD
RtoN
DtoD
DtoD
3
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Neutral (N)
Shif t L ock Release
Reverse (R)
Park (P)
516
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µµµ
CONT INUED
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shif ting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster. To use D , press the
D button when the shif t lever is in
the ‘‘D

µIf you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer

Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover to prevent
scratches. Use a small f lat-tip
screwdriver or metal f ingernail f ile
to caref ully pry up the edge of the
cover and remove it from the slot.Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
shif t lever and move the shif t lever
out of Park to neutral.If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by a dealer.
Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then install the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the underside.
Insert the key back into the
ignition switch, press the brake
pedal, and restart the engine.
Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.
3.
4.
5. 6.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
519
COVER
RELEASE BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
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The vehicle must be stopped with
the engine running.do
any of the f ollowing: Press the VTM-4 LOCK button.
Move the shift lever to D or D .
Move the shift lever to first (1),
second (2), or reverse (R) gear.
Turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position.
Press the VTM-4 LOCK button.
The indicator in the button comes on.
The VTM-4 Lock will temporarily
disengage when the vehicle speed
exceeds 18 mph (30 km/h). The
indicator in the button will remain on.
To get unstuck, apply light pressure
to the accelerator pedal. Do not spin
the f ront tires f or more than a f ew
seconds. Because of the amount of
torque applied to the rear tires, they
should not spin. This is normal. If
you are not able to move the vehicle,
stop and reverse direction.
If more traction is needed when your
vehicle is stuck, or is likely to
become stuck, you can use the
VTM-4 LOCK button to increase
torque to the rear wheels.
The variable torque management
4WD (VTM-4) system automatically
transf ers varying amounts of engine
torque to the rear wheels under
lower traction conditions.
1. 2.3.
3
4WD models onlyTo Engage the VTM-4 Lock To Disengage the VTM-4 Lock,
VTM-4System
520 Do not continuously spin the f ront tires
of your vehicle. Continuously spinning
the f ront tires can cause transmission
or rear dif f erential damage.
Do not use the VTM-4 LOCK button on
dry, paved roads. Driving on dry,
paved roads with VTM-4 Lock ON may
damage the rear dif f erential when
making a turn. Strange noise and
vibration can also result.
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