
Driving your vehicle
10
5
E040300ATD-EU
Starting the engine with a smart
key (if equipped)
1. Carry the smart key or leave it inside
the vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied
3. Place the transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
4. Press the ENGINE START/STOP but- ton while depressing the brake pedal.
5. In extremely cold weather (below -18°C / 0°F) or after the vehicle has not been
operated for several days, let the
engine warm up without depressing the
accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, it
should be started without depressing the
accelerator. Even if the smart key is in the vehicle,
if it is far away from you, the engine
may not start.
When the ENGINE START/STOP but- ton is in the ACC position or above, if
any door is opened, the system checks
for the smart key. If the smart key is not
in the vehicle, the warning "Key is not
in vehicle" will illuminate on the LCD
display. And if all doors are closed, the
chime will sound for 5 seconds. The
indicator or warning will turn off while
the vehicle is moving. Always have the
smart key with you.WARNING
The engine will start, only when the
smart key is in the vehicle.
Never allow children or any person
who is unfamiliar with the vehicle
touch the ENGINE START/STOP
button or related parts.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while the vehicleis in motion, do not attempt to movethe shift lever to the P (Park) posi- tion. If the traffic and road condi-tions permit, you may put the shiftlever in the N (Neutral) position while the vehicle is still moving andpress the ENGINE START/STOP button in an attempt to restart theengine.
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513
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting may bedifficult until the transaxle lubricant is
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),
leave the shift lever at neutral position
and release the clutch. Depress the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R (Reverse) gear position.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 withyour foot resting on the clutchpedal. Also, don’t use the clutchto hold the vehicle on an uphillgrade, while waiting for a trafficlight, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as thiscan result in premature wear ofthe 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.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear.E060101ATD-EU
Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position when
the ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the front
wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic transaxle
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a shift lever into D (Drive)
or R (Reverse).
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 iden-
tified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an upgrade, do not hold the vehicle with enginepower. Use the service brake orthe parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.

517
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest 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 6-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).
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle 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
and set the parking brake fully.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged ifyou shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rocking theVehicle” explained in this section.

521
Driving your vehicle
E060200APB
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to
a lower gear. When you do this, engine
braking will help slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the vehicle from moving. Exercise extreme caution when driving
on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.
WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision,an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Losing control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the road-
way and the driver oversteers to
reenter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.

Driving your vehicle
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5
E060203AFD
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing 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.
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle free
by moving it forward and backward.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly
move forward of backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.

523
Driving your vehicle
E070100AUN
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.
E070101AUN
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.
BRAKE SYSTEM
(Continued)
When descending a long or steephill, 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.
Wet brakes may impair the vehi- cle’s ability to sefely slow down;
the vehicle may also pull to one
side when the brakes are applied.
Applying the brakes lightly will
indicate whether they have been
affected in this way. Always test
your brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water. To
dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
WARNING- Parking brake
Applying 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 apply-
ing 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.
(Continued)

Driving your vehicle
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E070102AHM
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and new
pads are required, 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 con-
ditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when you first apply (or lightly
apply) the brakes. This is normal and
does not indicate a problem with your
brakes.
E070106APB
Rear drum brakes (if equipped)
Your rear drum brakes do not have wear
indicators. Therefore, have the rear brake
linings inspected if you hear a rubbing
noise. Also have your rear brakes
inspected each time you change or
rotate your tires and when you have the
front brakes replaced.
Parking brake
E070201APB
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 for manual transaxle vehicles or
in the P (Park) position for automatic
transaxle vehicles.
WARNING- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs service.
If you ignore this audible warning,
you will eventually lose braking
performance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION
To avoid costly brake repairs, do
not continue to drive with wornbrake pads.
Always replace the front or rear brake pads as pairs.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brakeapplied will cause excessive brakepad (or lining) and brake rotor wear.
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