WARNING!(Continued)
Always make sure that objects
cannot fall into the driver footwell
while the vehicle is moving. Ob-
jects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator
pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
If required, mounting posts must
be properly installed, if not
equipped from the factory.
Failure to properly follow floor mat
installation or mounting can cause
interference with the brake pedal
and accelerator pedal operation
causing loss of control of the vehicle. Periodic Safety Checks You
Should Make Outside The
Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear
and uneven wear patterns. Check for
stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. In-
spect the tread for cuts and cracks.
Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and
bulges. Check the wheel nuts for
tightness. Check the tires (including
spare) for proper cold inflation pres-
sure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation
of exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn signal and high
beam indicator lights on the instru-
ment panel.
Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching,
and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after over-
night parking for fuel, engine coolant,
oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gaso-
line fumes are detected or if fuel,
power steering fluid, or brake fluid
leaks are suspected, the cause should
be located and corrected immediately.
65
The light also will turn on when the
parking brake is applied with the ig-
nition switch in the ON/RUN posi-
tion.
NOTE:
This light shows only that the
parking brake is applied. It does
not show the degree of brake ap-
plication.
19. Seat Belt Reminder LightWhen the ignition switch is first
turned to ON/RUN, this light
will turn on for four to eight
seconds as a bulb check. During the
bulb check, if the driver or front pas-
senger's seat belt is unbuckled, a
chime will sound. After the bulb
check or when driving, if the driver's
seat belt remains unbuckled, the Seat
Belt Reminder Light will illuminate
and the chime will sound. Refer to
“Occupant Restraints” in “Things To
Know Before Starting Your Vehicle”
for further information. 20. Temperature Gauge
The temperature gauge shows engine
coolant temperature. Any reading
within the normal range indicates
that the engine cooling system is
op-
erating satisfactorily.
The gauge pointer will likely indicate
a higher temperature when driving in
hot weather, up mountain grades, or
when towing a trailer. It should not be
allowed to exceed the upper limits of
the normal operating range.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling
system could damage your vehicle.
If the temperature gauge reads “H”
pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle
the vehicle with the air conditioner
turned off until the pointer drops
back into the normal range. If the
pointer remains on the “H” and you
hear continuous chimes, turn the en-
gine off immediately and call an au-
thorized dealership for service.
WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dan-
gerous. You or others could be badly
burned by steam or boiling coolant.
You may want to call an authorized
dealership for service if your vehicle
overheats. If you decide to look un-
der the hood yourself, see “Main-
taining Your Vehicle”. Follow the
warnings under the Cooling System
Pressure Cap paragraph.
21. Rear Fog Light Indicator This indicator will illuminate
when the rear fog lights are
on. (Refer to “Lights” in “Un-
derstanding The Features Of
Your Vehicle” for further informa-
tion).
169
VEHICLE INFO
(CUSTOMER
INFORMATION FEATURES)
Press and release the UP or DOWN
button until “Vehicle Info” displays in
the EVIC and press the SELECT but-
ton. Press the UP and DOWN button
to scroll through the selections below:
Coolant Temp
Displays the actual coolant tempera-
ture.
Oil Pressure
Displays the actual oil pressure.
Engine Hours
Displays the number of hours of en-
gine operation.
MESSAGES
Press and release the UP or DOWN
button until “Messages: XX” displays
highlighted in the EVIC. If there is
more than one message, pressing the
SELECT button will display a stored
warning message. Press and release
the UP and DOWN buttons if there is
more than one message to step
through the remaining stored mes-sages. If there are no message, press-
ing the SELECT button will do noth-
ing.
UNITS
Press and release the UP or DOWN
button until “Units” displays high-
lighted in the EVIC and press the
SELECT button. The EVIC, odom-
eter, and navigation system (for
versions/markets, where provided)
can be changed between English and
Metric units of measure. To make
your selection, scroll up or down until
the preferred setting is highlighted,
then press and release the SELECT
button until a check-mark appears
next to the setting, showing that the
setting has been selected.
KEYLESS ENTER-N-GO
DISPLAY (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
When the ENGINE START/STOP
button is pressed to change ignition
switch position, current ignition sta-
tus will be displayed in the lower right
corner of the EVIC display to the right
of the odometer value.Refer to “Keyless Enter-N-Go” in
“Starting And Operating” for more
information.
COMPASS /
TEMPERATURE DISPLAY
The compass readings indicate the di-
rection the vehicle is facing. The
EVIC will display one of eight com-
pass readings and the outside tem-
perature.
NOTE:
The system will display the last
known outside temperature when
starting the vehicle and may need
to be driven several minutes before
the updated temperature is dis-
played. Engine temperature can
also affect the displayed tempera-
ture; therefore, temperature read-
ings are not updated when the ve-
hicle is not moving.
Automatic Compass Calibration
This compass is self-calibrating,
which eliminates the need to manu-
ally reset the compass. When the ve-
hicle is new, the compass may appear
erratic and the EVIC will display CAL
until the compass is calibrated. You
180
Floor ModeAir comes from the floor outlets.
SUMMER OPERATION
The engine cooling system in air con-
ditioned vehicles must be protected
with a high-quality antifreeze coolant
to provide proper corrosion protection
and to protect against engine over-
heating. A solution of 50% ethylene
glycol antifreeze coolant and 50%
water is recommended. Refer to
“Maintenance Procedures” in “Main-
taining Your Vehicle” for proper cool-
ant selection.
WINTER OPERATION
To ensure the best possible heater and
defroster performance, make sure the
engine cooling system is functioning
properly and the proper amount,
type, and concentration of coolant is
used. Refer to “Maintenance Proce-
dures” in “Maintaining Your Vehicle”
for proper coolant selection. Use of
the air Recirculation mode during
Winter months is not recommended,
because it may cause window fogging. VACATION/STORAGE
Before you store your vehicle, or keep
it out of service (i.e., vacation) for two
weeks or more, run the air condition-
ing system at idle for about five min-
utes, in fresh air with the blower set-
ting on high. This will ensure
adequate system lubrication to mini-
mize the possibility of compressor
damage when the system is started
again.
WINDOW FOGGING
Vehicle windows tend to fog on the
inside in mild, rainy and/or humid
weather. To clear the windows, select
Defrost or Mix mode and increase the
front blower speed. Do not use the
Recirculation mode without A/C for
long periods, as fogging may occur.
OUTSIDE AIR INTAKE
Make sure the air intake, located di-
rectly in front of the windshield, is
free of obstructions such as leaves.
Leaves collected in the air intake may
reduce airflow, and if they enter the
plenum they could plug the water
drains. In Winter months make sure
the air intake is clear of ice, slush and
snow.
OPERATING TIPS
A/C AIR FILTER
On vehicles equipped with Automatic
Temperature Control (ATC), the cli-
mate control system filters out dust
and pollen from the air. Refer to “Air
Conditioning” in “Maintaining Your
Vehicle” for filter replacement in-
structions.220
but will shift down into second and
first gear normally.
You can switch between DRIVE and
ERS mode at any vehicle speed. When
the shift lever is in the DRIVE posi-
tion, the transmission will operate au-
tomatically, shifting between all
available gears. Tapping the shift le-
ver to the left (-) will activate ERS
mode, display the current gear in theinstrument cluster, and maintain that
gear as the top available gear. Once in
ERS mode, tapping the shift lever to
the left (-) or right (+) will change the
top available gear.
To exit ERS mode, simply press and
hold the shift lever to the right (+)
until “D” is once again displayed in
the shift lever position indicator in the
instrument cluster.
WARNING!
Do not downshift for additional en-
gine braking on a slippery surface.
The drive wheels could lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid,
causing an accident or personal in-
jury.
Odometer Screen Display
1 2 3 4 5 6 D
Actual Gear(s) Allowed 1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-6
NOTE:
To select the proper gear position
for maximum deceleration (engine
braking), tap the shift lever to the
left (-) repeatedly as the vehicle
slows. The transmission will shift
to the range from which the vehicle
can best be slowed down. Overdrive Operation
The automatic transmission includes
an electronically controlled Overdrive
(sixth gear). The transmission will
automatically shift into the Overdrive
gear if the following conditions are
present:
the shift lever is in the DRIVE po-
sition,
the transmission fluid has reached an adequate temperature,
the engine coolant has reached an adequate temperature,
vehicle speed is sufficiently high, and the driver is not heavily pressing
the accelerator
Torque Converter Clutch
A feature designed to improve fuel
economy has been included in the au-
tomatic transmission on your vehicle.
A clutch within the torque converter
engages automatically at calibrated
speeds. This may result in a slightly
different feeling or response during
normal operation in the upper gears.
When the vehicle speed drops or dur-
ing some accelerations, the clutch au-
tomatically disengages.
235
NOTE:
The torque converter clutch will
not engage until the transmission
fluid and engine coolant are warm
[usually after 1.6 to 4.8 km of driv-
ing]. Because the engine speed is
higher when the torque converter
clutch is not engaged, it may seem
as if the transmission is not shift-
ing into Overdrive when cold. This
is normal. Using the Electronic
Range Select (ERS) feature, when
the transmission is sufficiently
warm, will demonstrate that the
transmission is able to shift into
and out of Overdrive.
DRIVING ON SLIPPERY
SURFACES
ACCELERATION
Rapid acceleration on snow covered,
wet, or other slippery surfaces may
cause the driving wheels to pull errati-
cally to the right or left. This phenom-
enon occurs when there is a difference
in the surface traction under the front
(driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery sur-
faces is dangerous. Unequal traction
can cause sudden pulling of the front
wheels. You could lose control of the
vehicle and possibly have a collision.
Accelerate slowly and carefully
whenever there is likely to be poor
traction (ice, snow, wet mud, loose
sand, etc.).
TRACTION
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
it is possible for a layer of water to
build up between the tire and road
surface. This is known as hydroplan-
ing and may cause partial or complete
loss of vehicle control and stopping
ability. To reduce this possibility, the
following precautions should be ob-
served:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or
when roads are slushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing
water or puddles.
3. Replace the tires when tread wear
indicators first become visible.
4. Keep the tires properly inflated. 5. Maintain sufficient distance be-
tween your vehicle and the vehicle in
front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
DRIVING THROUGH
WATER
Driving through water more than a
few centimeters deep will require ex-
tra caution to ensure safety and pre-
vent damage to your vehicle.
FLOWING/RISING WATER
WARNING!
Do not drive on or across a road or
path where water is flowing and/or
rising (as in storm run-off). Flowing
water can wear away the road or
path's surface and cause your
ve-
hicle to sink into deeper water. Fur-
thermore, flowing and/or rising wa-
ter can carry your vehicle away
swiftly. Failure to follow this warn-
ing may result in injuries that are
serious or fatal to you, your passen-
gers, and others around you.
236
HAZARD WARNING
FLASHERS
The Hazard Warning flasher switch is
located in the lower center area of the
instrument panel.Press the switch to turn on the
Hazard Warning flasher. When
the switch is activated, all di-
rectional turn signals will flash on and
off to warn oncoming traffic of an
emergency. Press the switch a second
time to turn off the Hazard Warning
flashers.
This is an emergency warning system
and it should not be used when the
vehicle is in motion. Use it when your
vehicle is disabled and it is creating a
safety hazard for other motorists.
When you must leave the vehicle to
seek assistance, the Hazard Warning
flashers will continue to operate even
though the ignition is placed in the
OFF position.
NOTE:
With extended use the Hazard
Warning flashers may wear down
your battery. IF YOUR ENGINE
OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you
can reduce the potential for overheat-
ing by taking the appropriate action.
On the highways — slow down.
In city traffic — while stopped,
place the transmission in NEU-
TRAL, but do not increase engine
idle speed.
NOTE:
There are steps that you can take to
slow down an impending overheat
condition:
If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C system
adds heat to the engine cooling
system and turning the A/C off
can help remove this heat.
You can also turn the tempera- ture control to maximum heat,
the mode control to floor and the
blower control to high. This al-
lows the heater core to act as a
supplement to the radiator and
aids in removing heat from the
engine cooling system.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system
could damage your vehicle. If tem-
perature gauge reads “H”, pull over
and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle
with the air conditioner turned off
until the pointer drops back into the
normal range. If the pointer remains
on the “H”, turn the engine off im-
mediately, and call for service.WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned
by hot engine coolant (antifreeze) or
steam from your radiator. If you see
or hear steam coming from under
the hood, do not open the hood until
the radiator has had time to cool.
Never try to open a cooling system
pressure cap when the radiator or
coolant bottle is hot.
268
ENGINE COMPARTMENT — 3.6L1 — Air Filter6 — Engine Coolant Reservoir
2 — Power Steering Fluid Reservoir 7 — Engine Oil Dipstick
3 — Brake Fluid Reservoir 8 — Engine Oil Fill
4 — Battery 9 — Coolant Pressure Cap
5 — Totally Integrated Power Module (Fuses) 10 — Washer Fluid Reservoir
285