2012 MITSUBISHI GALANT features and controls

3-40 Features and controls
3
The transaxle has 4 forward gears and 1 reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automatically, depending on
the position of the gear selector lever, the speed of the vehicle
and the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 2 “gates”: the main gate (A) and the
manual gate (B). NOTE
For information on manual gate operation, refer to “Sports
mode” on page 3-44.In the main gate, the selector lever has 4 positions, and is
equipped with a lock button (A) to prevent inadvertent selec-
tion of the wrong gear.
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Features and controls
3-41
3
NOTE
If the brake pedal is not depressed and held, the shift-lock
device activates to prevent the selector lever from being
moved from the “P” (PARK) position.
The lock button must be pushed while the brake pedal is
depressed to move the selector lever.
The selector lever will move without pushing the lock
button.
The lock button must be pushed to move the selector
lever. WA R N I N G
!
If the lock button is always pressed when using the
selector lever, the lever may be accidentally shifted
into the “P” (PARK) or “R” (REVERSE) position.
Do not press the lock button when making shifts
shown by in the illustration.

Always depress the brake pedal when shifting the
selector lever into a gear from the “N” (NEUTRAL)
position. When beginning to drive, do not shift the
selector lever from the “N” (NEUTRAL) position
while depressing the accelerator pedal. This will
cause the vehicle to “jump” forward or backward.
WA R N I N G
!
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3-42 Features and controls
3
Selector lever position indicator/ “N” indicator
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A- Selector lever position indicator
When the ignition key is turned to the “ON” position, the
indicator in the instrument cluster comes on to show the
position of the selector lever (i.e. “PARK”, “DRIVE”,
“REVERSE”, etc.).
B- “N” indicator
When the “N” indicator blinks while you are driving, there
could be a malfunction in the automatic transaxle. (If the
selector lever position is in the “P” (PARK), “R”
(REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL) position, the indicator
does not blink.)
CAUTION
!
If a malfunction occurs in the automatic transaxle
while driving, the “N” indicator will blink.
In this case, immediately park your vehicle in a safe
place and follow these procedure:
(The “N” indicator warning function does not oper-
ate with the selector lever in the “P” (PARK), “R”
(REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL) position.)
[The “N” indicator blinks rapidly (twice per sec-
ond)]
The automatic transaxle fluid is overheating.
Park your vehicle in a safe place but do not turn off
the engine. Move the selector lever to the “P”
(PARK) position and open the engine hood. Keep
the engine idling.
After a while, move the selector lever to the “D”
(DRIVE) position and confirm that the “N” indica-
tor stops blinking. It is safe to continue driving if the
“N” indicator no longer blinks.
If the “N” indicator continues blinking or blinks
intermittently, have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer or a repair
facility of your choice.
[The “N” indicator blinks slowly (once per second)]
The automatic transaxle safety device may be oper-
ating due to a malfunction.
Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Mit-
subishi Motors dealer or a repair facility of your
choice as soon as possible.
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Features and controls
3-43
3
Selector lever positions
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“P” PARKThis position locks the transaxle to prevent the vehicle from
moving. The engine can be started from the “PARK” position.“R” REVERSEMove the lever to this position only after the vehicle has come
to a complete stop.
“N” NEUTRALAt this position, the transaxle is disengaged. It is the same as
the neutral position on a manual transaxle and should be used
when the vehicle is not moving for an extended length of time
during driving, such as in a traffic jam.“D” DRIVEThis position is used for most city and highway driving. Engine
shifting and braking are done automatically as needed, depend-
ing on road conditions.NOTE
For information on manual gate operation, please refer to
“Sports mode” on page 3-44.
CAUTION
!
Never shift into the “P” (PARK) or “R”
(REVERSE) position while the vehicle is in motion.
If the lever is shifted into the “P” (PARK) or “R”
(REVERSE) position while the vehicle is in motion,
the transaxle may be damaged.
WA R N I N G
!
Never move the selector lever to the “N” (NEU-
TRAL) position while driving since you could acci-
dentally slip it into the “P” (PARK) or
“R”(REVERSE) position, damaging the transaxle.
To prevent the vehicle from rolling when stopped on
a slope, the engine should be started in the “P”
(PARK) position, not in “N” (NEUTRAL).
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal when the
vehicle is in “N” (NEUTRAL), or when shifting into
or out of “N” (NEUTRAL), to prevent rolling.
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3-44 Features and controls
3
Sports mode
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Whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion, sports mode is
selected by pushing the selector lever from the “D” position
into the manual gate. To return to “D” range operation, push
the selector lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, gear shifts can be made rapidly simply by mov-
ing the selector lever backward and forward. Sports mode
allows gear shifts with the accelerator pedal depressed.Manual gate+ (SHIFT UP)
Push the lever forward once to shift up one gear.
- (SHIFT DOWN)
Pull the lever backward once to shift down one gear.
NOTE
In sports mode, only the 4 forward gears can be selected.
To reverse or park the vehicle, move the selector lever to
the “R” (REVERSE) or “P” (PARK) position in the main
gate.

To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance
and safety, the system may not execute certain gear shifts
when the selector lever is operated, such as 4th gear at low
speed.

In sports mode, downward shifts are made automatically
when the vehicle slows down. When the vehicle stops, 1st
gear is automatically selected.

When pulling away from a standstill on a slippery road,
push the selector lever forward to the + (SHIFT UP) posi-
tion. This causes the transaxle to select 2nd gear, which is
better for safe driving on slippery roads. Push the selector
lever to the - (SHIFT DOWN) side to shift back to 1st
gear.
SHIFT DOWN SHIFT UP
CAUTION
!
Upward shifts do not take place automatically in
sports mode. The driver must make upward shifts in
accordance with prevailing road conditions, making
sure the engine rpm remains below the red zone on
the tachometer.
By rapidly moving the selector lever backwards
(SHIFT DOWN) twice, it is possible to skip one gear
(i.e., 3rd to 1st or 4th to 2nd). Since sudden engine
deceleration or acceleration can cause a loss of trac-
tion, downshifts must be made carefully in accor-
dance with the vehicle’s speed.
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Features and controls
3-45
3

Move the selector lever gently between the manual and
main gates and between positions in the manual gate.
Excessive force could damage the selector lever.

When sports mode is selected, the “D” indicator goes out.Sports mode indicatorIn sports mode, the currently selected gear is indicated by the
indicator shown on the instrument cluster.
Operation of the automatic transaxle
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CAUTION
!
Before selecting a gear with the engine running and
the vehicle stationary, fully depress the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from creeping.
The vehicle will begin to move as soon as the gear is
engaged, especially when the engine speed is high, at
fast idle or with the air conditioning operating, the
brakes should only be released when you are ready
to drive away.
Depress the brake pedal with the right foot at all
times.
Using the left foot could cause driver movement
delay in case of an emergency.
To prevent sudden acceleration, never run the
engine at high rpms when shifting from the “P”
(PARK) or “N” (NEUTRAL) position.
Operating the accelerator pedal while the other foot
is resting on the brake pedal will affect braking effi-
ciency and may cause premature wear of brake
pads.
Do not rev the engine with the brake pedal pressed.
This can damage the transaxle.
Also, when the vehicle is stationary, the engine revo-
lutions may not rise to the same revolutions as mea-
sured in normal starting even if the accelerator
pedal is depressed while the brake pedal is being
pressed.
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3-46 Features and controls
3
Passing acceleration
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To gain extra acceleration in “D” (DRIVE) position (when
passing another vehicle) push the accelerator to the floor. The
automatic transaxle will automatically downshift.NOTE
In sports mode, downshifts do not take place when the
accelerator is depressed all the way to the floor.Waiting
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For short waiting periods, such as at traffic lights, the vehicle
can be left in gear and held stationary with the service brake.
For longer waiting periods with the engine running, the selec-
tor lever should be placed in the “N” (NEUTRAL) position.

Use the selector lever in the correct shift position in
accordance with driving conditions.
Never coast downhill backward in the driving shift
position {“D” (DRIVE) or sports mode} or coast for-
ward in the “R” (REVERSE) position.
Engine stopping and Increased brake pedal and
steering effort could lead to an accident.
CAUTION
!
CAUTION
!
To avoid transaxle overheating, never try to keep
your vehicle stationary on a hill by using the acceler-
ator pedal. Always apply the parking brake and/or
service brake.
Unexpected acceleration may occur if the selector
lever is in a position other than “P” (PARK) or “N”
(NEUTRAL).
Prior to moving off after having stopped the vehicle,
make sure that the selector lever is in “D” (DRIVE)
position or “Sports mode” position.
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Features and controls
3-47
3
Parking
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To park the vehicle, first bring it to a complete stop, fully
engage the parking brake, and then move the selector lever to
the “P” (PARK) position.When the automatic transaxle makes no speed change
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If the transaxle does not change gears while driving, or your
vehicle does not pick up enough speed when starting on an
uphill slope, it may be that there is something unusual happen-
ing in the transaxle, causing a safety device to activate. Have
your vehicle checked at an authorized Mitsubishi Motors
dealer or a repair facility of your choice as soon as possible.
1. If your vehicle has difficulty moving uphill, select the 2nd
gear of the sports mode.
This method might not work depending on the type of
transaxle malfunction.
2. Once the vehicle is moving on a level road, move the
selector lever back to “D” (DRIVE).NOTE
When the “N” indicator in the instrument cluster blinks, it
means that there is an abnormal condition in the transaxle.
Refer to “Selector lever position indicator/“N” indicator”
on page 3-42.
Service brake
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Brake pedalOveruse of the brake can cause poor brake response and pre-
mature wear of the brake pads.
When driving down a long or steep hill, use engine braking by
shifting the transaxle into a lower gear of the sports mode.
WA R N I N G
!
Do not leave any objects near the brake pedal or let
a floor mat slide under it; doing so could prevent the
full pedal stroke that would be necessary in an emer-
gency. Make sure that the pedal can be operated
freely at all times. Make sure the floor mat is
securely held in place.
CAUTION
!
It is important not to drive the vehicle with your foot
resting on the brake pedal when braking is not
required. This practice can result in very high brake
temperatures, premature pad wear, and possible
damage to the brakes.
BK0139500US.book 47 ページ ２０１１年４月１９日　火曜日　午後１時４８分