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Driving your vehicle
4
5
WARNING - Driving under
the influence of alcohol or drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment. Drivingwhile under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerousthan driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driveror call a cab.WARNING
When you intend to park or stop the vehicle with the engine on, be careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. It may overheat the engine
or exhaust system and cause fire.
When you make a sudden stop or turn the steering wheel rapidly,
loose objects may drop on the
floor and it could interfere with
the operation of the foot pedals,
possibly causing an accident.
Keep all things in the vehicle
safely stored.
If you do not focus on driving, it may cause an accident. Be care-
ful when operating what may dis-
turb driving such as audio or
heater. It is the responsibility of
the driver to always drive safely.
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55
Driving your vehicle
Illuminated ignition switch
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will be illuminated for your
convenience, provided the ignition switch
is not in the ON position. The light will go
off immediately when the ignition switch
is turned on or go off after about 30 sec-onds when the door is closed.Ignition switch position
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. The ignition key can be
removed only in the LOCK position.
When turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, push the key inward at
the ACC position and turn the key towardthe LOCK position.
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked and elec-
trical accessories are operative.
✽✽
NOTICE
If difficulty is experienced turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position, turnthe key while turning the steering wheel
right and left to release the tension.
ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is the
normal running position after the engine
is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if the engine is not running to prevent the bat-tery from discharging.
START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The engine
will crank until you release the key; then
it returns to the ON position. The brake
warning lamp can be checked in thisposition.
KEY
OBK059001NOUN036002
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5
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots,etc.) may interfere with yourability to use the brake and acceler-
ator pedal, and the clutch (ifequipped).
Starting the engine
WARNING - Ignition
switch
Never turn the ignition switch to LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, which could cause anaccident.
The anti-theft steering column lock is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving the
driver’s seat, always make sure
the shift lever is engaged in 1st
gear for the manual transmission
or P (Park) for the automatic
transmission, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine
off. Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement may occur if theseprecautions are not taken.
(Continued)(Continued)
Never reach for the ignitionswitch, or any other controls
through the steering wheel while
the vehicle is in motion. The pres-
ence of your hand or arm in this
area could cause a loss of vehicle
control, an accident and serious
bodily injury or death.
Do not place any movable objects around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interferewith the driver and lead to anaccident.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Starting the engine
WARNING
Never press the ENGINE START/STOP button while the
vehicle is in motion. This wouldresult in loss of directional con-
trol and braking function, whichcould cause an accident.
The anti-theft steering column lock is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving the
driver’s seat, always make sure
the shift lever is engaged in P
(Park),set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement may occur if theseprecautions are not taken.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Never reach for the enginestart/stop button, or any other
controls through the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of yourhand or arm in this area could
cause a loss of vehicle control,
an accident and serious bodily
injury or death.
Do not place any movable objects around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interferewith the driver and lead to anaccident.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots, etc.) may interfere with yourability to use the brake and acceler-ator pedal.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Good driving practices
Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the car in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
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 the car.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your car.
Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into reverse.
The transmission can be damaged if
you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, wait 3 seconds, then shift to
the reverse position.
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.
WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properlybelted 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.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers 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.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear.Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
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 transmission and prevents the drivewheels from rotating.CAUTION
To avoid damage to your trans- mission, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationarywith engine power. Use the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.
WARNING - Automatic
transmission
Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, beforeshifting a car 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 movementcan occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-tified.
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519
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission 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 transmission will automatically
shift through a 8-gear sequence, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing grades, depress the
accelerator fully, at which time the trans-
mission 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.
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position. Set the
parking brake fully, shut the
engine off and take the key with
you. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
you do not follow these precau-
tions in the order specified.
CAUTION
The transmission may be damaged
if you shift into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage the
transmission if you shift into Rwhile the vehicle is in motion,except as explained in “Rocking thevehicle” in this section.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in
motion, sports mode is selected by push-
ing the shift lever from the D (Drive) posi-
tion into the manual gate. To return to D
(Drive) range operation, push the shift
lever back into the main gate. In sport mode, it is possible to shift the
gear by using either the shift lever or the
steering wheel shift paddles (paddleshift, if equipped).Using the shift lever
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once to
shift up one gear (1).
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one gear (2).
Using the steering wheel shift paddles (if equipped)
Up (+) : Pull the right-hand shift paddle once to shift up one gear (3).
Down (-) : Pull the left-hand shift paddle once to shift down one gear (4).
✽✽NOTICE
When the shift lever is in the P, N or R
position, you can't shift the gear byusing the steering wheel shift paddles. In sports mode, if you pull the left andright hand shift paddles at the same
time, you can't shift the gear.
OBK052007
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Sportsmode
OBK052036