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STARTING
PROCEDURES
Before starting your vehicle, adjust
your seat, adjust the inside and out-
side mirrors, fasten your seat belt, and
if present, instruct all other occupants
to buckle their seat belts.WARNING!
When leaving the vehicle, alwaysremove the key fob from the igni-
tion and lock your vehicle.
Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Allowing children
to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of rea-
sons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to
touch the parking brake, brake
pedal or the shift lever.
Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle, and do not leave the
ignition in the ACC or ON/RUN
position. A child could operate
power windows, other controls, or
move the vehicle. AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
The shift lever must be in the PARK or
NEUTRAL position before you can
start the engine. Apply the brakes be-
fore shifting to any driving gear.
NOTE: The ignition switch must
be in the ON position, and you
must press the brake pedal before
shifting out of PARK.
NORMAL STARTING
NOTE: Normal starting of either a
cold or a warm engine is obtained
without pumping or pressing the
accelerator pedal.
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position and release it as soon as the
starter engages. The starter motor will
continue to run, and it will disengage
automatically when the engine is run-
ning. If the engine fails to start, the
starter will disengage automatically in
10 seconds. If this occurs, turn the
ignition switch to the LOCK position,
wait 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat the
“Normal Starting” procedure.
IF ENGINE FAILS TO
START
WARNING!
Never pour fuel or other flam-
mable liquids into the throttle
body air inlet opening in an at-
tempt to start the vehicle. This
could result in a flash fire causing
serious personal injury.
Do not attempt to push or tow your
vehicle to get it started. Unburned
fuel could enter the catalytic con-
verter and once the engine has
started, ignite and damage the
converter and vehicle. If the ve-
hicle has a discharged battery,
booster cables may be used to ob-
tain a start from a booster battery
or the battery in another vehicle.
This type of start can be dangerous
if done improperly. Refer to “Jump
Starting” in “In An Emergency”
for further information.
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Page 172 of 244

WARNING!
Carbon monoxide (CO) in exhaust
gases is deadly. Follow the precau-
tions below to prevent carbon mon-
oxide poisoning:
Do not inhale exhaust gases. Theycontain carbon monoxide, a col-
orless and odorless gas, which can
kill. Never run the engine in a
closed area, such as a garage, and
never sit in a parked vehicle with
the engine running for an ex-
tended period. If the vehicle is
stopped in an open area with the
engine running for more than a
short period, adjust the ventila-
tion system to force fresh, outside
air into the vehicle.
Guard against carbon monoxide with proper maintenance. Have
the exhaust system inspected ev-
ery time the vehicle is raised.
Have any abnormal conditions
repaired promptly. Until re-
paired, drive with all side win-
dows fully open. MMT IN GASOLINE
MMT is a manganese containing me-
tallic additive that is blended into
some gasoline to increase octane.
Gasoline blended with MMT provides
no performance advantage beyond
gasoline of the same octane number
without MMT. Gasoline blended with
MMT reduces spark plug life and re-
duces emission system performance in
some vehicles. The manufacturer rec-
ommends that gasoline without MMT
be used in your vehicle. The MMT
content of gasoline may not be indi-
cated on the gasoline pump; therefore,
you should ask your gasoline retailer
whether or not his/her gasoline con-
tains MMT.
MATERIALS ADDED TO
FUEL
Besides using unleaded gasoline with
the proper octane rating, gasolines
that contain detergents, corrosion and
stability additives are recommended.
Using gasolines that have these addi-
tives will help improve fuel economy,
reduce emissions, and maintain ve-
hicle performance.
Indiscriminate use of fuel system
cleaning agents should be avoided.
Many of these materials intended for
gum and varnish removal may con-
tain active solvents or similar ingredi-
ents. These can harm fuel system gas-
ket and diaphragm materials.
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Page 174 of 244

CAUTION!
Damage to the fuel system oremission control system could re-
sult from using an improper fuel
tank filler tube cap (gas cap).
A poorly fitting gas cap may cause the “Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL)” to turn on.
To avoid fuel spillage and over- filling, do not “top off” the fuel
tank after filling. When the fuel
nozzle “clicks” or shuts off, the
fuel tank is full.WARNING!
Never have any smoking materi-als lit in or near the vehicle when
the gas cap is removed or the tank
is being filled.
A fire may result if gasoline is pumped into a portable container
that is inside of a vehicle. You
could be burned. Always place
gas containers on the ground
while filling. NOTE:
Tighten the gas cap until you
hear a “clicking” sound. This is
an indication that the gas cap is
tightened properly. The MIL in
the instrument cluster may turn
on if the gas cap is not secured
properly. Make sure that the gas
cap is tightened each time the
vehicle is refueled.
When the fuel nozzle “clicks” or shuts off, the fuel tank is full.
LOOSE FUEL FILLER CAP
MESSAGE
If the vehicle diagnostic system deter-
mines that the fuel filler cap is loose,
improperly installed, or damaged, a
“CHECK GAS CAP” message will be
displayed in the EVIC (Electronic Ve-
hicle Information Center). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Cen-
ter” in “Understanding Your Instru-
ment Panel” for further information.
Tighten the fuel filler cap properly
and press the odometer reset button to
turn the message off. If the problem
continues, the message will appear
the next time the vehicle is started.
Refer to “Onboard Diagnostic Sys-
tem” in “Maintaining Your Vehicle”
for further information.
NOTE: If the gas cap is lost or
damaged, be sure the replacement
cap is for use with this vehicle.
TRAILER TOWING
Trailer towing with this vehicle is not
recommended.
168