To shift fromToProcedureVehicles with manual transmissionVehicles with automatic transmission2H4HThe transfer shift lever can be operated while the vehicle is
either moving or stationary.
When the vehicle is not in motion, shift the gearshift lever
to the “N” (Neutral) position before operating the transfer
shift lever.
When the vehicle is moving, and only while it can be
steered straight ahead, and release the accelerator pedal be-
fore operating the transfer shift lever.The transfer shift lever can be operated while the vehicle
is either moving or stationary.
When the vehicle is not in motion, shift the selector lever
to the “N” (NEUTRAL) position before operating the
transfer shift lever.
When the vehicle is moving, and only while it can be
steered straight ahead, shift the selector lever to the “D”
(DRIVE) position, and release the accelerator pedal be-
fore operating the transfer shift lever.4H2H or 4HLc
4HLc4H
4HLc4LLcStop the vehicle, depress the clutch pedal to the floor and
operate the transfer shift lever while keeping the transfer
shift lever pushed down.
Keep depressing the clutch pedal while the 2WD/4WD op-
eration indication lamp continues to blink.Stop the vehicle, shift the selector lever to the “N” (NEU-
TRAL) position, and operate the transfer shift lever
while keeping the transfer shift lever pushed down.
If operation is made with the selector lever placed in any
other position than “N” (NEUTRAL) position, a gear
noise may be generated, with a possible failure to shift in-
to a proper gear.
4LLc4HLc
NOTE
l Shifting of the transfer shift lever between
“2H” ↔ “4H” should only be done at speeds
below 100 km/h (62 mph).
l During driving, never attempt to shift from
“4HLc” to “4LLc”.
l When shifting from “2H” to “4H” in cold
weather while the vehicle is in motion, the
transmission gear may make some noise. In
cold weather, try to shift the gear while the
vehicle is stopped.l When the transfer shift lever is shifted from
“4H” to “4HLc” while the vehicle is stopped,
the 2WD/4WD operation indication lamp
blinks while the selection is in process. Drive
slowly and normally after confirming that
the lamp is illuminated. (Refer to “2WD/
4WD operation indication lamp” on page
4-29.)
l Do not move the selector lever while the 2WD/
4WD operation indication lamp is blinking.
l The 2WD/4WD operation indication lamp
will go out momentarily during shifting proc-
ess from “4HLc” to “4LLc” or vice versa, as
the transfer shift lever passes through the neu-
tral position.
Be sure to operate the transfer shift lever un-
til the 2WD/4WD operation indication lamp
illuminates again.l There may be a case that the transfer shift lev-
er feels heavy when it is moved from “2H”
to “4H” with the steering wheel in turned po-
sition.
This is normal and not any indication of trou-
ble.CAUTIONl Do not operate the transfer shift lever
while the rear wheels of the vehicle are
slipping on snow or ice.
Starting and driving
4-28 OKTE13E1
4
“4HLc” ↔ “4LLc”Transfer shift lever posi-tion2WD/4WD operationindication lamp
4HLc
Drive mode switching in progress
4LLc
: Blink: Illuminate: Remain off
NOTE l The 2WD/4WD operation indication lamp
blinks while the selection is in process. Take
the following precautions when the indica-
tion lamp is blinking or remains off. •Keep the steering wheel in the straight
ahead position while making range selec-
tions. If you attempt to drive forward
with the steering wheel turned, gear rat-
tling may occur and the desired range
may not actually be selected.
• If you move the transfer shift lever from
“4H” to “4HLc” while the vehicle is sta-
tionary, keep your speed initially very
low when you subsequently make a stand-
ing start. Before driving at normal
speeds, confirm that the centre differen-
tial lock lamp has changed from blinking
to steady illumination.
• If you move the transfer shift lever from
“4HLc” to “4H” and the centre differen-
tial lock lamp does not stop blinking,
place the steering wheel in the straight
ahead position and slowly depress the ac-
celerator pedal several times.
• If you move the transfer shift lever from
“4H” to “2H” and the front wheel lamp
does not stop blinking, confirm safety
around the vehicle then accelerate, decel-
erate, and reverse until the front wheel
lamp goes off. When the front wheel
lamp goes off, you can then proceed to
drive the vehicle.
If you accelerate, decelerate, and reverse
but the front wheel lamp still does not
stop blinking, return the transfer shift lev-
er to “4H” then have your vehicle inspec-
ted.l When you move the transfer shift lever from
“4H” to “4HLc”, there may be a slight delay
before the centre differential lock lamp illu-
minates.
Starting and driving
4-30 OKTE13E1
4
Rear differential lock*E00606200115
If one wheel starts to spin freely and the vehicle be-
comes stuck and cannot be freed even using 4-
wheel drive, the rear differential lock switch (A)
can be used to activate the rear differential lock for
extra traction.
Operating the rear differential lock
1.Move the transfer shift lever to “4L” or “4H”
position (easy select 4WD), “4LLc” or
“4HLc” position (super select 4WD).
2. To activate the rear differential lock, press
the rear differential lock switch (1).
3. To deactivate the rear differential lock, press
the rear differential lock switch (2).CAUTIONl Operate the rear differential lock switch
after the wheels are stopped. Operating
the switch with the wheels turning may
cause the vehicle to dart in unexpected di-
rections.
NOTE
l The rear differential lock does not operate
when the transfer shift lever is in “2H” posi-
tion (easy select 4WD), “2H” or “4H” posi-
tion (super select 4WD).
l When the rear differential is locked with the
transfer shift lever in “4L” or “4H” position
(easy select 4WD), “4LLc” or “4HLc” posi-
tion (super select 4WD) changing the shift
lever to “2H” position (easy select 4WD),
“2H” or “4H” position (super select 4WD)
makes the rear differential unlock automati-
cally.
The rear differential lock indication
lamp E00606300350
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” po-
sition, the rear differential lock indication lamp (A)
in the meter cluster illuminates for a few seconds
then indicates the rear differential lock’s operating
status (activated or deactivated).Easy select 4WDSuper select 4WD
Starting and driving
4-31
OKTE13E1
4
Limited-slip differential*E00606900037
A limited-slip differential is applied for the rear
wheel differential only. The features of this limited-
slip differential are described below:
Just as with a conventional differential, the wheel
on one side is allowed to turn at a different speed
from the wheel on the other side when the vehicle
is cornering. The difference between the limited-
slip differential and a conventional differential is
that if the wheel on one side of the vehicle loses trac-
tion, a greater amount of torque is applied to the
wheel on the other side to improve traction.
NOTE l Even if there is a difference in the amount of
traction the wheels can get, if both of them
are spinning, the limited-slip differential will
not be effective.CAUTIONl Never start the engine while one of the
rear wheels is jacked up and the other in
contact with the ground; doing so may
cause the vehicle to jump forward.
l When attempting to extract the vehicle
from snow, mud, etc., and the engine is
run continuously at high speed, the limi-
ted-slip differential will be adversely af-
fected.Braking E00607001928
All the parts of the brake system are critical to safe-
ty. We recommend you to have the vehicle
checked at regular intervals according to the serv-
ice booklet.CAUTIONl Avoid driving habits that cause heavy
braking and never “ride” the brakes by
resting your foot on the brake pedal
while driving.
It causes brake overheating and fade.
Brake system
The service brake is divided into two brake cir-
cuits. And your vehicle is equipped with power
brakes. If one brake circuit fails, the other is availa-
ble to stop the vehicle. If you should lose the pow-
er assist for some reason, the brakes will still work.
In these situations, even if the brake pedal moves
down to the very end of its possible stroke or re-
sists being depressed, keep depressing the brake ped-
al down harder and further than usual; stop driving
as soon as possible and have the brake system re-
paired.
WARNINGl Do not turn off the engine while your ve-
hicle is in motion. If you turn off the en-
gine while driving, the power assistance
for the braking system will stop working
and your brakes will not work effectively.WARNINGl If the power assist is lost or if either
brake hydraulic system stops working
properly, have your vehicle checked im-
mediately.
Warning lamp
The brake warning lamp illuminates to indicate a
fault in the braking system. Refer to “Brake warn-
ing lamp” on page 3-08.
When brakes are wet
Check the brake system while driving at a low
speed immediately after starting, especially when
the brakes are wet, to confirm they work normally.
A film of water can be formed on the brake discs
or brake drums and prevent normal braking after
driving in heavy rain or through large puddles, or
after the vehicle is washed. If this occurs, dry the
brakes out by driving slowly while lightly depress-
ing the brake pedal.
When driving downhill
It is important to take advantage of the engine brak-
ing by shifting to a lower shift position while driv-
ing on steep downhill roads in order to prevent the
brakes from overheating.
Starting and driving
4-39
OKTE13E1
4
WARNINGlDo not leave any objects near the brake
pedal or let a floor mat slide under it; do-
ing so could prevent the full pedal stroke
that would be necessary in an emergency.
Make sure that the pedal can be operated
freely at all times. Make sure the floor
mat is securely held in place.
Brake pads and linings
l Avoid hard braking situations.
New brakes need to be broken-in by moder-
ate use for the first 200 km (124 miles).
l The disc brakes are provided with a warning
device which emits a shrieking metallic
sound while braking if the brake pads have
reached their wear limit.
If you hear this sound, have the brake pads re-
placed.
WARNINGl Driving with worn brake pads will make
it harder to stop, and can cause an acci-
dent.Brake assist system* E00627000392
The brake assist system is a device assisting drivers
who cannot depress the brake pedal firmly when it
is necessary to do so (such as in emergency stop sit-
uations) and provides greater braking force.
If the brake pedal is depressed suddenly, the brakes
will be applied with more force than usual.CAUTIONl The brake assist system is not a device de-
signed to exercise braking force greater
than its capacity. Make sure to always
keep a sufficient distance between vehi-
cles in front of you without relying too
much on the brake assist system.
NOTE
l Once the brake assist system is operational,
it maintains great braking force even if the
brake pedal is lightly released.
To stop its operation, completely remove
your foot from the brake pedal.
l When the brake assist system is in use while
driving, you may feel the brake pedal at-
tempt to resist, the pedal moves in small mo-
tions in conjunction with the operation noise,
or the vehicle body and the steering wheel vi-
brate. This occurs when the brake assist sys-
tem is operating normally and does not indi-
cate faulty operation. Continue to firmly de-
press the brake pedal.
l When the active stability & traction control
(ASTC) indication lamp is illuminated, the
brake assist system may not function.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)* E00607100775
Environmental conditions can have an effect on
braking. During sudden braking when there is
snow, ice, oil, water etc. on the road surface, a skid
may occur. In this situation, steering control and
braking effectiveness is reduced and the stopping
distance is increased. The vehicle may also go into
an uncontrolled spin.
The ABS helps prevent the wheels from locking dur-
ing braking, thus maintaining directional stability,
ensuring controllability and providing optimum
braking force.
Driving hints l With ABS fitted, steering during sudden brak-
ing (when the ABS functions) differs slightly
from when the brakes are not being applied.
Steer the vehicle carefully in these conditions.
l Always maintain the same distance from the
vehicle in front of you as you would for a ve-
hicle not equipped with ABS.
Compared with vehicles not fitted with ABS,
your vehicle may require a longer stopping
distance in the following cases: • Driving on gravel or snow-covered roads.
• Driving with tyre chains installed.
• Driving on roads where the road surface
is pitted or has other differences in sur-
face height.
• Driving on bumpy roads or other poor driv-
ing surfaces.
Starting and driving
4-40 OKTE13E1
4
If the warning lamp illuminates while
driving E00607300663
If only the ABS warning lamp illuminates l Avoid hard braking and high-speed driving.
Stop the vehicle in a safe place.
Restart the engine and check to see whether
the lamp goes out after a few minutes driv-
ing; if it then remains off during driving,
there is no problem.
However, if the lamp does not go out, or if it
lights up again when the vehicle is driven,
we recommend you to have the vehicle
checked as soon as possible.
l The ABS warning lamp can illuminate if the
battery voltage is insufficient when the en-
gine is started. In this case, it does not indi-
cate an ABS fault.
Charge the battery by allowing the engine to
idle for a while.
If the battery has been charged but the ABS
warning lamp continues to illuminate or illu-
minates intermittently, have the vehicle in-
spected.
If the ABS warning lamp and brake warning
lamp illuminate at the same time
l The ABS and brake force distribution func-
tion may not work, so hard braking could
make the vehicle unstable.
Avoid hard braking and high-speed driving.
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact a
MITSUBISHI MOTORS Authorized Service
Point.NOTE
l Immediately after the vehicle starts moving
after engine start up, a whining sound of a mo-
tor will be heard from the engine compart-
ment. If the brake pedal is depressed at that
moment, you can feel the brake pedal pulsat-
ing.
This pulsation is due to the self-diagnosis op-
eration of the ABS and does not indicate a
malfunction.
l After driving on snowy roads, remove any
snow and ice which may have become ad-
hered to the wheel areas.
When doing this, be careful not to damage
the wheel speed sensors (A) and cables loca-
ted at each wheel on vehicles equipped with
an ABS.FrontRear
l The ABS becomes operative after the vehicle
has accelerated to a speed in excess of approx-
imately 10 km/h (6 mph). It stops operating
when the vehicle decelerates to a speed be-
low approximately 7 km/h (4 mph).
Starting and driving
4-42 OKTE13E1
4
Power steering systemE00607400387
The power steering system operates while the en-
gine is running. It helps reduce the effort needed to
turn the steering wheel.
The power steering system has mechanical steering
capability in case the power assist is lost. If the pow-
er assist is lost for some reason, you will still be
able to steer your vehicle, but you will notice it
takes much more effort to steer. If this happens,
have your vehicle inspected at an authorized
MITSUBISHI MOTORS service point.WARNINGl Do not stop the engine while the vehicle is
moving. Stopping the engine would make
the steering wheel extremely hard to
turn, possibly resulting in an accident.CAUTIONl Do not leave the steering wheel turned all
the way in one direction. This can cause
damage to the power steering system.Active Stability & Traction
Control (ASTC)* E00616700344
The active stability & traction control (ASTC)
takes overall control of the anti-lock brake system,
traction control function and Active Stability Con-
trol function to help maintain the vehicle’s control
and traction. Please read this section in conjunction
with the page on the anti-lock brake system, trac-
tion control function and Active Stability Control
function.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) ® p. 4-40
Active Traction Control function ® p. 4-44
Active Stability Control function ® p. 4-44CAUTIONl Do not over-rely on the ASTC. This sys-
tem, like any other system, has limits and
cannot help you to maintain traction and
control of the vehicle in all circumstan-
ces. Reckless driving may lead to acci-
dents. Always drive carefully, taking into
account the traffic, road and environmen-
tal conditions.
l Be sure to use the same specified type and
size of tyre on all 4 wheels. Otherwise, the
ASTC may not work correctly.
NOTE
l After your vehicle is driven a short distance
after starting the engine, a click is heard from
the engine compartment; however, this is on-
ly the sound of ASTC being checked.
l Some vibration will be felt in the vehicle
body and a whining sound of a motor will be
heard from the engine compartment when
the ASTC functions. This is a normal result
of the ASTC operation, and does not indicate
a malfunction.
l The ASTC does not operate while the ABS
warning lamp is illuminated.
l On vehicles with the rear differential lock,
the ASTC and ABS functions are suspended
while the rear differential lock is activated.
ASTC indication lamp, ASTC OFF indica-
tion lamp and ABS warning lamp are illumi-
nated while these functions are suspended. It
does not indicate a problem. When the rear
differential lock is disengaged, these lamps
go out and function again.
Refer to “ABS warning lamp” on page 4-41,
“ ASTC indication lamp, ASTC OFF indica-
tion lamp” on page 4-44.Driving hints E00616800039
When extricating the vehicle from mud, sand or
fresh snow, you may find that operation of the
ASTC prevents the engine speed from increasing
in response to depression of the accelerator pedal.
If this happens and the vehicle remains stuck as a
result, deactivate the ASC function by pressing the
“ASC OFF” switch. The vehicle will then be easier
to extricate. (Brake control of the ATC function is
still working to prevent wheel spins when the ASC
function is deactivated by pressing the “ASC OFF”
switch.)
Starting and driving
4-43
OKTE13E1
4
Active Stability Control functionE00616900115
The Active Stability Control function is designed
to improve the vehicle’s stability by restraining its
tendency to slip sideways (for example, when round-
ing a curve in slippery conditions, or when the driv-
er takes rapid steering action to avoid an obstacle).
It works by controlling the engine output and brake
on each wheel.
NOTE l On vehicles with rear differential locks, the
Active Stability Control function does not op-
erate when the rear differential lock is activa-
ted.“ASC OFF” switch
The Active Stability Control function is automati-
cally activated when the ignition switch is turned to
the “ON” position. You can deactivate the system
by pressing the “ASC OFF” switch when the vehi-
cle speed is below 40 km/h (25 mph). To reactivate
the Active Stability Control function, press the
ASC OFF switch again. It is strongly recommen-
ded that the Active Stability Control function nor-
mally be kept activated.Type 1Type 2
NOTE
l If the vehicle speed increases to about
120 km/h (74 mph) with the Active Stability
Control function deactivated, the Active Sta-
bility Control function automatically starts op-
erating. To subsequently stop the Active Sta-
bility Control function, stop the vehicle and
press the ASC OFF switch again.
Active Traction Control function E00617000025
On slippery surfaces, active traction control func-
tion prevents the drive wheels from excessive spin-
ning, thus helping the vehicle to start moving from
a stop. It also provides sufficient driving force and
steering performance as the vehicle turns at acceler-
ated speeds.CAUTIONl When driving a vehicle on a snowy or icy
road, be sure to install snow tyres and
drive the vehicle at moderate speeds.ASTC indication lamp, ASTC OFF in-
dication lamp E00617100114
The Active Stability Control function and active
traction control function share the same indication
lamp.
The indication lamps should illuminate when the ig-
nition switch is turned to the “ON” position and
should go off after a few seconds.
If the indication lamps stay on or do not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” po-
sition, we recommend you to have your vehicle in-
spected as soon as possible.
indication lamp blinks when the Active Stability
Control function or active traction control function
is operating.
Starting and driving
4-44 OKTE13E1
4