BEFORE DRIVING
2
53MH0-74E
BEFORE DRIVING
Keys ...................................................................................... 2-1
Ignition Key Reminder (if equipped) ................................. 2-2
Door Locks .......................................................................... 2-2
Keyless Entry System (if equipped) .................................. 2-5
Windows .............................................................................. 2-10
Mirrors .................................................................................. 2-11
Front Seats .......................................................................... 2-12
Rear Seats ............................................................................ 2-13
Seat Belts and Child Restraint Systems ........................... 2-14
Supplemental Restraint System
(air bags) (if equipped) ....................................................... 2-22
Instrument Cluster .............................................................. 2-28
Warning and Indicator Lights ............................................ 2-30
Speedometer ....................................................................... 2-34
Fuel Gauge ........................................................................... 2-35
Information Display ............................................................. 2-36
Lighting Control Lever ........................................................ 2-38
Headlight Leveling Switch .................................................. 2-40
Turn Signal Control Lever .................................................. 2-40
Hazard Warning Switch ...................................................... 2-41
Windshield Wiper and Washer Lever ................................ 2-41
Horn ...................................................................................... 2-43
2-22
BEFORE DRIVING
53MH0-74E
Installation with Lap-Shoulder Seat
Belts
ELR type belt (if equipped)
53M-04-048
Install your child restraint system accord-
ing to the instructions provided by the child
restraint system manufacturer.
Make sure that the seat belt is securely
latched.
Try to move the child restraint system in all
directions to make sure it is securely
installed.
Supplemental Restraint
System (air bag) (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with a Supple-
mental Restraint System consisting of the
following components in addition to a lap-
shoulder belt at each front seating position.
1) Driver’s front air bag module (if
equipped)
2) Front passenger’s front air bag module
(if equipped)
3) Seat belt pretensioners (if equipped)
4) Air bag controller (if equipped)
5) Forward crash sensor (if equipped)
53MM02013
53M-04-050
If the “AIR BAG” light on the instrument
cluster does not blink or come on when the
ignition switch is first turned to the “ON”
position, or the “AIR BAG” light stays on, or
comes on while driving, the air bag system
may not work properly. Have the air bag
system inspected by an authorized MAR-
UTI SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.
EXAMPLEWA R N I N G
This section of the owner’s manual
describes the protection provided by
your MARUTI SUZUKI SUPPLEMEN-
TAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (air bag).
Please read and follow ALL these
instructions carefully to minimize
your risk of severe injury or death in
the event of a collision.
(2)
(3)
(4)(1)
(3)(5)
EXAMPLE
2-26
BEFORE DRIVING
53MH0-74E
Air bag symbol (if equipped) meaning
57L20203
You may find this label on the sun visor.Please refer to the “Seat Belts and Child
Restraint Systems” section in this section
for details on securing your child.
Door Lock Canceller System
(if equipped)
If SRS Airbag system is activated all doors
are unlocked automatically.
NOTE:
In case door lock wiring and/or motor are
damaged, doors may not unlock automati-
cally.
How the system works
In a frontal collision, the crash sensors will
detect rapid deceleration, and if the con-
troller judges that the deceleration rep-
resents a severe frontal crash, the
controller will trigger the inflators. The infla-
tors inflate the air bags with nitrogen or
argon gas. The inflated air bags provide a
cushion for your head and upper body. The
air bag inflates and deflates so quickly that
you may not even realize that it has acti-vated. The air bag will neither hinder your
view nor make it harder to exit the vehicle.
Air bags must inflate quickly and forcefully
in order to reduce the chance of serious or
fatal injuries. However, an unavoidable
consequence of the quick inflation is that
the air bag may irritate bare skin, such as
the facial area. Also, upon inflation, a loud
noise will occur and some powder and
smoke will be released. These conditions
are not harmful and do not indicate a fire in
the vehicle. Be aware, however, that some
air bag components may be hot for a while
after inflation.
A seat belt helps keep you in the proper
position for maximum protection when an
air bag inflates. Adjust your seat as far
back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle. Sit fully back in your
seat; sit up straight; do not lean over the
steering wheel. Please refer to the “Front
Seat” section and the “Seat Belts and
Child Restraint Systems” section in this
section for details on proper seat and seat
belt adjustments.
WA R N I N G
Do not use a restraint on a seat pro-
tected by an airbag in front of it.
EXAMPLE
WA R N I N G
If the AIR BAG light in the instrument
cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it means that something may be
wrong with the air bag system. If this
ever happens, have the vehicle ser-
viced immediately, because the air
bags may not offer the protection for
which they were designed.
2-28
BEFORE DRIVING
53MH0-74E
Instrument Cluster
ALTO 800
(1) Speedometer
(2) Odometer/Trip meter
(3) Odometer/Trip meter/Meter illumination
selector knob
(4) Fuel gauge
(5) Warning and indicator lightsTy p e 1
53M-04-069
Ty p e 2
53MH0237
(5) (1)
(2) (4) (3)(5)EXAMPLE
(1)
(2) (3)(4) (5)
(5)EXAMPLE
2-29
BEFORE DRIVING
53MH0-74E
Instrument Cluster
ALTO K10
(1) Speedometer
(2) information display
(3) Odometer/Trip meter/Meter illumination
selector knob
(4) Fuel gauge
(5) Warning and indicator lights
(6) Tachometer (if equipped)without tachometer
53M-04-070
with tachometer
53M-04-071
EXAMPLE(1)
(2) (4) (3) (5) (5)
EXAMPLE(1) (6)
(5)(2) (4)
(3) (5)
3-5
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Parking Brake Lever
60MHM03001
(1) To set
(2) To release
(3) To release
The parking brake lever is located between
the front seats. To set the parking brake,
hold the brake pedal down and pull the
parking brake lever all the way up. To
release the parking brake, hold the brake
pedal down, pull up slightly on the parking
brake lever, push the button on the end of
the lever with your thumb, and lower the
lever to its original position.
(2)
(3) (1)
EXAMPLE
WA R N I N G
• Never drive your vehicle with the
parking brake on: rear brake effec-
tiveness can be reduced from over-
heating, brake life may be
shortened, or permanent brake
damage may result.
• If the parking brake does not hold
the vehicle securely or does not
fully release, have your vehicle
inspected immediately by an autho-
rized MARUTI SUZUKI dealer.
WA R N I N G
Always set the parking brake fully
before leaving your vehicle or it may
move, causing injury or damage.
When parking, make sure the gear-
shift lever is in 1st gear. Remember,
even though the transaxle is in gear,
you must set the parking brake fully.
WA R N I N G
When parking the vehicle in
extremely cold weather, the following
procedure should be used:
1) Set the parking brake.
2) Manual transmission - turn off the
engine, then shift into reverse or
first gear, with ignition key “ON”
position.
Automated manual transaxle -
shift into reverse or first gear and
check the gear position indicator
in the instrument cluster to make
sure that the transaxle is engaged
in 1st or reverse, then turn the
ignition switch “LOCK” position.
3) Get out of the vehicle and put
chocks under the wheels.
4) Release the parking brake.
When you return to your vehicle,
you must remember to first set the
parking brake, then remove the
wheel chocks.
3-11
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Starting off on an uphill/downhill:
Uphill1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that the
vehicle does not roll backwards.
2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “D” posi-
tion while depressing the brake pedal.
Make sure that the gear position indica-
tor in the instrumental cluster displays
1st gear.
3) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal gradually, and
when the vehicle starts to move, release
the parking brake and depress the accel-
erator pedal to start off.
Downhill
1) Depress the brake pedal and shift the
gearshift lever to the “D” position. Make
sure that the gear is in 1st by checking
the gear position indicator.
2) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal slowly. Even if the
accelerator pedal is not depressed, theclutch will be engaged when the vehicle
speed increases.
Using engine braking:
When driving on a downhill slope, down-
shifting is recommended. So you can use
engine braking.
By placing the gearshift lever in the “M”
position, the Manual (M) mode is selected,
and you can shift to a lower gear manually.
For details of downshift operation, refer to
“Upshift and downshift” in the “Manual (M)
mode”.
Manual (M) mode
The gears are not shifted automatically. To
shift the transaxle, the driver must operate
the gearshift lever to the “+” or “–” direc-
tion. As for conventional manual transaxle
vehicles, releasing the accelerator pedal a
little may help the transaxle to shift
smoothly.
Upshift and downshift:
Upshifting
76MH0A058
Pull the gearshift lever to the “+” direction
and release it. Every time the lever is oper-
ated, the transaxle is upshifting 1 step in
the order of 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
gear.
76MH0A059
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or the creeping function.
If you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound, and in some cases
the engine will stall. This can also
cause excessive damage to the
clutch.
R
N
D -
M
+
3-14
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Starting off on an uphill/downhill
slope:
Uphill
1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that
the vehicle does not roll backwards.
2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “M” posi-
tion while depressing the brake pedal.
Make sure that the gear position indica-
tor in the instrumental cluster displays
1st gear.
3) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal gradually, and
when the vehicle starts to move,
release the parking brake and depress
the accelerator pedal to start off.
Downhill
1) Depress the brake pedal and shift the
gearshift lever to the “M” position.
Check the gear position indicator to
make sure that the gear is in 1st.
2) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal slowly. Even
though the accelerator pedal is notdepressed, the clutch will be engaged
when the vehicle speed increases.
Backing up
After the vehicle has stopped completely,
depress the brake pedal and shift the gear-
shift lever to the “R” position. Depress the
accelerator pedal slowly as when starting
off in 1st gear. Before backing up, make
sure that reverse gear is selected by
checking the gear position indicator.
76MH0A062
NOTE:
• If reverse gear cannot be engaged even
though the gearshift lever has been
shifted from the “N” to the “R” position,
the system will re-try shifting automati-
cally. This will take some time, noise
may be heard from the gears, and shift-
ing gear shock may occur. However,
they do not indicate a malfunction.
• The “N” indicator will flash, the depress
brake pedal indicator will come on and a
warning buzzer (long pulse sound) will
sound if any of the following cases
occur;
– If you shift the gearshift lever from the
“N” to the “R” position without depress-
ing the brake pedal
– If the system is unable to re-try shiftingYou should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position,
then shift to “R” position again a few sec-
onds later.
• The system will not allow shifting to the
“R” position if the vehicle speed is over
about 3 km/h. If the gearshift lever is
operated under this condition, the “N”
indicator in the instrument cluster will
blink. However, when the vehicle speed
drops below about 3 km/h, the gear will
be shifted to reverse. Make sure that the
vehicle has stopped completely before
shifting to the “R” position.
Stopping
The vehicle can be stopped by depressing
the brake pedal regardless of the gear
position. This is because the clutch is auto-
matically disengaged to prevent the engine
from stopping.
If the gearshift lever is in the “D” position,
the gear will be downshifted to 1st when
the vehicle stops.
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or creeping function. If
you perform this operation for a cer-
tain period of time, a warning buzzer
will sound, and in some cases the
engine will stall. This can also cause
excessive damage to the clutch.
NOTICE
On a downhill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or the creeping function.
If you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound, and in some cases
the engine will stall. This can also
cause excessive damage to the
clutch.