Driving your vehicle
22
5
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or whilst driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labour.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is travelling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life. Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle 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 down the vehicle.
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 vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse). The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not. To shift into R
(Reverse), depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, wait three sec-
onds, then shift to the R (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
30
5
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedaldepressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
vehicle in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. 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 down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear maynot be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the vehicle from moving. 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.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-tor pedal.
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
44
5
Electronic stability control (ESC) (if equipped) The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is designed to stabilize the vehi-
cle during cornering manoeuvres. ESC
checks where you are steering and
where the vehicle is actually going. ESC
applies the brakes at individual wheels
and intervenes with engine management
system to stabilize the vehicle. The Electronic stability control (ESC)system is an electronic system designed
to help the driver maintain vehicle control
under adverse conditions. It is not a
substitute for safe driving practices.
Factors including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in
preventing a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESC is active.
✽✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the Electronic stability
control (ESC) System is functioning
properly.
WARNING
Never drive too fast for the road
conditions or too quickly when cor-
nering. Electronic stability control
(ESC) will not prevent accidents.
Excessive speed in turns, abrupt
manoeuvres and hydroplaning onwet surfaces can still result in seri-
ous accidents. Only a safe and
attentive driver can prevent acci-
dents by avoiding manoeuvres that
cause the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESC installed, always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving - including driving at safe
speeds for the conditions.
OJD052009R
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545
Driving your vehicle
ESC operation
ESC ON condition When the ignition is turnedON, ESC and ESC OFF indi-
cator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
then ESC is turned on.
Press the ESC OFF button for at least half a second after
turning the ignition ON to turn
ESC off. (ESC OFF indicator
will illuminate). To turn theESC on, press the ESC OFF
button (ESC OFF indicatorlight will go off).
When starting the engine, you may hear a slight ticking
sound. This is the ESC per-
forming an automatic system
self-check and does not indi-
cate a problem. When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.
When the Electronic StabilityControl is operating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
When moving out of the mud or slippery road, the engine
rpm (revolution per minute)
may not increase even if you
press the accelerator pedal
deeply. This is to maintain the
stability and traction of the
vehicle and does not indicate
a problem.
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
To cancel the engine man-agement system of ESC,
press the ESC OFF button forless than 3 seconds (ESCOFF indicator light illumi-
nates). The brake control
function still operates.
To cancel the engine man- agement and brake control
function of ESC, press the
ESC OFF button for morethan 3 seconds (ESC OFFindicator light illuminates).
If the ignition switch is turned to LOCK position when ESC
is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESC will automatically turnon again.
-
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allowadequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times whilst the vehicle is moving slowly.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions where you are going
to drive before you begin driving. Highway driving
Tyres
Adjust the tyre inflation pressures to
specification. Low tyre inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tyres.
Avoid using worn or damaged tyres
which may result in reduced traction or
tyre failure.
✽✽
NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tyre infla-
tion pressure shown on the tyres.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engineoil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tyres can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-den tyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check the tyres for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tyre pressures, refer to section
8, “Tyres and wheels”.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Driving on tyres with no or insuf-ficient tread is dangerous. Worn- out tyres can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tyresshould be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tyre tread before driving your
vehicle. For further information
and tread limits, refer to section
7, “Tyres and wheels”.
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761
Maintenance
Tyre traction
Tyre traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tyres, tyres that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tyres should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. To reduce the possibility of
losing control, slow down whenever
there is rain, snow or ice on the road.
Tyre maintenance In addition to proper inflation, correct wheel alignment helps to decrease
tyre wear. If you find a tyre is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check thewheel alignment.
When you have new tyres installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tyre life. Additionally, a tyre should
always be rebalanced if it is removedfrom the wheel.Tyre sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tyre and also provides
the tyre identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. TheTIN can be used to identify the tyre incase of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
2. Tyre size designation
A tyre’s sidewall is marked with a tyre
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tyres for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers in the tyre size designationmean.
Example tyre size designation:
(These numbers are provided as an
example only; your tyre size designa-
tor could vary depending on your
vehicle.) 195/65R15 91H
P - Applicable vehicle type (tyres
marked with the prefix “P’’ are
intended for use on passenger
vehicles or light trucks; however,
not all tyres have this marking).
195 - Tyre width in millimeters.
65 - Aspect ratio. The tyre’s section height as a percentage of its width.
R - Tyre construction code (Radial).
15 - Rim diameter in inches.
I030B04JM
1
1
2
34
5,6
7
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763
Maintenance
4. Tyre ply composition and material
The number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric are in the tyre. Tyre
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tyre, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and theletter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
5. Maximum permissible inflationpressure
This number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should be put in
the tyre. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tyre and Loading Information
label for recommended inflation
pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
can be carried by the tyre. When
replacing the tyres on the vehicle,
always use a tyre that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tyre.
7. Uniform tyre quality grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tyre sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate ofthe tyre when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tyre
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tyre graded100.
The relative performance of tyres depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
because of variations in driving
habits, service practices and differ-
ences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.WARNING - Tyre age
Tyres degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, it is recommended that
tyres generally be replaced
after six (6) years of normal
service. Heat caused by hot cli-mates or frequent high loadingconditions can accelerate the
aging process. Failure to follow
this Warning can result in sud-
den tyre failure, which could
lead to a loss of control and an
accident involving serious
injury or death.
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Maintenance
64
7
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle
tyres. The tyres available as standard
or optional equipment on your vehi-
cles may vary with respect to grade.
Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tyres ability to
stop on wet pavement as measuredunder controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tyre marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance. Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C representing the
tyre’s resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heatwhen tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratorytest wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tyre to
degenerate and reduce tyre life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tyre failure. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by the
law.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tyre is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
WARNING - Tyre temperature
The temperature grade for this
tyre is established for a tyre that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tyre failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.
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