PERIODIC SAFETY
CHECKS YOU SHOULD
MAKE OUTSIDE THE
VEHICLE
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear
and uneven wear patterns. Check for
stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. In-
spect the tread for cuts and cracks.
Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and
bulges. Check the wheel nuts for
tightness. Check the tires (including
spare) for proper cold inflation pres-
sure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation
of brake lights and exterior lights
while you work the controls. Check
turn signal and high beam indicator
lights on the instrument panel.Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching,
and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after over-
night parking for fuel, engine coolant,
oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gaso-
line fumes are detected or if fuel,
power steering fluid (if equipped), or
brake fluid leaks are suspected, the
cause should be located and corrected
immediately.
71
CHAngE OIL
Your vehicle is equipped with an en-
gine oil change indicator system. The
CHAngE OILmessage will flash in
the instrument cluster odometer for
approximately 12 seconds, after a
single chime has sounded, to indicate
the next scheduled oil change inter-
val. The engine oil change indicator
system is duty cycle-based, which
means the engine oil change interval
may fluctuate dependent upon your
personal driving style.
Unless reset, this message will con-
tinue to display each time you turn the
ignition switch to the ON/RUN posi-
tion. To turn off the message tempo-
rarily, press and release the STEP
button on the steering wheel. To reset
the oil change indicator system (after
performing the scheduled mainte-
nance), perform the following steps.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/
RUN position (do not start the en-
gine).
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal,
slowly, three times within 10 seconds. 3. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF/LOCK position.
NOTE: If the indicator message
illuminates when you start the en-
gine, the oil change indicator sys-
tem did not reset. If necessary, re-
peat these steps.
Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC) Display (for versions/
markets, where provided)
The Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC) features a driver-
interactive display that is located in
the instrument cluster. For further in-
formation, refer to “Electronic Ve-
hicle Information Center (EVIC)”.
7. Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) Light
This light monitors the
Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS). The light will turn
on when the ignition switch
is turned to the ON/RUN position and
may stay on for as long as four sec-
onds.
If the ABS light remains on or turns on
while driving, it indicates that the Anti-Lock portion of the brake sys-
tem is not functioning and that service
is required. However, the conven-
tional brake system will continue to
operate normally if the BRAKE warn-
ing light is not on.
If the ABS light is on, the brake sys-
tem should be serviced as soon as
possible to restore the benefits of
Anti-Lock brakes. If the ABS light
does not turn on when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON/RUN posi-
tion, have the light inspected by an
authorized dealer.
8. Tire Pressure Monitoring Tell-
tale Light (for versions/markets,
where provided)
Each tire, including the
spare (if provided), should
be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the in-
flation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure la-
bel.
As an added safety feature, your ve-
hicle has been equipped with a Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
173
PARKING BRAKE....................... .245
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ...........246
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE WARNING LIGHT . . . . . .247
ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM (for versions/markets, where provided) ...........248
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (TCS) (for versions/markets, where provided) .........248
BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM (BAS) (for versions/ markets, where provided) ................249
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) . .249
TRAILER SWAY CONTROL (TSC) ..........251
HILL START ASSIST (HSA) ...............252
TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION ...............252
Tire Markings ........................ .252
Tire Identification Number (TIN) ...........255
Tire Terminology And Definitions ...........256
Tire Loading And Tire Pressure ............256
TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION ..........258
Tire Pressure ......................... .258
Tire Inflation Pressures ..................259
Tire Pressures For High Speed Operation . . . .260
Radial Ply Tires ....................... .260
Tire Types............................ .261
Run Flat Tires (for versions/markets, where provided) ............................ .261
Spare Tires (for versions/markets, where provided) ............................ .262
228
Temporary spare tires are de-signed for temporary emergency
use only. Temporary high pres-
sure compact spare tires have
the letter “T” or “S” molded into
the sidewall preceding the size
designation.
Example: T145/80D18 103M. High flotation tire sizing is
based on U.S. design standards
and it begins with the tire diam-
eter molded into the sidewall.
Example: 31x10.5 R15 LT.
Tire Sizing Chart
EXAMPLE:
Size Designation: P= Passenger car tire size based on U.S. design standards
"....blank...." = Passenger car tire based on European design standards
LT = Light truck tire based on U.S. design standards
TorS= Temporary spare tire
31 = Overall diameter in inches (in)
215 = Section width in millimeters (mm)
65 = Aspect ratio in percent (%)
— Ratio of section height to section width of tire
10.5 = Section width in inches (in)
R = Construction code
— "R" means radial construction
— "D" means diagonal or bias construction
15 = Rim diameter in inches (in)
253
3)Tire size designed for your vehicle.
4) Cold tire inflation pressures for
the front, rear, and spare tires.
Loading
The vehicle maximum load on the tire
must not exceed the load carrying ca-
pacity of the tire on your vehicle. You
will not exceed the tire's load carrying
capacity if you adhere to the loading
conditions, tire size, and cold tire in-
flation pressures specified on the Tire
and Loading Information placard and
in the “Vehicle Loading” section of
this manual.
NOTE: Under a maximum loaded
vehicle condition, gross axle
weight ratings (GAWRs) for the
front and rear axles must not be
exceeded. For further information
on GAWRs, vehicle loading, and
trailer towing, refer to “Vehicle
Loading” in this section.
To determine the maximum loading
conditions of your vehicle, locate the
statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never ex-
ceed XXX lbs or XXX kg” on the Tire and Loading Information placard.
The combined weight of occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue
weight (if applicable) should never
exceed the weight referenced here.
Steps For Determining Correct
Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX lbs or
XXX kg” on your vehicle's placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from
XXX lbs or XXX kg.
4.
The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage
load capacity. For example, if “XXX”
amount equals 1,400 lbs (635 kg) and
there will be five 150 lb (68 kg) passen-
gers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capac-
ity is 650 lbs (295 kg) (since 5 x 150 lbs (68 kg) = 750 lbs (340 kg), and
1400 lbs (635 kg) – 750 lbs (340 kg) =
650 lbs [295 kg]).
5.Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
NOTE:
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve-
hicle. The following table shows
examples on how to calculate to-
tal load, cargo/luggage, and
towing capacities of your vehicle
with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of
occupants. This table is for il-
lustration purposes only and
may not be accurate for the seat-
ing and load carry capacity of
your vehicle.
For the following example, the combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
865 lbs (392 kg).
257
It is not recommended driving a ve-
hicle loaded at full capacity or to tow
a trailer while a tire is in the run flat
mode.
See the tire pressure monitoring sec-
tion for more information.
Spare Tires (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
NOTE: For vehicles equipped
with TIREFIT instead of a spare
tire, please refer to “TIREFIT KIT”
in “In an emergency” for further
information.
CAUTION!
Because of the reduced ground
clearance, do not take your vehicle
through an automatic car wash
with a compact, full size or limited-
use temporary spare installed.
Damage to the vehicle may result.Spare Tire Matching Original
Equipped Tire And Wheel (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a
spare tire and wheel equivalent in
look and function to the original
equipment tire and wheel found on
the front or rear axle of your vehicle.
This spare tire may be used in the tire
rotation for your vehicle. If your ve-
hicle has this option, refer to an au-
thorized tire dealer for the recom-
mended tire rotation pattern.
Compact Spare Tire (for
versions/markets, where provided)
The compact spare is for temporary
emergency use only. You can identify if
your vehicle is equipped with a com-
pact spare by looking at the spare tire
description on the Tire and Loading
Information Placard located on the
driver’s side door opening or on the
sidewall of the tire. Compact spare tire
descriptions begin with the letter “T”
or “S” preceding the size designation.
Example: T145/80D18 103M.
T,S=T
emporary Spare Tire Since this tire has limited tread life,
the original equipment tire should be
repaired (or replaced) and reinstalled
on your vehicle at the first opportu-
nity.
Do not install a wheel cover or at-
tempt to mount a conventional tire on
the compact spare wheel, since the
wheel is designed specifically for the
compact spare tire. Do not install
more than one compact spare tire and
wheel on the vehicle at any given time.
WARNING!
Compact spares are for temporary
emergency use only. With these
spares, do not drive more than
80 km/h. Temporary use spares
have limited tread life. When the
tread is worn to the tread wear in-
dicators, the temporary use spare
tire needs to be replaced. Be sure to
follow the warnings, which apply to
your spare. Failure to do so could
result in spare tire failure and loss
of vehicle control.
262
Full Size Spare (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
The full size spare is for temporary
emergency use only. This tire may
look like the originally equipped tire
on the front or rear axle of your ve-
hicle, but it is not. This spare tire may
have limited tread life. When the
tread is worn to the tread wear indi-
cators, the temporary use full size
spare tire needs to be replaced. Since
it is not the same as your original
equipment tire, replace (or repair) the
original equipment tire and reinstall
on the vehicle at the first opportunity.
Limited-Use Spare (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
The limited-use spare tire is for tem-
porary emergency use only. This tire is
identified by a label located on the
limited-use spare wheel. This label
contains the driving limitations for
this spare. This tire may look like the
original equipped tire on the front orrear axle of your vehicle, but it is not.
Installation of this limited-use spare
tire affects vehicle handling. Since it is
not the same as your original equip-
ment tire, replace (or repair) the origi-
nal equipment tire and reinstall on the
vehicle at the first opportunity.
WARNING!
Limited-use spares are for emer-
gency use only. Installation of this
limited-use spare tire affects ve-
hicle handling. With this tire, do
not drive more than the speed listed
on the limit-use spare wheel. Keep
inflated to the cold tire inflation
pressures listed on your Tire and
Loading Information Placard lo-
cated on the driver’s side B-Pillar or
the rear edge of the driver’s side
door. Replace (or repair) the origi-
nal equipment tire at the first op-
portunity and reinstall it on your
vehicle. Failure to do so could result
in loss of vehicle control.
Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice
conditions, do not spin your vehicle's
wheels above 48 km/h or for longer
than 30 seconds continuously without
stopping.
Refer to “Freeing A Stuck Vehicle” in
“In an emergency” for further infor-
mation.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be danger-
ous. Forces generated by excessive
wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode
and injure someone. Do not spin
your vehicle's wheels faster than
48 km/h for more than 30 seconds
continuously when you are stuck,
and do not let anyone near a spin-
ning wheel, no matter what the
speed.
263
Tread Wear Indicators
Tread wear indicators are in the origi-
nal equipment tires to help you in
determining when your tires should
be replaced.
These indicators are molded into the
bottom of the tread grooves. They will
appear as bands when the tread depth
becomes 2 mm. When the tread is
worn to the tread wear indicators, the
tire should be replaced. Refer to “Re-
placement Tires” in this section for
further information.
Life Of Tire
The service life of a tire is dependent
upon varying factors including, but
not limited to:
Driving style
Tire pressure
Distance driven
Performance tires, tires with aspeed rating of V or higher, and
summer tires typically have a re-
duced tread life. Rotation of these
tires per the vehicle maintenance
schedule is highly recommended.
WARNING!
Tires and the spare tire should be
replaced after six years, regardless
of the remaining tread. Failure to
follow this warning can result in
sudden tire failure. You could lose
control and have a collision result-
ing in serious injury or death. Keep dismounted tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as
possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease, and gasoline.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide
a balance of many characteristics.
They should be inspected regularly
for wear and correct cold tire inflation
pressure. The manufacturer strongly
recommends that you use tires
equivalent to the originals in size,
quality and performance when re-
placement is needed. Refer to the
paragraph on “Tread Wear Indica-
tors”. Refer to the Tire and Loading
Information placard or the Vehicle
Certification Label for the size desig-
nation of your tire. The Load Index
and Speed Symbol for your tire will be
found on the original equipment tire
sidewall. See the Tire Sizing Chart
example found in the Tire Safety In-
formation section of this manual for
more information relating to the Load
Index and Speed Symbol of a tire.
1—WornTire
2 — New Tire
264