Crossing a stream
4-wheel drive vehicles are not necessarily water-
proof. If the electrical circuits become wet, further
operation of the vehicle will be impossible; there-
fore, avoid crossing streams unless absolutely nec-
essary. If crossing a stream is unavoidable, use the
following procedure: 1.Check depths of a stream and geographical
features before attempting to cross a stream
and ford the stream where the water is as shal-
low as practicable.
2. Set the transfer shift lever to “4L” position
(easy select 4WD), “4LLc” position (super se-
lect 4WD).
3. Drive slowly at a speed of approximately
5 km/h (3 mph) to avoid splashing too much
water.CAUTIONl Never cross a stream where the water is
deep.
Do not change gears while crossing the
stream.
Frequent crossing of streams can adverse-
ly affect the life span of the vehicle; we rec-
ommend you to take the necessary meas-
ures to prepare, inspect, and repair the ve-
hicle.
After crossing a stream, apply the brakes to be sure
they are functioning properly. If the brakes are wet
and not functioning properly, dry them out by driv-
ing slowly while lightly depressing the brake pedal.
Inspect each part of the vehicle carefully.
Inspection and maintenance
following rough road operation E00606700048
After operating the vehicle in rough road condi-
tions, be sure to perform the following inspection
and maintenance procedures:
l Check that the vehicle has not been damaged
by rocks, gravel, etc.
l Carefully wash the vehicle with water.
After washing, drive the vehicle slowly
while lightly depressing the brake pedal in or-
der to dry out the brakes. If the brakes still
do not function properly, we recommend you
to have the brakes checked as soon as possible.
l Remove the insects, dried grass, etc. clog-
ging the radiator core.
l After crossing a stream, be sure to have the
following items inspected at a MITSUBISHI
MOTORS Authorized Service Point and take
the necessary measures. •Check the brake system and, if necessary,
have it serviced.
• Check the engine, transmission, transfer,
and differential oil or grease level and tur-
bidity. If the oil or grease is milky, it indi-
cates water contamination. Replace it
with new oil or grease.
• Grease the propeller shaft.
• Check the inside of the vehicle. If ingress
of water is found, dry the carpet etc.
• Inspect the headlamps. If the headlamp
bulb is flooded with water, we recom-
mend you to have it drained.Cautions on handling of 4-wheel
drive vehicles E00606800368
Tyres and wheels
Since the driving torque can be applied to the 4
wheels, the performance of the vehicle when oper-
ating in 4-wheel drive is greatly affected by the con-
dition of the tyres.
Pay close attention to the tyres.
l Install specified tyres on all wheels. Refer to
“Tyres and wheels” on page 9-17.
l Be sure to fit all 4 tyres and wheels of the
same size and type.
When replacement of any of the tyres or
wheels is necessary, replace all of them.
l All tyres should be rotated whenever the
wear difference between the front and rear
tyres is recognizable.
Good vehicle performance cannot be expected if
there is a difference in wear between tyres. Refer to
“Tyre rotation” on page 8-13.
l Check the tyre inflation pressure regularly.
Starting and driving
4-36
OKTE14E2
4
CAUTIONlAlways use tyres of the same size, same
type, and same brand, and which have no
wear differences. Using tyres of different
size, type, brands or degree of wear, will
increase the differential oil temperature,
resulting in possible damage to the driv-
ing system. Further, the drive train will
be subjected to excessive loading, possibly
leading to oil leakage, component seizure,
or other serious faults.
Towing
If towing is necessary, we recommend you to have
it done by your MITSUBISHI MOTORS Author-
ized Service Point or a commercial tow truck service.
In the following cases, transport the vehicle using a
tow truck.
l The engine runs but the vehicle does not
move or abnormal noise is produced.
l Inspection of the vehicle’s underside reveals
that oil or some other fluid is leaking.
Only when you cannot receive a towing service
from a MITSUBISHI MOTORS Authorized Serv-
ice Point or commercial tow truck service, tow
your vehicle carefully in accordance with the in-
structions given in “Towing” on page 6-20 .CAUTIONl Be sure to shift the transfer shift lever to
“2H” position and transport the vehicle
with the driving wheels on a carriage
(Type A, C or D) as illustrated.
Never try to tow with the transfer shift lev-
er in “4H” or “4L” position (easy select
4WD), “4H”, “4HLc” or “4LLc” position
(super select 4WD) and with the front or
rear wheels on the ground (Type A or B)
as illustrated. This could result in dam-
age to the drivetrain, or unstable towing.
If you cannot shift the transfer shift lever
to “2H” position or the transmission is
malfunctioning or damaged, transport
the vehicle with all the wheels on a car-
riage (Type C or D) as illustrated.
Jacking up a 4-wheel drive vehicle
WARNINGl Do not crank the engine while jacking up
the vehicle.
The tyre on the ground may turn and the
vehicle may roll off the jack.
Clutch operation
Quick or slight clutch engagement made while the
engine is running at high speed will cause damage
to the clutch and transmission because the tractive
force is very great.
Operate the pedal slowly and positively.
Starting and driving
4-37
OKTE14E2
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
4-38 OKTE14E2
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
4-41
OKTE14E2
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. 4-39
Active Traction Control function ® p. 4-43
Active Stability Control function ® p. 4-43CAUTIONl 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 4-40,
“ ASTC indication lamp, ASTC OFF indica-
tion lamp” on page 4-43.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
4-42 OKTE14E2
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
4-43
OKTE14E2
4
indication lamp is illuminated when the Active
Stability Control function is OFF.CAUTIONl When indication lamp blinks, Active
Stability Control function or active trac-
tion control function is operating, which
means that the road is slippery or that
your vehicle’s wheels are slipping exces-
sively. If this happens, drive slower with
less accelerator input.
l If an abnormal condition occurs in the sys-
tem while driving, the
indication lamp
will illuminate.
In these cases, follow these procedures:
CAUTION• If the temperature in the braking sys-
tem continues to increase due to con-
tinuous brake control on a slippery
road surface, the
indication lamp
will illuminate, and operation of the
Active Stability Control function and
active traction control function will be
suspended to protect the brake sys-
tem. (Normal operation of the vehicle
will not be affected.) Park your vehi-
cle in a safe place. When the tempera-
ture in the braking system has come
down, the
indication lamp will go
off and the Active Stability Control
function and active traction control
function will start operating again.
• If the
indication lamp does not go
out even though the above procedure
is followed, there could be a problem
in the system.
Stop the engine and start the engine
again and check whether the
indica-
tion lamp goes out. If the indication
lamp goes out, there is no abnormal
condition.
If the
indication lamp illuminates
even after your vehicle is driven a
short distance after restarting the en-
gine, we recommend you to have your
vehicle checked as soon as possible.
CAUTIONl If the vehicle is towed with the ignition
switch in the “ON” position and only the
front wheels or only the rear wheels
raised off the ground, the ASTC may op-
erate, resulting in an accident. When tow-
ing the vehicle with the front wheels
raised, keep the ignition switch in the
“LOCK” or “ACC” position. When tow-
ing the vehicle with the rear wheels
raised, keep the ignition switch in the
“ACC” position.
Refer to “Towing” on page 6-20.
Starting and driving
4-44 OKTE14E2
4
Cruise control*E00609100779
Cruise control is an automatic speed control system
that keeps a set speed. It can be activated at about
40 km/h (25 mph) or more.CAUTIONl When you do not wish to drive at a set
speed, turn off the cruise control for safety.
l Do not use cruise control when driving
conditions will not allow you to stay at
the same speed, such as in heavy traffic
or on roads that are winding, icy, snow-
covered, wet, slippery, on a steep down-
hill slope.
l On vehicles with manual transmission, do
not move the gearshift lever to the “N”
(Neutral) position while driving at a set
speed without depressing the clutch ped-
al. The engine will run too fast and might
be damaged.
NOTE
l Cruise control may not be able to keep your
speed on uphills or downhills.
l Your speed may decrease on a steep uphill.
You may use the accelerator pedal if you
want to stay at your set speed.
l Your speed may increase to more than the
set speed on a steep downhill. You must use
the brake to control your speed. As a result,
the set speed driving is deactivated.
Cruise control switches E00624100103
A- “ON OFF” switch
Used to turn on and off the cruise control.
B- “COAST SET” switch
Used to reduce the set speed and to set the desired
speed.
C- “ACC RES” switch
Used to increase the set speed and to return to the
original set speed.
D- “CANCEL” switch
Used to deactivate the set speed driving.
NOTE l When operating the cruise control switches,
press the cruise control switches correctly.
The set speed driving may be deactivated au-
tomatically if two or more switches of the
cruise control are pressed at the same time.
To activate E00609300771
1. With the ignition switch in the “ON” posi-
tion, press the “ON OFF” switch (A) to turn
on the cruise control. The “CRUISE” indica-
tion lamp in the meter cluster will come on.
NOTE
l If the cruise control is on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “LOCK” or “ACC” po-
sition, cruise control will be on automatically
the next time you start the engine.
The “CRUISE” indication lamp will also be
on.
l If the battery voltage is insufficient, the mem-
ory data for the cruise control may be erased.
As a result, the “CRUISE” indication lamp
may not come on when you restart the engine.
If this happens, press the “ON OFF” switch
once again to turn on the cruise control.
Starting and driving
4-45
OKTE14E2
4