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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. Inspect the tread for cuts
and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and bulges.
Check the wheel bolts for tightness. Check the tires
(including spare) for proper cold inflation pressure.
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 proper closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
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.
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INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DESCRIPTIONS
1. Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light — If EquippedEach tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle
has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper
tire maintenance, and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS
low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the sys-
tem may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 143
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TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION ........268
▫ Tire Pressure ....................... .268
▫ Tire Inflation Pressures .................269
▫ Tire Pressures For High Speed Operation . . . .271
▫ Radial Ply Tires ..................... .271
▫ Tire Types .......................... .272
▫ Run Flat Tires — If Equipped .............274
▫ Spare Tires — If Equipped ...............274
▫ Tire Spinning ....................... .277
▫ Tread Wear Indicators ..................277
▫ Life Of Tire ........................ .278
▫ Replacement Tires .....................278
TIRE CHAINS (TRACTION DEVICES) .......280
TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS .....281
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM
(TPMS) ............................. .282
▫ Base System ........................ .285
▫ Enhanced System — If Equipped ..........288
▫ Premium TPM System ..................288
▫ General Information ...................292
FUEL REQUIREMENTS — 1.4L Engine .......292
FUEL REQUIREMENTS — 1.4L Turbo ........293
▫ Reformulated Gasoline .................293
▫ Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends ..............294
▫ E-85 Usage In Non-Flex Fuel Vehicles .......294
▫ MMT In Gasoline .....................294
5
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WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery surfaces is dangerous.
Unequal traction can cause sudden pulling of the
front wheels. You could lose control of the vehicle
and possibly have a collision. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet, mud, loose sand, etc.).
Traction
When driving on wet or slushy roads, it is possible for a
wedge of water to build up between the tire and road
surface. This is hydroplaning and may cause partial or
complete loss of vehicle control and stopping ability. To
reduce this possibility, the following precautions should
be observed:1. Slow down during rainstorms or when the roads are
slushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
3. Replace the tires when tread wear indicators first become visible.
4. Keep tires properly inflated.
5. Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
DRIVING THROUGH WATER
Driving through water more than a few inches/
centimeters deep will require extra caution to ensure
safety and prevent damage to your vehicle.
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EXAMPLE:
Load Identification:
Absence of the following load identification symbols on the sidewall of the tire indicates a Standard Load (SL)
tire:
•XL = Extra load (or reinforced) tire, or
•LL= Light load tire or
•C, D, E, F, G = Load range associated with the maximum load a tire can carry at a specified pressure
Maximum Load – Maximum load indicates the maximum load this tire is designed to carry
Maximum Pressure – Maximum pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire inflation pressure for this
tire
Tire Identification Number (TIN)
The TIN may be found on one or both sides of the tire,
however, the date code may only be on one side. Tires
with white sidewalls will have the full TIN, including the
date code, located on the white sidewall side of the tire. Look for the TIN on the outboard side of black sidewall
tires as mounted on the vehicle. If the TIN is not found on
the outboard side, then you will find it on the inboard
side of the tire.
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Tire Terminology And Definitions
TermDefinition
B-Pillar The vehicle B-Pillar is the structural member of the body located
behind the front door.
Cold Tire Inflation Pressure Cold tire inflation pressure is defined as the tire pressure after
the vehicle has not been driven for at least three hours, or driven
less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after sitting for a minimum of three
hours. Inflation pressure is measured in units of PSI (pounds per
square inch) or kPa (kilopascals).
Maximum Inflation Pressure The maximum inflation pressure is the maximum permissible
cold tire inflation pressure for this tire. The maximum inflation
pressure is molded into the sidewall.
Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressure Vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold tire inflation pressure
as shown on the tire placard.
Tire Placard A label permanently attached to the vehicle describing the vehi-
cle’s loading capacity, the original equipment tire sizes and the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures.
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Tire Loading And Tire Pressure
Tire And Loading Information Placard Location
NOTE:The proper cold tire inflation pressure is listed on
the driver ’s side B-Pillar or the rear edge of the driver’s
side door.
Example Tire Placard Location (Door)
Example Tire Placard Location (B-Pillar)
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Tire And Loading Information PlacardThis placard tells you important information about the:
1. Number of people that can be carried in the vehicle.
2. Total weight your vehicle can carry.
3. Tire size designed for your vehicle.
4. Cold tire inflation pressures for the front, rear, andspare tires.
Loading
The vehicle maximum load on the tire must not exceed
the load carrying capacity 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
inflation pressures specified on the Tire and Loading
Information placard and in the “Vehicle Loading” section
of this manual.
Tire And Loading Information Placard
264 STARTING AND OPERATING