Features of your vehicle
78 4
Front
To open the cover, press the knob on the
cover and it will slowly open.
Place a cup or small beverage can after
pulling out the blade (1).
Center seat/Rear (if equipped)
Cups or small beverage cans may be
placed in the cup holders.
D280400BTQ
Sunvisor
Use the sunvisor to shield direct light
through the front or side windows.
To use a sunvisor, pull it downward.
To use a sunvisor for a side window, pull
it downward, unsnap it from the bracket
(1) and swing it to the side (2).
To use the vanity mirror (if equipped), pull
down the visor and slide the mirror cover
(3).
Adjust the sunvisor forward or backward
(4, if equipped).
The ticket holder (5) is provided for hold-
ing a tollgate ticket. (if equipped)
CAUTION
When putting the drinking water on
the front or the center seat cup
holder, the liquid may flow into the
external input terminal(if equipped)
by sudden braking, so be sure to
close the lid of the drinking water.
OTQ047115
CAUTION- Vanity mirror
lamp (if equipped)
Close the vanity mirror cover
securely and return the sunvisor to
its original position after use. If the
vanity mirror is not closed securely,
the lamp will stay on and could
result in battery discharge and pos-
sible sunvisor damage.
WARNING
For your safety, do not obstruct your
vision when using the sunvisor.
* : if equipped
53
Driving your vehicle
E020100AUN
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-
ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
• Check the condition of the tires.
• Check under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks.
• Be sure there are no obstacles behind
you if you intend to back up.
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Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in sec-
tion 7, “Maintenance”.
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Before starting
• Close and lock all doors.
• Position the seat so that all controls are
easily reached.
• Adjust the inside and outside rearview
mirrors.
• Be sure that all lights work.
• Check all gauges.
• Check the operation of warning lights
when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
• Release the parking brake and make
sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before putting a
car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result in
a loss of vehicle control, that may
lead to an accident, severe personal
injury, and death. The driver’s pri-
mary responsibility is in the safe and
legal operation of a vehicle, and use
of any handheld devices, other equip-
ment, or vehicle systems which take
the driver’s eyes, attention and focus
away from the safe operation of a
vehicle or which are not permissible
by law should never be used during
operation of the vehicle.
Driving your vehicle
4 5
E030100AEN
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will be illuminated for your
convenience, provided the ignition switch
is not in the ON position. The light will go
off immediately when the ignition switch
is turned on or go off after about 30 sec-
onds when the door is closed.
KEY POSITIONS
OTQ057001
WARNING- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.
WARNING
• When you intend to park or stop
the vehicle with the engine on, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. It may overheat the engine
or exhaust system and cause fire.
• When you make a sudden stop or
turn the steering wheel rapidly,
loose objects may drop on the
floor and it could interfere with
the operation of the foot pedals,
possibly causing an accident.
Keep all things in the vehicle
safely stored.
• If you do not focus on driving, it
may cause an accident. Be care-
ful when operating what may dis-
turb driving such as audio or
heater. It is the responsibility of
the driver to always drive safely.
55
Driving your vehicle
Ignition switch position
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LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. The ignition key can be
removed only in the LOCK position.
When turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, push the key inward at
the ACC position and turn the key toward
the LOCK position.
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ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked and elec-
trical accessories are operative.
✽NOTICE
If difficulty is experienced in turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position, turn
the key while turning steering wheel
right and left to release the tension.
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ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is the
normal running position after the engine
is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if the
engine is not running to prevent battery
discharge.
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START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The engine
will crank until you release the key; then
it returns to the ON position. The brake
warning lamp can be checked in this
position.
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WARNING - Ignition
switch
• Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss of
directional control and braking
function, which could cause an acci-
dent.
• The anti-theft steering column lock
is not a substitute for the parking
brake. Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the shift
lever is engaged in P (Park) for the
automatic transmission and set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement may occur if
these precautions are not taken.
• Never reach for the ignition switch,
or any other controls through the
steering wheel while the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of your hand
or arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control, an accident
and serious bodily injury or death.
• Do not place any movable objects
around the driver’s seat as they may
move while driving, interfere with
the driver and lead to an accident.
OTQ057002
Driving your vehicle
10 5
• During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transmission lubricant
is warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transmission.
• If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse),
leave the shift lever at N(Neutral) posi-
tion and release the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R(Reverse) gear position.E050101AUN
Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed all the way
to the floor before shifting, then released
slowly. The clutch pedal should always be
fully released while driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal while driv-
ing. This can cause unnecessary wear.
Do not partially engage the clutch to hold
the car on an incline. This causes unnec-
essary wear. Use the foot brake or park-
ing brake to hold the car on an incline. Do
not operate the clutch pedal rapidly and
repeatedly.
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Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch
pedal. Also, don’t use the clutch
to hold the vehicle stopped on an
uphill grade, while waiting for a
traffic light, etc.
• Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as this
can result in premature wear of
the transmission shift forks.
• To prevent possible damage to
the clutch system, do not start
with the 2nd (second) gear
engaged except when you start
on a slippery road.
WARNING
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then
make sure the transmission is
shifted into 1st gear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed in the
order identified.
• If your vehicle has a manual
transmission not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may move
and cause a serious accident
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal while
the parking brake is released and
the shift lever not in the N
(Neutral) position.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip caus-
ing an accident.
Driving your vehicle
14 5
E060101DTQ
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transmission and prevents the drive
wheels from rotating.R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or service brakes are applied.
CAUTION
The transmission may be damaged
if you shift into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transmission if you shift into R
while the vehicle is in motion,
except as explained in “Rocking the
vehicle” in this section.
WARNING
• Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) position
in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
• Never leave a child unattended in
a vehicle.
WARNING
Do not drive with the shift lever in N
(Neutral).
The engine brake will not work and
lead to an accident.
519
Driving your vehicle
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Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you nor-
mally would. The stopping distance, how-
ever, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied. Do
not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when neces-
sary to maintain steering control on slip-
pery surfaces.
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In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while the
vehicle is in motion, you can make an
emergency stop with the parking brake.
The stopping distance, however, will be
much greater than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Brakes
• Do not drive with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormal high brake tem-
peratures, excessive brake lining
and pad wear, and increased
stopping distances.
• When descending a long or steep
hill, shift to a lower gear and
avoid continuous application of
the brakes. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
• Wet brakes may impair the vehi-
cle’s ability to safely slow down;
the vehicle may also pull to one
side when the brakes are applied.
Applying the brakes lightly will
indicate whether they have been
affected in this way. Always test
your brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water. To
dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
(Continued)
WARNING- Parking brake
Applying the parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden loss of
control of the vehicle. If you must
use the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.
(Continued)
• Always, confirm the position of
the brake and accelerator pedal
before driving. If you do not
check the position of the acceler-
ator and brake pedal before driv-
ing, you may depress the acceler-
ator instead of the brake pedal. It
may cause a serious accident.
Driving your vehicle
20 5
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Disc brakes wear indicator
Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and new
pads are required, you will hear a high-
pitched warning sound from your front
brakes or rear brakes (if equipped). You
may hear this sound come and go or it
may occur whenever you depress the
brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving con-
ditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when you first apply (or lightly
apply) the brakes. This is normal and
does not indicate a problem with your
brakes.
Parking brake
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Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then without pressing
the release button in, pull the parking
brake lever up as far as possible. In addi-
tion it is recommended that when parking
the vehicle on a gradient, the shift lever
should be positioned in the appropriate
low gear on manual transmission vehi-
cles or in the P (Park) position on auto-
matic transmission vehicles.
WARNING- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs service.
If you ignore this audible warning,
you will eventually lose braking
performance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION
• To avoid costly brake repairs, do
not continue to drive with worn
brake pads.
• Always replace brake pads as
complete front or rear axle sets.
CAUTION
• Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessive
brake pad and brake rotor wear.
• Do not operate the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving
except in an emergency situation.
It could damage the vehicle sys-
tem and make endanger driving
safety.
OTQ057008