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STARTING THE ENGINE
Before starting your vehicle, adjust your seat, adjust the
inside and outside mirrors, fasten your seat belt, and if
present, instruct all other occupants to buckle their seat
belts.
WARNING!
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
•Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Do not leave the Key Fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children), and do not
leave the ignition of a vehicle equipped with
Keyless Enter-N-Go in the RUN mode. A child
could operate power windows, other controls, or
move the vehicle.
Start the engine with the shift lever in the NEUTRAL or
PARK position. Apply the brake before shifting to any
driving range.
Manual Transmission
Proceed as follows:
•Set the Electric Park Brake (EPB) and put the shift lever
in the NEUTRAL position.
•Press the clutch pedal to the floor, without pressing the
accelerator.
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floor and hold it there. Crank the engine for no more than
15 seconds. This should clear any excess fuel in case the
engine is flooded. Leave the ignition key in the
MAR/ON position, release the accelerator pedal and
repeat the “Normal Starting” procedure.
CAUTION!
To prevent damage to the starter, do not continuously
crank the engine for more than 25 seconds at a time.
Wait 60 seconds before trying again.
WARNING!
•Never pour fuel or other flammable liquid into the
throttle body air inlet opening in an attempt to start
the vehicle. This could result in flash fire causing
serious personal injury.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get it
started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic trans-
mission cannot be started this way. Unburned fuel
could enter the catalytic converter and once the
engine has started, ignite and damage the converter
and vehicle.
•If the vehicle has a discharged battery, booster
cables may be used to obtain a start from a booster
battery or the battery in another vehicle. This type
of start can be dangerous if done improperly. Refer
to “Jump Starting” in “In Case Of Emergencies” for
further information.
Extreme Cold Weather (Below –20°F or−29°C)
To ensure reliable starting under extreme cold conditions
an externally powered electric block heater (available
from your authorized dealer) is required for the 1.4L
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NOTE:
•When parking on a hill, it is important to turn the front
wheels toward the curb on a downhill grade and away
from the curb on an uphill grade. Apply the EPB
before placing the shift lever in PARK, otherwise the
load on the transmission locking mechanism may
make it difficult to move the shift lever out of PARK.
The EPB should always be applied whenever the
driver is not in the vehicle.
•If the clutch pedal is released at the same time the gas
pedal is pressed, the EPB will be automatically re-
leased (manual transmissions only).
WARNING!
•Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment and possible injury or damage.
•When leaving the vehicle, always remove the Key
Fob from the ignition and lock your vehicle.
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Allowing children to
be in a vehicle unattended is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Children should be
warned not to touch the parking brake, brake pedal
or the shift lever.
(Continued)
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Manual Transmission Shift Speeds in MPH (KM/H)
Gear Selection 6 to 55 to 44 to 33 to 22 to 1
Maximum
Speed
80 (129)70 (113)50 (81)30 (48)15 (24)
CAUTION!
If you skip a gear while downshifting or downshift
at too high of a vehicle speed, these conditions may
cause the engine to overspeed if too low of a gear is
selected and the clutch pedal is released. Damage to
the clutch and the transmission can result from
skipping a gear while downshifting or downshifting
at too high of a vehicle speed even if the clutch pedal
is held pressed (i.e., not released).
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The transmission gear range (PRND) is displayed beside
the shift lever and in the Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC)/Driver Information Display (DID). To
select a gear range, push the lock button on the shift lever
and move the lever rearward or forward. You must also
press the brake pedal to shift the transmission out of
PARK, or to shift from NEUTRAL into DRIVE or RE-
VERSE when the vehicle is stopped or moving at low
speeds (refer to#Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock Sys-
tem#in this section). Select the DRIVE range for normal
driving.
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WARNING!
•It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEUTRAL
if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly pressing the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in RE-
VERSE. You could lose control of the vehicle and
hit someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and your foot is
firmly pressing the brake pedal.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
those in or near the vehicle. As with all vehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine is
running. Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the
parking brake, shift the transmission into PARK,
turn the engine STOP/OFF, and remove the key
fob. When the ignition is in the STOP/OFF (key
removal) position, the transmission is locked in
PARK, securing the vehicle against unwanted
movement.
•When leaving the vehicle, always make sure the
ignition is in the STOP/OFF position, remove the
key fob from the vehicle, and lock the vehicle.
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Allowing children to
be in a vehicle unattended is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Children should be
warned not to touch the parking brake, brake pedal
or the transmission shift lever.
•Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children), and do not
leave the ignition (of a vehicle equipped with
Keyless Enter-N-Go™) in the or MAR/RUN posi-
tion. A child could operate power windows, other
controls, or move the vehicle.
CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the follow-
ing precautions are not observed:
•Shift into or out of PARK or REVERSE only after
the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
•Do not shift between PARK, REVERSE, NEU-
TRAL, or DRIVE when the engine is above idle
speed.
•Before shifting into any gear, make sure your foot
is firmly pressing the brake pedal.
NOTE:You must press and hold the brake pedal while
shifting out of PARK.
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Shift Lever
The transmission shift lever has PARK, REVERSE, NEU-
TRAL, DRIVE, and AutoStick (+/-) shift positions.
Manual shifts can be made using the AutoStick shift
control (refer to “AutoStick” in this section for further
information). Toggling the shift lever forward (-) or
rearward (+) while in the AutoStick position (beside the
DRIVE position) will manually select the transmission
gear, and will display the current gear in the instrument
cluster as 1, 2, 3, etc.
NOTE:If the shift lever cannot be moved to the PARK,
REVERSE, or NEUTRAL position (when pushed for-
ward) it is probably in the AutoStick (+/-) position
(beside the DRIVE position). In AutoStick mode, the
transmission gear (1, 2, 3, etc.) is displayed in the
instrument cluster. Move the shift lever to the right (into
the DRIVE [D] position) for access to PARK, REVERSE,
and NEUTRAL.
The transmission gear range (PRND) is displayed both
beside the shift lever and in the Electronic Vehicle Infor-
mation Center (EVIC)/Driver Information Display
(DID). To select a gear range, push the shift lever lock
button on the shift lever and move the lever rearward or
forward. You must also press the brake pedal to shift the
transmission out of PARK, or to shift from NEUTRAL
into DRIVE or REVERSE when the vehicle is stopped or
moving at low speeds (refer to#Brake/Transmission Shift
Interlock System#in this section for further information).
Select the DRIVE range for normal driving.
The electronically-controlled transmission provides a
precise shift schedule. The transmission electronics are
self-calibrating. The first few shifts on a new vehicle may
be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal condition, and
precision shifts will develop within a few hundred miles
(kilometers).
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Only shift from DRIVE to PARK or REVERSE when the
accelerator pedal is released and the vehicle is stopped.
Be sure to keep your foot on the brake pedal when
shifting between these gears.
DO NOT race the engine when shifting from PARK or
NEUTRAL into another gear range.
CAUTION!
After selecting a gear, wait a few second before
accelerating. This precaution is especially important
with the engine cold.
Gear Ranges
PARK (P)
This range supplements the Electric Park Brake (EPB) by
locking the transmission. The engine can be started in
this range. Never attempt to use PARK while the vehicle
is in motion. The EPB should be applied when the
transmission is in PARK.
When parking on a level surface, you may shift the
transmission into PARK, and then apply the EPB.
Shift Lever Lock Button
340 STARTING AND OPERATING