Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the foot well of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
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. Inspect the tread and sidewall for
cuts and cracks. Check the wheel nuts for tightness.
Check the tires for proper 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 positive 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.
72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
The car is close to the obstacle when the display shows a
single constant arc and emits a continuous sound.
If there are several obstacles, the closest one is indicated.
Fault Indication
Parking sensor failures, if any, will be indicated when
reverse is engaged by the switching on of the
warn-
ing light on the instrument panel together with the
message on the display.
General Warnings
When parking, take the utmost care over obstacles that
may be above or under the sensor.
Under certain circumstances, objects close to the vehicle
are not detected by the system and could therefore cause
damage to the car or be damaged themselves.Some conditions may influence the performance of the
parking sensors:
•The presence of ice, snow, mud or multiple layers of
paint on the sensor surface may cause reduced sensi-
tivity of the sensor itself and therefore reduce the
system performance.
•Mechanical interference (e.g washing the car, rain,
strong wind, hail) may cause the sensor to detect a
non-existent obstacle (“echo interference”).
•The presence of ultrasonic systems (e.g. pneumatic
brake systems of trucks or pneumatic drills) near the
car could alter the signals sent by the sensor.
•The variation in sensor position, caused by variation in
ride (due to suspension component wear), changing
tires, overloaded car, or tuning that lowers the car, for
example, may affect parking sensor system perfor-
mance.
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 99
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DESCRIPTIONS
1. Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light — If Equipped
Each 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. Drivingon 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
112 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
as intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle, to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
WARNING!
The TPMS has been optimized for the original
equipment tires and wheels. TPMS pressures and
warning have been established for the tire size
equipped on your vehicle. Undesirable system opera-
tion or sensor damage may result when using re-
placement equipment that is not of the same size,
type, and/or style. Aftermarket wheels can cause
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
sensor damage. Do not use tire sealant from a can or
balance beads if your vehicle is equipped with a
TPMS, as damage to the sensors may result.
2. Turn Signal Indicators
The arrows will flash in unison with the exte-
rior turn signal, when using the turn signal
lever.
3. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) OFF Indicator
Light
This light indicates the Electronic Stability Con-
trol (ESC) is off.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 113
▫Shallow Standing Water.................171
PARKING BRAKE......................173
BRAKE SYSTEM.......................175
ESC (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL)
SYSTEM.............................175
▫System Activation.....................177
▫System Intervention...................177
▫Electronic Brake Distribution System (EBD) . . .177
▫Four-Wheel Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) . . .178
▫Cornering Brake Control System (CBC)......180
▫Drag Torque Control System (DTC)........180
▫AntiSlip Regulation System (ASR).........180
▫Hill Start Assist (HSA)..................182▫Hydraulic Brake Assistant System (HBA). . . .183
▫Electronic Q2 System (E-Q2).............184
▫Ready Alert Brake System (RAB)..........184
TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION.............184
▫Tire Markings........................184
▫Tire Identification Number (TIN)...........188
▫Tire Terminology And Definitions..........190
▫Tire Loading And Tire Pressure...........191
TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION........196
▫Tire Pressure........................196
▫Tire Inflation Pressures.................197
▫Tire Pressures For High Speed Operation. . . .199
▫Radial Ply Tires......................199
152 STARTING AND OPERATING
▫Tire Types...........................200
▫Run Flat Tires — If Equipped.............202
▫Spare Tires — If Equipped...............202
▫Tire Spinning........................205
▫Tread Wear Indicators..................205
▫Life Of Tire.........................206
▫Replacement Tires.....................206
TIRE CHAINS (TRACTION DEVICES).......208
TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS.....209
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM
(TPMS)..............................210
▫Base System.........................212
▫General Information...................215FUEL REQUIREMENTS — 1.750 Turbo.......215
▫Reformulated Gasoline.................216
▫Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends..............216
▫MMT In Gasoline.....................216
▫Materials Added To Fuel................217
▫Fuel System Cautions...................217
▫Carbon Monoxide Warnings.............218
ADDING FUEL/SMART FUEL.............219
TRAILER TOWING.....................222
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.)...................222
▫Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle . .222
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 153
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 known as hydroplaning and may cause
partial or complete loss of vehicle control and stopping
ability. To reduce this possibility, the following precau-
tions should be observed:
•Slow down during rainstorms or when the roads are
slushy.
•Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
•Replace tires when tread wear indicators first become
visible.
•Keep tires properly inflated.
•Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.Your vehicle may be equipped with a Limited Slip
Differential (LSD) that reduces, but does not eliminate,
the amount of wheel slip across a given axle for im-
proved handling.
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.
170 STARTING AND OPERATING
WARNING!
•Electronic Stability Control (ESC) cannot prevent
the natural laws of physics from acting on the
vehicle, nor can it increase the traction afforded by
prevailing road conditions. ESC cannot prevent all
collisions, including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, driving on very slippery surfaces, or
hydroplaning. ESC also cannot prevent collisions
resulting from loss of vehicle control due to inap-
propriate driver input for the conditions. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can prevent col-
lisions.The capabilities of an ESC equipped ve-
hicle must never be exploited in a reckless or
dangerous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er ’s safety or the safety of others.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Vehicle modifications, or failure to properly main-
tain your vehicle, may change the handling charac-
teristics of your vehicle, and may negatively affect
the performance of the ESC system. Changes to the
steering system, suspension, braking system, tire
type and size or wheel size may adversely affect ESC
performance. Improperly inflated and unevenly
worn tires may also degrade ESC performance. Any
vehicle modification or poor vehicle maintenance
that reduces the effectiveness of the ESC system can
increase the risk of loss of vehicle control, vehicle
rollover, personal injury and death.
The ESC system uses sensors installed on the car to
determine the trajectory that the driver intends to follow
and compares it with the car ’s effective trajectory. When
176 STARTING AND OPERATING