55
Driving your vehicle
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all con-trols 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
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
putting a car into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
WARNING -
Driving under the influence
of alcohol or drugs
Drinking and driving is danger-
ous. Impaired driving is the
number one contributor to the
highway death toll each year.
Even a small amount of alcohol
will affect your reflexes, percep-
tions 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 driver who has been drink-
ing or taking drugs. Choose a
designated driver or call a cab.
WARNING
All passengers must be proper-
ly belted whenever the vehicle
is moving. Refer to “Seat belts”
in section 3 for more informa-
tion on their proper use.
WARNING
When you intend to park or stop the vehicle with the
engine on, be careful not to
depress the accelerator 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 opera-
tion of the foot pedals, possi-
bly causing an accident. Keep
all things in the vehicle safely
stored.
If you do not focus on driving, it may cause an accident. Be
careful when operating
devices that may disturb driv-
ing such as the audio system
or the heater. It is the respon-
sibility of the driver to always
drive safely.
Driving your vehicle
65
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will be illuminated for
your convenience, provided the igni-
tion 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 seconds
when the door is closed.
Ignition switch position
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft (if equipped). The igni-
tion 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.
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked (if
equipped) and electrical accessories
are operative.
✽ ✽NOTICE
If difficulty is experienced in turn-
ing the ignition switch to the ACC
position, turn the key while turning
the steering wheel right and left to
release the tension.
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 preventbattery discharge.
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.
KEY
OUN036001
59
Driving your vehicle
Illuminated engine start/stop
button (if equipped)
Whenever the front door is opened,
the engine start/stop button will illu-
minate for your convenience. The
light will go off immediately when the
engine start/stop button is turned on
or go off after about 30 seconds
when the door is closed.
Engine start/stop button posi-
tion
OFF
• with manual transaxle
To turn off the engine, stop the vehi-
cle, then press the engine start/stop
button.
• with automatic transaxle
To turn off the engine, stop the vehi-
cle, press the engine start/stop but-
ton and place the shift lever in
P(Park). When you press the engine
start/stop button without the shift
lever in P(Park), the engine start/stop
button does not turn to the OFF posi-
tion but to the ACC position.
✽ ✽NOTICE
When you turn off the engine, the
vehicle should be stopped.
ENGINE START/STOP BUTTON (IF EQUIPPED)
OGD051005
WARNING
In an emergency situation
while the vehicle is moving,
you can turn off the engine
and turn the engine start/stop
button to the ACC position by
pressing the engine start/stop
button for more than 2 sec-
onds or 3 times successively
within 3 seconds.
If the vehicle is moving, you can restart the engine without
pressing the brake pedal by
pressing the engine start/stop
button with the shift lever in
N(Neutral).
Driving your vehicle
10
5
ACC(Accessory)
• with manual transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the OFF posi-
tion without depressing the clutch
pedal.
• with automatic transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the OFF posi-
tion without depressing the brake
pedal.
If you leave the engine start/stop but-
ton in the ACC position for more than
1 hour, the button is turned off auto-
matically to prevent the battery from
discharging.
ON
• with manual transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the ACC posi-
tion without depressing the clutch
pedal.
• with automatic transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the ACC posi-
tion without depressing the brake
pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. Do not
leave the button in the ON position if
the engine is not running to prevent
the battery from discharging.
START
• with manual transaxle
To start the engine, depress the
clutch pedal and brake pedal, then
press the engine start/stop button
with the shift lever in the N(Neutral)
position.
• with automatic transaxle
To start the engine, depress the brake
pedal and press the engine start/stop
button with the shift lever in the
P(Park) or the N (Neutral) position.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• If you press the engine start/stop
button without depressing the
clutch pedal on manual transaxle
vehicles or without depressing the
brake pedal on automatic
transaxle vehicles, the engine will
not start and the engine start/stop
button changes as follows:
OFF → →
ACC →
→
ON →
→
OFF
• If you leave the engine start/stop button in the ACC or the ON posi-
tion for a long time, the battery
may be discharged.
515
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting maybe difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant is warmed up. This is normal
and not harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it is difficult to shift into 1st or
R (Reverse), leave the shift lever in
the neutral position and release the
clutch. Depress the clutch pedal
and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed 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
driving. This can cause unnecessary
wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
It is important to downshift when you
must slow down in heavy traffic or
while driving up or down steep hills.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration.
When the vehicle is traveling down
steep hills, downshifting helps main-
tain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Then make sure the transaxle 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
precautions are not followed in
the order identified.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear and damage, do notdrive with your foot resting onthe clutch pedal. Also, do notuse the clutch to hold thevehicle stopped on an uphillgrade while waiting for a traf-fic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, asthis can result in prematurewear of the transaxle shiftforks.
(Continued)
(Continued) When operating the clutch pedal, press the clutch pedalfully.
If you don't press the clutchpedal fully, the clutch may bedamaged.
519
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transaxle will auto-
matically downshift to the next lower
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except as explained in“Rocking the vehicle” in thissection.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion will cause
the drive wheels to lock which
may cause you to lose control
of the vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) posi- tion 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 unattend- ed in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damagedif you shift into P (Park) whilethe vehicle is in motion.
Driving your vehicle
24
5
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 normally would. The
stopping distance, however, 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.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Brakes
Do not drive with your foot resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
When descending a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear
(for automatic transaxle,
move the shift lever to sports
mode) and avoid continuous
application of the brakes.
Continuous brake application
will cause the brakes to over-
heat and could result in a tem-
porary loss of braking per-
formance.
(Continued)(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair thevehicle’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 fash-
ion after driving through deep
water. To dry the brakes, apply
them lightly while maintaining
a safe forward speed until
brake performance returns to
normal.
Always, confirm the position of the brake and accelerator
pedal before driving. If you
don't check the position of the
accelerator and brake pedal
before driving, you may
depress the accelerator
instead of the brake pedal. It
may cause a serious accident.
525
Driving your vehicle
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 dis-
tance, however, will be greater than
normal.
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. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever you depress
the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
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 vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.WARNING- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs serv-
ice. 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 withworn brake pads.
Always replace the front or rear brake pads in pairs.