3-146
Convenient features of your vehicle
Cup holder
Cups or small beverage cans may be
placed in the cup holders.
Front
To open the cover, press the cover
and it will slowly open.
Rear (A)
To open the cover, press the button
and it will slowly open.
Rear (B) (if equipped)
To open the cover, press the cover
and it will slowly open.
- Hot drinks
Do not place hot drinks in the
cup holder without covering
the lid while the vehicle is in
motion.
If the hot drink spills over, you
may be burned. Such a burn
to the driver may lead to loss
of control of the vehicle.
To reduce the risk of personal injury in the event of sudden
stop or collision, do not place
uncovered or insecurely cov-
ered bottles, glasses or cans
in the cup holder while the
vehicle is in motion.
WARNING
Keep cans or bottles out of
direct sun lights and do not put
them in a vehicle when the
weather heats up. Otherwise, it
may explode.
WARNING
OVI045133N
■ Front
OVI045134N
■Rear (A) (if equipped)
OVI045192N
■Rear (B) (if equipped)
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check underneath the vehicle for any leakage sign.
Make sure there are no obstacles behind, when you intend to drive
backwards.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, at exact intervals.
Further details are provided in the
chapter 7, "Maintenance".
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Check the seat position, so all con-trols are easily accessible.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Make sure that all lights operate.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the Engine Start/Stop
button is turned ON.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
For safe operation, make sure you
are familiar with your vehicle equip-
ment and operation.
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5-5
Driving your vehicle05
Careless driving may result in a
loss of vehicle control, possibly
leading to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The
driver’s primary responsibility
is to drive in the safe and legal
manner. The use of any hand-
held devices, other equipment,
or vehicle systems, which take
the driver’s eyes, attention and
focus away from the safe opera-
tion of a vehicle or which are
not permissible by law, should
never be used in driving.
WARNINGAll passengers must be proper-
ly belted whenever the vehicle
is moving. Refer to "Seat belts"
in chapter 2 for more informa-
tion on the proper usage.
WARNING
Always take a look around your
vehicle for any passers-by,
especially children, before
changing the shift lever to D
(Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
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5-7
Driving your vehicle05
Illuminated Engine Start/Stop
Button
Whenever the front door is opened,
the Engine Start/Stop button will illu-
minate for your convenience. The
light will go OFF 30 seconds after the
door is closed.
Engine Start/Stop Button posi-
tion
OFF
To turn OFF the engine, re-press the
turned-ON Engine Start/Stop button,
when the gear shift in P(Park). When
you turn OFF the Engine Start/Stop
button with the gear shift not in
P(Park), the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton will not be turned OFF, but turns
to the ACC position.
Information
When you turn OFF the engine, the
vehicle should be stopped.
ACC(Accessory)
Press the Engine Start/Stop button
when the button is OFF without
depressing the brake pedal.
The electrical accessories are opera-
tive.
If you leave the Engine Start/Stop
button in the ACC position for more
than 1 hour, the battery power will be
automatically turned OFF to prevent
the battery discharge.
ON
Press the Engine Start/Stop button
when the button is in the ACC posi-
tion without depressing the brake
pedal.
Check the warning lights before
starting the engine. Do not leave the
button turned ON for a long time if
the engine is not running to prevent
battery discharge.i
OVI055001N
- Emergency situation
In an emergency situation while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
turn the engine in the OFF or
ACC position, by pressing the
Engine Start/Stop button 2 sec-
onds or longer or by pressing it
3 times successively within 3
seconds. If the vehicle is still
moving, you can restart the
engine without depressing the
brake pedal by pressing the
Engine Start/Stop button with
the shift gear in the N (Neutral)
position.
WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves
as a warning to other drivers to be
extremely cautious when approach-
ing, passing by or passing ahead.
It should be used when your vehicle
is under emergency repair, or when
your vehicle stops on the edge of a
roadway.
Press the flasher switch regardless
of the ignition switch position. The
flasher switch is on the switch panel
of the center consol. All turn signal
lights will simultaneously flash.
• The hazard warning flasher oper-ates, whether your vehicle is run-
ning or not.
The turn signals cannot be turned ON when the hazard flasher is ON.
Care must be taken to turn ON the hazard warning flasher, when tow-
ing your vehicle.
If the engine stalls at a cross-
road or a railroad crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or
a railroad crossing, set the shift lever
in N(Neutral) and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If you have a flat tire while
driving
If a tire goes flat while driving:
1.Take your foot off the acceleratorand slow down the speed while
driving straight ahead. Do not
abruptly apply the brakes in an
attempt to pull over the vehicle, as
this may cause a loss of control.
When the driving speed gets suffi-
ciently lowered to stop the vehicle,
carefully apply the brake and pull
off the road. Drive away from the
road as far as possible and safely
park the vehicle in a safe and flat
place. When you are on a divided
highway, do not park the vehicle in
the median area between the two
directions.
2.When the vehicle is stopped, turn ON the emergency hazard flasher,
set the parking brake, and set the
shift lever in P(Park).
3.Have all occupants get out of the vehicle. Make sure they stay out of
the roadway.
4.When changing a flat tire, follow the instruction provided in the fol-
lowing part of this chapter.
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What to do in an emergency
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The following lists are about the vehi-
cle inspection and maintenance that
should be performed by the owner or
an authorized EQUUS dealer, as
indicated. This will ensure your safety
and dependable driving.
Any adverse conditions should imme-
diately be checked by your EQUUS
dealer.
These Owner Maintenance Checklists
are mostly uncovered by your vehicle
warranties. Thus, you may charges
you for expenses of labor, parts or
lubricants.
Owner's maintenance sched-
ule
While refueling:
Check the engine oil level.
Check coolant level in coolantreservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Check for any low or under-inflated tires.
While driving:
Check for any changes in theexhaust sounds or the smells.
Check for any steering wheel vibra- tion. Check whether you feel more
tightness or looseness of the steer-
ing wheel.
Check for any slight tilting, or “pulls” to one side, while driving on
a flat surface.
Check for any unusual sounds, tilt- ing, a braking distance, or “hard-to-
push” brake pedal while stopping.
Check the transmission fluid level upon experiencing a skid or a sud-
den transmission gear change.
Check the P(Park) function of the auto transmission.
Check the parking brake.
Check for any fluid leak (water dripping from the A/C while or after
the normal driving).
At least once a month:
Check the coolant level in theengine coolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, such as the stoplights, turn
signals and hazard warning flash-
ers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
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7-7
Maintenance07
Carefully check your engine
coolant level, when the engine
is hot. The hot coolant or steam
may blow out under pressure.
This may cause a skin burn or
other serious injuries.
WARNING
7-41
Maintenance07
Battery recharging by battery
charger
Your vehicle has a maintenance-free,
calcium-based battery.
When the battery is discharged ina short period of time (possibly
because the headlamps or interior
lights remain on, while the vehicle
is not in use), slowly recharge it
(trickle) for 10 hours.
When the battery is gradually dis- charged due to high electric load,
while the vehicle is in use,
recharge it at 20-30A for 2 hours.
Battery recharging by vehicle
After jump-starting from a good bat-
tery, run the engine for 20-30 min-
utes in either the idle or driving
modes, before turning off the engine.
Your vehicle may not restart, when
the engine is shortly turned off with-
out having an adequate recharging
time.
- Recharging battery
When recharging the battery,
follow the below precautions:
The battery must be removed from the vehicle and placed in
a well-ventilated area.
Keep cigarette lits, sparks, or flames away from the battery.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Keep paying attention to thebattery condition, while
recharging. Stop or slow the
recharging rate, when the bat-
tery gas violently leaks (boil-
ing),or when an electrolyte
temperature exceeds 120°F
(49°C).
Wear the proper eye protection, while watching the battery
recharging conditions.
Disconnect the battery charger in the following order.
1. Turn off the main switch of the battery charger.
2. Unhook the negative clamp from the negative battery ter-
minal.
3. Unhook the positive clamp from the positive battery ter-
minal.
WARNING
Before maintaining orrecharging the battery, turn
off all accessories and stop
the engine.
The negative battery cable must be disconnected first, or
be connected last.
Operation related to the bat- tery should be done by an
authorized EQUUS dealer.
WARNING
7-56
Maintenance
A vehicle’s electrical system is pro-
tected from a possible electrical
overloading damage by fuses.
This vehicle has 4 fuse panels - two
on the driver’s side, another on the
panel bolster of the passenger's
side, and the other in the engine
compartment.
When any of your lights, acces-
sories, or controls does not operate,
check the appropriate circuit fuse.
When a fuse is out, some elements
may melt inside.
When the electrical system does not
operate, check the fuse panel on the
driver's side first.
Before replacing the fuse, disconnect
the negative battery cable. Always
replace it with a fuse of the same rat-
ing. When the newly-replaced fuse
blows, there may be an electrical
problem. Avoid using any pertinent
systems. Immediately consult an
authorized EQUUS dealer.
Three kinds of fuses are to be used:
a blade type for lower amperage rat-ing, and a cartridge type and a fusiblelink for higher amperage ratings.
Information
The actual fuse, relay panels, and
labels may differ from the equipped
items.
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OVI075172N
Normal
Normal
Blade type
Cartridge type
Fusible link Blown
Blown
Normal Blown
- Fuse replacement
Never replace a fuse with the
one of a different rating.
A higher capacity fuse may cause damage or a fire.
Never use a wire or an alu- minum foil, instead of a prop-
er fuse - even as an emergent
measure. It may damage
extensive wirings and cause a
fire.
WARNING
Do not use a screwdriver or any
other metal object to remove a
fuse. It may cause a short cir-
cuit and damage the system.
CAUTION
7-69
Maintenance07
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Use only the bulbs of the specified
wattage.
Make sure to replace the burned-
out bulb with a new one of the
same wattage rating. Otherwise, it
may cause damage to a fuse or an
electric wiring system.
When you are not equipped with
necessary tools, the appropriate
bulbs and the expertise, consult an
authorized EQUUS dealer. In many
cases, it is difficult to replace vehi-
cle light bulbs, because some parts
of the vehicle must be disassem-
bled before getting to the bulb. This
is especially true when disassem-
bling to replace the headlamp
bulb(s). Removing/installing the
headlamp assembly may damage
your vehicle.
Information
After heavy rain or vehicle washing,
headlamp and taillight lenses may
appear to be frosty. This is caused by
the temperature difference between
the lamp inside and outside. This is
similar to the dew condensation on
your windows inside while raining.
This does not indicate a problem with
your vehicle. When water penetrates
into the lamp circuitry, have the vehi-
cle checked by an authorized EQUUS
dealer.
i
NOTICE
NOTICE
- Working on the lights
Before working on the light,
firmly set the parking brake,
turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, and turn OFF
the lights. These are to prevent
a sudden vehicle movement,
burning your fingers or an elec-
tric shock.
WARNING