Page 265 of 477

(Continued)
• In sports mode, the transmissionwill automatically downshift, when
it slows down. When the vehicle
stops, the transmission automatical-
ly selects the 1st gear.
• In sports mode, the transmission will automatically upshift, when the
engine rpm approaches toward the
red zone.
• Even though the driver moves the shift lever to a +(up) or -(down)
position, the transmission may not
make the manually-requested gear
change, if the requested gear is out
of the allowable engine RPM range.
• When driving on a slippery road, set the shift lever in the 2nd gear, which
is better for smooth acceleration on
a slippery road.Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic trans-
mission has a shift lock system to
prevent the transmission shifting
from P(Park) to R (Reverse), unless
the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from
P(Park) into R(Reverse):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the Engine Start/Stop button ON.
3. Move the shift lever.
When the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the
shift lever in P(Park), you may expe-
rience chattering noises near the
shift lever. This is a normal condition.
5-14
Driving your vehicle
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while moving
the shift lever out of P (Park) to
another position to avoid inad-
vertent movement of the vehi-
cle. This may injure persons in
or around the car.
WARNING
Page 270 of 477

Electric parking brake (EPB)
Applying the parking brake
To set the parking brake, depress the
brake pedal first and then pull the
EPB switch. Make sure that the
brake warning light illuminates.
Releasing the parking brake
To release the EPB, press the EPB
switch as follows:
Turn the Engine Start/Stop ButtonON.
Depress the brake pedal.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
To automatically release EPB:
Shift lever in P (Park) With the engine running, depress
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever from P (Park) to R (Rear)/
N (Neutral)/D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the engine running, depress
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever from N(Neutral) to R (Rear)/
D (Drive).
Depress the accelerator pedal, sat- isfying the following conditions.
1. Run the engine
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt
3. Close the driver's door, engine hood and trunk
4. Shift the gear to R (Rear)/ D (Drive)
Make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
5-19
Driving your vehicle05
Do not set the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving
except in an emergency situa-
tion. It may damage the brake
system and lead to an accident.
WARNING
OVI055110N
OVI055109N
Page 271 of 477

Information
• You can set the EPB, even thoughthe Engine Start/Stop button is OFF.
However, for your safety, you can-
not release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake pedal and manually release the
parking brake by pressing the EPB
switch, when driving down on a
slope and driving back up.
When the parking brake warning light is still ON, even when the
EPB is released, have the sys-
tem be checked by an author-
ized EQUUS dealer.
Do not drive your vehicle with the EPB set. It may excessively
wear down the brake pad and
brake rotor.
EPB may automatically applies,
when:
It is requested by other systems.
The engine is turned OFF and theEPB is set ON. If the accelerator is depressed, but
still the EPB is not automatically
released, a warning message will
be displayed with a warning sound.
When the driver's seat belt is unfastened, the engine hood is
open with the shift lever in
D(Drive), or the trunk is open with
the shift lever in R(Reverse), a
warning message will be displayed
with a warning sound.
When there is a problem with the vehicle, a warning message will be
displayed with a warning sound.
If any of the above situations occurs,
depress the brake pedal and release
EPB by pressing the EPB switch.
NOTICE
i
5-20
Driving your vehicle
OVINDR5912
Page 272 of 477

A clicking sound may be heardwhile setting or releasing the
EPB. This is a normal condition,
and indicates that the EPB prop-
erly functions.
When leaving your key with a parking lot attendant or valet
assistant, inform him/her of the
EPB operation.
The EPB may malfunction if you drive with the EPB set.
Gradually depress the accelera- tor, when you want to automati-
cally release EPB by depressing
it.
EPB malfunction indicator
This warning light illuminates when
the Engine Start/Stop button is
turned ON and OFF in approximate-
ly 3 seconds, even though the sys-
tem normally operates.
If the EPB malfunction indicator
remains ON, flash, or does not illumi-
nate, when turning ON the Engine
Start/Stop button, this indicates the
malfunction of the EPB.
If this occurs, immediately have your
vehicle checked by an authorized
EQUUS dealer.
The EPB malfunction indicator may
illuminate, when the ESC malfunc-
tion indicator illuminates. In this
case, it does not indicate the EPB
malfunction.
NOTICE
5-21
Driving your vehicle05
To prevent unintentional vehi-cle movement when parking
or after leaving the vehicle, do
not substitute setting of the
parking brake with setting of
the shift lever. Set the parking
brake and secure to position
the shift lever in P(Park).
Never allow anyone, who is unfamiliar with the vehicle, to
touch the EPB switch. If the
EPB is unintentionally
released, serious injury may
occur.
All vehicles must always set the parking brake, while park-
ing, in order to avoid inadver-
tent vehicle movement, which
may injure occupants or
passers-by.
WARNING
OVI055111N
Page 280 of 477

The ESC system is an electronic
system to help the driver maintain
vehicle control in adverse conditions.
It is not a substitute for safe driving
practices. Various factors, including
speed, road conditions and driver's
steering maneuver, affect the ESC
performance in preventing a loss of
control. It is still driver's responsibility
to drive and corner at a proper speed
and to keep a safe distance. When
depressing the brake under condi-
tions, which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a snapping sound and
feel like that from the brake pedal.
This is normal and indicates your
ESC actively operates.
Information
A clicking sound may be heard from
the engine compartment, when the
engine is started and the vehicle
begins to move. This is normal, indi-
cating that the ESC actively operates.
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is turned ON, the ESC and the ESC
OFF indicator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds and goes
off, then the ESC is turned on.
When operating
When the ESC operates,
the ESC indicator will flash.
operates, you can feel a
slight pulsation from the
vehicle. This is because of
the brake control, and
does not indicate a prob-
lem.
mud or driving on a slip-
pery road, the engine rpm
may not be increased
even with the accelerator
deeply depressed. This is
to maintain the stability
and traction and does not
indicate a problem.
i
5-29
Driving your vehicle05
Page 281 of 477

ESC operation OFF
ESC OFF status
This vehicle has 2 types of
ESC OFF status.
When the engine stops, and
ESC is OFF, ESC remains
OFF.
Upon restarting the engine,
the ESC will be automatical-
ly turned ON again.
ESC OFF state 1
To cancel the ESC, press the ESC
OFF button shortly (ESC OFF
indicator (ESC OFF ) illuminates).
At this state, the engine control func-
tion does not operate. It signifies the
traction control function does not
operate, either. Only the brake con-
trol function operates.
ESC OFF state 2
To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) for
more than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indi-
cator (ESC OFF ) illuminates with
an ESC OFF warning alarm. At this
state, the engine control function and
brake control function do not oper-
ate. It signifies the vehicle stability
control function does not operate any
more.
Indicator light
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is turned ON, the ESC indicator illu-
minates. Then, it goes OFF, when the
ESC system normally operates. The
ESC indicator flashes, when the
ESC operates or fails to operate. The
ESC OFF indicator illuminates when
the ESC is turned OFF by pressing
the button.
5-30
Driving your vehicle
OVINDR5917
OVINDR5918
■ ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
Page 285 of 477

DRIVE mode / SNOW mode
The drive mode can be selected
according to the driver’s preference
or road condition.
The system initializes to be in the
NORMAL mode, when the Engine
Start/Stop button is turned ON.
It is displayed on the AVN monitor
which mode the vehicle is in as
below.
SPORT
SNOW (if equipped)The mode changes whenever the
DRIVE MODE button is pressed.
* If you turn OFF the User Settings
Mode, the ECO indicator does not
illuminate.
* According to the User Settings Mode, the background changes.
You can turn OFF the background
in User Settings Mode.
ECO mode
The ECO indicator is a
guidance system for your
fuel-efficient driving, when
the NORMAL mode is
selected.
The ECO indicator color changes from white to green, when you
drive with the best fuel efficiency.
Maximize your fuel economy by adjusting your driving habit to be
less aggressive and illuminating
the green ECO indicator most of
the driving time.
D DR
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5-34
Driving your vehicle
NORMAL
SNOW SPORT
OVI055125N
Page 287 of 477

The ECS automatically controls the
vehicle suspension to maximize pas-
sengers' comfort with the air spring
and the controllable shock absorber.
You can also manually control the
vehicle height in the NORMAL or
HIGH mode.
To control the vehicle height
Press the vehicle height control but-
ton to select the HIGH mode that
makes the vehicle higher than the
NORMAL mode. The vehicle height
indicator will illuminate. It is useful on
a rough road.
Information
When the driving speed is over 42
mph (70 km/h), you cannot select the
HIGH mode. When the driving speed
exceeds 42 mph (70 km/h) in the
HIGH mode, the mode automatically
changes to the NORMAL mode. Repress the vehicle height control
button to select the NORMAL mode
that makes the vehicle height lower
than the HIGH mode. The vehicle
height indicator will go OFF.
Information
• Only when the vehicle stops with the
shift lever in P(Park) or N(Neutral),
the height control button is avail-
able.
• When the driving speed exceeds 99 mph (160km) in NORMAL mode,
the mode automatically changes to
the LOW mode. LOW mode cannot
be selected manually.
• When the driving speed is under 50 mph (80 km/h) in the LOW mode,
the mode automatically changes to
the NORMAL mode.
• When the Engine Start/Stop button is turned OFF in the HIGH mode,
the HIGH mode selection will be
maintained.
It is to prevent damage the bottom of
a vehicle when parking on a rough
road.
• Make sure there are no objects under the vehicle before changing
vehicle height.
• A click sound may be heard while operating the ECS. This is normal
and indicates that ECS properly
functions.
• Depending on the outside tempera- ture the vehicle height may be dif-
ferent.
• Do not press the Engine Start/Stop button while operating the ECS.
This could cause damage to the
ECS.
i
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5-36
Driving your vehicle
OVI055116N