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559
Driving your vehicle
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first
turn the steering wheel right and left
to clear the area around your front
wheels. Then, shift back and forth
between 1st (First) and R (Reverse)
in vehicles equipped with a manual
transaxle or R (Reverse) and any for-
ward gear in vehicles equipped with
an automatic transaxle. Do not race
the engine, and spin the wheels as lit-
tle as possible. If you are still stuck
after a few tries, have the vehicle
pulled out by a tow vehicle to avoid
engine overheating and possible
damage to the transaxle.CAUTION- Vehicle rocking
Prolonged rocking may causeengine overheating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.
WARNING - Replacement
tires
Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in the tire
section of the manual.
Installation of variant tires can
affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle.
CAUTION- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe- cially at speeds more than 56km/h (35 mph). Spinning thewheels at high speeds when thevehicle is stationary couldcause a tire to overheat whichcould result in tire damage thatmay injure bystanders.
WARNING- Sudden vehicle
movement
Do not attempt to rock the vehi-
cle if people or objects are near-
by. The vehicle may suddenly
move forward or backwards as
it becomes unstuck.
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Driving your vehicle
Adjust your mirrors to reduce theglare from other driver's head-
lights.
Keep your headlights clean and properly aimed. (On vehicles not
equipped with the automatic head-
light aiming feature.) Dirty or
improperly aimed headlights will
make it much more difficult to see
at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement.
Here are a few things to consider
when driving in the rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harderto see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping equipment in good shape. Replace
your windshield wiper blades when
they show signs of streaking or
missing areas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud- dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
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Driving your vehicle
62
5
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine
oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Under/over
inflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer to
“Tires and wheels” in section 8.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in section 7.
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Driving your vehicle
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:
Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
on your tires. If snow tires are need-
ed, it is necessary to select tires
equivalent in size and type of the
original equipment tires. Failure to do
so may adversely affect the safety
and handling of your vehicle.
Furthermore, speeding, rapid accel-
eration, sudden brake applications,
and sharp turns are potentially very
hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front of your vehicle. Also, apply the
brake gently.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires withoutfirst checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
1VQA3005
WARNING- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
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Driving your vehicle
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged posi-
tion. This is most likely to happen
when there is an accumulation of
snow or ice around or near the rear
brakes or if the brakes are wet. If there
is a risk the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you put
the gear shift lever in P (Park, auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or reverse
gear (manual transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc.We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
TRAILER TOWING
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69
What to do in an emergency
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE
Jack and tools (if equipped)
The jack, jack handle, wheel lug nut
wrench are stored in the luggage
compartment.
Pull up the luggage box cover to
reach this equipment.
(1) Jack handle
(2) Jack
(3) Wheel lug nut wrench
Jacking instructions
The jack is provided for emergency
tire changing only.
To prevent the jack from “rattling”
while the vehicle is in motion, store it
properly.
Follow jacking instructions to reduce
the possibility of personal injury. Always move the vehicle complete-
ly off the road and onto the shoul-
der before trying to change a tire.
The jack should be used on a firm
level ground. If you cannot find a
firm, level place off the road, call a
towing service company for assis-
tance.
Be sure to use the correct front and rear jacking positions on the vehi-
cle; never use the bumpers or any
other part of the vehicle for jack
support.
Do not allow anyone to remain in the vehicle while it is on the jack.
Make sure any children present are in a secure place away from
the road and from the vehicle to be
raised with the jack.
OPS063003
WARNING - Tire Jack
Do not place any portion of your
body under a vehicle that is
only supported by a jack since
the vehicle can easily roll off the
jack. Use vehicle support
stands.
WARNING- Running
vehicle on jack
Do not start or run the engine of
the vehicle while the vehicle is
on the jack as this may cause
the vehicle to fall off the jack.
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What to do in an emergency
10
6
Removing and storing the
spare tire (if equipped)
Turn the tire hold-down wing bolt
counterclockwise.
Store the tire in the reverse order of
removal.
To prevent the spare tire and tools
from “rattling” while the vehicle is in
motion, store them properly.
Changing tires
1. Park on a level surface and apply
the parking brake firmly.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in R (Reverse) with manual transaxle or
P (Park) with automatic transaxle.
3. Activate the hazard warning flash- ers. 4. Remove the wheel lug nut wrench,
jack, jack handle, and spare tire
from the vehicle.
5. Block both the front and rear of the wheel that is diagonally opposite
from the jack position.OAM069008
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What to do in an emergency
6.Loosen the wheel lug nuts counter-clockwise one turn each, but do
not remove any nut until the tire
has been raised off the ground.
7.Place the jack at the front (1) orrear (2) jacking position closest to
the tire you are changing. Place the
jack at the designated locations
under the frame.
OPS063004
WARNING - Changing a
tire
• To prevent vehicle movement while changing a tire, always
set the parking brake fully,
and always block the wheel
diagonally opposite the wheel
being changed.
We recommend that the wheels of the vehicle be
blocked, and that no person
remain in a vehicle that is
being jacked.
OPS063006
OPS063005