5-34
Driving your vehicle
Transmission high temperature
Under certain conditions, such asrepeated stop-and-go launches on
steep grades, sudden take off or
acceleration, or other harsh driving
conditions, the transmission clutch
temperatures will increase exces-
sively.
When the clutch temperatures are too high, the "Transmission temp is
high! Stop safely" warning mes-
sage will appear on the LCD dis-
play, a chime will sound, and the
transmission shifting may not be
smooth. If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes
and shift the vehicle to P (Park),
and allow the transmission to cool.
If you ignore this warning, the driv- ing condition may become worse.
You may experience abrupt shifts,
frequent shifts, or jerkiness.
When the message "Trans cooled. Resume driving." appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.
Transmission overheated
If the vehicle continues to be driv-en and the clutch temperatures
reach the maximum temperature
limit, the "Trans Hot! Park with
engine on" warning will be dis-
played. When this occurs the clutch
is disabled until the clutch cools to
normal temperatures.
The warning will display a time to wait for the transmission to cool.
If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes
and shift the vehicle to P (Park),
and allow the transmission to cool.
OTLE055023OTLA055141/OTLA055142
5-39
Driving your vehicle
5
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Do not move the shift lever to N (Neutral) when driving. Doing so
may result in an accident because
of a loss of engine braking and the
transmission could be damaged.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can
result in the brakes overheating,
brake wear and possibly even
brake failure.
When driving in manual shift mode, slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged if the
engine rpms are outside of the
allowable range. Always apply the parking brake
when leaving the vehicle. Do not
depend on placing the transmis-
sion in P (Park) to keep the vehicle
from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start
a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
WARNING
5-41
Driving your vehicle
5
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
If the engine is not running or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
You can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than typical. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be longer than
with power brakes.
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.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
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Take the following precautions:
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
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Applying
the brakes continuously will
cause the brakes to overheat
and could result in a tempo-
rary loss of braking perform-
ance.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair the
vehicle'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, light-
ly tap the brake pedal to heat
up the brakes while maintain-
ing a safe forward speed until
brake performance returns to
normal. Avoid driving at high
speeds until the brakes func-
tion correctly.
WARNING
5-43
Driving your vehicle
5
Do not apply the acceleratorpedal while the parking brake is
engaged. If you depress the
accelerator pedal with the park-
ing brake engaged, warning will
sound. Damage to the parking
brake may occur.
Driving with the parking brake on can overheat the braking system
and cause premature wear or
damage to brake parts. Make sure
the parking brake is released and
the Brake Warning Light is off
before driving. Check the Parking
Brake Warning Light
by placing the ignition
switch to the ON posi-
tion (do not start the
engine).
This light will be illuminated when the
parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON posi-
tion.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is released and the Brake
Warning Light is OFF.
If the Parking Brake Warning Light
remains on after the parking brake is
released while engine is running,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location.
NOTICE
Whenever leaving the vehicle
or parking, always come to a
complete stop and continue
to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the
1st gear (for manual transmis-
sion vehicle) or P (Park, for
automatic transmission/dual
clutch transmission vehicle)
position, then apply the park-
ing brake, and place the igni-
tion switch in the LOCK/OFF
position.
Vehicles with the parking
brake not fully engaged are at
risk for moving inadvertently
and causing injury to yourself
or others.
NEVER allow anyone who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
Only release the parking brake
when you are seated inside the
vehicle with your foot firmly on
the brake pedal.
WARNING
5-147
Driving your vehicle
5
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving elements
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud and sand, take the
bellow suggestions:
Drive cautiously and keep a longerbraking distance.
Avoid abrupt braking or steering.
When your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, or sand, use the second
gear. Accelerate slowly to avoid
unnecessary wheel spinning.
Put sand, rock salt, tire chains or other non-slip materials under the
wheels to provide additional trac-
tion while being stuck in ice, snow,
or mud.
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 R (Reverse) and a for-
ward gear.
Try to avoid spinning the wheels, and
do not race the engine.
To prevent transmission wear, wait
until the wheels stop spinning before
shifting gears. Release the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal while
the transmission is in gear. Slowly
spinning the wheels in forward and
reverse directions causes a rocking
motion that may free the vehicle.
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Downshifting with an automatic
transmission while driving on
slippery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING
If the vehicle is stuck and
excessive wheel spin occurs,
the temperature in the tires can
increase very quickly. If the tires
become damaged, a tire blow
out or tire explosion can occur.
This condition is dangerous -
you and others may be injured.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle.
If you attempt to free the vehi-
cle, the vehicle can overheat
quickly, possibly causing an
engine compartment fire or
other damage. Try to avoid spin-
ning the wheels as much as
possible to prevent overheating
of either the tires or the engine.
DO NOT allow the vehicle to
spin the wheels above 56 km/h
(35 mph).
WARNING
5-148
Driving your vehicle
Information
The ESC system (if equipped) must be
turned OFF before rocking the vehi-
cle.
If you are still stuck after rocking
the vehicle a few times, have the
vehicle pulled out by a tow vehicle
to avoid engine overheating, pos-
sible damage to the transmission,
and tire damage. See "Towing" in
chapter 6.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration.
Driving at night
Night driving presents more hazards
than driving in the daylight. Here are
some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more dis-tance between you and other vehi-
cles, as it may be more difficult to
see at night, especially in areas
where there may not be any street
lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's head-
lamps.
Keep your headlamps clean and properly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlamps will make it
much more difficult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lamps 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. Here are a few things to
consider when driving in the rain or
on slick pavement:
Slow down and allow extra follow-ing distance. A heavy rainfall
makes it harder to see and increas-
es the distance needed to stop
your vehicle.
Turn OFF your Cruise Control. (if equipped)
Replace your windshield wiper blades when they show signs of
streaking or missing areas on the
windshield.
Be sure your tires have enough tread. If your tires do not have
enough tread, making a quick stop
on wet pavement can cause a skid
and possibly lead to an accident.
See "Tire Tread" in chapter 7 .
Turn on your headlamps 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.
NOTICE
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5-149
Driving your vehicle
5
If you believe your brakes may bewet, apply them lightly while driv-
ing until normal braking operation
returns.
Hydroplaning
If the road is wet enough and you are
going fast enough, your vehicle may
have little or no contact with the road
surface and actually ride on the
water. The best advice is SLOW
DOWN when the road is wet.
The risk of hydroplaning increas-
es as the depth of tire tread
decreases, refer to "Tire Tread" in
chapter 7.
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
reduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation, as specified.
Under-inflation may overheat or
damage the tires.
Do not install worn-out or damaged
tires, which may reduce traction or
fail the braking operation.
Information
Never over-inflate your tires above the
maximum inflation pressure, as speci-
fied on your tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engineoil
Driving at higher speeds on the high-
way consumes more fuel and is less
efficient than driving at a slower,
more moderate speed. Maintain a
moderate speed in order to conserve
fuel when driving on the highway.
Be sure to check both the engine
coolant level and the engine oil
before driving.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
i
5-163
Driving your vehicle
5
Driving on hills
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
overheated and may not operate effi-
ciently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transmission
overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transmission/dual clutch transmis-
sion, you should drive in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build-up and extend the life of
your transmission.To prevent engine and/or trans-
mission overheating:
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not
overheat. If the needle of the
coolant temperature gauge
moves towards "H" (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow the
engine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed once the
engine has cooled sufficiently.
If you tow a trailer with the max- imum gross vehicle weight and
maximum trailer weight, it can
cause the engine or transmis-
sion to overheat. When driving
in such conditions, allow the
engine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed once the
engine or transmission has
cooled sufficiently.
(Continued)(Continued)
You must decide your vehicle
speed according to trailer weight
and uphill grade.
Vehicles equipped with a dual clutch transmission when tow-
ing a trailer on steep grades, the
clutch in the transmission could
overheat.
When the clutch is overheated,
the safe protection mode
engages. If the safe protection
mode engages, the gear posi-
tion indicator on the cluster
blinks with a chime sound.
At this time, a warning message
will appear on the LCD display
and driving may not be smooth.
If you ignore this warning, the
driving condition may become
worse.
To return to normal driving con-
dition, stop the vehicle on a flat
road and apply the foot brake for
a few minutes before driving off.
NOTICE