Page 276 of 472

Driving your vehicle
5
Before driving.........................................................5-3
Before entering the vehicle ...........................................5-3
Before starting...................................................................5-3
Ignition switch ........................................................5-5
Key ignition switch ............................................................5-5
Engine Start/Stop button ................................................5-9
Manual transaxle .................................................5-19
Manual transaxle operation .........................................5-19
Good driving practices ...................................................5-21
Automatic transaxle ............................................5-23
Automatic transaxle operation ....................................5-24
Parking ...............................................................................5-28
Good driving practices ...................................................5-28
Braking system.....................................................5-30
Power brakes ...................................................................5-30
Disc brakes wear indicator ...........................................5-31
Rear drum brakes ...........................................................5-31
Parking brake ...................................................................5-31
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) ....................................5-34
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)................................5-36
Vehicle Stability Management......................................5-40
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) ....................................5-41
Good braking practices..................................................5-42
Cruise control .......................................................5-43
Cruise control operation................................................5-43
Special driving conditions ...................................5-48
Hazardous driving conditions.......................................5-48
Rocking the vehicle ........................................................5-48
Smooth cornering ...........................................................5-49
Driving at night ................................................................5-49
Driving in the rain ...........................................................5-50
Driving in flooded areas ................................................5-50
Highway driving ...............................................................5-51
Winter driving .......................................................5-52
Snow or icy conditions ..................................................5-52
Winter precautions .........................................................5-54
Vehicle weight ......................................................5-56
Overloading.......................................................................5-56
Page 278 of 472
Before entering the vehicle
• Be sure all windows, outside mir-
ror(s), and outside lights are clean
and unobstructed.
Remove frost, snow, or ice.
Visually check the tires for uneven
wear and damage.
Check under the vehicle for any
sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles
behind you if you intend to back up.
Before starting
Make sure the hood, the tailgate,
and the doors are securely closed
and locked.
Adjust the position of the seat and
steering wheel.
Adjust the inside and outside
rearview mirrors.
Verify all the lights work.
Fasten your seatbelt. Check that all
passengers have fastened their
seatbelts. Check the gauges and indicators in
the instrument panel and the mes-
sages on the instrument display
when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
Check that any items you are car-
rying are stored properly or fas-
tened down securely.
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5-3
Driving your vehicle
5
Page 280 of 472

Key ignition switch
(if equipped)
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5-5
Driving your vehicle
5OIB054010
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH, take the fol-
lowing precautions:
NEVER allow children or any
person who is unfamiliar with
the vehicle to touch the igni-
tion switch or related parts.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur.
NEVER reach through the
steering wheel for the ignition
switch, or any other control,
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area may cause a
loss of vehicle control result-
ing in an accident.
WARNING
NEVER turn the ignition
switch to the LOCK or ACC
position while the vehicle is in
motion except in an emer-
gency. This will result in the
engine turning off and loss of
power assist for the steering
and brake systems.
(Continued)
(Continued)
This may lead to loss of direc-
tional control and braking
function, which could cause
an accident.
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in 1st gear (for
manual transaxle vehicle) or P
(Park, for automatic transaxle
vehicle) position, apply the
parking brake, and turn igni-
tion switch to the LOCK posi-
tion.
Unexpected vehicle move-
ment may occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed.
WARNING
Page 281 of 472
5-6
Driving your vehicle
Key ignition switch positions
Switch
PositionActionNotice
LOCKThe ignition key can be removed in the LOCK position.The steering wheel locks to protect the vehi-
cle from theft. (if equipped)
ACC
Electrical accessories are usable.The steering wheel unlocks.
If difficulty is experienced turning the ignition
switch to the ACC position, turn the key
while turning the steering wheel right and
left to release tension.
ON
This is the normal key position when the engine has started.
All features and accessories are usable.
The warning lights can be checked when you turn the ignition
switch from ACC to ON.Do not leave the ignition switch in the ON
position when the engine is not running to
prevent the battery from discharging.
STARTTo start the engine, turn the ignition switch to the START position.
The switch returns to the ON position when you let go of the key.The engine will crank until you release the
key.
Page 282 of 472

5-7
Driving your vehicle
5
Starting the engine Starting the gasoline engine
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
3. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the
START position. Hold the key
(maximum of 10 seconds) until the
engine starts and release it.Vehicle with automatic transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in P
(Park).
3. Depress the brake pedal.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the
START position. Hold the key
(maximum of 10 seconds) until the
engine starts and release it.
Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes,
such as high heels, ski boots,
sandals, flip-flops, etc., may
interfere with your ability to
use the brake, accelerator and
clutch pedals.
Do not start the vehicle with the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle can move and lead
to an accident.
Wait until the engine rpm is
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake padel
is released when the rpm is
high.
WARNING
Page 283 of 472

5-8
Driving your vehicle
Information
• Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains station-
ary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
• Always start the vehicle with your
foot on the brake pedal. Do not
depress the accelerator while start-
ing the vehicle. Do not race the
engine while warming it up.
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heat-
ed before starting the engine and
then have to be warmed up before
starting to drive.
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
3. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position to pre-heat the engine.
The glow indicator light ( ) will
illuminate.
5. When the glow indicator light ( )
goes out, turn the key ignition
switch to the START position. Hold
the key (maximum of 10 seconds)
until the engine starts and release
it.Information
If the engine does not start within 10
seconds after preheating is completed,
turn the ignition switch once more to
the LOCK position and wait for 10
seconds. Then turn the ignition switch
to the ON position in order to preheat
the engine again.
ii
Page 284 of 472

5-9
Driving your vehicle
5
Starting and stopping the engine
for turbocharger intercooler
1. Do not race or accelerate the
engine immediately after starting
the engine.
If the engine is cold, idle for sever-
al seconds before sufficient lubri-
cation is ensured in the turbo
charger unit.
2. After high speed or extended driv-
ing that requires heavy engine
load, idle the engine about one
minute before turning the engine
off.
This idle time will allow the tur-
bocharger to cool prior to shutting
the engine off.
Do not turn off the engine immedi-
ately after it has been subjected to
a heavy load. Doing so may cause
severe damage to the engine or
turbo charger unit.To prevent damage to the vehicle:
Do not hold the ignition key in
the START position for more
than 10 seconds. Wait 5 to 10
seconds before trying again.
Do not turn the ignition switch to
the START position with the
engine running. It may damage
the starter.
If traffic and road conditions
permit, you may put the shift
lever in the N (Neutral) position
while the vehicle is still moving
and turn the ignition switch to
the START position in an
attempt to restart the engine.
Do not push or tow your vehicle
to start the engine.
Engine Start/Stop button
(if equipped)
Whenever the front door is opened,
the Engine Start/Stop button will illu-
minate and will go off 30 seconds
after the door is closed. (if equipped)
NOTICE
NOTICE
OGC054019
Page 294 of 472

5-19
Driving your vehicle
5
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears. The transaxle is fully synchro-
nized in all forward gears so shifting
to either a higher or a lower gear is
easily accomplished.To shift to R (Reverse), make sure
the vehicle has completely stopped,
and then move the shift lever to neu-
tral before moving into R (Reverse).
When you've come to a complete
stop and it's hard to shift into 1st gear
or R (Reverse):
1. Put the shift lever in neutral and
release the clutch pedal.
2. Depress the clutch pedal, and
then shift into first or R (Reverse)
gear.
Information
During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant
has warmed up.
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OGC054021
The shift lever can be moved without
pressing the button (1).
The button (1) must be pressed while
moving the shift lever.
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in 1st gear when the vehicle
is parked on a uphill and in R
(Reverse) on a downhill, set the
parking brake, and place the
ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected vehicle
movement may occur if these
precautions are not followed.
WARNING