
69
Driving your vehicle
Illuminated ENGINE
START/STOP button
Whenever the front door is opened,
the ENGINE START/STOP button
will illuminate for your convenience.
The light will go off after about 30
seconds when the door is closed.
When all entrances are closed, if you
lock the vehicle by using the trans-
mitter or the smart key, the light will
go off immediately.
ENGINE START/STOP button
position
OFF
• With manual transaxle
To turn off the engine (START/RUN
position) or vehicle power (ON posi-
tion), stop the vehicle then press the
engine start/stop button.
• With automatic transaxle / dual clutch transmission
To turn off the engine (START/RUN
position) or vehicle power (ON posi-
tion), press the ENGINE
START/STOP button with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position. When
you press the ENGINE
START/STOP button without the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, the
ENGINE START/STOP button will
not change to the OFF position but to
the ACC position. In an emergency situation while the
vehicle is in motion, you are able to
turn the engine off and to the ACC
position by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button for more than 2
seconds or 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
lever in the N (Neutral) position.
ENGINE START/STOP BUTTON (IF EQUIPPED)
OPS053003
Not illuminated

611
Driving your vehicle
If you press the ENGINE
START/STOP button without depress-
ing the clutch pedal for manual
transaxle vehicles or without depress-
ing the brake pedal for automatic
transaxle vehicles, the engine will not
start and the ENGINE START/STOP
button changes as follow:
OFF ➔ACC ➔ON ➔OFF or ACC
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you leave the ENGINE START/
STOP button in the ACC or ON
position for a long time, the battery
will discharge.
Starting the engine with a
smart key (if equipped)
1.Carry the smart key or leave it
inside the vehicle.
2.Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied
3. Manual Transaxle - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed while starting the engine.
Automatic transaxle / Dual
clutch transmission - Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)position.
4.Press the ENGINE START/STOP button while depressing the brake
pedal.
It should be started withoutdepressing the accelerator.
WARNING- Starting
vehicle
Never press the ENGINE
START/STOP button while the
vehicle is in motion except in an
emergency. If the engine stops
while the vehicle is in motion, this
would result in loss of directional
control and braking function,
which could cause an accident.
WARNING- Leaving the Vehicle
To avoid unexpected or sudden
vehicle movement, never leave
your vehicle if the transmission
is not locked in the P (Park) posi-
tion and the parking brake is
fully engaged. Before leaving the
driver's seat, always make sure
the shift lever is engaged in P
(Park), set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off.
CAUTION
If the driver takes foot off the clutch pedal of a manualtransaxle vehicle before theengine is fully started, theengine may not start.
Make sure to fully depress theclutch pedal and brake pedal tostart the engine.

Driving your vehicle
12
6
Manual Transaxle
To start the vehicle, keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed, and
make sure the engine RPM is within
normal range (under 1000 rpm). After
checking, shift the transaxle shift lever
to the desired position.
Unlock the parking brake, and take
your foot off the clutch pedal. Then,
lightly depress the accelerator pedal
and slowly start the vehicle.
5.Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.) Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, if it is far away from you, the
engine may not start.
When the ENGINE START/STOP button is in the ACC position or
above, if any door is opened, the
system checks for the smart key. If
the smart key is not in the vehicle,
a message "key is not in the vehi-
cle" will appear on the LCD display.
And if all doors are closed, the
chime will sound for 5 seconds. The
indicator or warning will turn off
while the vehicle is moving. Always
have the smart key with you. Stopping manual transaxle vehicles
1. After safely parking the vehicle,
press the clutch pedal and brake
pedal at the same time.
2. While depressing the clutch pedal and brake pedal at the same time,
shift the transaxle lever to ‘N’.
CAUTION- Starter
If the engine stalls while thevehicle is in motion, do notattempt to move the shift leverto the P (Park) position. If thetraffic and road conditions per-mit, you may put the shift leverin the N (Neutral) position whilethe vehicle is still moving andpress the ENGINE START/STOPbutton in an attempt to restartthe engine.

613
Driving your vehicle
If the battery is weak or the smartkey does not work correctly, you
can start the engine by pressing
the engine start/stop button with
the smart key.
The side with the lock button
should contact the engine
start/stop button directly.
When you press the engine
start/stop button directly with the
smart key, the smart key should
contact the button at a right angle. When the stop lamp fuse is blown,
you can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If
it is not possible, you can start the
engine by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button for 10 sec-
onds while it is in the ACC posi-
tion. The engine can start without
depressing the brake pedal. But for
your safety always depress the
brake pedal before starting the
engine.
Do not press the ENGINE START/
STOP button for more than 10 sec-
onds except when the stop lamp fuse
is blown.
OPS053007
WARNING - Unintended
vehicle movement
Never leave the smart key in the
vehicle with children or vehicle
occupants who are unfamiliar
with the vehicle operation.
Pushing the ENGINE
START/STOP button while the
smart key is in the vehicle may
result in unintended engine
activation and/or unintended
vehicle movement.

Driving your vehicle
14
6
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on
the shift knob. The transaxle is fully
synchronized in all forward gears
so shifting to either a higher or a
lower gear is easily accomplished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal. (if equipped)
In order to start the vehicle, slowly
let go of the fully depressed clutch
pedal. Then, push the accelerator
pedal to start.
The gearshift lever must be returned to the neutral position
before shifting into R (Reverse).
The ring (1) located immediately
below the shift knob must be pulled
upward while moving the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) position. (if
equipped)
Make sure the vehicle is complete-
ly stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
When downshifting from 5 (Fifth) gear to 4 (Fourth) gear,caution should be taken not toinadvertently move the shiftlever sideways in such a man-ner that second gear isengaged. Such a drasticdownshift may cause theengine speed to increase tothe point that the tachometerwill enter the red-zone. Suchoverreving of the engine maypossibly cause engine andtransaxle damage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM orhigher). Such a downshiftingmay damage the engine,clutch and the transaxle.
(Continued)
OJD053058
The ring (1) must be pushed while
moving the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pushing the ring (1).

615
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting maybe difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the
transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R
(Reverse), put the shift lever in N
(Neutral) position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear and damage, do not drive withyour foot resting on the clutchpedal. Also, don’t use the clutchto hold the vehicle stopped onan uphill grade, while waitingfor a traffic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as thiscan result in premature wear ofthe transaxle shift forks.
When operating the clutch pedal, depress the clutch pedaldown fully. If you don’t depressthe clutch pedal fully, the clutchmay be damaged or noise mayoccur.
To prevent possible damage to the clutch system, do not startwith the 2nd (second) gearengaged except when you starton a slippery road.
Do not exceed the maximum weight limits of the loadingweight. Improper loading canresult in damage to clutch sys-tem.
WARNING- Incline parking
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Then make sure the transaxle is
shifted into 1st gear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed in
the order identified.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may
move and cause a serious acci-
dent when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal while the parking brake is
released and the shift lever not
in the neutral position.
Do not use the engine brake (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.(Continued)
When shifting between 5th and 6th gear, you shouldalways push the gear level allthe way to the right. You couldotherwise shift unintentionallyinto 3rd or 4th gear and dam-age the transaxle.

619
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 for-
ward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically, depending on the
position of the shift lever.
✽ ✽NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle,
if the battery has been disconnected,
may be somewhat abrupt. This is a
normal condition, and the shifting
sequence will adjust after shifts are
cycled a few times by the TCM
(Transaxle Control Module) or
PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
OPS053008
+
+
+
+
(
(
(
(
U
U
U
U
P
P
P
P
)
)
)
)
-
-
-
-
(
(
(
(
D
D
D
D
O
O
O
O
W
W
W
W
N
N
N
N
)
)
)
)
The shift lever can be shifted freely. Press the lock release button when shifting. Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting.
(If the shift lock system is not equipped, it is not necessary to depress the brake pedal.
However, it is recommended to depress the brake pedal to avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle.)

Driving your vehicle
20
6
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal and the lock release but-ton when shifting from N (Neutral) toa forward or reverse gear.When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the drive wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle. R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
CAUTION- Transaxle
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transaxle may bedamaged if you shift into P(Park) while the vehicle is inmotion.
WARNING- Leaving the
Vehicle
To avoid unexpected or sudden
vehicle movement, never leave
your vehicle if the transmission
is not locked in the P (Park)
position and the parking brake
is fully engaged. Before leaving
the driver's seat, always make
sure the shift lever is engaged in
P (Park), set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
CAUTION- Shifting
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe vehicle” explained in thissection.