
(Continued)
•Always check the surroundingareas near your vehicle for people,especially children, before shiftinga car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
•Before leaving the driver’s seat, al‐ways make sure the shift lever isin the P (Park) position; then setthe parking brake fully and shutthe engine off. Unexpected andsudden vehicle movement can oc‐cur if these precautions are notfollowed in the order identified.
•Do not use the engine brake (shift‐ing from a high gear to lower gear)rapidly on slippery roads.The vehicle may slip causing an ac‐cident.
CAUTION
•To avoid damage to your trans‐axle, do not accelerate the enginein R (Reverse) or any forward gearposition with the brakes on.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•When stopped on an incline, do nothold the vehicle stationary withengine power.Use the service brake or the park‐ing brake.
•Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P(Park) into D (Drive), or R (Reverse)when the engine is above idlespeed.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
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 prevents the drive wheels from rotating.
WARNING
•Shifting into P (Park) while the ve‐hicle is in motion will cause thedrive wheels to lock which willcause you to lose control of thevehicle.
•Do not use the P (Park) position inplace of the parking brake. Alwaysmake sure the shift lever is latch‐ed in the P (Park) position and setthe parking brake fully.
•Never leave a child unattended in avehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged ifyou shift into P (Park) while the ve‐hicle is in motion.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
6-25
6
Driving your vehicle

2. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly de‐
pressed and released with the shift lev‐ er in the P (Park) position, a chattering
noise near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake pedalbefore and while shifting out of theP (Park) position into another posi‐tion to avoid inadvertent motion ofthe vehicle which could injure per‐sons in or around the car.
Good driving practices
• Never move the shift lever from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any other po‐
sition with the accelerator pedal de‐ pressed.
• Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
• Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into R
(Reverse) or D (Drive). • Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This may be ex‐tremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
• Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc‐
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to a lower gear. When you do this,
engine braking will help slow the car.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged.
• Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the car from moving.
• Exercise extreme caution when driv‐ ing on a slippery surface. Be especial‐
ly careful when braking, accelerating
or shifting gears. On a slippery sur‐ face, an abrupt change in vehicle
speed can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle to go out
of control.
• Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly de‐
pressing and releasing the accelera‐
tor pedal.
WARNING
•Always buckle-up! In a collision, anunbelted occupant is significantlymore likely to be seriously injuredor killed than a properly belted oc‐cupant.
•Avoid high speeds when corneringor turning.
•Do not make quick steering wheelmovements, such as sharp lanechanges or fast, sharp turns.
•The risk of rollover is greatly in‐creased if you lose control of yourvehicle at highway speeds.
•Loss of control often occurs if twoor more wheels drop off the road‐way and the driver over-steers toreenter the roadway.
•In the event your vehicle leavesthe roadway, do not steer sharply.Instead, slow down before pullingback into the travel lanes.
•Never exceed posted speed limits.
Driving your vehicle
6-28

WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck insnow, mud, sand, etc., then you mayattempt to rock the vehicle free bymoving it forward and backward. Donot attempt this procedure if peopleor objects are anywhere near the ve‐hicle. During the rocking operationthe vehicle may suddenly move for‐ward of backward as it becomes un‐stuck, causing injury or damage tonearby people or objects.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake pedal,
shift the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the appropriate gear depending on load
weight and steepness of the grade, and
release the parking brake. Depress the accelerator gradually while releasing
the service brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on asteep hill, the vehicle may have a ten‐dency to roll backwards. Shifting theshift lever into 2 (Second Gear) will helpprevent the vehicle from rolling back‐wards.
6-29
6
Driving your vehicle

BRAKE SYSTEM
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakesthat adjust automatically through nor‐
mal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying
greater force to the brake pedal than you normally would. The stopping dis‐
tance, however, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the re‐
serve 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 nec‐ essary to maintain steering control on
slippery surfaces.
WARNING
nBrakes
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Do not drive with your foot restingon the brake pedal. This will createabnormal high brake tempera‐tures, excessive brake lining andpad wear, and increased stoppingdistances.
•When descending a long or steephill, shift to a lower gear and avoidcontinuous application of thebrakes. Continuous brake applica‐tion will cause the brakes to over‐heat and could result in a tempo‐rary loss of braking performance.
•Wet brakes may impair the vehi‐cle’s ability to safely slow down;the vehicle may also pull to oneside when the brakes are applied.Applying the brakes lightly will in‐dicate whether they have been af‐fected in this way. Always testyour brakes in this fashion afterdriving through deep water. To drythe brakes, apply them lightlywhile maintaining a safe forwardspeed until brake performance re‐turns to normal.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Always, confirm the position ofthe brake and accelerator pedalbefore driving. If you don't checkthe position of the accelerator andbrake pedal before driving, youmay depress the accelerator in‐stead of the brake pedal. It maycause a serious accident.
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can make an emergency stop with the parking
brake. The stopping distance, however,
will be much greater than normal.
WARNING
nParking brake
Applying the parking brake while thevehicle is moving at normal speedscan cause a sudden loss of control ofthe vehicle. If you must use theparking brake to stop the vehicle,use great caution in applying thebrake.
Driving your vehicle
6-30

Disc brakes wear indicator
Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn andnew pads are required, you will hear a
high-pitched warning sound from your
front brakes or rear brakes. You may hear this sound come and go or it may
occur whenever you depress the brake
pedal.
Please remember that some driving conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with
your brakes.
CAUTION
•To avoid costly brake repairs, donot continue to drive with wornbrake pads.
•Always replace the front or rearbrake pads as pairs.
WARNING
nBrake wear
(Continued)
(Continued)
This brake wear warning soundmeans your vehicle needs service. Ifyou ignore this audible warning, youwill eventually lose braking perform‐ance, which could lead to a seriousaccident.
Rear drum brakes (if equipped)
Your rear drum brakes do not have
wear indicators. Therefore, have the rear brake linings inspected if you hear
a rear brake rubbing noise. Also have
your rear brakes inspected each time you change or rotate your tires and
when you have the front brakes re‐
placed.
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then pull up the
parking brake lever as far as possible.
In addition it is recommended that when parking the vehicle on a incline,
the shift lever should be in a low gear
on manual transaxle vehicles or in the P (Park) position on automatic transaxle
vehicles.
6-31
6
Driving your vehicle

• Under some conditions your parkingbrake 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 that the parking brake
may freeze, apply it only temporarily while you put the shift lever in P (au‐
tomatic transaxle) or in first or re‐
verse gear (manual transaxle) and
block the rear wheels so the vehicle
cannot roll. Then release the parking brake.
• Do not hold the vehicle on the up‐ grade with the accelerator pedal. This
can cause the transaxle to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or park‐ ing brake.WARNING
•To prevent unintentional move‐ment when stopped and leavingthe vehicle, do not use the gear‐shift lever in place of the parkingbrake. Set the parking brake ANDmake sure the gearshift lever issecurely positioned in P (Park) forautomatic transaxle equipped ve‐hicles.
•Never allow anyone who is unfa‐miliar with the vehicle to touch theparking brake. If the parking brakeis released unintentionally, seriousinjury may occur.
•All vehicles should always have theparking brake fully engaged whenparking to avoid inadvertentmovement of the vehicle whichcan injure occupants or pedes‐trians.
8 , 5 '
Check the brake warning light by turn‐
ing the ignition switch ON (do not start the engine). This light will be illumina‐
ted when the parking brake is applied
with the ignition switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on after the parking brake is released
while engine is running, there may be a
malfunction in the brake system. Im‐ mediate attention is necessary.
6-33
6
Driving your vehicle

If at all possible, cease driving the vehi‐
cle immediately. If that is not possible, use extreme caution while operating
the vehicle and only continue to drive
the vehicle until you can reach a safe location or repair shop.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) (if
equipped)
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci‐dents due to improper or dangerousdriving maneuvers. Even though ve‐hicle control is improved duringemergency braking, always maintaina safe distance between you and ob‐jects ahead. Vehicle speeds shouldalways be reduced during extremeroad conditions.The braking distance for cars equip‐ped with an anti-lock braking sys‐tem (or Electronic Stability Controlsystem) may be longer than forthose without it in the followingroad conditions.During these conditions the vehicleshould be driven at reduced speeds:
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Rough, gravel or snow-coveredroads.
•With tire chains installed.
•On roads where the road surface ispitted or has different surfaceheight.
The safety features of an ABS (orESC) equipped vehicle should not betested by high speed driving or cor‐nering. This could endanger thesafety of yourself or others.
The ABS continuously senses the speed
of the wheels. If the wheels are going to lock, the ABS system repeatedly
modulates the hydraulic brake pressure
to the wheels.
When you apply your brakes under conditions which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a L