
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions: • Drive cautiously and allow extra dis‐ tance for braking.
• Avoid sudden braking or steering.
• When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with a light up-
and-down motion until the vehicle is stopped.
WARNING
nABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on avehicle equipped with ABS.
• If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
• Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
WARNING
nDownshifting
Downshifting with an automatictransaxle, while driving on slipperysurfaces can cause an accident. Thesudden change in tire speed couldcause the tires to skid. Be carefulwhen downshifting on slippery sur‐faces.
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 be‐ tween 1st (First) and R (Reverse) in ve‐
hicles equipped with a manual transaxle
or R (Reverse) and any forward gear in
vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle. Do not race the engine, and
spin the wheels as little as possible. If
you are still stuck after a few tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a tow ve‐
hicle to avoid engine overheating and
possible damage to the transaxle.
CAUTION
Prolonged rocking may cause engineover-heating, transaxle damage orfailure, and tire damage.
WARNING
nSpinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially atspeeds more than 56 km/h (35mph). Spinning the wheels at highspeeds when the vehicle is station‐ary could cause a tire to overheatwhich could result in tire damagethat may injure bystanders.
NOTICE
The ESC system (if equipped) should
be turned OFF prior to rocking the
vehicle.
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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.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in cor‐
ners, especially when roads are wet. Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration. If you follow
these suggestions, tire wear will be held to a minimum.
Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here are some important tips to re‐
member: • Slow down and keep more distance between you and other vehicles, 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 headlights.
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Driving your vehicle

• Keep your headlights clean and prop‐erly aimed on vehicles not equipped
with the automatic headlight 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 pre‐ pared for the slick pavement. Here are
a few things to consider when driving in
the rain: • A heavy rainfall will make it harder to see and will increase the distanceneeded to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
• Keep your windshield wiping equip‐ ment 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 condition,
making a quick stop on wet pave‐
ment 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 op‐
eration returns.Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas un‐
less 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 several
times while the vehicle is moving slow‐ ly.
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Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow
the manufacturer’s recommendation
for attaching safety chains. Always leave just enough slack so you can turn
with your trailer. And, never allow safe‐
ty chains drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking
system, make sure it conforms to your
country’s regulations and that it is properly installed and operating cor‐
rectly.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trailer brakes loaded, then it needs its own
brakes and they must be adequate. Be
sure to read and follow the instructions for the trailer brakes so you’ll be able
to install, adjust and maintain them
properly. • Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake system.
WARNING
nTrailer brakes
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Do not use a trailer with its ownbrakes unless you are absolutelycertain that you have properly setup the brake system. This is not atask for amateurs. Use an experi‐enced, competent trailer shop forthis work.
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out for the open road, you must get to
know your trailer. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the vehi‐
cle you are driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly so responsive as
your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical connector(s), lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the
brakes are working. This lets you check your electrical connection at the same
time. During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that the lights and trailer brakes are
still working.
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when driv‐ ing your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that re‐
quire heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And, because of the increased vehicle
length, you’ll need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trail‐ er to the left, just move your hand to
the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right. Al‐ ways back up slowly and, if possible,
have someone guide you.
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EMERGENCY STARTING
Connect cables in numerical order and
disconnect in reverse order.
Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if done
incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid harm to yourself or damage to your vehicle or
battery, follow the jump starting pro‐
cedures. If in doubt, we strongly rec‐ ommend that you have a competent
technician or towing service jump start
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Use only a 12-volt jumper system.You can damage a 12-volt startingmotor, ignition system, and otherelectrical parts beyond repair by useof a 24- volt power supply (eithertwo 12-volt batteries in series or a24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING
nBattery
Never attempt to check the electro‐lyte level of the battery as this maycause the battery to rupture or ex‐plode causing serious injury.
WARNING
nBattery
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•Keep all flames or sparks awayfrom the battery. The batteryproduces hydrogen gas which mayexplode if exposed to flame orsparks.If these instructions are not fol‐lowed exactly, serious personal in‐jury and damage to the vehiclemay occur! If you are not sure howto follow this procedure, seekqualified assistance. Automobilebatteries contain sulfuric acid. Thisis poisonous and highly corrosive.When jump starting, wear protec‐tive glasses and be careful not toget acid on yourself, your clothingor on the vehicle.
•Do not attempt to jump start thevehicle if the discharged battery isfrozen or if the electrolyte level islow; the battery may rupture orexplode.
•Do not allow the (+) and (-) jumpercables to touch. It may causesparks.
•The battery may rupture or ex‐plode when you jump start with alow or frozen battery.
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What to do in an emergency