2020 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK Owner's Manual (in English)

455
uuWhen Driving uPrecautions While Driving
Driving
Precautions While Driving
Avoid driving in deep water and on flooded roads. This can damage the engine or
driveline, or cause electrical component failure.
If there is a strong impact with something under the vehicle, stop in a safe location.
Check the underside of the vehicle for damage or any fluid leaks.
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
■In Rain
■Other Precautions
1 Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
Do not operate the shift lever while pressing the
accelerator pedal. You could damage the
transmission.
NOTICE
If you repeatedly turn the steering wheel at an
extremely low speed, or hold the steering wheel in
the full left or right position for a while, the electric
power steering (EPS) system heats up. The system
goes into a protective mode, and limits its
performance. The steering wheel becomes harder
and harder to operate. Once the system cools down,
the EPS system is restored.
Repeated operation under these conditions can
eventually damage the system.
If the ignition switch is turned to ACCESSORY
( q*1
while driving, the engine will shut down and all
steering and brake power a ssist functions will stop,
making it difficult to control the vehicle.
Do not put the shift lever in
( N, as you will lose
engine braking (and acce leration) performance.
During the first 600 miles (1,000 km) of operation,
avoid sudden acceleration or full throttle operation so
as not to damage the engine or powertrain.
Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km).
You should also follow this when the brake pads are
replaced.
Continuously variable transmission models
* Not available on all models
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 455 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

456
uuWhen Driving uContinuously Variable Transmission*
Driving
Continuously Variable Transmission*
The engine runs at a higher id le speed and creeping increases.
Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed when stopped.
Quickly depressing the accelerator pedal while driving uphill may cause the
transmission to drop to a lower ratio, unexpectedly increasing vehicle speed.
Depress the accelerator pedal carefully, es pecially on slippery roads and curves.
■Creeping
■Kickdown
1Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
The following can dama ge the under spoiler:•Parking the vehicle by a parking block
•Parallel parking along the road shoulder
•Driving towards the bottom of a hill•Driving up or down to a different surface level
(such as a road shoulder)
•Driving on a rutted or bumpy road•Driving on a road with potholes
2.0 L engine models
* Not available on all models
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 456 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

457
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Shifting
Change the shift position in accordance with your driving needs.
■Shift lever positions
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
Continuously variable transmission models without paddle shifters
1 Shift lever positions
You cannot turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0*1
and remove the key unless the shift lever is in
( P.
The vehicle may move ve ry slightly even in
(N while
the engine is cold.
Depress the brake pe dal firmly and, when necessary,
apply the parking brake.
Reverse
Used when reversing
Drive
Used for normal driving
Park
Used when parking or starting the
engine
Neutral
Transmission is not locked
Release Button
Drive (S)
Used:
●For better acceleration●To increase engine braking●When going up or down hills
Low
●Used to further increase engine braking●Used when going up or down hills
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 457 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

uuWhen Driving uShifting
458
Driving
■Shift Lever Operation1Shift Lever Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift lever from (D to (R and
vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the
brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever be fore the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift lever positi on indicator to check the
lever position befo re pulling away.
Whichever position the shift lever is in when driving,
blinking transmission syst em indicator indicates a
transmission problem.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut of f if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tac hometer’s red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happe ns, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is held down.
Depress the brake pedal first.
Shift Lever Position
Indicator
Depress the brake pedal and press the shift lever release
button to shift.
Shift without pressing the shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever re lease button and shift.Tachometer’s
red zone
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 458 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日
　月曜日　午後２時５０分

459
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Shifting
Change the shift position in accordance with your driving needs.
■Shift lever positions
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
Continuously variable transmission models with paddle shifters
1 Shift lever positions
You cannot turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0*1
and remove the key unless the shift lever is in
( P.
The vehicle may move ve ry slightly even in
(N while
the engine is cold.
Depress the brake pe dal firmly and, when necessary,
apply the parking brake.
Reverse
Used when reversing
Drive
Used:
●For normal driving●When temporarily driving in the
7-speed manual shift mode
Park
Used when parking or starting the
engine
Neutral
Transmission is not locked
Release Button
Drive (S)
Used:
●For better acceleration●To increase engine braking●When going up or down hills●When driving in the 7-speed
manual shift mode
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 459 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

uuWhen Driving uShifting
460
Driving
■Shift Lever Operation1Shift Lever Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift lever from (D to (R and
vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the
brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever be fore the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift lever positi on indicator to check the
lever position befo re pulling away.
Whichever position the shift lever is in when driving,
blinking transmission syst em indicator indicates a
transmission problem.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut of f if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tac hometer’s red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happe ns, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is held down.
Depress the brake pedal first.
Shift Lever Position
Indicator
Depress the brake pedal and press the shift lever release
button to shift.
Shift without pressing the shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever re lease button and shift.Tachometer’s
red zone
M
(7-Speed Manual
Shift Mode) Indicator/
Shift Indicator
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 460 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

Continued461
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
Use the paddle shifters to change betw een 1st and 7th speeds without releasing
your hands from the steering wheel. The transmission switches to the 7-speed
manual shift mode when you pull a paddle shifter while driving. This mode is useful
when engine braking is needed.
■When the shift lever is in (D:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed ma nual shift mode temporarily, and the
number is displayed in the shift indicator.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is canceled automatically if you drive at constant
speed or accelerate, and the number in the shift indicator goes off.
You can cancel this mode by pulling the
(+ paddle shifter for a few seconds.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is especially useful when reducing the vehicle speed
temporarily before making a turn.
■When the shift lever is in (S:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed manual shift mode. The M indicator and the
speed number are displayed in the shift indicator. As the vehicle speed slows down,
the transmission automatically shifts down accordingly. When the vehicle comes to
a stop, it automatically shifts down into 1st.
If the vehicle speed increases and the engi ne speed reaches near the tachometer’s
red zone, the transmission automatically shifts up.
You can only pull away in 1st speed.
When canceling the 7-speed manual shift mode, move the shift lever from
(S to
(D. When the 7-speed manual sh ift mode is canceled, the M indicator and shift
indicator will turn off.
■7-Speed Manual Shift Mode1 7-Speed Manual Shift Mode
In the 7-speed manual shif t mode, the transmission
shifts up or down by operating either paddle shifter
under the following conditions:
Shift Up: The engine sp eed reaches the lowest
threshold of the hi gher speed position.
Shift Down: The engine sp eed reaches the highest
threshold of the lower speed position.
When the engine speed reaches near the
tachometer’s red zone, the transmission shifts up
automatically.
When the engine speed reaches the lowest threshold
of the selected speed positi on, the transmission shifts
down automatically.
Operating the paddle shifte rs on slippery surfaces
may cause the tires to lock up. In this case, the 7-
speed manual shift mode is canceled and goes back
to the normal D driving mode.
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 461 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分

uuWhen Driving uShifting
462
Driving
■7-Speed Manual Shift Mode Operation17-Speed Manual Shift Mode Operation
Each paddle shift operati on makes a single speed
change.
To change continuously, re lease the paddle shifter
before pulling it agai n for the next speed.
The shift indicator blinks when you cannot shift up or
down. It indicates that your vehicle speed is not in its
allowable shifting range.
Slightly accelerate to shift up and decelerate to shift
down while the indi cator is blinking.
(- Paddle Shifter
(Shift down)( + Paddle Shifter
(Shift up)
Downshifting when pulling
the
( - paddle shifter
(Changes to lower speed
number) Upshifting when pulling
the (
+ paddle shifter
(Changes to higher speed
number)
20 CIVIC 5D HUM (KA KC KL)-31TGG6310.book 462 ページ ２０１９年１１月１１日 　月曜日　午後２時５０分