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uuWhen Driving uAutomatic Transmission
Driving
Automatic Transmission
When the engine runs at higher idle  speeds, the creeping force 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 gear, unexpectedly increasing vehicle speed. Depress 
the accelerator pedal carefully, especi ally on slippery roads and curves.
■Creeping
■Kickdown 
     
        
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uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Shifting
Change the shift position in accordance with your driving needs.
■Shift button positions
1Shifting
To prevent malfunction an d unintended engagement:
•Do not spill any liquids on or around shift buttons.•Do not place or drop any objects on or around shift 
buttons.
•Do not let passengers or ch ildren operate the shift 
buttons.
The beeper sounds and the message appears on the 
multi-information display when you depress the 
accelerator pedal with the transmission in 
( N.
2 Multi-Information Display Warning and 
Information Messages  P. 96
Put the transmission into 
( D or (R with the brake 
pedal depressed.
3WARNING
The vehicle can roll aw ay if left unattended 
without confirming that Park is engaged.
A vehicle that rolls away could cause a crash 
resulting in seriou s injury or death.
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal 
until you have confirmed that 
( P is shown 
on the shift posi tion Indicator.
Park
Used when parking or starting the engine
Transmission is locked
Reverse
Used when reversing
Neutral
Transmission is not locked
Drive/S Position
Each time you press the   button, the mode 
switches between Drive and S position mode.
Used for:
●Normal driving (gears change between 1st 
and 9th automatically)
●Temporarily driving in the sequential mode
●Automatically changi ng gears between 1st 
and 8th (8th gear is used only at high speed)
●Driving in the sequential mode
D/S
Drive
S Position 
     
        
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uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■(P (parking) button
Park your vehicle in a safe place with the 
power mode in ON, then apply the brakes and 
press the 
(P button to put the transmission in 
Park.
The indicators on the sides of the 
(P button 
come on.
( P Button 
     
        
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Continued397
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■Shift Operation1Shift Operation
NOTICE
When you change (D to (R and vice versa, depress 
the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, then 
select the intended shift  position while maintaining 
brake pressure.
Use the shift position indi cator and the shift button 
indicator to check the shift  position before selecting a 
shift button.
If the indicator of the currently selected shift position, 
or all the shift position  indicators are blinking 
simultaneously, there is a problem with the 
transmission.
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.
When the engine speed is increased while the 
transmission is in 
( N, (P or (R, the fuel supply may 
be cut off even without  the engine speed entering 
the tachometer’s red zone.
When shifting positions in extremely low 
temperatures (-22°F/-30°C), there may be a short 
delay before the shift posit ion is indicated in the 
display. Always confirm y ou are in the correct shift 
position before driving.
Shift Position Indicator 
(Transmission System Indicator) Tachometer’s Red Zone
Press the 
(P button.
Pull back the ( R button.
Press the 
( N button.
Press the   button.
Each time you press the button, 
the mode switches between Drive 
and S Position mode.
D/S
Shift Button 
Indicator M
 (sequential mode) Indicator
Sequential Mode Gear Selection 
Indicator 
     
        
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uuWhen Driving uShifting
398
Driving
In freezing or sub-freezing conditions, the shift selection response may be slow.
Always depress the brake pedal befo re putting the transmission into 
(P, and 
confirm that 
(P is shown on the shift position  indicator before releasing the brake.
■When opening the driver’s door
If you open the driver’s door under the following conditions, the transmission 
automatically changes to 
(P.
• The vehicle is stationary with the engine running, or moving at 1 mph (2 km/h) or 
slower.
• The transmission is in other than 
(P.
• You have unfastened the driver side seat belt.
u If you manually put the transmissio n into any other position from 
(P with the 
brake pedal depressed, the transmission  will automatically return to 
(P once 
you release the brake pedal.
■When turning o ff the power mode
If you turn the engine off while the vehicl e is stationary, and the transmission is in 
other than 
(P, the transmission automatically changes to (P.
1 Shift Operation
The beeper sounds once when you change to 
(R.
2 Customized Features  P. 298
1When opening the driver’s door
While the system is designed to automatically change 
the transmission to 
(P under the described 
conditions, in the interest  of safety you should always 
select 
( P before opening the driver’s door.
Make sure to park the vehicle in a safe place. 2 When Stopped  P. 472
If you want to drive the ve hicle after the transmission 
has automatically changed to 
( P under the described 
conditions, close the door,  fasten the seat belt, 
depress the brake pedal,  then change the shift 
position.
If you leave the vehicle, tu rn off the engine and lock 
the doors. 
     
        
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![HONDA RIDGELINE 2021  Owners Manual (in English) Continued399
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■If you want to keep the transmission in (N position [car wash mode]
With the engine running:
1. Press and hold the brake pedal.
2. Select 
(N, then rel HONDA RIDGELINE 2021  Owners Manual (in English) Continued399
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■If you want to keep the transmission in (N position [car wash mode]
With the engine running:
1. Press and hold the brake pedal.
2. Select 
(N, then rel](/manual-img/13/34452/w960_34452-399.png)
Continued399
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■If you want to keep the transmission in (N position [car wash mode]
With the engine running:
1. Press and hold the brake pedal.
2. Select 
(N, then release the button to display (Neutral) (N hold mode on the 
multi-information display.
3. Press and hold 
(N again for two seconds.
u This puts the vehicle in car wash mode which must be used when your vehicle 
is pulled through a conveyor type automatic car wash where you or an 
attendant do not remain in the vehicle.
If the ENGINE STOP/START button is pressed 
after car wash mode has been activated, the 
power mode will change to ACCESSORY and a 
message will be displayed on the multi-
information display. u For 15 minutes the transmission remains 
in 
(N with the power mode in 
ACCESSORY. After that, the 
transmission automatically changes to 
(P and the power mode changes to OFF.
u Manually changing to 
(P cancels 
ACCESSORY mode. The 
(P indicator 
comes on and the power mode changes 
to OFF. You must always put the 
transmission into 
(P when car wash 
mode is no longer needed.
1If you want to keep the transmission in ( N position [car wash mode]
Note that the transmiss ion may not stay in (N 
position while any of the  following indicators is on:
•Transmission system indicator.
•Malfunction indicator lamp.•Charging system indicator. 
     
        
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uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
■Restrictions on selecting a shift position
You cannot select a shift position under certain circumstances that may lead to a crash.
When the 
transmission is in:1. Under these circumstances2. If you try to change to the 
following:3. The shif t position 
remains in/changes to:How to change the 
shift position
(P
The brake pedal is not 
depressed.
Other shift position
(P
Release the accelerator 
pedal and depress the 
brake pedal.
The accelerator pedal is 
depressed.
(N
The vehicle is moving at low 
speed without the brake pedal 
depressed.
(N
The vehicle is moving at low 
speed with the accelerator 
pedal depressed.
(N, (D or (SThe vehicle is moving forward.(RStop your vehicle in a 
safe place, keep the 
brake pedal pressed, 
and select the 
appropriate shift 
position.
(R or (NThe vehicle is moving backward.(D, (S
(R, (N, (D or (SThe vehicle is moving.(P 
     
        
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uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Use the paddle shifters to change betwee n 1st and 9th gears without removing your 
hands from the steering wheel. The transmission will switch to the sequential mode.
■When the transmi ssion is in (D:
The vehicle will go into th e sequential mode momentarily, and the sequential mode 
gear selection indicator will come on.
Once you start traveling at a constant speed , the sequential mode will automatically 
switch off, and the sequential mode gear selection indicator will go off.
Hold the 
(+ paddle shifter for two seconds or  push   button to return to normal 
drive.
■When the transmi ssion is in (S:
The vehicle will go into th e sequential mode, and the  M (sequential mode) indicator 
and sequential mode gear selection indicator will come on.
If the vehicle speed increases and the engi ne speed reaches near the tachometer’s 
red zone, the transmission automatically shifts up to the next gear.
You can cancel this mode by holding the 
(+ paddle shifter for two seconds or push 
 button. When the sequenti al mode is canceled, the M (sequential mode) 
indicator and sequential mode gear selection indicator go off.
■Sequential Mode
D/S
D/S