2023 HONDA RIDGELINE Owners Manual

391
uuWhen Driving uStarting the Engine
Driving
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal, then press the ENGINE START/STOP button.
2. Keeping your right foot on the brake pedal, release the parking brake. Check that
the parking brake indicator has gone off.
2 Parking Brake P. 468
3.Put the transmission into (D. Select (R when reversing.
4. Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the accelerator pedal to pull
away.
■Hill start assist system
Hill start assist keeps the brake engaged br iefly to help prevent the vehicle from
rolling on inclines as you move your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator.
Put the transmission into
(D, or (S when facing uphill, or ( R when facing downhill,
then release the brake pedal.
You can turn the engine off when the vehicle is completely stopped.
1. Put the transmission into
(P.
2. Press the ENGINE START/STOP button.
■Starting to Drive
■Stopping the Engine
1Starting to Drive
The engine stops when th e transmission is taken out
of
( P before the ENGINE START/STOP button is
pressed. Follow step 1 when starting to drive.
When the engine was started using the keyless remoteWhen the engine was started using the keyless remote
When the engine was started in any case
1 Hill start assist system
Hill start assist may not prevent the vehicle from
rolling downhill on a very st eep or slippery slope, and
will not operate on small inclines.
Hill start assist will operate even when VSA ® is
switched off.
Hill start assist is not a replacement for the parking
brake.

392
uuWhen Driving uPrecautions While Driving
Driving
Precautions While Driving
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
To prevent rollovers or loss of control:
• Take corners at slower speeds than yo u would with a passenger vehicle.
• Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers whenever possible.
• Do not modify your vehicle in any way that you would raise the center of gravity.
• Do not carry heavy cargo on the roof.
Never carry more than 165 lbs (75 kg) of cargo on the roof rack (Honda accessory).
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.
■Driving Guidelines for Your Utility Vehicle
■In Rain
■Other Precautions
1 Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
Do not select a shift button 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 restor ed. Repeated operation under
these conditions can eventually damage the system.
If the power mode is set to ACCESSORY while
driving, the engine will shut down and all steering
and brake power assist functi ons will stop, making it
difficult to control the vehicle.
Do not select
( N while driving as you will lose engine
braking (and accelera tion) 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)
after purchasing your new vehicle or replacing the
brake pads or rotors, to allow for proper break-in.

393
uuWhen Driving uPrecautions While Driving
Driving
1Driving Guidelines for Your Utility Vehicle
Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result
in a crash or a rollover. 2 Important Handling Information P. 34
2 Precautions While Driving P. 392

394
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

395
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

396
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

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

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. 299
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.