Page 370 of 680

Driving Your Vehicle
6-44
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
•	
Make sure all passengers are wearing  
seat belts.
•	 Sit upright and closer to the steering 
wheel than usual. Adjust the steering 
wheel to a position comfortable for 
you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy roads
•	Start off slowly by applying the  
accelerator pedal gently.
•	 Use snow tires or tire chains.
•	 Keep sufficient distance between your 
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
•	 Using regenerative braking helps the 
steering on the downhill. However, it 
may be difficult to adjust the vehicle 
while coasting using regenerative 
braking, so avoid using the third level 
of regenerative braking as much as possible.
•	 Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, 
sudden brake applications, and sharp 
turns to prevent skids.
•	 It is difficult to start again if the 
vehicle stops on an uphill road. Keep 
your distance from other vehicles and 
drive slowly.
 Information
When using Snow Tires, mount them on  
all four wheels. 
When using tire chains, install them on the  
rear tires. 
However, driving speed must be below 30  km/h and minimize the driving distance. 
High-speed or long-term driving with 
tire chains installed may malfunction or 
damage the AWD system.  
For more details on Snow Tires and Tire  
Chains, refer to "Winter Driving" section 
later in this chapter.
Driving in sand or mud
•	 Maintain slow and constant speed.
•	 Use tire chains driving in mud if  
necessary.
•	 Keep sufficient distance between your 
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
•	 Reduce vehicle speed and always 
check the road condition.
•	 Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, 
sudden brake applications, and sharp 
turns to prevent getting stuck.
NOTICE
When the vehicle is stuck in snow, sand  
or mud, place a nonslip material under 
the drive wheels to provide traction 
OR slowly spin the wheels in forward 
and reverse directions which causes 
a rocking motion that may free the 
vehicle.
Driving up or down hills
•	Driving uphill
 - Before starting off, check if it is  possible to drive uphill.
 - Drive as straight as possible.
•	 Driving downhill
 - Do not change gear while driving  downhill. Select gear before driving  
downhill.
 - Drive straight as possible.
 WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driving up or  
down steep hills. The vehicle may flip 
over depending on the grade, terrain, 
water and mud conditions. 
     
        
        Page 383 of 680

06
6-57
The severe weather conditions of winter  
quickly wear out tires and cause other 
problems. To minimize winter driving 
problems, you should take the following 
suggestions:
Snow or Icy Conditions
You need to keep sufficient distance  
between your vehicle and the vehicle in 
front of you. 
Apply the brakes gently. Speeding, rapid  
acceleration, sudden brake applications, 
and sharp turns are potentially very 
hazardous practices. Sudden brake 
applications on snowy or icy roads may 
cause the vehicle to skid. 
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it  
may be necessary to install tire chains on 
your tires. 
Always carry emergency equipment.  
Some of the items you may want to carry 
include tire chains, tow straps or chains, 
a flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a 
shovel, jumper cables, a window scraper, 
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, a blanket, 
etc.
Summer tires (if equipped) •	
Summer tires are used to maximize  
the driving performance on dry roads.
•	 If the temperature is below 7°C or 
you are driving on snowy or icy roads, 
the summer tires lose their brake 
performance and traction as the tire 
grip weakens significantly.
•	 If the temperature is below 7°C or 
you are driving on snowy or icy roads, 
mount snow tires or all-season tires 
of the same size with your vehicle’s 
standard tire for safe driving. Both 
snow and all-season tires have M+S markings.
•	 When using the M+S tires, use tires 
with the same tread produced by the 
same manufacturer for safe driving.
•	 When driving with the M+S tires with 
the lower maximum allowable speed 
than that of the vehicle’s standard 
summer tire, be careful not to exceed 
the speed allowed for the M+S tires.
Winter driving 
     
        
        Page 587 of 680

08
8-9
Low Tire Pressure  
Warning Light
Low Tire Pressure Position and 
Tire Pressure Telltale
ONE1081021L
When the tire pressure monitoring  
system warning indicators are 
illuminated and a warning message 
displayed on the cluster LCD display, 
one or more of your tires is significantly 
under-inflated. The Low Tire Pressure 
Position Telltale will indicate which 
tire is significantly underinflated by 
illuminating the corresponding position 
light. 
If either telltale illuminates, immediately  
reduce your speed, avoid hard cornering 
and anticipate increased stopping 
distances. You should stop and check 
your tires as soon as possible. Inflate the 
tires to the proper pressure as indicated 
on the vehicle’s placard or tire inflation 
pressure label located on the driver’s 
side center pillar outer panel. If you cannot reach a service station or 
if the tire cannot hold the newly added 
air, replace the low pressure tire with the 
spare tire. 
The Low Tire Pressure Telltale will remain  
on and the TPMS Malfunction Indicator 
may blink for one minute and then 
remain illuminated (when the vehicle 
is driven approximately 10 minutes at 
speed above 25 km/h (15.5 mph)) until 
you have the low pressure tire repaired 
and replaced on the vehicle.
 CAUTION
In winter or cold weather, the Low Tire  
Pressure Telltale may be illuminated if 
the tire pressure was adjusted to the 
recommended tire inflation pressure 
in warm weather. It does not mean 
your TPMS is malfunctioning because 
the decreased temperature leads to a 
proportional lowering of tire pressure. 
When you drive your vehicle from a  
warm area to a cold area or from a cold 
area to a warm area, or the outside 
temperature is greatly higher or lower, 
you should check the tire inflation 
pressure and adjust the tires to the 
recommended tire inflation pressure.
 WARNING
Low pressure damage 
Significantly low tire pressure makes  
the vehicle unstable and can contribute 
to loss of vehicle control and increased 
braking distances. 
Continued driving on low pressure tires  
can cause the tires to overheat and fail.