Transmission shifting
Manual Transmission
NOTE: The parking brake should be engaged and the shift lever placed in REVERSE before leaving the vehicle, especially on an incline. To place the transmission in REVERSE, lift up on the shift lever knob, push it to the left and pull it back. Fully depress the clutch pedal before you shift gears. As you release the clutch pedal, lightly depress the accelera- tor pedal. Be sure the transmission is in FIRST gear, (not THIRD), when starting from a stopped position. Damage to the clutch can result from starting in THIRD.
NOTE: If there is a need to restart your engine, you must recycle your ignition switch to the OFF position before restarting the engine. For most city driving, you will find it easier to use only the lower gears. For steady highway driving with light accelerations, sixth gear is recommended.
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Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal, or try to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch pedal partially engaged. This will cause abnormal wear on the clutch. Never shift into REVERSE until the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
NOTE: During cold weather, until the transmission lubricant has warmed, you may have difficulty shifting. This is normal and not harmful to the transmission.
Recommended Shift Speeds
To use your manual transmission for both fuel economy and performance, it should be upshifted as shown in the chart. Shift at the vehicle speeds listed for acceleration. Earlier upshifts during cruise conditions (relatively steady speeds) will result in increased fuel economy, and may be used as indicated. Higher upshift speeds may be used to obtain a desired acceleration rate.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMMENDED SHIFT SPEEDS
1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 MPH 15 25 40 45 50
(km/h) (24) (40) (64) (72) (80)
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WARNING! When leaving the vehicle, always remove the key from the ignition switch, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Children could move the gearshift lever, which could result in an accident or serious injury.
WARNING! Skipping more than one gear while downshifting could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. You could have an accident.
CAUTION! If you skip more than one gear while downshifting or downshift at too high an engine speed, you could damage the engine, transmission, or clutch.
Automatic Transmission
The automatic transmission selects individual gears au- tomatically, dependent upon: • Shift lever position • Program mode selector switch • Accelerator position
• Vehicle speed The gear shifting process is continuously adapted, de- pendent on the driving style, the driving situation and the road characteristics. The shift lever is automatically locked while in the PARK position. To move the shift lever out of the PARK position, the brake pedal must be firmly depressed before the shift lock will release. Move the shift lever to the desired position only when the engine is idling normally and the brake pedal is applied. Do not release the brake until ready to drive. The vehicle may otherwise accelerate quickly when the shift lever is in DRIVE or REVERSE position.
NOTE: After selecting any driving position, wait a moment to allow the gear to fully engage before acceler- ating, especially when the engine is cold.
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WARNING! It is dangerous to shift the shift lever out of PARK or NEUTRAL if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit someone or something. Only shift into gear when the engine is idling normally and when your foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Stopping
For brief stops, leave the transmission in gear and hold the vehicle with the brake pedal. For longer stops with the engine idling, shift into the NEUTRAL or PARK position and hold the vehicle with the parking brake.
When stopping the vehicle uphill, do not hold it with the accelerator; use the brake. This avoids unnecessary trans- mission heat build-up.
Maneuvering
To maneuver in tight areas, control the vehicle speed by gradually releasing the brakes. Accelerate gently and never abruptly step on the accelerator. To rock a vehicle out of soft ground (mud or snow), alternately shift from FORWARD to REVERSE, while applying only slight acceleration. Rocking a vehicle free in this manner may cause the ABS or traction system malfunction indicator light to come on. Turn off the engine and restart the engine to clear the malfunction indication.
Park Position
The PARK position is to be used when parking the vehicle. Engage only with the vehicle stopped. The PARK position is not intended to serve as a brake when the vehicle is parked. Rather, the driver should always use the parking brake in addition to placing the shift lever in PARK to secure the vehicle.
NOTE: The key can be removed from the ignition switch only with the shift lever in the PARK position. With the key removed, the shift lever is locked in the PARK position.
With a malfunction in the vehicle’s electrical system, the shift lever could remain locked in the PARK position. To unlock the shift lever manually, insert the end of the multipurpose tool from the glove box (or ball point pen) into the covered opening below the position “D” of the shift pattern. While pushing the tool down, move the shift lever out of the PARK position. After removal of the tool from the opening, the cover will not close fully. Only after moving the selector lever to the “D+” and “D-” positions does the cover return to its closed position.
Reverse
Shift into REVERSE gear only when the vehicle is com- pletely stopped. Dependent on the program mode selector switch position Standard “S” and Winter/Wet “W” (snow and ice), the maximum speed in the REVERSE gear is different. How- ever, it is not possible to change the program mode while in REVERSE.
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the engine to the drive axle. When the brakes are released, the vehicle can be moved freely (pushed or towed). Do not engage in NEUTRAL position while driving except to coast when the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g., on icy roads).
NOTE: Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other reason with selector lever in NEUTRAL can result in transmission damage that is not covered by the Limited Warranty.
Drive
The transmission automatically upshifts through FIFTH gear. The DRIVE position provides optimum driving characteristics under all normal operating conditions.
AutoStickT Gear selection
The transmission gear can be selected by pressing the shift lever to the right or the left with the shift lever in the DRIVE position. The gear currently selected is indicated in the instrument cluster display. Briefly press shift lever in the “D-” direction. The transmission will shift from the current gear to the next lower gear. Shifting into another gear that allows for quicker acceleration or to slow the vehicle down is possible. Downshifts can also be per- formed.
Press and hold the shift lever in the “D-” direction. The transmission will shift from the current gear directly to the best gear for acceleration.
NOTE: To avoid over-revving the engine when the shift lever is moved in “D-” direction, the transmission will not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s revolutions per minute limit would be exceeded. Briefly press the shift lever in the “D+” direction. The transmission will shift from the current gear to the next higher gear. Press and hold the shift lever in the “D+” direction. The transmission will shift from the current gear directly to gear “D.”
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WARNING! On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehi- cle’s ABS will not prevent this type of loss of control. You could lose control of your vehicle and have an accident.
NOTE: With transmission in gear “D,” “4,” or “3,” upshifting from FIRST to SECOND to THIRD gear may be delayed, depending on vehicle speed and engine temperature. This allows the catalytic converter to heat up more quickly to operating temperatures. The delayed upshift is effective with vehicle speeds below 31 mph (50 km/h) at partial throttle and engine temperatures below 95°F (35°C). To prevent the engine from laboring at low RPM when driving uphill or with
your vehicle heavily loaded, the automatic transmission will downshift when necessary to maintain engine RPM within the best torque range.
Gear Ranges PARK NOTE: If the key is in the ON/RUN position, you must press the brake pedal to shift out of the PARK position. PARK supplements the parking brake by locking the transmission. The engine can be started in this range. Never attempt to use PARK while the vehicle is in motion. Apply the parking brake when leaving the vehicle in this range.
REVERSE
Shift into this range only after the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
NEUTRAL
The engine may be started in this range. Use this range for starting your vehicle if it is moving or being towed.
OVERDRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down- shifts and best fuel economy.
Program mode selector switch
The transmission is provided with a selector switch for Standard “S” and Winter/Wet “W” (snow and ice) pro- gram modes. For standard mode, press the “S” symbol on the switch.
Use this mode for all regular driving. The vehicle starts out in FIRST gear. Depressing the accelerator pedal rapidly or nearly to the floor while driving (kick-down position), rather than depressing the accelerator pedal in slow, small move- ments, will cause the automatic transmission to shift
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down into a lower gear. Rapid release of the accelerator pedal will normally result in an upshift. This gear shift- ing process is dependent on the current vehicle speed. For Winter/Wet (snow and ice) mode, press the “W” symbol on the switch. The vehicle starts out in SECOND gear, unless FIRST gear has been selected, or the accel- erator pedal is in the kick-down position. The “W” mode helps to improve traction and driving stability of the vehicle. The gear shifting process occurs at lower vehicle and engine speeds than in the “S” program mode.
CAUTION! Never change the program mode when the selector lever is out of the PARK position. It could result in a change of driving characteristics for which you may not be prepared.
Emergency Operation (Limp Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens, or the transmission no longer shifts, the transmission is most likely operating in Limp Home Mode which engages when there is a malfunction of the transmission. This condition may be accompanied by the CHECK ENGINE light in the instrument cluster coming on. In this mode only the SECOND gear or REVERSE gear can be activated. To engage SECOND gear or REVERSE: 1. Stop the vehicle. 2. Move the shift lever to the PARK position. 3. Turn off the engine. 4. Wait approximately 10 seconds. 5. Restart the engine.
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6. Move the shift lever to the DRIVE position (for SEC- OND gear), or move the shift lever to the REVERSE position (for REVERSE gear). Have the transmission checked at your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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