Driving tips

Kickdown

Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.

Vehicles for USA: fully depress the accelerator pedal.

The transmission shifts to a lower gear depending on the engine speed.

Vehicles for Canada: depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point.

The transmission shifts to a lower gear depending on the engine speed.

Rocking the vehicle free

Rocking the vehicle free by shifting back and forth between transmission positions D and R can help to free a vehicle that has become stuck in mud or snow. The engine management system of the vehicle limits shifting back and forth between transmission positions D and R to a maximum speed of 5 mph (9 km/h). To shift back and forth between transmission positions D and R, move the selector lever up and down beyond the pressure point.

Working on the vehicle

WARNING When working on the vehicle, engage the 
When working on the vehicle, engage the parking brake and shift the automatic transmission into park position P. Otherwise the vehicle could roll away which could result in an accident and/or serious personal injury.

Trailer towing

When towing a trailer and driving downhill, shift to the lower gear if the automatic transmission constantly shifts between two gears.
Engaging a lower gear and reducing the speed reduces the risk of the engine overheating.

    See also:

    Brakes
    Important safety notes 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 ve ...

    Kilopascal (kPa)
    Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa is the equivalent of 1 psi. Another unit for tire pressure is bar. There are 100 kilopascals (kPa) to 1 bar. ...

    Changing gear
    The automatic transmission shifts to the individual gears automatically when it is in transmission position D. This automatic gearshifting behavior is determined by: • a shift range restriction, ...