Driving your vehicle
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
✽ NOTICE
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
To avoid premature clutch wear and
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
damage, do not drive with your foot
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downshift before the engine starts to
resting on the clutch pedal. Also,
labor. Downshifting reduces the
don’t use the clutch to hold the vehi-
chance of stalling and gives better
cle stopped on an upgrade, while
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acceleration when you again need to
waiting for a traffic light, etc.
increase your speed. When the vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
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WARNING - Manual
downshifting helps maintain safe
transaxle
speed and prolongs brake life.
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Before leaving the driver’s seat,
1KMA3052
always set the parking brake
Manual transaxle operation
fully and shut the engine off.
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The manual transaxle has five for-
Then make sure the transaxle is
ward gears.
shifted into 1 st gear when the
Press the clutch pedal down fully
vehicle is parked on a level or
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while shifting, then release it slowly.
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
A special safety feature prevents
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Unexpected and sudden vehicle
inadvertent shifting from 5 (Fifth) to
movement can occur if these
R (Reverse). The gearshift lever must
precautions are not followed in
be returned to the neutral position
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the order identified.
before shifting into R (Reverse).
Make sure the vehicle is completely
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stopped before shifting into R
(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
4 5
English 
