Driving your vehicle
18
5
• During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the
transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop
and it's hard to shift into 1 (First) or
R (Reverse), put the shift lever in
neutral position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) gear position.
CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch
wear and damage, do not
drive with your foot resting on
the clutch pedal. Also, don’t
use the clutch to hold the
vehicle stopped on an uphill
grade, while waiting for a traf-
fic light, etc.
• Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as
this can result in premature
wear of the transaxle shift
forks.
• To prevent possible damage
to the clutch system, do not
start with the 2nd (second)
gear engaged except when
you start on a slippery road.
WARNING
• Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Then make sure the
transaxle is shifted into 1
(First) gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill
grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur if
these precautions are not fol-
lowed in the order identified.
• If your vehicle has a manual
transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may
move and cause a serious
accident when starting the
engine without depressing the
clutch pedal while the parking
brake is released and the shift
lever not in the neutral posi-
tion.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
