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Driving your vehicle
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Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud or sand:
Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-
tance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in braking
or steering.
If stuck in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non-slip
material under the drive wheels to
provide traction when stalled in ice,
snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1st and R (Reverse,
for manual transaxle vehicle) or R
(Reverse) and a forward gear (for
automatic transaxle vehicle). Try to
avoid spinning the wheels, and do
not race the engine.
To prevent transaxle wear, wait until
the wheels stop spinning before
shifting gears. Release the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal while
the transaxle is in gear. Slowly spin-
ning the wheels in forward and
reverse directions causes a rocking
motion that may free the vehicle.
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING
If the vehicle is stuck and
excessive wheel spin occurs,
the temperature in the tires can
increase very quickly. If the tires
become damaged, a tire blow
out or tire explosion can occur.
This condition is dangerous -
you and others may be injured.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle.
If you attempt to free the vehicle,
the vehicle can overheat quickly,
possibly causing an engine
compartment fire or other dam-
age. Try to avoid spinning the
wheels as much as possible to
prevent overheating of either the
tires or the engine. DO NOT
allow the vehicle to spin the
wheels above 35 mph (56 km/h).
WARNING