Driving Your Vehicle
6-50
WARNING
Do not drive across the contour of steep
hills. A slight change in the wheel angle
can destabilize the vehicle, or a stable
vehicle may lose stability if the vehicle
stops its forward motion. Your vehicle
may roll over and lead to a serious injury
or death.
Driving through water
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Try to avoid driving in deep standing
water. It may stall your engine and
clog your exhaust pipes.
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If you need to drive in water, stop
your vehicle, set the vehicle in AWD
LOCK mode and drive under 5 mph (8
km/h).
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Do not change gear while driving in
water.
CAUTION
Always drive slowly in water. If you
drive too fast, water may get into the
engine compartment and wet the
ignition system causing your vehicle to
suddenly stop.
Additional driving conditions
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Become familiar with the off-road
conditions before driving.
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Always pay attention when driving off-
road and avoid dangerous areas.
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Drive slowly when driving in heavy
wind.
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Reduce vehicle speed when
cornering. The center of gravity
of AWD vehicles is higher than
conventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when you
rapidly turn corners.
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Always hold the steering wheel firmly
when you are driving off-road.
WARNING
Do not grab the inside of the steering
wheel when you are driving off-road.
You may hurt your arm by a sudden
steering maneuver or from steering
wheel rebound due to an impact with
objects on the ground. You could lose
control of the steering wheel which may
lead to serious injury or death.
Emergency Precautions
Tires
When replacing tires, be sure to equip
all four tires with the same size, type,
tread patterns, brand and load-carrying
capacity.
WARNING
Do not use tire and wheel with different
size and type from the one originally
installed on your vehicle. It can affect
the safety and performance of your
vehicle, which could lead to steering
failure or rollover causing serious injury.
In an emergency situation, a compact
spare tire (if equipped) or Tire Mobility
Kit (if equipped) may be used. But,
do not use the compact spare tire
continuously. Repair or replace the
original tire as soon as possible to avoid
failure of the differential or AWD system.