NEUTRAL (N)
Use this range when the vehicle is standing for
prolonged periods with the engine running. Ap-
ply the parking brake and shift the transmission
into PARK if you must leave the vehicle.
WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never turn off
the ignition to coast down a hill. These are
unsafe practices that limit your response to
changing traffic or road conditions. You might
lose control of the vehicle and have a collision.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for
any other reason with the transmission in
NEUTRAL can cause severe transmission
damage. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” and “Towing A Dis-
abled Vehicle” in “What To Do In Emergen-
cies” for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and
highway driving. It provides the smoothest up-
shifts and downshifts, and the best fuel
economy. The transmission automatically up-
shifts through all forward gears. The DRIVE
position provides optimum driving characteris-
tics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs
(such as when operating the vehicle under
heavy loading conditions, in hilly terrain, travel-
ing into strong head winds, or while towing a
heavy trailer), use the AutoStick shift control
(refer to “AutoStick” in this section for further
information) to select a lower gear. Under these
conditions, using a lower gear will improve
performance and extend transmission life by
reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
During extremely cold temperatures (-22°F
[-30°C] or below), transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmis-
sion temperature as well as vehicle speed.
Normal operation will resume once the trans-
mission temperature has risen to a suitable
level.
MANUAL (M)
The MANUAL (M, +/-) position (beside the DRIVE
position) enables full manual control of transmis-
sion shifting (also known asAutoStick mode; refer
to “AutoStick” in this section for further informa-
tion). Toggling the gear selector forward (-) or
rearward (+) while in the MANUAL (AutoStick)
position will manually select the transmission
gear, and will display the current gear in the
instrument cluster as M1, M2, M3, etc.
Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electroni-
cally for abnormal conditions. If a condition is
detected that could result in transmission dam-
age, Transmission Limp Home Mode is acti-
vated. In this mode, the transmission may op-
erate only in certain gears, or may not shift at
all. Vehicle performance may be severely de-
graded and the engine may stall. In some
situations, the transmission may not re-engage
if the engine is turned off and restarted. The
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) may be illumi-
nated. A message in the instrument cluster will
inform the driver of the more serious conditions,
and indicate what actions may be necessary.
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