Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
& Driving tips
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to
hold your vehicle at a standstill on an
upgrade. Either of those actions may
cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the
shift lever. This may cause wear on the
transmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle
speed due to slow traffic, turning corners,
or driving up steep hills, downshift to a
lower gear before the engine starts to
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 5th, 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear
as necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you “ride” (over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock
when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or
rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This
phenomenon is not an indication of a
problem in your vehicle.
Continuously variable transmission
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. For some models, it also
has a manual mode or an “L” position.
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P” or “N”
position into the “D” or “R” position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to jump forward or backward.
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. Avoid shifting from one of the
forward driving positions into the
“R” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmission.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the “P” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the select
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE
CAUTION
. Shift into the “P” or “R” position
only after the vehicle is completely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
. Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the “N” or “P” position
when the brake is applied or
when chocks are used in the
wheels. This may cause the
transmission fluid to overheat.
. Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation
of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
. When driving a CVT model under
continuous heavy load conditions such
as when towing a camper or climbing a
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