Driving on Grades

Notice: Do not tow on steep continuous grades exceeding 6 miles (9.6 km). Extended, higher than normal engine and transmission temperatures may result and damage the vehicle. Frequent stops are very important to allow the engine and transmission to cool.

Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before starting down a long or steep downgrade. If the transmission is not shifted down, the brakes might have to be used so much that they would get hot and no longer work well.

On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce the vehicle’s speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of the engine and the transmission overheating. If the engine does overheat, see Engine Overheating.

    See also:

    Battery Run-Down Protection
    This feature helps prevent the battery from being drained, if the interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor vanity lamps or trunk lamp are accidentally left on. If any of these lamps are ...

    Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
    Warning lights and gages can signal that something is wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to the warning lights and gages could p ...

    Fuel Gauge
    When the ignition is on, the fuel gauge tells you about how much fuel you have left in your tank. An arrow on the fuel gauge indicates the side of the vehicle the fuel door is on. When the fue ...