Driving On Grades

Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you might have to use your brakes so much that they would get hot and no longer work well.

You can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or a lower gear, under heavy loads or hilly conditions.

When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades, consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the engine run while parked (preferably on level ground) with the automatic transmission in PARK (P) for a few minutes before turning the engine off. If you do get the overheat warning.

    See also:

    Engine Overheating
    The vehicle has several indicators to warn of engine overheating. You will find an engine coolant temperature gauge on the vehicle's instrument panel cluster. See Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . ...

    Engine Exhaust
    WARNING: Engine exhaust contains Carbon Monoxide (CO) which cannot be seen or smelled. Exposure to CO can cause unconsciousness and even death. Exhaust may enter the vehicle if: • The vehicle ...

    Braking
    Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is reaction time. Average driver reaction time is about thr ...