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:

    Torque Lock
    Torque lock is when the weight of the vehicle puts too much force on the parking pawl in the transmission. This happens when parking on a hill and shifting the transmission into P (Park) is not do ...

    Engine Power Messages
    ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED This message displays when the vehicle's engine power is reduced. Reduced engine power can affect the vehicle's ability to accelerate. If this message is on, but there i ...

    Key and Lock Messages
    REPLACE BATTERY IN REMOTE KEY This message displays when the battery in the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter needs to be replaced. ...