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:

    Ignition Transmission Lock Check
    While parked, and with the parking brake set, try to turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF in each shift lever position. • The ignition should turn to LOCK/OFF only when the shift lever is in P ( ...

    When Should an Airbag Inflate?
    Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crashes to help reduce the potential for severe injuries, mainly to the driver's or front outboard passe ...

    Battery Voltage and Charging Messages
    BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE This message displays when the vehicle has detected that the battery voltage is dropping beyond a reasonable point. The battery saver system starts reducing certain features ...