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 Oil Life System
    The engine oil life system calculates engine oil life based on vehicle use and displays the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON message when it is time to change the engine oil and filter. The oil life system sho ...

    Shifting Into Park (P)
    CAUTION: It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. If you have left the engine runni ...

    Driver Shift Control (DSC)
    Notice: Driving with the engine at a high rpm without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control (DSC), could damage the vehicle. Always upshift when necessary while using DSC. DSC allows ...