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Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel of driving a manual transaxle vehicle by allowing you to operate the selector lever manually. This allows you to control engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels much like a manual transaxle when more control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the lever from D to M.
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Changing to manual shift mode while driving will not damage the transaxle.
To return to automatic shift mode, shift the lever from M to D.
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If you change to manual shift mode when the vehicle is stopped, the gear will shift to M1.
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If you change to manual shift mode without depressing the accelerator pedal when driving in D range, 5th gear/6th gear, the gear will shift to M4/M5.
Indicators
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift position indication in the instrument panel illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear illuminates.
Type A
Type B
Type C
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If the gears cannot be shifted down when driving at higher speeds, the gear position indication will flash twice to signal that the gears cannot be shifted down (to protect the transaxle).
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If the automatic transaxle fluid (ATF) temperature becomes too high, there is the possibility that the transaxle will switch to automatic shift mode, cancelling manual shift mode and turning off the gear position indication illumination. This is a normal function to protect the AT. After the ATF temperature has decreased, the gear position indication illumination turns back on and driving in manual shift mode is restored.
Gear Shift Indicator (Some Models)
The gear shift indicator supports you to obtain optimum fuel economy and smooth driving. It displays the selected gear position in the instrument cluster as well as notifies the driver to change to the most suitable gear position corresponding to the actual driving condition.
|
Indication |
Condition |
|---|---|
|
Numeral |
The selected gear position is displayed. |
|
|
Shift up or down to the indicated gear position is recommended. |
and numeral
Do not rely solely on the shift-up/shift-down recommendations by indications. The actual driving situation might require shift operations different from indication. To avoid the risk of accidents, the road and traffic conditions have to be judged correctly by the driver before shifting.
The gear shift indicator turns off when the following operations are performed.
-
The vehicle is stopped.
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Manual shift mode is cancelled.
Manually shifting up
You can shift gears up by operating the shift lever or the steering shift switches (Some Models).
M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the shift lever back 
once.
Using steering shift switch (Some Models)
To shift up to a higher gear with the steering shift switches, pull the UP switch
(
) toward you once with your fingers.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel rim when using fingers on the steering shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of the steering wheel when using the steering shift switches is dangerous. If the driver's air bag were to deploy in a collision, your hands could be impacted causing injury.
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When driving slowly, the gears may not shift up.
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In manual shift mode, do not run the engine with the tachometer needle in the RED ZONE. When the engine rpm is high, a gear may shift up automatically to protect the engine.
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When depressing the accelerator fully, the transaxle will shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle speed.
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The steering shift switch can be used temporarily even if the selector lever is in the D position while driving. In addition, it returns to automatic shift mode when the UP switch (
) is pulled rearward for a sufficient amount of time.
Manually shifting down
You can shift gears down by operating the shift lever or the steering shift switches (Some Models).
M6 → M5 → M4 → M3 → M2→ M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the selector lever forward 
once.
Using steering shift switch (Some Models)
To shift down to a lower gear with the steering shift switches, pull the DOWN switch
toward you once with your fingers.
Do not use engine braking on slippery road surfaces or at high speeds:
Shifting down while driving on wet, snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving at high speeds causes sudden engine braking, which is dangerous. The sudden change in tyre speed could cause the tyres to skid. This could lead to loss of vehicle control and an accident.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel rim when using fingers on the steering shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of the steering wheel when using the steering shift switches is dangerous. If the driver's air bag were to deploy in a collision, your hands could be impacted causing injury.
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When driving at high speeds, the gear may not shift down.
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During deceleration, the gear may automatically shift down depending on vehicle speed.
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When depressing the accelerator fully, the transaxle will shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle speed.
Second gear fixed mode
When the selector lever is moved back while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h (6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set
in the second gear fixed mode. The gear is fixed in second while in this mode for
easier acceleration from a stop and driving on slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back or forward while in the second gear fixed mode, the mode will be cancelled.
Shift gear (shifting) speed limit
For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows: When the selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is shifted.
Shift up
The gear does not shift up while the vehicle speed is lower than the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear position indication flashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear fixed mode.
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during deceleration.
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fixed mode, the gear remains in second.