automatic transmission Acura TL 2009 Owner's Manual

Î
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: If equipped
Your Vehicle at a Glance
Your Vehicle at a Glance
3
COMPASS
AUXILIARY INPUT
JACK
DRIVER’S FRONT AIRBAG
MIRROR CONTROLS
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
BUTTONS
POWER DOOR LOCK
MASTER SWITCH
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
TRUNK RELEASE
BUTTON
FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE BUTTON
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE ACCESSORY POWER
SOCKETAUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSIONPASSENGER’S FRONT
AIRBAG
HAZARD WARNING
BUTTON
AUDIO
CLOCK
CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM
ACCESSORY POWER
SOCKET
INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS
GAUGES
MULTI-INFORMATION DISPLAY
MOONROOF SWITCH
(P.63)
(P.75) (P.77)
(P.9,26)
(P.162)
(P.164)
(P.146) (P.195)
(P.148)
(P.487)
(P.489) USB ADAPTER CABLE
(P.256,266,347,358) (P.375)
(P.204)
HOMELINK
BUTTONS
(P.389) (P.199)
(P.9,26)
(P.139)(P.223)(P.377) (P.382)
(P.204) (P.507)
(P.214)
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2009 TL

Î
Î
: If equipped
Control L ocations
62
CLOCK
COMPASS
GAUGES
MULTI-INFORMATION DISPLAY
MIRROR CONTROLS
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
BUTTONS
POWER DOOR LOCK
MASTER SWITCH
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
TRUNK RELEASE
BUTTON
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE
BUTTON
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS
HOMELINK
BUTTONSMOONROOF SWITCH
HAZARD WARNING
BUTTON
(P.63)
(P.75)
(P.77)
(P.162)
(P.164)
(P.146) (P.195)
(P.148)
(P.487)
(P.489) (P.507)
(P.204) (P.377)
(P.223)
(P.139)
(P.199)
(P.389)
AUDIO(P.382)
CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM
(P.214)
ACCESSORY POWER
SOCKET
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
SEAT HEATER SWITCHES
(P.193)
USB ADAPTER CABLE
(P.256,266,347,358) ACCESSORY POWER
SOCKET
(P.204) AUXILIARY INPUT JACK
(P.375)
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2009 TL

Cruise control allows you to maintain
asetspeedabove25mph(40km/h)
without keeping your f oot on the
accelerator pedal. It should be used
f or cruising on straight, open
highways. It is not recommended f or
city driving, winding roads, slippery
roads, heavy rain, or bad weather.When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshifttoholdthesetspeed.
Push in the CRUISE button on the
steering wheel. The CRUISE
MAIN indicator on the instrument
panel will come on. Press and release the SET/
DECELbuttononthesteering
wheel. The CRUISE CONTROL
indicator on the instrument panel
comes on to show the system is
now activated.
Cruise control may not hold the set
speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your vehicle speed
increases going down a hill, use the
brakes to slow down. This will cancel
thecruisecontrol.Toresumetheset
speed, press the RES/ACCEL button.
The CRUISE CONTROL indicator
on the instrument panel will come
back on.
Thecruisecontrolsystemcanbe
lefton,evenwhenitisnotinuse.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speedabove25mph(40km/h).
1.
2. 3.
Using the Cruise Control
Cruise Control
386
RES/ACCEL
BUTTON
SET/DECEL
BUTTON
CRUISE BUTTON
CANCEL BUTTON
Improper use of the cruise
control can lead to a crash.
Use the cruise control only
when traveling on open
highways in good weather.
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2009 TL

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Super Handling-All
Wheel Drive (SH-AWD
)system,
vehicle stability assist (VSA
), aka
electronic stability control (ESC),
system and the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS). ........................
Preparing to Drive .502
Starting the Engine (Models without Keyless .....................
Access System) .503
Starting the Engine (Models with Keyless .....................
Access System) .505
..............
Automatic Transmission .507
Driving with the Paddle
.......................................
Shif ters .512
Super Handling-All Wheel ...
Drive (SH-AWD
) System .517
...........................................
Parking .519
.............................
Braking System .520
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .521
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
),
aka Electronic Stability ........
Control (ESC), System .523
Tire Pressure Monitoring ........................
System (TPMS) .526
...........................
Towing a Trailer .531
...................
Towing Your Vehicle .531
Driving
Driving
501
TM
TM
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2009 TL

Î
Î
CONT INUED
These indicators between the
tachometer and speedometer show
which position the shif t lever is in.Using a paddle shif t mode, the gear
position indicator shows you the
selected gear number (see page
).
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it f lashes while driving (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission. Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For
more inf ormation, see pages
and .
If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem with the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
When the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
512 :
180
178
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Automatic Transmission
Driving
507
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR on
PADDLE SHIFT MODE
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2009 TL

µ
Î
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This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
buttononthefrontof theshiftlever
to move it.
To shif t f rom Park to any position,
pressfirmlyonthebrakepedal,and
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shift lever, then move the
lever. You cannot shift out of Park
when the ignition switch is in the
LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position. Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. VEHICLE
OFF (LOCK) Mode is the
equivalent of LOCK (0) and
ACCESSORY Mode is the
equivalent of ACCESSORY (I).
For more inf ormation, see pages
and .
178180
:
Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
press the shift lever release
button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR DtoS
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoNShif ting
Park (P)
Automatic Transmission
508
RELEASE BUTTON
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2009 TL

µ
µ µ
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page . Press the brake
pedal and press the release button
on the f ront of the shif t lever to shif t
f rom Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear. Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shifting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster.
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park.
TheshiftlevermustbeinPark
bef ore you can remove the key f rom
the ignition switch.
TheshiftlevermustbeinPark
bef ore you change the power mode
f rom ON to VEHICLE OFF (LOCK). 510
CONT INUED
On models with keyless access system
On models without keyless access
system
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N) Drive (D)
Driving
509
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2009 TL

µTo shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. This position is similar
to D, except only gears f rom f irst to
f ourth are selected. The S position
keeps the transmission f rom cycling
between fourth and fifth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
canalsousethepaddleshiftersto
shif t the transmission up or down.
With the paddle shifters, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal. For more inf ormation
on driving with the paddle shif ters,
see page . If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
Set the parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Remove the built-in key from the
keyless access remote (see page ).
1.
2.
514 192
On models without keyless access
system
On models with keyless accesssystem
S Position (S) Shif t L ock Release
Engine Speed L imiter
Automatic Transmission
510
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2009 TL

Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover. Use a small
f lat-tipped screwdriver or metal
f ingernail f ile to caref ully pry up
the edge of the cover and remove
it f rom the slot.Insert a key or built-in key in the
shif t lock release slot.
Push down on the key or built-in
key while you press the release
buttonontheshiftleverandmove
the shift lever out of Park to
neutral.Remove the key or built-in key
from the shift lock release slot,
then reinstall the cover. Make
sure the notch on the cover is on
the rear side. Press the brake
pedal, and restart the engine.
If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
3. 6.
5.
4.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
511
COVER SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOT
Vehicle without keyless access system
is shown.
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2009 TL

´
The transmission control system
monitors the accelerator pedal use
and your driving conditions. When
you press the accelerator pedal as in
normal driving, the system judges
that you are driving at a constant
cruising speed without using the
paddle shif ters. Under these
conditions, D-paddle shif t mode is
canceled, and the transmission
automatically returns to drive mode
(D).
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed rises above the lower limit
of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.
If there is a problem in the
transmission while you are driving
with the paddle shifters, the D
indicator f lashes, the D-paddle shif t
mode is canceled, and the
transmission returns to drive mode
(D).
Each time you pull either paddle
shif ter, the transmission shif ts one
gear up or down. If you want to shif t
up or down more than two gears, pull
the paddle shif ter twice, pause, and
then pull it again.
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shif t up or down if :
You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed f alls below the upper limit of
the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear
position indicator will f lash the
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to a higher gear.
Hold the paddle shifter for 2
seconds to return to drive mode (D).
When the transmission returns to
drive mode (D), the displayed gear
number disappears.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear if you do not accelerate. The transmission downshif ts to f irst
gear and returns to drive mode (D)
when the vehicle comes to a
complete stop or the vehicle speed is
about 9 mph (15 km/h).
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
513
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2009 TL