Acura TL 2014 Owner's Manual

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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 .
:
184 187
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 RtoN
CONT INUED
Shif ting
Park (P)
Automatic Transmission
Driving
495
RELEASE BUTTON
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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 the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
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.
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). Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 6 gear) to
keep the engine at the best speed f or
the driving conditions.
497
On models with keyless access system
On models without keyless access
system
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N) Drive (D)
Automatic Transmission
496
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µIf 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 ).
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 . The engine may cut in and out in R
position or depending on the road
condition, even when the engine
speed is lower than the tachometer’s
red zone. This is the engine’s
computer working to protect the
transmission.
To 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
fifth are selected. (When shifting up
automatically, the vehicle speed is
higher than when in the D position.)
The S position keeps the
transmission f rom cycling between
fourth, fifth and sixth gears in stop-
and-go driving. 1.
2.
501 201
CONT INUED
On models without keyless access
system
On models with keyless accesssystem
Shif t L ock Release
Engine Speed L imiter
S Position (S)
Automatic Transmission
Driving
497
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Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover to prevent
scratches. Use a small f lat-tip
screwdriver or metal f ingernail f ile
to caref ully pry up the edge of the
cover and remove it from 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
498
SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOT
Vehicle without keyless access system
is shown.
COVER
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WhenyouaredrivingintheD
position, you can shif t the
transmission up or down manually
with the paddle shifters.
Each time you pull (right), the
transmission shif ts to a higher gear.
Pull (lef t) to downshif t. You will
see the selected gear number on the
instrument panel.
To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
either side of the steering wheel. Downshifting with the paddle shifter
allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshif t the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
CONT INUED
Using the Paddle Shif ters in the
D position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (A utomatic Transmission Only)
Driving
499
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
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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).
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 reaches the highest
threshold 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.
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shif ters at
thesametime.When you depress the accelerator
pedal to the f loor, the transmission
will downshif t f rom second to f irst.
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). 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 6 mph (10 km/h).
You are trying to downshift from
second to f irst with the accelerator
pedal off.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (A utomatic Transmission Only)
500
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CONT INUED
With the shif t lever in the S position,
you can select the sequential shif t
mode to shif t gears; much like a
manual transmission using the
paddle shif ters, but without a clutch
pedal.
Shif ting between f irst and second
gears may occur automatically.
Downshif ting f rom second to f irst
with the accelerator pedal off is not
allowed. When you move the shif t lever f rom ‘‘D’’ to ‘‘S’’ and pull either paddle
shif ter, the gear position indicator
displays ‘‘M’’ along with the selected
gear number.
To upshift, pull the (right) paddle
shif ter. To downshif t, pull the
(lef t) paddle shif ter.
To enter the sequential shif t mode,
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shift lever, move the lever to
the S position, then pull either paddle
shif ter. To cancel the sequential shif t
mode and return to the ordinary
automatic transmission, move the
shif t lever f rom the S position. When
moving the shift lever, be careful not
to operate incorrectly. While you are
driving in the sequential shif t mode,
the transmission will not
automatically return to ordinary
automatic transmission.
Using the Paddle Shif ters in the S
position (Sequential Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (A utomatic Transmission Only)
Driving
501
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
‘‘M’’ INDICATOR
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The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shif t up or down if :If the vehicle speed decreases
below the redline of the selected
lowergearwhiletheindicatoris
f lashing, the transmission
downshif ts, and the indicator
displays the selected gear.
You upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shif ters at
thesametime. You downshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the highest
threshold 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.
Downshifting with the paddle shifter
allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshif t the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
When you accelerate f rom a stop,
the transmission starts in f irst gear,
and shif ts f rom f irst to second
automatically. You must manually
upshif t between second and sixth
gears. Make sure you upshif t bef ore
the engine speed reaches the
tachometer’s red zone.
The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(6,5,4,3,or2).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor.
When you are driving, the
transmission downshifts to the lower
gear under the f ollowing conditions:
The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.
You press the brake pedal.
The vehicle detects that you are
driving uphill or downhill. The transmission also shif ts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshif ts to f irst
gear when the vehicle speed reaches
6mph(10km/h)orless.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (A utomatic Transmission Only)
502
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When you are in sequential shif t
mode, and the vehicle is stopped,
pull the (right) paddle shifter to
shif t to second gear. You will see
‘‘M2’’ in the display. Starting in
second gear helps to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace. Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you good
f uel economy and ef f ective
emissions control. The f ollowing
shif t points are recommended:
Normal acceleration15 mph (24 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
40 mph (64 km/h)
45 mph (72 km/h)
50 mph (81 km/h)
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (A utomatic Transmission Only)
St art ing in Second Gear Recommended Shif t Point s
Driving
503
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The SH-AWD torque distribution
monitor on the multi-inf ormation
display shows you the amount of
torque being sent to the wheels.
Each wheel right f ront (RF), lef t
front(LF),rightrear(RR),andleft
rear (LR) has its own torque
indicator. Each torque indicator is displayed as
a bar graph divided into 5 segments.
The number of segments represents
the amount of torque distributed to
each wheel.
When there is only a slight change in
torque distribution while driving,
such as cruising on level roads at the
same speed, the torque distribution
monitor may stop displaying the
amount of torque. This is not a
system problem. The monitor will
show the amount if the system
senses any change in torque
distribution.
While the SH-AWD system helps to
enhance the vehicle’s driving
stability in all situations, it is still
your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety. The super handling-all wheel drive
(SH-AWD) system is a f ull time all-
wheel-drive system that
automatically controls and transfers
varying amounts of engine torque to
all wheels independently, according
to the driving conditions.
If equippedSH-AWD T orque Distribution
Monitor
Super Handling-A ll Wheel Drive (SH-A WD)System
504
TORQUE INDICATOR TORQUE INDICATOR
U.S. model is shown.
TM
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