HONDA FIT 2009 2.G Owners Manual

Recommended Shift Points
Drive in the highest gear that lets the
engine run and accelerate smoothly.
This will give you good fuel economy
and effective emissions control. The
following shift points are
recommended:Shift up Normal acceleration
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th 15 mph (24 km/h)
27 mph (43 km/h)
39 mph (62 km/h)
53 mph (85 km/h) Engine Speed Limiter
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you may feel 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.
The engine speed limiter only works
when you upshift; engine speed is
not limited during downshifts. Before
downshifting, make sure the engine
will not go into the tachometer's red
zone.Manual Transmission218
2009 Fit

Shift Lever Position IndicatorsThese indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shift
lever is in.
The‘‘D ’’indicator comes on for a
few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it flashes while driving (in
any shift position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.
If the malfunction 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. Shifting
To shift from Park to any position,
press firmly on the brake pedal and
press the release button on the front
of the shift lever, then pull the lever.
You cannot shift out of Park when
the ignition switch is in the LOCK
(0) or the ACCESSORY (I) position.
U.S. Sport model
All models except U.S. Sport
U.S. Sport model is shown
RELEASE
BUTTON SHIFT LEVER
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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Driving
2009 Fit

All models except U.S. SportTo shift from:Do this:
PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
RtoP
NtoR
D
3to 2
2to1 Press the shift lever release
button.
1to2
2toD3
D3to D
DtoN
DtoD
3
NtoD RtoN Move the shift lever.
U.S. Sport modelTo shift from:
Do this:
PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
RtoP
NtoR DtoS Press the shift lever release
button.
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Move the shift lever.
Park (P)
－This position
mechanically locks the transmission.
Use Park whenever you are turning
off or starting the engine. To shift out
of Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
button on the front of the shift lever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on
page223.
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop before shifting
into Park. You must also press the
release button to shift into Park. The
shift lever must be in Park before
you can remove the key from the
ignition switch.
Automatic Transmission220
2009 Fit

Reverse (R)－Press the brake
pedal and press the release button on
the front of the shift lever to shift
from Park to reverse. To shift from
reverse to neutral, come to a
complete stop, and then shift. Press
the release button before shifting
into reverse from neutral.
Neutral (N) －Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with the
engine idling. Shift 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. Drive (D)
－Use this position for
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) for 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 faster.
All models except U.S. SportDrive (D
3) － This position is similar
to D, except only the first three gears
are selected. Use D
3to provide
engine braking when going down a
steep hill. D
3can also keep the
transmission from cycling between
third and fourth gears in stop-and-go
driving.
All models except U.S. SportSecond (2) －To shift to second,
press the release button on the front
of the shift lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshift to first gear when
you come to a stop.
Use second gear:●For more power when climbing.●To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.●For starting out on a slippery
surface or in deep snow.●To help reduce wheel spin.
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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2009 Fit

All models except U.S. SportFirst (1)－To shift from second to
first, press the release button on the
front of the shift lever. This position
locks the transmission in first gear.
By upshifting and downshifting
through 1, 2, D
3, and D, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a clutch
pedal.
U.S. Sport modelS position (S) －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 from first to
fourth are selected. The S position
keeps the transmission from cycling
between fourth and fifth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
can also use the paddle shifters to
shift 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 information on
driving with the paddle shifters, see
page 224. Engine Speed Limiter
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you may feel 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.
Automatic Transmission222
2009 Fit

Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release button
does not work.
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignitionswitch.
3. Put a cloth on the notch of the shift lock release slot cover. Using a
small flat-tipped screwdriver or a
metal fingernail file, carefully pry
on the notch of the cover to
remove it.
4. Insert the key in the shift lockrelease slot.
5. Push down on the key while you press the release button on the
shift lever and move the shift lever
out of Park to neutral.
6. Remove the key from the shift lockrelease slot, then reinstall the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the left side. Press the
brake pedal, and restart the
engine.
If you need to use the shift lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
NOTCH COVER
RELEASE BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
Automatic Transmission
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Driving
2009 Fit

Using the Paddle Shifters in D
position (D-Paddle Shift Mode)U.S. models onlyWhen you are driving in D position,
you can shift the transmission up or
down manually with the paddle
shifters.
To shift up or down, use the＋
(right) or －(left) paddle shifter on
each side of the steering wheel.
Each time you pull the ＋(right)
paddle, the transmission shifts to a
higher gear. Pull the －(left) paddle
to downshift. You will see the
selected gear number on the
instrument panel.
When you pull either paddle shifter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
When the transmission returns to
drive mode (D), the displayed gear
number disappears.GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
Driving with the Paddle Shifters (Sport only)224
2009 Fit

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
upshift the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm. Driving in the
higher gear helps fuel economy.
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 shifters. Under these
conditions, D-paddle shift mode is
canceled, and the transmission
automatically returns to drive mode
(D).The transmission remains in the
selected gear if you do not
accelerate.
Each time you pull either paddle
shifter, the transmission shifts one
gear up or down. If you want to shift
up or down more than two gears, pull
the paddle shifter twice, pause, and
then pull it again.
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shift up or down if:
●You downshift before the engine
speed falls below the upper limit of
the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear position
indicator will flash the number of the
lower gear several times, then return
to a higher gear.
Here are the speed ranges for
downshifting. To shift
from Speed range
5 → 4 under 112 mph
(181 km/h)
4 → 3 under 79 mph (127 km/h)
3 → 2 under 51 mph (82 km/h)
2 → 1 under 20 mph (32 km/h)
●You upshift before the engine
speed rises above the lower limit
of the higher gear.●You pull both paddle shifters at the
same time.
The transmission downshifts to first
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).
CONTINUED
Driving with the Paddle Shifters (Sport only)
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Driving
2009 Fit

When you pull and hold the＋
(right) paddle shifter, the
transmission automatically returns to
drive mode (D).
If there is a problem in the
transmission while you are driving
with the paddle shifters, the D
indicator flashes, the D-paddle shift
mode is canceled, and the
transmission returns to drive mode
(D). Using the Paddle Shift in S
position (Sequential Shift Mode)
U.S. models onlyWith the shift lever in the S position,
you can manually shift up or down
with the paddle shifters. The
transmission goes into the sequential
shift mode and holds the selected
gear.
To enter the sequential shift mode,
press the release button on the front
of the shift lever, move the lever to
the S position, then pull either paddle
shifter. To return to drive mode (D),
move the shift lever to the D
position. While you are driving in the
sequential shift mode, the
transmission will not automatically
return to drive mode (D).
When you move the shift lever from
‘‘
D ’’to the ‘‘S ’’position and pull
either paddle shifter, the gear
position indicator displays ‘‘M ’’
along with the selected gear number.
To upshift, pull the ＋(right) paddle
shifter. To downshift, pull the －
(left) paddle shifter.
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR
‘‘M ’’INDICATOR
Driving with the Paddle Shifters (Sport only)226
2009 Fit

When you accelerate from a stop, the
transmission starts in first gear, and
you must manually upshift between
first and fifth gears. Make sure you
upshift before the engine speed
reaches the tachometer's red zone.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5, 4, 3, 2, or 1). There
is no automatic downshift when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
floor.
When you are driving in 4th or 5th
gear, the transmission downshifts to
the lower gear under the following
conditions:●The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.●You press the brake pedal.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
upshift the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm. Driving in the
higher gear helps fuel economy.
The transmission also shifts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshifts to first
gear when the vehicle speed reaches
6 mph (10 km/h) or less.
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shift up or down if:
●You downshift before the engine
speed falls below the upper limit of
the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear position
indicator will flash the number of the
lower gear several times, then return
to a higher gear. If the vehicle speed decreases below
the redline of the selected lower gear
while the indicator is flashing, the
transmission downshifts, and the
indicator displays the selected gear.
●You upshift before the engine
speed rises above the lower limit
of the higher gear.●You pull both paddle shifters at the
same time.
CONTINUED
Driving with the Paddle Shifters (Sport only)
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Driving
2009 Fit