automatic transmission HONDA FIT 2010 2.G User Guide

On Sport model and Canadian LX model
Cruise control allows you to maintain
a set speed above 25 mph (40 km/h)
without keeping your foot on the
accelerator pedal. It should be used
for cruising on straight, open
highways. It is not recommended for
city driving, winding roads, slippery
roads, heavy rain, or bad weather.
Improper use of the cruise
control can lead to a crash.
Use the cruise control only
when traveling on open
highways in good weather.Using the Cruise Control
1. Press the CRUISE button on the
steering wheel. The CRUISE
MAIN indicator on the instrument
panel comes on.
NOTE: The main switch can be left
on, even when the system is not inuse.
2. Accelerate to the desired cruising speed above 25 mph (40 km/h). 3. Press the SET/DECEL button on
the steering 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 speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down. This will cancel cruise
control. To resume the set speed,
press the RES/ACCEL button. The
indicator on the instrument panel will
come back on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshift to hold the set speed.
CRUISE BUTTON
SET/DECEL BUTTON CANCEL
BUTTON
RES/ACCEL
BUTTON
Cruise Control
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Your vehicle has several convenient
storage areas:● Upper glove box
● Lower glove box
● Front door pockets
● Seat-back pocket (if equipped)
● Center pocket
● Cargo area side pocket
● Cargo area, including the rear
seats when folded up or down.
● Seat under box
● Cargo floor box (all canadian
models with automatic transmission)
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can affect
your vehicle's handling, stability,
stopping distance, tires, and make it
unsafe. Before carrying any type of
cargo, be sure to read the followingpages.
REAR SIDE POCKET
(RIGHT SIDE)
CARGO FLOOR BOX*
2
FRONT DOOR POCKETS
SEAT-BACK POCKET*
1
SEAT UNDER BOX CENTER POCKET
CARGO AREA
LOWER GLOVE BOX
ꭧ 1: If equipped
ꭧ 2: All Canadian models with automatic transmission UPPER GLOVE BOX
Carrying Cargo
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This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
manual and automatic transmissions.
It also includes important information
on parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the vehicle stability assist(VSA
®), and the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS).
Driving Guidelines ......................214
Preparing to Drive ......................
215
Starting the Engine .....................
216
Manual Transmission .................
217
Automatic Transmission .............
219
Driving with the Paddle Shifters
(Sport only) .............................
224
Parking .......................................
229
Braking System ..........................
230
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) ...............
231
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
®),
aka Electronic Stability Control
(ESC), System .....................
233
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ...................................
235
Towing a Trailer ..........................
238
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a
Motorhome .............................
238
Driving
213
Driving

1. Apply the parking brake.
2. In cold weather, turn off allelectrical accessories to reduce the
drain on the battery.
3.
Manual transmission:
Press the clutch pedal down all the
way. The START (III) position
does not function unless the clutch
pedal is pressed.
Automatic transmission:
Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal. 4. Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III) position
for more than 15 seconds at a time.
If the engine does not start right
away, pause for at least 10 seconds
before trying again.The immobilizer system protects your
vehicle from theft. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine's fuel system is disabled. For
more information, see page 79.
5. If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race. 6. If the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
down, and hold it there while
starting to clear flooding. If the
engine still does not start, return to
step 5.
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air found at
altitudes above 8,000 feet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
Starting the Engine
216
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Shift Lever Position Indicators
These 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
219
Driving
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All models except U.S. Sport
To shift from: Do this:PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever releasebutton.
RtoP
NtoR
D 3to 2
2to1 Press the shift lever releasebutton.
1to2
2toD 3
D 3to D
DtoN
DtoD 3
NtoD
RtoN Move the shift lever.
U.S. Sport model
To shift from: Do this:
PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever releasebutton.
RtoP
NtoR
DtoS Press the shift lever releasebutton.
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
page 223.
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 Transmission
220
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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. Sport
Drive (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-godriving.
All models except U.S. Sport
Second (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
221
Driving
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All models except U.S. Sport
First (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 clutchpedal.
U.S. Sport model
S 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 first to fourth gears
are selected and fifth gear is no
longer available. However, during
most driving conditions, only first
through third gears are used.
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 Transmission
222
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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 to prevent
scratches. Using a small flat-tip
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. Insert the
key back into the igniton switch,
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
223
Driving
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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 notaccelerate.
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 reaches the highest
threshold 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. ●
You upshift before the engine
speed reaches the lowest
threshold 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)
225
Driving
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