The lever on the left side of the steering column includes the following:

For information on the exterior light control, see Exterior Lamps later in this section.

Turn and Lane-Change Signals

The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you to signal a turn or a lane change.

To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down to the latched position. When the turn is finished, the lever will return automatically.

An arrow on the instrument panel cluster will flash in the direction of the turn or lane change.

To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you complete your lane change. The lever will return by itself when you release it.

A warning chime signal will come on if you have left your turn signal on for more than 2/3 mile (1 km).

As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows flash rapidly, a signal bulb may be burned out and other drivers won't see your turn signal.

If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an accident. If the arrows don't go on at all when you signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and then check the fuse. See Fuses .

Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer

To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam, push the turn signal/multifunction lever away from you.

When the high beams are on, a light on the instrument panel cluster also will be on if the ignition is in ON.

To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam, pull the turn signal lever toward you.

Headlamps On Reminder

If you open the driver's door and turn off the ignition while leaving the lamps on, you will hear a warning chime.

Flash-to-Pass Feature

This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps momentarily to signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.

To use it, pull the turn signal/multifunction lever toward you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then release the lever to turn them off.

Windshield Wipers

Use this lever located on the right side of the steering wheel to operate the windshield wipers.

(Off): Move the lever to this position to turn off the windshield wipers.

(Intermittent): Move the lever to this position to choose a delayed wiping cycle. Turn the intermittent adjust band down for a longer delay or up for a shorter delay. The wiper speed can only be manually adjusted when the lever is in this position. The intermittent setting also has a speed sensitive feature. The wiper speed will also change with vehicle speed, increasing as you drive faster and decreasing as you slow down.

(Low Speed): Move the lever up to the first setting past intermittent, for steady wiping at low speed.

(High Speed): Move the lever up to the second setting past intermittent, for wiping at high speed.

(Mist): Move the lever all the way down to this position for a single wiping cycle. Hold it there until the windshield wipers start; then let go. The windshield wipers will stop after one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the lever down longer.

Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using them.

If they're frozen to the windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.

Heavy snow or ice can overload your wiper motor. A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload. If the motor gets stuck turn the wipers off, clear away the snow or ice, and then turn the wipers back on.

As an added safety feature, if the wipers are on for more than thirty seconds, the vehicle's headlamps will turn on automatically. They will turn off when the wipers are turned off.

Windshield Washer

Push in the button at the end of the lever to wash your windshield.

Caution: In freezing weather, do not use your washer until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking your vision.

When you release the button, the washers will stop, but the wipers will continue to wipe for about three cycles and will either stop or will resume the speed you were using before.

Cruise Control

If your vehicle has cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below 25 mph (40 km/h).

Caution: Cruise control can be dangerous where you cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do not use the cruise control on winding roads or in heavy traffic.

Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire traction can cause excessive wheel slip, and you could lose control. Do not use cruise control on slippery roads.

Setting Cruise Control

Caution: If you leave your cruise control on when you are not using cruise, you might hit a button and go into cruise when you do not want to. You could be startled and even lose control. Keep the cruise control switch off until you want to use cruise control.

The cruise control buttons are located on the steering wheel for your convenience.

(On/Off): Press this button to turn the cruise control system on and off.

+RES (Resume): Press this button to resume a set speed and to accelerate the speed.

-SET (Set): Press this button to set a speed and to decrease the speed.

To set a speed do the following:

1. Press the On/Off button to turn cruise control on. The indicator light on the button will come on.
2. Get to the speed you want.
3. Press the -SET part of the control button and release it. The cruise symbol will display in the instrument panel cluster to show the system is engaged.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.

Resuming a Set Speed

Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed and then you apply the brake. This, of course, disengages the cruise control. The cruise symbol in the instrument panel cluster will also go out indicating cruise is no longer engaged. To return to your previously set speed, you do not need to go through the set process again. Once you're going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more, you can press the +RES button briefly.

This will take you back up to your previously chosen speed and stay there.

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control

If the cruise system is already engaged,

Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control

If the cruise control system is already engaged,

Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control

Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.

Using Cruise Control on Hills

How well your cruise control will work on hills depends upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on steep hills.

Ending Cruise Control

There are two ways to disengage the cruise control:

Erasing Speed Memory

When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your cruise control set speed memory is erased.