If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, the shift lever is located on the console between the seats.

Your vehicle may also have an electronic shift position indicator that displays the position of the shift lever. This indicator is located to the right of the trip odometer on the instrument panel cluster.

Movement between certain positions requires pushing the shift lever to the passenger side while shifting. This prevents you from changing positions unexpectedly by blocking the straight movement of the shift lever while the vehicle is moving.

PARK (P): This position locks the front wheels. It is the best position to use when the start your engine because your vehicle cannot move easily.

Caution: It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll.

Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is running unless you have to. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly level ground, always set the parking brake and move the shift lever to P (Park). See Shifting Into Park .

Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock control system. The regular brakes must be applied before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition key is in ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P) while holding the brake pedal down, see Shifting Out of Park .

REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up. When shifting from NEUTRAL (N) to REVERSE (R), you must press down on the shift lever while shifting.

Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is moving forward could damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle is stopped.

To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow, ice, or sand without damaging the transmission, see If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow .

NEUTRAL (N): In this position, the engine does not connect with the wheels. To restart while you are already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.

Caution: Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed.

Notice: Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) with the engine running at high speed may damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is not running at high speed when shifting the vehicle.

DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.

Notice: If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly or not shift gears when you go faster, and you continue to drive your vehicle that way, you could damage the transmission. Have your vehicle serviced right away.

THIRD (3):  This position is also used for normal driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel economy than DRIVE (D). Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D):

SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but lower fuel economy. Use SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control the vehicles speed as you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would also want to use your brakes off and on.

Notice: Do not drive in SECOND (2) at speeds over 65 mph (105 km/h), or you can damage the transmission. Use THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) as much as possible. Do not shift into SECOND (2) unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h) or you can damage your engine.

FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2). Use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the shift lever is put in FIRST (1), the transmission does not shift into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.

Notice: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will not be covered by the vehicle warranty. If you are stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.

If there is a malfunction with the automatic transmission, the Check Engine Light or the HOLD indicator light will turn on or flash. See Malfunction Indicator Lamp or Hold Mode Light .

Take your vehicle to your dealer/retailer as soon as possible.

Hold Mode

If your vehicle's transmission has a hold mode, select this mode to drive with some characteristics of a manual transmission. With hold mode turned on, the automatic transmission stays in a specific gear range.

Press the HOLD button on the shift lever console to turn on hold mode.

Press the button again to turn off hold mode, and return to normal automatic transmission operation.

While on, the HOLD indicator light on the instrument panel cluster will light up. See Hold Mode Light .

When hold mode is activated, the transmission operates in the following ways:

Hold Mode Functions

Winter Function

Select hold mode while in DRIVE (D), THIRD (3) or SECOND (2) to help the vehicle maintain traction on slippery road surfaces, such as snow, mud, or ice.

Manually Controlling Shift

Select hold mode to use your automatic transmission like a four-speed manual transmission.