You will find a coolant temperature gage on the vehicle's instrument panel. See Engine Coolant Temperature Gage.
In addition, you will find an ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE and an ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED message in the Driver Information Center (DIC) on the instrument panel. See DIC Warnings and Messages.
If Steam Is Coming From the Engine
Caution: Steam from an overheated engine can burn you badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away from the engine if you see or hear steam coming from it. Turn it off and get everyone away from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until there is no sign of steam or coolant before you open the hood.
If you keep driving when the vehicles engine is overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or others could be badly burned. Stop the engine if it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the engine is cool. See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency.Notice: If the engine catches fire while driving with no coolant, the vehicle can be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency.
If No Steam Is Coming From the Engine
The ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE message, along with a low coolant condition, can indicate a serious problem.
If you get an engine overheat warning, but see or hear no steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot when you:
| • | Climb a long hill on a hot day. |
| • | Stop after high-speed driving. |
| • | Idle for long periods in traffic. |
| • | Tow a trailer. See Towing a Trailer. |
If you get the ENGINE COOLANT HOT message with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
- Turn on the heater to full hot at the highest fan speed and open the windows as necessary.
- If you are in a traffic jam, shift to N (Neutral); otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving -- D (Drive).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning does not come back on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues and you have not stopped, pull over, stop, and park the vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam, push down the accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal idle speed for at least three minutes while you are parked. If you still have the warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see "Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode" later in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service help right away.
