Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable trans-
mission
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. For some models, it also
has a manual mode or an “L” position.
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P” or “N”
position into the “D” or “R” position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
. Shift into the “P” or “R” position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
. Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the “N” or “P” position
when the brake is applied or
when chocks are used in the
wheels. This may cause the
transmission fluid to overheat.
. Never move the vehicle rearward
by inertia with the select lever set
in a forward driving position or
move the vehicle forward by
inertia with the select lever set
in the “R” position. Doing so may
result in an unexpected accident
or malfunction.
. Avoid shifting from one of the
forward driving positions into the
“R” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-
sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the “P” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the select
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE
. When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift or downshift at higher engine
speeds than when the coolant tempera-
ture is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve
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driveability. The gearshift timing will
automatically shift to the normal timing
after the engine has warmed up.
. Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation
of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
. When driving a CVT model under
continuous heavy load conditions such
as when towing a camper or climbing a
long, steep hill, the engine speed or the
vehicle speed may automatically be
reduced. This is not a malfunction. This
phenomenon results fro