The shift lever position display (located in the instrument panel cluster) indicates the transmission gear range. You must press the brake pedal to move the shift lever out of the PARK position (Refer to Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock System in this section). To drive, move the shift lever from PARK or NEUTRAL to the DRIVE position.

The electronically-controlled transmission provides a precise shift schedule. The transmission electronics are self-calibrating; therefore, the first few shifts on a new vehicle may be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal condition, and precision shifts will develop within a few hundred miles (kilometers).

Shift Lever

Shifting from DRIVE to PARK or REVERSE should be done only after the accelerator pedal is released and the vehicle is stopped. Be sure to keep your foot on the brake pedal when moving the shift lever between these gears.

The transmission shift lever has only PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, and DRIVE shift positions. Manual shifts can be made using the Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control (described later in this section). Moving the shift lever to the left or right (–/ +) while in the DRIVE position will select the highest available transmission gear, and will display that gear in the instrument cluster as 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.