2004 Mercury Sable Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 137

Driving Do not drive your vehicle until you verify that the brakelamps are working. Always set the parking brake fully and make sure the gearshift is latched in P (Park). Turn the ignition to the LOCK position and remove the key whenever you leave your vehicle. If the parking brake is fully released, but the brake warning lamp remains illuminated, the brakes may not be working properly. See your dealer or a qualified service technician. Driving with an automatic overdrive transaxle Your automatic overdrive transaxle provides fully automatic operation in (Overdrive) or D (Drive). either Driving with the gearshift lever (Overdrive) gives the best in fuel economy for normal driving conditions. For manual control, start in 1 (First) and then shift manually. If your vehicle is equipped with a console-mounted gearshift lever, you must press the thumb button on the side of the gearshift lever to move the gearshift lever from P (Park). To put your vehicle in gear, start the engine, depress the brake pedal, then move the gearshift lever out of P (Park). Hold the brake pedal down while you move the gearshift lever from P (Park) to another position. If you do not hold the brake pedal down, your vehicle may move unexpectedly and injure someone. 137 2004 Sable (sab) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)