1997 Toyota Corolla Owners Manual - Page 81

Your automatic transmission has a shift lock system to minimize the possibility of incorrect operation. This means you can only shift out of "P" position when the brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition switch in "ON" position and the lock release button depressed). (a) Normal Driving 1. Start the engine as instructed in "How to start the engine" in Part 3. The transmission must be in "P" or "N". 2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to "D". In "D" position, the automatic transmission system will select the most suitable gear for running conditions such as normal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc. Shift into the "2" position when the vehicle speed is lower than the 90 km/h (56 mph). The transmission will downshift to the second gear and more engine braking will be obtained. S Shift into the "L" position when the vehicle speed is lower than 36 km/h (22 mph). The transmission will downshift to the first gear and maximum engine braking will be applied. Vehicles with cruise control-When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see "Cruise control" in this chapter. S With the selector lever in "2" or "L", you can start the vehicle in motion as with the lever in "D". With the selector lever in "2", the vehicle will start in the first gear and automatically shift to the second gear. With the selector lever in "L", the transmission is engaged in the first gear. NOTICE zBe careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the tachometer to keep engine rpm from going into the red zone. The approximate maximum allowable speed for each position is given below for your reference: "2" ...112 km/h (70 mph) "L" ...62 km/h (38 mph) zDo not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in the "2" or "L" position. This may cause severe automatic trasmission damage from overheating. To prevent such damage, "D" position should be used in hill climbing or hard towing. ! CAUTION Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while shifting. 3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting. (b) Using engine braking To use engine braking, you can downshift the transmission as follows: ! CAUTION Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting could cause the vehicle to spin or skid. (c) Using the "2" and "L" positions The "2" and "L" positions are used for strong engine braking as described previously. 79