Pontiac 2003 Montana Owner's Manual page 142

Shifting into a drive gear while your engine is
"racing" (running at high speed) is dangerous.
Unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very rapidly. You
could lose control and hit people or objects.
Don't shift into a drive gear while your engine
is racing.
Notice: Damage to your transaxle caused by
shifting into a drive gear with the engine racing isn't
covered by your warranty.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power for passing, and
you're:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
You'll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
accelerator pedal about haltway down.
accelerator all the way down.
Notice: If your vehicle seems to start up rather
slowly,
or
if it seems not to shift gears as you go
faster, something may be wrong with a transaxle
system sensor. If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged. So, if this happens,
have your vehicle serviced right away. Until then,
you can use SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than 35 mph (55 km/h) and AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) for higher speeds.
Warm-up Shift
Your vehicle has a computer controlled transaxle
designed to warm up the engine faster when the outside
temperature is 35°F (2°C) or colder. You may notice
that the transaxle will shift at a higher vehicle speed until
the engine is warmed up. This is a normal condition
designed to provide heat to the passenger compartment
and defrost the windows more quickly. See Climate
Control System
on
page 3-24 for more information.
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