Fuel

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FUEL
If your vehicle is a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), use only UNLEADED FUEL and FUEL ETHANOL (Ed75Ed85). Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel or fuel additives with metallic compounds, including manganese-based additives. Studies indicate that these additives can cause your vehicles emission control system to deteriorate more rapidly. In Canada, premium grade fuel generally contains more metallic additives than regular fuel. We recommend using regular grade fuel. In Canada, many fuels contain metallic additives, but fuels free of such additives may be available; check with your local fuel dealer.

Do not use fuel containing methanol. It can damage critical fuel system components. Repairs to correct the effects of using a fuel for which your vehicle was not designed may not be covered by your warranty.

OCTANE RECOMMENDATIONS
87 Octane (R+M)/2 METHOD. Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if it knocks heavily under most driving conditions while you are using fuel with the recommended octane rating, see your dealer or a qualified service technician to prevent any engine damage.

UNLEADED GASOLINE ENGINES
Your vehicle is designed to use Regular unleaded gasoline with an (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. We do not recommend the use of gasolines labeled as Regular that are sold with octane ratings of 86 or lower in high altitude areas.

FFV ENGINE (IF EQUIPPED)
Your vehicle is designed to use Fuel Ethanol (Ed75Ed85), Regular unleaded gasoline or any mixture of the two fuels. U.S. government regulations require fuel ethanol dispensing pumps to have a small, square, orange and black label with the common abbreviation or the appropriate percentage for that region. Use of other fuels such as Fuel Methanol may cause powertrain damage, a loss of vehicle performance, and your warranty may be invalidated.

FUEL QUALITY
Many of the world's automakers approved the World-wide Fuel Charter that recommends gasoline specifications to provide improved performance and emission control system protection for your vehicle. Gasolines that meet the World-wide Fuel Charter should be used when available. Ask your fuel supplier about gasolines that meet the World-wide Fuel Charter. It should not be necessary to add any aftermarket products to your fuel tank if you continue to use high quality fuel of the recommended octane rating. Aftermarket products could cause damage to the fuel system. Repairs to correct the effects of using an aftermarket product in your fuel may not be covered by your warranty.

UNLEADED GASOLINE ENGINES
If you are experiencing starting, rough idle or hesitation driveability problems during a cold start, try a different brand of Regular unleaded gasoline. Premium unleaded gasoline is not recommended (particularly in the United States) because it may cause these problems to become more pronounced. If the problems persist, see your dealer or a qualified service technician.

FFV ENGINE (IF EQUIPPED)
Your FFV will operate well on ordinary Regular unleaded gasoline, but only the highest quality fuel ethanol will provide the same level of protection and performance. To identify if your vehicle is an FFV, check your VIN or the label on the inside of your fuel filler door. When checking the VIN, look for the engine type identifier (8th character). If your vehicle is an FFV, then the character will be labeled as a 2. If you operate your vehicle 50% or more of the time on ethanol, you should follow a different maintenance schedule. See the Scheduled Maintenance Guide for more information. If you are experiencing a rough or rolling idle after start-up with the outside temperature above 27° C (80° F), the idle should improve within 10 to 30 seconds. If the problems persist below this temperature, see your dealer or a qualified service technician.