The ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE or the ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE message, along with a low coolant condition, can indicate a serious problem.

If there is an engine overheat warning, but see or hear no steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot when the vehicle:

• Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
• Stops after high-speed driving.
• Idles for long periods in traffic.
• Tows a trailer. See Trailer Towing  .

If the ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE or the ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE message appears with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:

If the overheat warning is displayed with no sign of steam:

1. Turn the air conditioning off.

2. Turn the heater on to the highest temperature and to the highest fan speed. Open the windows as necessary.

3. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in N (Neutral) while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to P (Park) or N (Neutral) and let the engine idle.

If the temperature overheat gauge is no longer in the overheat zone or an overheat warning no longer displays, the vehicle can be driven. Continue to drive the vehicle slowly for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe vehicle distance from the vehicle in front. If the warning does not come back on, continue to drive normally.

If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park the vehicle right away.

If there is no sign of steam, idle the engine for five minutes while parked. If the warning is still displayed, turn off the engine until it cools down. Also, see “Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode” later in this section.