2004 DODGE CARAVAN Owners Manual

Next, push to the left the safety catch located under the
front edge of the hood, near the center.
Use the hood prop rod to secure the hood in the open
position.To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Lower the hood until it is open approximately 30
cm (12 inches) and then drop it. This should secure both
latches. Never drive your vehicle unless the hood is fully
closed, with both latches engaged.
WARNING!
If the hood is not fully latched, it could fly up when
the vehicle is moving and block your forward vision.
You could have a collision. Be sure all hood latches
are fully latched before driving.
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3

LIGHTS
All of the lights, except the hazard warning lights, are
controlled by switches to the left of the steering column
on the instrument panel.
Interior Lights
Interior lights are turned on when a door or liftgate is
opened, the keyless entry transmitter is activated, or
when the dimmer control is moved to the extreme top.
NOTE:On long wheel base vehicles the dome lights for
the second row seat passenger's can be turned on or off
by pressing the lens. The lights will remain on until the
lens is pressed a second time, so be sure they have been
turned off before leaving the vehicle.
The interior lights will automatically turn off in about 15
minutes if any of the following occur.
²A door, sliding door or the liftgate is left open.
²Any overhead reading light is left on.
²If the dimmer control is in the extreme top position.
98 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:The key must be out of the ignition switch or the
ignition switch must be in the OFF position for this
feature to operate.
Park Lights
Turn this switch to the first detent to turn the park
lights on. This also turns on all instrument panel
lighting.
Headlights
Turn the headlight switch to the 2nd detent to
turn the headlights and park lights on. This
also turns on all instrument panel lighting.
To change the brightness of the instrument panel lights,
rotate the dimmer control up or down.
Dimmer Control
With the park lights or headlights
on, rotating the dimmer control
for the interior lights on the in-
strument panel upward will in-
crease the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights.
Dome Light Position
Rotate the dimmer control com-
pletely upward to the second de-
tent (extreme top position) to turn
on the interior lights, except the
front reading/courtesy lights. The
interior lights will remain on
when the dimmer control is in this
position.
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3

Interior light Defeat (OFF)
Rotate the dimmer control to the
OFF position (extreme bottom).
The interior lights will remain off
when the doors or liftgate are
open.
Parade Mode (Daytime Brightness Feature)
Rotate the dimmer control to the
first detent. This feature brightens
the odometer, radio and overhead
displays when the park lights or
headlights are on.
Automatic Headlights Ð If Equipped
This system automatically turns
your headlights ON or OFF based
on ambient light levels. To turn
the system ON, turn the headlight
switch to the extreme counter-
clockwise position. When the sys-
tem is ON, the Headlight Time
Delay feature is also ON. This
means your headlights will stay
ON for up to 90 seconds after you turn the ignition
switch OFF. To turn the Automatic System OFF, turn the
headlight switch clockwise to the OFF position.
NOTE:The engine must be running before the head-
lights will come ON in the Automatic mode.
100 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Daytime Running Lights (Canada/Fleet Vehicles
Only)
The Daytime Running Lights will come on whenever the
vehicle is running, the headlights are off, and the parking
brake is off. The headlight switch must be used for
normal night time driving.
Lights-on Reminder
If the headlights or the park lights are left on, or if the
dimmer control is in the extreme top position after the
ignition switch is turned off, a chime will sound when the
driver's door is opened.
Battery Protection
This feature provides battery protection to avoid wearing
down the battery if the headlights, park lights, or front
fog lights are left on for extended periods of time when
the ignition switch is in the LOCK position. After 3
minutes of the ignition switch being in the LOCK posi-
tion and the headlight switch in any position other thanOFF or AUTO, the lights will turn off automatically until
the next cycle of the ignition switch or headlight switch.
The battery protection feature will be disabled if the
ignition switch is turned to any other position other than
LOCK during the 3 minute delay.
Headlight Time Delay Ð If Equipped
This feature provides the safety of headlight illumination
for up to 90 seconds, when leaving your vehicle in an
unlighted area.
To activate the delay feature, turn off the ignition switch
while the headlights are still on. Then turn off the
headlights within 45 seconds. The 90 second delay inter-
val begins when headlight switch is turned off. If the
headlights or park lights are turned back on or the
ignition switch is turned on, the delay will be cancelled.
If the headlights are turned off before the ignition, they
will turn off in the normal manner.
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3

NOTE:The lights must be turned off within 45 seconds
of turning the ignition off to activate this feature
Front Fog Lights Ð If Equipped
To activate the front fog lights, turn on the park
lights or the low beam headlights and pull out on
the headlight switch control knob. An indicator in
the headlight switch shows that the front fog lights are
on. Pressing the headlight switch control knob in will
turn the front fog lights off.
MULTIFUNCTION LEVER
Turn Signals
Move the Multifunction Lever up or down and the
arrows on each side of the base instrument cluster or
Information Center flash to indicate proper operation of
the front and rear turn signal lights. You can signal a lane
change by moving the lever partially up or down.If either indicator flashes at a rapid rate, check for a
defective outside turn signal light bulb. If one of the
indicators fails to light when the lever is moved, it would
suggest that the indicator light is defective.
102 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Turn Signal Warning
If the vehicle electronics sense that the vehicle has traveled
at over 18 mph (29 km/h) for about one mile with the turn
signals on, a chime will sound to alert the driver.
Headlight Low/High Beam Selector Switch
Pull the multifunction lever toward the steering wheel to
switch the headlights between HIGH and LOW beam.
Passing Light
You can signal another vehicle with your headlights by
lightly pulling the multifunction lever toward the steer-
ing wheel. This will cause the headlights to turn on at
high beam and remain on until the lever is released.
Windshield Wipers and Washers
The wipers and washers are operated by a switch in the
multifunction lever. Rotate the end of the lever to select
the desired wiper speed.NOTE:Always remove any build-up of snow that
prevents the windshield wiper blades from returning to
the OFF position. If the windshield wiper switch is
turned OFF and the blades cannot return to the OFF
position, damage to the wiper motor may occur.
To use the washer, press the end of the multifunction
lever in when spray is desired, the washers will spray for
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3

a maximum of 20 seconds or until the lever is released. If
another washer cycle is desired the end of the lever must
be pressed again to get another 20 second washer cycle. If
the lever is depressed while in the delay range, the
wipers will operate for several seconds after the lever is
released, and then resume the intermittent interval pre-
viously selected.
If the end of the lever is depressed while in the OFF
position, the wipers will operate for approximately two
wipe cycles, then turn OFF.
WARNING!
Sudden loss of visibility through the windshield
could lead to an accident. You might not see other
vehicles or other obstacles. To avoid sudden icing of
the windshield during freezing weather, warm the
windshield with defroster before and during wind-
shield washer use.
Intermittent Wiper System
Use the intermittent wipers when weather conditions
make a single wiping cycle, with a variable pause be-
tween cycles, desirable.
Rotate the end of the lever to the first detent position,
then turn the end of the lever to select the desired delay
interval. The delay can be regulated from a maximum of
about 20 seconds between cycles, to a cycle every 2
seconds. The time delay will be doubled if the vehicle
speed is less than 10 mph (16 km/h).
TILT STEERING COLUMN Ð IF EQUIPPED
To tilt the column, pull the small lever, located behind the
turn signal control, toward you and move the wheel up
or down, as desired. Release the lever to lock the wheel
firmly in place.
104 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE