Page 132 of 440

Interior Lights
Courtesy and dome lights are turned on when the front
doors are opened, when the dimmer control (rotating
wheel on the right side of the switch) is rotated to the
second upward detent position, or when the UNLOCK
button is pressed on the key fob. When a door is open
and the interior lights are on, rotating the dimmer controlall the way down to the OFF detent will cause all the
interior lights to go out. This allows the doors to stay
open for extended periods of time without discharging
the vehicle’s battery.
The brightness of the instrument panel lighting can be
regulated by rotating the dimmer control up (brighter) or
down (dimmer). When the headlights are ON you can
supplement the brightness of the odometer, trip odom-
eter, radio and overhead console by rotating the control
up until you hear a click. This feature is termed the
Parademode and is useful when headlights are re-
quired during the day.Battery Saver
To protect the life of your vehicle’s battery, Load Shed-
ding is provided for both the interior and exterior lights.
If the ignition is off and any door is left ajar for eight
minutes or the dimmer control is rotated upwards for 15
minutes, the interior lights will automatically turn off.
132 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
Page 133 of 440

If the headlights remain on while the ignition is cycled
off, the exterior lights will automatically turn off after 8
minutes. If the headlights are turned on and left on for 8
minutes while the ignition is off, the exterior lights will
automatically turn off.
NOTE:Battery Saver mode is cancelled if the ignition is
ON.
NOTE:While the engine is running, the system will
deactivate the Fog Lights and Heated seats if a low
battery system voltage is detected.
Headlight Delay
To aid in your exit, your vehicle is equipped with a
headlight delay that will leave the headlights on for 90
seconds. This delay is initiated when the ignition is
cycled off while the headlight switch is on, and then the
headlight switch is cycled off. The headlights will remainon for 90 seconds. Headlight delay can be cancelled by
either turning the headlight switch ON then OFF or by
turning the ignition ON.
NOTE:This feature can be disabled by your authorized
dealer.
Automatic Headlights — If Equipped
Automatic Headlights can be activated by rotating the
rotary headlight switch to the symbol “A.” The head-
lights will turn on when the engine is running and the
ambient light sensor indicates that the headlights should
be activated. The headlights will turn off if the headlight
switch is rotated to the off position or 90 seconds after the
ignition is turned to OFF.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 133
3
Page 134 of 440

Headlights, Parking Lights, Panel Lights
When the headlight switch is rotated to the first position
to the right, the parking lights, taillights, side marker
lights, license plate light and instrument panel lights are
all turned on. The headlights will turn ON when the
switch is rotated to the second position.
Your vehicle is equipped with plastic headlight lenses
that are lighter and less susceptible to stone breakage
than glass headlights.
Plastic is not as scratch resistant as glass and therefore
different lens cleaning procedures must be followed.
To minimize the possibility of scratching the lenses and
reducing light output, avoid wiping with a dry cloth. To
remove road dirt, wash with a mild soap solution fol-
lowed by rinsing.
Do not use abrasive cleaning components, solvents, steel
wool or other abrasive materials to clean the lenses.
Illuminated Entry
Headlights turn on for 90 seconds, when the Remote
Keyless Entry UNLOCK button is pressed.
NOTE:This feature can be activated by your authorized
dealer.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The headlights on your Durango will illuminate when
the engine is started. This provides a constant “Lights
ON” condition until the ignition is turned OFF. The lights
illuminate at reduced intensity. If the parking brake is
applied the Daytime Running Lights will turn off. If the
headlights are activated, the Daytime Running Lights
feature will transition to the normal headlight operating
mode.
134 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
Page 151 of 440

•Understeer - when the vehicle is turning less than
appropriate for the steering wheel position.
ESP/TCS Indicator Light
TheESP/TCS Indicator Lightstarts to flash as soon as
the tires lose traction and the ESP system becomes active.
TheESP/TCS Indicator Lightalso flashes when TCS is
active. If theESP/TCS Indicator Lightbegins to flash
during acceleration, ease up on the accelerator and apply
as little throttle as possible. Be sure to adapt your speed
and driving to the prevailing road conditions.
WARNING!
•ESP (Electronic Stability Program) cannot prevent
the natural laws of physics from acting on the
vehicle, nor can it increase the traction afforded.
•ESP cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or hydro-
planing. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver
can prevent accidents.
•The capabilities of an ESP-equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user’s safety
or the safety of others.
The ESP system has 2 available operating modes.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 151
3
Page 154 of 440

WARNING!
In the Partial Off mode, the engine torque reduction
and stability features are desensitized. Therefore,
the enhanced vehicle stability offered by ESP is
unavailable.
ESP/BAS Warning Lamp and ESP/TCS Indicator
Light
The malfunction indicator for the ESP is combined with
the BAS indicator. The yellow “ESP/BAS Warning
Lamp” and the yellow “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” in the
instrument cluster both come on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position. They should both
go out with the engine running. If the “ESP/BAS Warn-
ing Lamp” comes on continuously with the engine
running, a malfunction has been detected in either the
ESP or BAS system, or both. If this light remains on after
several ignition cycles, and the vehicle has been drivenseveral miles at speeds greater than 30 mph (48 km/h),
see your authorized dealer as soon as possible to have the
problem diagnosed and corrected.
NOTE:
•The “ESP Indicator Light” and the “ESP/BAS Warning
Lamp” come on momentarily each time the ignition
switch is turned ON.
•Each time the ignition is turned ON, the ESP System
will be ON even if it was turned off previously.
•The ESP Control System will make buzzing or clicking
sounds when it is active. This is normal; the sounds
will stop when ESP becomes inactive following the
maneuver that caused the ESP activation.
154 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
Page 158 of 440

Average Fuel Economy (AVG ECO)
Shows the average fuel economy since the last reset. This
display mode becomes less sensitive to instantaneous
changes in fuel consumption as the number of total
vehicle miles since the last reset increases. It is suggested
that this mode be reset periodically for general operation
or when driving conditions change significantly (for
example, at the end of a trip or when a trailer is
connected or disconnected).
Distance To Empty (DTE)
Shows the estimated distance that can be travelled with
the fuel remaining in the tank. The estimated distance is
determined by a weighted average of the instantaneous
and average fuel economy, according to the current fuel
tank level.
When Distance To Empty = 0, the fuel gauge pointer will
initially be on the red “E” marker. At this point (fuel
gauge pointer on the the red “E” marker) there is reservefuel capacity, which corresponds to approximately 5% of
tank volume. This reserve capacity was put in place to
prevent the likelihood of customers running out of fuel
when operating at maximum load conditions in areas
where there aren’t many gas stations.
NOTE:The Distance To Empty will remain equal to
zero, until the vehicle runs out of fuel or is refueled.
Trip Odometer (ODO)
This display shows the distance traveled since the last
reset.
Elapsed Time (ET)
This display shows the accumulated ignition ON time
since the last reset.
158 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
Page 160 of 440

After completing one 360° turn, with the vehicle traveling
less than 5 mph (8 km/h), in an area free from large metal
or metallic objects, the CAL symbol will turn off and the
compass will function normally.
Manual Compass Calibration
NOTE:To ensure proper compass calibration, make
sure the compass variance is properly set before manu-
ally calibrating the compass.
If the compass appears erratic and the CAL symbol does
not appear, you must manually put the compass into the
“Calibration” mode.
To Put Into a Calibration Mode
Turn on the ignition and set the display to “Compass/
Temperature.” Press and hold the RESET button for 5
seconds to change the display to VAR (compass variance)
mode, holding the button 5 additional seconds will
display CAL (compass calibration) mode. When the CALsymbol is displayed complete one 360 degree turn in an
area free from large metal objects or power lines. The
CAL symbol will turn off and the compass will function
normally.
Compass Varianceis the difference between magnetic
north and geographic north. In some areas of the country,
the difference between magnetic and geographic north is
great enough to cause the compass to give false readings.
If this occurs, the compass variance must be set according
to the Compass Variance Map.
160 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
Page 167 of 440

•Press and hold the two outer HomeLink buttons until
the indicator light begins to flash-after 20 seconds.
Release both buttons. Do not hold for longer that 30
seconds. HomeLink is now in the train (or learning)
mode and can be programmed at any time beginning
withProgramming- step 2.
Reprogramming a Single HomeLink Button
To program a device to HomeLink using a HomeLink
button previously trained, follow these steps:
1. Press and hold the desired HomeLink button.Do
NOTrelease the button.
2. The indicator light will begin to flash after 20 seconds.
Without releasing the HomeLink button, proceed with
Programmingstep 2
For questions or comments, contact HomeLink at:
www.homelink.com or 1-800-355-3515.
Security
Garage Door Opener Operation with Security
Alarm (if equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with the Security Alarm
feature, the operation of the HomeLink feature will be
purposely inhibited if the Security Alarm isArmed.
This prevents HomeLink operation due to un-authorized
vehicle entry. HomeLink operation will be re-stored
when the Security Alarm has beenDisarmed.
If you sell your vehicle, be sure to erase the frequencies.
To erase all of the previously trained frequencies, hold
down both outside buttons until the 2 dots below House
Symbol begin to flash (about 20 seconds).
This device complies with part 15 of FCC rules and with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the
following conditions:
•This device may not cause harmful interference.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 167
3