Page 33 of 467
WARNING!² For personal security, and safety in the event of an
accident, lock the vehicle doors as you drive as
well as when you park and leave the vehicle.
² When leaving the vehicle always remove the key
from the ignition lock, and lock your vehicle. Do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause severe per-
sonal injuries and death.
² Never leave children alone in a vehicle. Leaving
children in a vehicle unattended is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Don't leave the keys in
the ignition. A child could operate power win-
dows, other controls, or move the vehicle. CAUTION!An unlocked vehicle is an invitation to thieves.
Always remove the key from the ignition and lock all
of the doors when leaving the vehicle unattended. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 31
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Page 35 of 467
Automatic Unlock Doors On Exit Programming
The Auto Unlock on Exit feature can be enabled or
disabled as follows:
² For vehicles equipped with the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC), refer to ªPersonal Settings
(Customer Programmable Features)º under ªElec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)º in Section 4
of this manual for details.
² For vehicles not equipped with the EVIC, performing
the following procedure:
1. Close all doors and place the key in the ignition. 2. Cycle the ignition switch between LOCK and ON and
then back to LOCK four times ending up in the LOCK
position.
3. Depress the power door unlock switch to unlock the
doors.
4. Repeat these steps if you want to return this feature to
its previous setting.
NOTE: Use the Auto Unlock On Exit feature in accor-
dance with local laws. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 33
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Page 36 of 467
ªCHILD-PROTECTIONº DOOR LOCK SYSTEM
(REAR DOORS)
The Rear Door Child-Protection Locks are located inside
the rear edge of the door. Insert the tip of the ignition key
or similar flat-bladed object into the lock and rotate
approximately oneÐquarter turn to the lock or unlock
position (as indicated by the stamped icons).
WARNING!Avoid trapping anyone in a vehicle in a collision.
Remember that the rear doors can only be opened from
the outside when the child protection locks are engaged. Child Lock Control34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 37 of 467
NOTE: For emergency exit with the system engaged,
move the lock plunger up (unlocked position), roll down
the window, and open the door with the outside door
handle.
POWER WINDOWS
POWER WINDOW SWITCHES
The control on the driver's door has up-down switches
that give you fingertip control of all four power win-
dows.
There is a single window control on the passenger's door
trim panel, which operates the passenger door window.
The window controls will operate when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or ACC position, and when
the accessory delay feature is active. Auto Power Window SwitchTHINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35
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WARNING!Never leave children in a vehicle, with the keys in
the ignition switch. Occupants, particularly unat-
tended children, can become entrapped by the win-
dows while operating the power window switches.
Such entrapment may result in serious injury or
death.
AUTO WINDOW DOWN Ð IF EQUIPPED
The front window controls on the driver and passenger
door trim panels have an Auto Down feature. These
switches are labeled AUTO to indicate this capability.
Push the window switch past the first detent, release, and
the window will go down automatically.
To open the window part way, push the window switch
to the first detent and release it when you want the
window to stop. To cancel the Auto Down movement, operate the switch
either in the up or down direction and release the switch.
For vehicles not equipped with the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC), the power window switches
will remain active for approximately 45 seconds after the
ignition switch is turned to the LOCK position. Opening
either door will cancel this feature.
For vehicles equipped with the Electronic Vehicle Infor-
mation Center (EVIC), the power window switches will
remain active for up to 10 minutes after the ignition
switch is turned off. Opening either door will cancel this
feature. The time for this feature is programmable. For
details, refer to ªKey-Off Power Delay,º under ªPersonal
Settings (Customer Programmable Features)º under
ªElectronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)º in Sec-
tion 4 of this manual.36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 41 of 467

TRUNK RELEASE
From inside the car the trunk lid
can be released by depressing the
Trunk Release Button located on
the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel. The transmis-
sion must be in Park before the
switch will operate.
NOTE: The gear selector lever must be in PARK for this
switch to operate.
To unlatch the trunk lid from outside the vehicle, press
and release the TRUNK button on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter two times.
With the ignition ON, the word ªdeckº will display in
place of the odometer display indicating that the trunk is
open. The odometer display will reappear once the trunk
is closed or if the trip button is depressed. With the key in the lock position or with the key out, the
word ªdeckº will display until the trunk is closed.
On EVIC equipped vehicles, the words ªTrunk Ajarº will
display.
TRUNK SAFETY WARNING
WARNING!Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,
either by climbing into the trunk from outside, or
through the inside of the vehicle. Always close the
trunk lid when your vehicle is unattended. Once in
the trunk, young children may not be able to escape,
even if they entered through the rear seat. If trapped
in the trunk, children can die from suffocation or
heat stroke. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
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Page 51 of 467

BeltAlert t will be reactivated if the driver's seat belt is
unbuckled for more than 10 seconds and the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h).
BELTALERT T PROGRAMMING
BeltAlert t can be enabled or disabled by your authorized
dealer or by following these steps:
NOTE: The following steps must occur within the first
60 seconds of the ignition switch being turned to the ON
or START position. DaimlerChrysler does not recom-
mend deactivating BeltAlert t .
1. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK position and
buckle the driver's seat belt.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position and wait
for the Seat Belt Warning Light to turn off. 3. Within 60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the
ON position, unbuckle and then re-buckle the driver's
seat belt at least three times within 10 seconds, ending
with the seat belt buckled.
NOTE: Watch for the Seat Belt Warning Light to turn on
while unbuckling and off while re-buckling the seat belt.
It may be necessary to retract the seat belt partially each
time when unbuckling.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK position. A
single chime will sound to signify that you have success-
fully completed the programming.
BeltAlert t can be reactivated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE: Although BeltAlert t has been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Warning Light will continue to illuminate while
the driver's seat belt remains unbuckled. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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Page 61 of 467

AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT SENSORS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
The Occupant Restraint Controller System (ORC) is
part of a Federally regulated safety system required for
this vehicle.
The ORC determines if a frontal collision is severe
enough to require the airbags to inflate. Based on the
sensor signals, a central electronic Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) deploys the front airbags, side inflat-
able airbag curtains (if equipped), seat-mounted side
(Thorax) airbags (if equipped), and front seat belt preten-
sioners as required for each type of impact.
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the system whenever the ignition switch is in the START
or RUN positions. These include all of the items listed
above except the steering wheel and column, instrument
panel, and passenger knee bolsters. If the key is in the OFF position, in the ACC position, or not in the ignition,
the airbags are not on and will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
will deploy the airbags even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
Also, the ORC turns on the Airbag Warning
Light in the instrument panel for 6 to 8 seconds
for a self-check when the ignition is first turned
on. After the self-check, the Airbag Warning
Light will turn off. If the ORC detects a malfunction in
any part of the system, it turns on the Airbag Warning
Light either momentarily or continuously. A single chime
will sound if the light comes on again after initial start
up.
It also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the instru-
ment cluster Airbag Warning Light if a malfunction is
noted. The diagnostics also record the nature of the
malfunction. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59
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