2008 DODGE NITRO warning

Manual Door Locks
Use the manual door lock plunger to lock the doors from
inside the vehicle. If the plunger is down when the door
is closed, the door will lock. Therefore, make sure the
keys are not inside the vehicle before closing the door.WARNING!
²For personal security and safety in the event of an
accident, lock the vehicle doors when you drive as
well as when you park and leave the vehicle.
²When 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.
Manual Lock Plunger
28 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child-Protection Door Lock System (Rear Doors)
Insert the tip of the ignition key into the lock and rotate
to the lock or unlock position.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.
NOTE:For emergency exit with the system engaged,
move the lock plunger up (unlocked position), roll down
window and open the door with the outside door handle.
Inserting Ignition Key
32 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Power Off to Accessories Until Exitº in Section 4 of this
manual. Opening a vehicle front door will cancel this
feature.
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 Down Feature
The driver's and front passenger's (if equipped for pas-
senger side) power window switches have an ªAuto
Downº feature. Press the window switch past the first
detent, release, and the window will go down automati-
cally.To open the window part way, press the window switch
to the first detent and release it when you want the
window to stop.
To stop the window from going all the way down during
the auto-down operation, pull up on the switch briefly.
For vehicles not equipped with the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC), the power window switches
will remain active for 45 seconds after the ignition switch
is turned to the LOCK position. Opening either front
door will cancel this feature.
For vehicles equipped with the EVIC, the power window
switches will remain active for up to 10 minutes after the
ignition switch is turned to the LOCK position. Opening
either front door will cancel this feature. The time is
programmable. For details, refer to ªDelay Power Off to
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:
²If the window runs into any obstacle during auto-
closure, it will reverse direction and then stop. Remove
the obstacle and use the window switch again to close
the window.
²Any impact due to rough road conditions may trigger
the auto reverse function unexpectedly during auto-
closure. If this happens, pull the switch lightly to the
first detent and hold to close window manually.
WARNING!
There is no anti-pinch protection when the window
is almost closed. Be sure to clear all objects from the
window before closing.
Reset
It may be necessary at some point in time to reactivate the
auto-up feature. To do so, perform the following proce-
dure:
1. Pull the window switch up to close window com-
pletely and continue to hold the switch up for an
additional two seconds after the window is closed.
2. Push the window switch down firmly to the second
detent to open the window completely and continue to
hold the switch down for an additional two seconds after
the window is fully open.
Window Lockout Switch
The window lockout switch on the driver's door (below
the power window switches) allows you to disable the
window control on the other doors. To disable the
window controls on the other doors, press the window
lockout button. To enable the window controls, press the
window lockout button again.
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

LIFTGATE
The vacuum fluorescent (VF) display located in the
odometer area displays the word ªGATEº as an indica-
tion of when the liftgate is not completely closed. When
the vehicle is not moving, and the liftgate is not com-
pletely closed, the VF display will show the word
ªGATE.º On EVIC equipped vehicles, ªGATE AJARº will
be displayed.
If any other active warnings are present, they will be
shown in the VF display and will also continue to cycle.
If the vehicle is moving, three single chimes will occur if
the rear liftgate is open (one chime for each complete
display cycle). After this, the VF display will continue to
sequence only (no chimes).
If the trip/reset button is pressed while the VF warnings
are being displayed, the VF display will revert back to
only displaying the odometer/trip odometer mileage.To open the liftgate, pull up (squeeze) on the handle and
lift. Manually unlocking the vehicle doors with the
plunger or a key in the lock cylinder will not unlock the
liftgate.
Liftgate Release
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Driving with the liftgate open can allow poisonous
exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your pas-
sengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep the
liftgate closed when you are operating the vehicle.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems. These include the front
and rear seat belts for the driver and all passengers, front
airbags for both the driver and right front passenger, and
side curtain airbags for the driver and passengers seated
next to a window. If you will be carrying children too
small for adult-size belts, your seat belts also can be used
to hold infant and child restraint systems.NOTE:The front airbags have a multi stage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on collision severity.
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
injuries, including fatalities, if you are not properly
buckled up. You can strike the interior of your
vehicle or other passengers, or you can be thrown out
of the vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your
vehicle are buckled up properly.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
2

and cause a collision which includes you. This can
happen far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.Everyonein a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times to reduce or prevent injuries.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle have combination
lap/shoulder belts. The belt webbing retractor is de-
signed to lock during very sudden stops or collisions.
This feature allows the shoulder part of the belt to move
freely with you under normal conditions. But in a colli-
sion, the belt will lock and reduce the risk of you striking
the inside of the vehicle or being thrown out.
WARNING!
²Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the best.
Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You might
suffer internal injuries, or you could even slide out
of part of the belt. Follow these instructions to
wear your seat belt safely and to keep your pas-
sengers safe, too.
²Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or a lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a ªclick.ºWARNING!
A belt that is buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too high
on your body, possibly causing internal injuries. Always
buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well. In a
sudden stop you could move too far forward, increasing
the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt snugly.
A belt that is worn under your arm is very dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the vehicle
in a collision, increasing head and neck injury. A belt
worn under the arm can cause internal injuries. Ribs
aren't as strong as shoulder bones. Wear the belt over
your shoulder so that your strongest bones will take the
force in a collision.
A shoulder belt placed behind will not protect you from
injury during a collision. You are more likely to hit your
head in a collision if you do not wear your shoulder belt.
The lap and shoulder belt are meant to be used together.
Latch Plate To Buckle
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE