2009 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Owners Manual

TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOODTo open the hood, two latches must be released.
1. Pull the hood release lever located on the instrument
panel, below the steering column.
2. Move to the front of the vehicle and look inside the
center of the hood opening. Locate, then push the safety
catch lever to the right while raising the hood at the same
time.
Use the hood prop rod to secure the hood in the open
position.Hood Release Lever Safety Lever Location
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THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 175 3

CAUTION!To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Lower the hood until it is open approxi-
mately 12 in (30 cm) 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 open 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.
LIGHTS
All of the lights, except the Hazard Warning lights,
headlight high beams and flash-to-pass, are controlled by
switches to the left of the steering column on the instru-
ment panel.
Headlight Switch With Halo Control
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ANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Interior LightingInterior lights are turned on when a door or liftgate is
opened, the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
activated, or when the dimmer control is moved to the
extreme top.
The interior lights will automatically turn off in approxi-
mately 10 minutes for the first activation and 90 seconds
every activation thereafter until the engine is started, if
one of the following occur:
A door, sliding door or the liftgate is left open
Any overhead reading light is left on
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.
Dome Light Positions
Rotate the dimmer control completely
upward to the second detent (extreme
top position) to turn on the interior
lights. The interior lights will remain
on when the dimmer control is in this
position.
Interior Lighting Defeat (Off)
Rotate the dimmer control to the off
position (extreme bottom). The inte-
rior lights will remain off when the
doors or liftgate are open. UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 177
3

Parade Mode (Daytime Brightness Feature)Rotate the dimmer control to the first
detent. This feature brightens the
odometer, radio and overhead dis-
plays when the parking lights or head-
lights are on.
Dimmer Control
With the parking lights or headlights
on, rotating the dimmer control for the
interior lights on the instrument panel
upward will increase the brightness of
the instrument panel lights.
Halo Lights — If Equipped
Halo lights are strategically placed soft lighting that help
to illuminate specific areas to aid the occupants in
locating specific features while driving at night.
To activate the Halo lights, push in the Halo
switch control knob. Pressing the switch con-
trol knob in a second time will turn the Halo
lights off.
Parking Lights
Turn the headlight switch knob to the first detent
to turn on the parking lights. This also turns on all
instrument panel lighting. 178 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

HeadlightsTurn the headlight switch knob to the second
detent to turn the headlights and parking 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.
Automatic Headlights — 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 counterclockwise
position aligning the indicator with the “A”on the
headlight switch. When the system 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 “O”off
position. NOTE:
The engine must be running before the head-
lights will come on in the Automatic mode.
Headlights On With Wipers — If Equipped
When your headlights are in the Automatic mode and the
engine is running, the headlights will automatically turn
on when the wiper system is also turned on. Headlights Automatic Headlights
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THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 179 3

on when windshield wipers are on may be found on
vehicles equipped with an automatic headlight system.
Refer to the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
in Section 4 under “Personal Settings (customer-
programmable features)” for more information.
Headlight Delay — If Equipped
This feature provides the safety of headlight illumination
for up to 90 seconds after exiting your vehicle.
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 parking lights are turned back on or the
ignition switch is turned ON, the delay will be cancelled.
When exiting the vehicle the driver can choose to have
the headlights remain on for 30, 60, or 90 seconds or not
remain on. To change the timer setting, see your autho-
rized dealer.The headlight delay time is programmable on vehicles
equipped with an EVIC. Refer to “Delay Turning Head-
lights Off,” under “Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” under “Electronic Vehicle In-
formation Center (EVIC)” in Section 4.
If the headlights are turned off before the ignition, they
will turn off in the normal manner.
NOTE:
The headlights must be turned off within 45 sec-
onds of turning the ignition OFF to activate this feature.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights or the parking 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.
180 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Daytime Running Lights (Canada/Fleet Vehicles
Only)The headlights on your vehicle will illuminate when the
engine is started and the transmission is in any gear
except PARK. This provides a constant lights on condi-
tion until the ignition is turned OFF. The lights illuminate
at less than 50% of normal intensity. If the parking brake
is applied, the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) will turn
off. Also, if a turn signal is activated, the DRL lamp on the
same side of the vehicle will turn off for the duration of
the turn signal activation. Once the turn signal is no
longer active, the DRL lamp will illuminate.
Front Fog Lights — If Equipped
To activate the front fog lights, turn on the parking
lights or the low beam headlights and push in the
headlight switch control knob. Pressing the head-
light switch control knob in a second time will turn the
front fog lights off.
Battery Protection
This feature provides battery protection to avoid wearing
down the battery if the headlights, parking lights, or
front fog lights are left on for extended periods of time
when the ignition switch is in the LOCK position. After
eight minutes of the ignition switch being in the LOCK
position and the headlight switch in any position other
than OFF 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 three minute delay. UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 181
3

Multifunction LeverThe multifunction lever is located on the left side of the
steering column.
The multifunction lever controls the:
Turn Signals
Headlight Beams Low/High
Flash-To-Pass (Optical Horn)
Front and Rear Wipers — Washer Functions
Turn Signals
Move the multifunction lever up or down and the arrows
on each side of the instrument cluster flash to show
proper operation of the front and rear turn signal lights.
NOTE:
If either light remains on and does not flash, or
there is a very fast flash rate, check for a defective outside
light bulb. If an indicator fails to light when the lever is
moved, it would suggest that the indicator bulb is
defective. Turn Signals
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ANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE