2009 JEEP COMMANDER Owners Manual

Daytime Running Lights — If Equipped
The high beam headlights come on at a low intensity
level whenever the engine is running, and the transmis-
sion is not in the PARK position. The lights remain on
until the ignition switch is turned OFF or the parking
brake is engaged. The headlight switch must be used for
normal night time driving.
Fog Lights — If Equipped
The fog light switch is located in the multifunction
lever. To activate the fog lights, turn on the park/
turn lights, low beam headlights, or “Auto” head-
lights and pull out the end of the multifunction lever. A
light in the instrument cluster shows when the fog lights
are on.NOTE:
•Turning on the high beam headlights turns off the fog
lights.
Front Fog Light Control
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•A front fog light is a lighting device providing illumina-
tion forward of the vehicle under conditions of fog, rain,
snow, or dust. Principally, the front fog light supplements
the lower beam of a standard headlight system.
•Proper aim and adjustments of the front fog lights should
be made to prevent excessive glare for other drivers.
Instrument Panel and Interior Lights
When the multifunction lever is in the parking light,
headlight, or A (Auto) position (if equipped), rotating the
center portion of the lever up and down will increase and
decrease the brightness (dimmer control) of the instru-
ment panel lights. Full daytime brightness on all elec-
tronic displays (odometer, overhead console, radio, and
Automatic Climate Control (if equipped) is obtained by
rotating the center portion of the control to the first
detent above the dimmer range. Rotating the control to
the second detent above the dimmer range turns the
interior lights on. Rotating the control to the “Off”
(extreme bottom) position disables all the interior lights,even when the doors and liftgate are open. While in the
“Off” position the instrument panel lighting is at the
lowest light level and may not be suitable for night
driving.
Dimmer Control
144 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Battery Saver Feature — Exterior/Interior Lights
If the multifunction lever is left in the interior light
position, parking light position, or the headlight position
when the ignition switch is moved to the OFF position,
the battery saver feature will automatically turn off the
exterior and interior lights after eight minutes. Normal
operation will resume when the ignition is turned ON or
when the headlight switch is turned to another position.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights or parking lights are on after the ignition
is turned OFF, a chime will sound when the driver’s door
is opened.
Turn Signals
Move the multifunction lever up or down and the arrows
on each side of the instrument cluster will flash to show
proper operation of the front and rear turn signal lights.
You can signal a lane change by moving the lever
partially up or down.
Turn Signal Auto-Mode
Tap the multifunction lever once and the turn signal (left
or right) will flash three times, and automatically turn off.
Turn Signal Control
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 145
3

High Beam Switch
Push the multifunction lever away from you to switch
the headlights to high beam. Pull the lever towards you
to switch the headlights back to low beam.
Flash-To-Pass
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.
Headlight Time Delay
There is also a feature that delays turning off the vehicle
lights for 30, 60, or 90 seconds after the ignition switch is
turned OFF. To activate the headlight delay, the multi-
function lever must be rotated to the “Off” position after
the ignition switch is turned OFF. Only the headlights
will illuminate during this time. Refer to “EVIC- Cus-
tomer Programmable Features” in Section 4 to turn this
feature “On/Off” or set the time interval.
High Beam/Low Beam Select
146 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Interior Lights
The interior lighting consists of courtesy lights mounted
below the instrument panel, reading lights located above
the front and rear doors, and a rear cargo light. Opening
a door or turning the center of the multifunction lever to
the extreme up position will activate all interior courtesy
lights.
Courtesy/Reading Lights
Each light can be turned on by pressing the recessed area
of the lens. To turn these lights off, press the recessed area
of the lens a second time. There are also reading lights
located above the rear doors. Each light can be turned on
by pressing the front recessed area of the lens. To turn
these lights off, press the recessed area of the lens a
second time.
Courtesy/Reading Lights
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 147
3

WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND WASHERS
The front and rear wipers and washers are operated by a
switch in the right side control lever. Turn the end of the
control lever to select Low, High, or one of the five speed
sensitive intermittent windshield wiper speeds. Refer to
“Speed Sensitive Intermittent Wiper System” in this
section. For information on the rear wiper and washer
refer to “Rear Window Features” in this section.
NOTE:Always remove any buildup of snow that pre-
vents 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.
Windshield Wiper/Washer Switch
148 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To use the washer, pull the lever toward you and hold
while spray is desired. If the lever is pulled while in the
delay range, the wiper will operate for several seconds
after the lever is released, and then resume the intermit-
tent interval previously selected.
If the lever is pulled while in the off position, the wipers
will operate for several 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 the defroster before and during
windshield washer use.
Mist
Use this feature when weather conditions make occa-
sional usage of the wipers necessary. Pull down and
release the control lever for a single wiping cycle.
Speed Sensitive Intermittent Wiper System
Use one of the five intermittent wiper speeds when
weather conditions make a single wiping cycle, with a
variable pause between cycles, desirable. Turn the end of
the lever to one of the five delay positions for the desired
delay interval. The delay can be regulated from a maxi-
mum of approximately 18 seconds between cycles, to a
cycle every 1/2 second.
NOTE:The wiper delay times depend on vehicle speed.
If the vehicle is moving less than 10 mph (16 km/h),
delay times will be doubled.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 149
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Rain Sensing Wipers — If Equipped
This feature senses moisture on the windshield and
automatically activates the wipers for the driver. The
feature is especially useful for road splash or overspray
from the windshield washers of the vehicle ahead. Rotate
the end of the multifunction lever to one of five settings
to activate this feature.
The sensitivity of the system can be adjusted with the
multifunction lever. Wiper delay position 1 is the least
sensitive, and wiper delay position 5 is the most sensi-
tive. Setting 3 should be used for normal rain conditions.
Settings 1 and 2 can be used if the driver desires less
wiper sensitivity. Settings 4 and 5 can be used if the
driver desires more sensitivity. Place the wiper switch in
the OFF position when not using the system.
NOTE:
•The rain sensing feature will not operate when the
wiper switch is in the Low or High speed position.
•The rain sensing feature may not function properly when
ice, or dried salt water is present on the windshield.
•Use of Rain-Xor products containing wax or silicone
may reduce rain sensor performance.
•A customer programmable feature in the Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) allows the Rain
Sense feature to be turned off. Refer to “Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) — Customer-
Programmable Features” in Section 4 of this manual.
The rain sensing system has protection features for the
wiper blades and arms, and will not operate under the
following conditions:
•Low Ambient Temperature— When the ignition is
first turned ON, the rain sensing system will not
operate until the wiper switch is moved, vehicle speed
is greater than 0 mph (0 km/h), or the outside tem-
perature is greater than 32°F (0°C).
150 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE