2010 DODGE CARAVAN stop start

belt several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate
into the buckle with the release button facing out.
•If the belt still can’t be tightened, or if pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the buckle
around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still can’t make the child restraint secure,
try a different seating position.
•Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Don’t leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seatbacks and
cause serious personal injury.
Installing the Child Restraint System
We urge you to carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Many,
but not all restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector, and a means for adjusting the tension in the
strap. Forward-facing toddler restraints and some
rearward-facing infant restraints will also be equipped
with a tether strap, a hook and means for adjusting the
tension in the strap. Not all child restraint systems will be
installed as described here. Again, carefully follow the
installation instructions that are provided with the child
restraint system.
In general, you will first loosen the adjusters on the lower
straps and tether straps so that you can more easily attach
the hook or connector to the lower anchorages and tether
anchorages. Then tighten all three straps as you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the seat.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 91
ProCarManuals.com

CUPHOLDERS
There are nine cupholders in the interior. Two cupholders
in the center front instrument panel, four in the floor
consoles and three more are located in the third row
quarter trim panel.
All liners are removable for cleaning. Pull the flexible
liner from the cupholder drawer or tray starting at one
edge for easy removal. Refer to “Cleaning The Instru-
ment Panel Cupholders” in “Maintaining Your Vehicle”
for further information.
Instrument Panel Cupholders
The instrument panel cupholders are located in a pull-out
drawer just above the lower storage bin.Pull the drawer out firmly until it stops, and place the
container to be held in either one of the cupholder wells.
The cupholders are designed to accommodate a wide
variety of container types and sizes. Press down on the
container to engage the cupholder retention features.Front Cupholders
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 199
ProCarManuals.com

WARNING!
A malfunctioning catalytic converter, as referenced
above, can reach higher temperatures than in normal
operating conditions. This can cause a fire if you
drive slowly or park over flammable substances such
as dry plants or wood or cardboard, etc. This could
result in death or serious injury to the driver, occu-
pants or others.
16. Engine Temperature Warning Light This light warns of an overheated engine condi-
tion. As temperatures rise and the gauge ap-
proaches H,this indicator will illuminate and a
single chime will sound after reaching a set threshold.
Further overheating will cause the temperature gauge to
pass H,the indicator will continuously flash and a
continuous chime will occur until the engine is allowed
to cool. If the light turns on while driving, safely pull over and
stop the vehicle. If the A/C system is on, turn it off. Also,
shift the transmission into NEUTRAL and idle the ve-
hicle. If the temperature reading does not return to
normal, turn the engine off immediately and call for
service. Refer to “If Your Engine Overheats” in “What To
Do In Emergencies” for further information.
17. Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) Light
This light informs you of a problem with the
Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system. The
light will come on when the ignition is first
turned ON and remain on briefly as a bulb
check. If the light does not come on during starting, have
the system checked by an authorized dealer.
If a problem is detected, the light will come on while the
engine is running. Cycle the ignition key when the
vehicle has completely stopped and the shift lever is
placed in the PARK position, the light should turn off.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 235
ProCarManuals.com

If the light remains lit with the engine running, your
vehicle will usually be drivable; however, see an autho-
rized dealer for service as soon as possible. If the light is
flashing when the engine is running, immediate service is
required and you may experience reduced performance,
an elevated/rough idle or engine stall and your vehicle
may require towing.
18. Oil Pressure Warning LightThis light indicates low engine oil pressure. The
light should turn on momentarily when the engine
is started. If the light turns on while driving, stop the
vehicle and shut off the engine as soon as possible. A
chime will sound for four minutes when this light turns
on.
Do not operate the vehicle until the cause is corrected.
This light does not indicate how much oil is in the engine.
The engine oil level must be checked under the hood. 19. Front Fog Light Indicator — If Equipped
This indicator will illuminate when the front fog
lights are on.
20. Seat Belt Reminder Light When the ignition switch is first turned ON, this
light will turn on for five to eight seconds as a bulb
check. During the bulb check, if the driver’s seat
belt is unbuckled, a chime will sound. After the bulb
check or when driving, if the driver’s seat belt remains
unbuckled, the Seat Belt Reminder Light will illuminate
and the chime will sound. Refer to “Occupant Restraints”
in “Things To Know Before Starting Your Vehicle” for
further information.
21. Vehicle Security Light — If Equipped This light will flash at a fast rate for approxi-
mately 15 seconds when the vehicle security
alarm is arming and then will flash slowly until
vehicle is disarmed.
236 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
ProCarManuals.com

vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving
on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper
tire maintenance, and it is the driver ’s responsibility tomaintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS
low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the sys-
tem may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure
as intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more
238 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
ProCarManuals.com

beginning of the track. Pressing theSEEK>> button
during play mode, it will jump to the next track in the
list.
•While a track is playing, press the INFObutton to see
the associated metadata (artist, track title, album, etc.)
for that track. Pressing the INFObutton again jumps
to the next screen of data for that track. Once all
screens have been viewed, the last INFObutton press
will go back to the play mode screen on the radio.
•Pressing the REPEATbutton will change the iPod
mode to repeat the current playing track.
•Press the SCANbutton to use iPod scan mode, which
will play the first five seconds of each track in the
current list and then forward to the next song. To stop
SCAN mode and start playing the desired track, when
it is playing the track, press the SCANbutton again. During Scan mode, pressing the <<
SEEKand
SEEK >> buttons will select the previous and next
tracks.
•RND button (available on sales code RES radio only):
Pressing this button toggles between Shuffle ON and
Shuffle OFF modes for the iPod.IftheRND icon is
showing on the radio display, then the shuffle mode is
ON.
List Or Browse Mode
During Play mode, pressing any of the buttons described
below, will bring up List mode. List mode enables
scrolling through the list of menus and tracks on the
iPod.
•TUNE control knob: The TUNEcontrol knob functions
in a similar manner as the scroll wheel on the iPod.
•Turning it clockwise (forward) and counterclock-
wise (backward) scrolls through the lists, displaying
286 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
ProCarManuals.com

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the follow-
ing precautions are not observed:
•Move the shift lever into PARK only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop.
•Do not move the shift lever from REVERSE,
PARK, or NEUTRAL into any forward gear when
the engine is above idle speed.
•Before moving the shift lever into any gear, make
sure your foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
NOTE: You must press and hold the brake pedal down
while shifting out of PARK.
WARNING!
It is dangerous to move the shift lever out of PARK or
NEUTRAL if the engine speed is higher than idle
speed. If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal,
the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in
reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your foot is
firmly on the brake pedal.
Key Ignition Park Interlock
This vehicle is equipped with a Key Ignition Park Inter-
lock which requires the shift lever to be placed in PARK
prior to rotating the key fob to the LOCK position. The
key fob can only be removed from the ignition when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK position and once re-
moved the shift lever is locked in PARK.
324 STARTING AND OPERATING
ProCarManuals.com

Brake/Transmission Interlock System
This vehicle is equipped with a Brake Transmission Shift
Interlock System (BTSI) that holds the shift lever in the
PARK position when the ignition switch is in the LOCK
position. To move the shift lever out of the PARK
position, the ignition switch must be turned to any other
switch position (ACC, ON, or START) (engine running or
not) and the brake pedal must be pressed.
Automatic Transmission Ignition Interlock System
For electrical system malfunctions, there is an override
for the interlock system. In order to override this system,
remove the cover located to the top right of the shift lever
in the instrument panel. The override can be activated by
pressing the white-colored tab, which can be accessed
through the hole in the instrument panel. While the
override is pressed, the shift lever can be moved out of
the PARK position without pressing the brake pedal.
After operation, return the cover to its original position.This system prevents the key fob from being removed
unless the shift lever is in PARK. It also prevents moving
the shift lever out of PARK, unless the key fob is in the
ACC/ON position, and the brake pedal is pressed.
NOTE:
If a malfunction occurs, the system will trap the
key fob in the ignition cylinder to warn you that this
safety feature is inoperable. The engine can be started
and stopped but the key fob cannot be removed until you
obtain service.Four-Speed or Six-Speed Automatic
Transmission
NOTE: Under extreme cold temperatures (-10°F (-23°C)
and when in DRIVE, transmission operation may be
briefly limited to only second gear operation. Normal
operation will resume once the transmission temperature
has risen to a suitable level.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 325
ProCarManuals.com