2010 DODGE NITRO ECU

•Vehicle speed
•Engine RPM
•Brake switch status
•Pedal position
•And other parameters depending on vehicle
configuration
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time including babies and children. Every state in the
United States and all Canadian provinces require that
small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the
law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years and younger should ride properly
buckled up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats rather than in the front.There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat Owner’s Manual to ensure you have the right seat
for your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your
child.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby,
can become a projectile inside the vehicle. The force
required to hold even an infant on your lap can
become so great that you could not hold the child, no
matter how strong you are. The child and others
could be badly injured. Any child riding in your
vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child’s
size.
76 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path
opening on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate
from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt
several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into
the buckle with the release button facing out.
•If the belt still cannot 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 cannot make the child restraint
secure, try a different seating position.
•Buckle the child into the restraint exactly as the
manufacturer’s instructions tell you.
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seatbacks and
cause serious personal injury.NOTE:
For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1–866–SEATCHECK. Canadian
residents, should refer to Transport Canada’s website for
additional information.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/index.htm
Older Children and Child Restraints
Children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) and who are
older than one year can ride forward-facing in the
vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible child
seats used in the forward-facing direction are for children
who weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg), and who are older
than one year. These child seats are also held in the
vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH child
restraint anchorage system (refer to LATCH — Child Seat
Anchorage System.)
The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weighing
more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small to fit
the vehicle’s seat belts properly. If the child cannot sit
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 79

with knees bent over the vehicle’s seat cushion while the
child’s back is against the seatback, they should use a
belt-positioning booster seat. The child and belt-
positioning booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
lap/shoulder belt.
Children Too Large for Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably and whose legs are long enough to bend
over the front of the seat when their back is against the
seatback, should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
•Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
•The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
•Check belt fit periodically. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
•If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. Never allow a
child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind
their back.
LATCH — Child Seat Anchorage System (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren)
Your vehicle’s rear seat is equipped with the child
restraint anchorage system called LATCH. The LATCH
system provides for the installation of the child restraint
without using the vehicle’s seat belts, instead securing
the child restraint using lower anchorages and upper
tether straps from the child restraint to the vehicle
structure.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems are now avail-
able. However, because the lower anchorages are to be
introduced over a period of years, child restraint systems
having attachments for those anchorages will continue to
also have features for installation using the vehicle’s seat
80 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

belt. However, any seat belt system may loosen with
time, so check the belt occasionally and pull it tight if
necessary.
Pull the belt from the retractor until there is enough to
allow it to pass through the child restraint and slide the
latch plate into the buckle. Then, pull the belt until it is
completely extracted from the retractor. Allow the belt to
return to the retractor, pulling on the excess webbing to
tighten the lap portion around the child restraint. Refer to
“Automatic Locking Mode”.
In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the
buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path opening
on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate from the
buckle and twist the short buckle-end 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, you may need
to do something more. 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.
To attach a child restraint tether strap:
Route the tether strap over the seatback and attach the
hook to the tether anchor located on the back of the seat.
For the outboard seating positions, route the tether under
the head rests, and attach the hook to the tether anchor
located on the back of the seat.
84 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind
the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether
strap.
Transporting Pets
Airbags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
a collision. Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in
pet harnesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
Tether Strap Mounting
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85

Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and place
the blower control on high speed. You should be able to
feel the air directed against the windshield. See your
authorized dealer for service if your defroster is
inoperable.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the foot well of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
WARNING!
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of
vehicle control and increase the risk of serious per-
sonal injury.
•Always make sure that floor mats are properly
attached to the floor mat fasteners.
•Never place or install floor mats or other floor
coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly
secured to prevent them from moving and inter-
fering with the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
•Never put floor mats or other floor coverings on
top of already installed floor mats. Additional
floor mats and other coverings will reduce the size
of the pedal area and interfere with the pedals.(Continued)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

WARNING! (Continued)
•Check mounting of mats on a regular basis. Al-
ways properly reinstall and secure floor mats that
have been removed for cleaning.
•Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the
driver foot well while the vehicle is moving.
Objects can become trapped under the brake pedal
and accelerator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
•If required, mounting posts must be properly
installed, if not equipped from the factory.
Failure to properly follow floor mat installation or
mounting can cause interference with the brake
pedal and accelerator pedal operation causing loss
of control of the vehicle.
Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
the Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread. Inspect the tread and sidewall for
cuts and cracks. Check the wheel nuts for tightness.
Check the tires (including spare) for proper pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of exterior lights
while you work the controls. Check turn signal and high
beam indicator lights on the instrument panel.
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

▫Windshield Washers .................. 154
▫ Mist Feature ........................ 155
 Tilt Steering Column ................... 155
 Electronic Speed Control — If Equipped ..... 156
▫ To Activate ......................... 157
▫ To Set a Desired Speed ................ 158
▫ To Deactivate ....................... 158
▫ To Resume Speed .................... 158
▫ To Vary The Speed Setting .............. 158
▫ To Accelerate For Passing .............. 159
 Parksense Rear Park Assist — If Equipped . . . 159
▫ System Usage Precautions .............. 160
▫ Enabling And Disabling Parksense ....... 162▫
Parksense Operation................. 163
▫ Service Parksense Rear Park Assist....... 164
 Garage Door Opener — If Equipped ........ 165
▫ Programming HomeLink .............. 166
▫ Gate Operator/Canadian Programming .... 169
▫ Using HomeLink ................... 169
▫ Reprogramming A Single HomeLink
Button ............................ 170
▫ Security ........................... 170
▫ Troubleshooting Tips .................. 170
▫ General Information .................. 171
 Power Sunroof — If Equipped ............ 171
▫ Opening Sunroof — Express ............ 172
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 95