2010 JEEP COMPASS Owners Manual

WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not place items over the top of the Active Head
Restraint, such as coats, seat covers or portable
DVD players. These items may interfere with the
operation of the Active Head Restraint in the event
of an accident and could result in serious injury or
death.
•Active Head Restraints may be deployed if they
are struck by an object such as a hand, foot or loose
cargo. To avoid accidental deployment of the Ac-
tive Head Restraint ensure that all cargo is se-
cured, as loose cargo could contact the Active Head
Restraint during sudden stops. Failure to follow
this warning could cause personal injury if the
Active Head Restraint is deployed.
Folding Rear Seat
To provide additional storage area, each rear seatback can
be folded forward. Pull the strap forward to move the
seat forward and flat.
Folding Rear Seat
136 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To raise the seatback, pull the strap forward and lift the
seatback into its upright position.
WARNING!
Be certain that the seatback is securely locked into
position. If the seatback is not securely locked into
position the seat will not provide the proper stability
for child seats and/or passengers. An improperly
latched seat could cause serious injury.
Reclining Rear Seat — If Equipped
For additional comfort, pull the strap forward just
enough to release the seatback latch. Then push the
seatback to a reclined position, approximately 35 degrees
maximum, and release the strap.
Rear Seats Folded Flat
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 137

WARNING!
•Do not ride with the seatback reclined so that the
shoulder belt is no longer resting against your
chest. In a collision you could slide under the seat
belt and be seriously or even fatally injured. Use
the recliner only with the vehicle is parked.
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be seri-
ously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure that everyone in your vehicle is in a seat
and using a seat belt properly.
TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released.1. Pull the hood release lever located on the left kick
panel.
2. Move the safety latch, located outside the vehicle
under the front edge of the hood, toward the center and
raise the hood.
Hood Release Lever
138 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Lift the hood prop rod, clipped to the right side (left side
facing hood) of the engine compartment to secure the
hood in the open position. Place the hood prop at the
location stamped into the inner hood surface.
CAUTION!
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Lower the hood until it is open approxi-
mately 8 in (20 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!
Be sure the hood is fully latched before driving your
vehicle. If the hood is not fully latched, it could open
when the vehicle is in motion and block your vision.
Failure to follow this warning could result in serious
injury or death.
Safety latch
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 139

LIGHTS
Multifunction Lever
The multifunction lever controls the operation of the
headlights, parking lights, turn signals, headlight beam
selection, instrument panel light dimming, interior lights,
the passing lights and the fog lights. The multifunction
lever is located on the left side of the steering column.
Headlights and Parking Lights
Turn the end of the multifunction lever to the first detent
to turn on the parking lights.
Turn the end of the lever to the second detent to turn on
the headlights.
Multifunction Lever
Headlight Control
140 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Instrument Panel Dimming
Rotate the center portion of the lever to the extreme
bottom position to fully dim the instrument panel lights
and prevent the interior lights from illuminating when a
door is opened.
Rotate the center portion of the lever up to increase the
brightness of the instrument panel lights when the park-
ing lights or headlights are on.
Rotate the center portion of the lever upward to the next
detent position to brighten the odometer and radio when
the parking lights or headlights are on.
Rotate the center portion of the lever upward to the last
detent to turn on the interior lighting.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights or parking lights are left on after the
ignition is turned OFF, a chime will sound to alert the
driver when the driver’s door is opened.
Dimmer Control
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 141

Fog Lights — If Equipped
The front fog light switch is on the multifunction
lever. To activate the front fog lights, turn on the
parking lights or the low beam headlights and pull
out the end of the multifunction lever. NOTE:
The fog lights will only operate with the head-
lights on low beam. Selecting high beam headlights will
turn off the fog lights.
Daytime Running Lights — If Equipped
The high beam lights will come on as Daytime Running
Lights (lower intensity), whenever the ignition is ON, the
engine is running, the headlight switch is off, the parking
brake is off, the turn signal is off, and the shift lever is in
any position except PARK.
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.
Front Fog Lights Control
142 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Lane Change Assist
Tap the lever up or down once, without moving beyond
the detent, and the turn signal (right or left) will flash
three times then automatically turn off.
High/Low Beam Switch
Push the multifunction lever away from you to switch
the headlights to high beam. Pull the multifunction lever
toward 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 you. This
will turn on the high beam headlights until the lever is
released.
NOTE: If the multifunction lever is held in the flash-to-
pass position for more than 30 seconds, the high beams
will shut off. If this occurs, wait 30 seconds for the next
flash-to-pass operation.
Turn Signals
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 143