2011 DODGE DAKOTA Owners Manual

While sitting in the seat, lift up on the bar and move the
seat forward or rearward. Release the bar once you have
reached the desired position. Then, using body pressure,
move forward and rearward on the seat to be sure that
the seat adjusters have latched.
WARNING!
•Adjusting a seat while driving may be dangerous.
Moving a seat while driving could result in loss of
control which could cause a collision and serious
injury or death.
•Seats should be adjusted before fastening the seat
belts and while the vehicle is parked. Serious
injury or death could result from a poorly adjusted
seat belt.Adjusting Bar
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 127

Front Seat — Manual Recliner
To recline the seatback, lift the recline lever, located on
the outboard side of the seat, lean back and release the
lever when you reach the desired position.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,
which could result in serious injury or death.
Manual Lumbar — If Equipped
Some vehicle may be equipped with a manual lumbar
support. The manual lumbar rotary control adjustment is
located on the left side of the driver’s seat. Rotate the
knob to increase or decrease the amount of lumbar
support.
Recline Lever
128 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Heated Seats — If Equipped
On some models, the front driver and passenger seats
may be equipped with heaters in both the seat cushions
and seatbacks.
There are two heated seat switches that allow the driver
and passenger to operate the seats independently. Thecontrols for each seat are located on a switch bank near
the bottom center of the instrument panel.
You can choose from HIGH, LOW or OFF heat settings.
Amber indicator lights in each switch indicate the level of
heat in use. Two indicator lights will illuminate for
HIGH, one for LOW and none for OFF.
Press the switch once to select HIGH-level
heating. Press the switch a second time to select
LOW-level heating. Press the switch a third
time to shut the heating elements OFF.
When the HIGH-level setting is selected, the heater will
provide a boosted heat level during the first four minutes
of operation. Then, the heat output will drop to the
normal HIGH-level. If the HIGH-level setting is selected,
the system will automatically switch to LOW-level after
approximately 30 minutes of continuous operation. At
that time, the number of illuminated LEDs changes from
Lumbar Adjustment
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 129

two to one, indicating the change. The LOW-level setting
will turn OFF automatically after approximately 30 min-
utes.
NOTE:Once a heat setting is selected, heat will be felt
within two to five minutes.
WARNING!
•Persons who are unable to feel pain to the skin
because of advanced age, chronic illness, diabetes,
spinal cord injury, medication, alcohol use, ex-
haustion or other physical condition must exercise
care when using the seat heater. It may cause burns
even at low temperatures, especially if used for
long periods of time.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not place anything on the seat that insulates
against heat, such as a blanket or cushion. This
may cause the seat heater to overheat. Sitting in a
seat that has been overheated could cause serious
burns due to the increased surface temperature of
the seat.
Head Restraints
Head restraints are designed to reduce the risk of injury
by restricting head movement in the event of a rear
impact. Head restraints should be adjusted so that the top
of the head restraint is located above the top of your ear.
130 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
The head restraints for all occupants must be prop-
erly adjusted prior to operating the vehicle or occu-
pying a seat. Head restraints should never be ad-
justed while the vehicle is in motion. Driving a
vehicle with the head restraints improperly adjusted
or removed could cause serious injury or death in the
event of a collision.
Front Head Restraints
To raise the head restraint, pull upward on the head
restraint. To lower the head restraint, press the adjust-
ment button, located on the base of the head restraint,
and push downward on the head restraint.
Rear Head Restraints
The rear seat is equipped with nonadjustable head re-
straints. Refer to “Occupant Restraints” in “Things T o
Know Before Starting Your Vehicle” for information on
child seat tether routing.
Adjustment Button
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 131

Extended Cab/Crew Cab Rear Seat
More cargo space is available by lifting up on the rear
seat cushion.
The Crew Cab Rear Seat is a 60/40 split cushion and full
back. Either cushion can be raised, independently.
TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released.
1. First pull the hood release lever located under the left
side of the instrument panel.2. Then push the safety latch lever up while lifting the
grille with your hand. It is located at the bottom center of
the grille.
Hood Release Lever Location
132 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Lift the hood, and the gas filled props will hold it open.
CAUTION!
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Use a firm downward push at the center front
edge of the hood to ensure that both latches engage.
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.
Secondary Latch Location
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 133

LIGHTS
The headlight switch is located on the left side of the
instrument panel next to the steering wheel.
Headlights, Parking Lights And Panel Lights
When the headlight switch is rotated to the first
position, the parking lights, taillights, side marker
lights, license plate light and instrument panel lights are
all turned on. The headlights will turn on when the
switch is rotated to the second position.
Your vehicle is equipped with plastic headlight lenses
that are lighter and less susceptible to stone breakage
than glass headlights.
Plastic is not as scratch resistant as glass and therefore
different lens cleaning procedures must be followed.
To minimize the possibility of scratching the lenses and
reducing light output, avoid wiping with a dry cloth. To
remove road dirt, wash with a mild soap solution fol-
lowed by rinsing.
Do not use abrasive cleaning components, solvents, steel
wool or other abrasive materials to clean the lenses.
Headlight Switch Location
134 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE