2012 DODGE CHALLENGER instrument panel

•If wearing gloves on your hands, or if it has been
raining on the Passive Entry door handle, the unlock
sensitivity can be affected, resulting in a slower re-
sponse time.
•If you unlock the doors using the Passive Entry door
handles, but do NOT pull the handle, the doors will
automatically lock after 60 seconds.
To Unlock From The Driver’s Side:
With a valid Passive Entry RKE transmitter within 5 ft
(1.5 m) of the driver’s door handle, grab the front driver
door handle to unlock the driver’s door automatically.
The interior door panel lock knob will raise when the
door is unlocked. NOTE:
If “Unlock All Doors 1st Press” is programmed
all doors will unlock when you grab hold of the front
driver ’s door handle. To select between “Unlock Driver
Door 1st Press” and “Unlock All Doors 1st Press”, refer to
“Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Personal
Settings (Customer-Programmable Features)” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
Grabbing The Driver’s Door Handle
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35

The power window switches will remain active for up to
60 minutes after the ignition switch is turned OFF.
Opening either door will cancel this feature. The time for
this feature is programmable. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” in “Understanding Your In-
strument Panel” for further information.
Wind Buffeting
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter-type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down, or the sunroof (if equipped) in certain
open or partially open positions. This is a normal occur-
rence and can be minimized. If the buffeting occurs with
one window open, then open the other window to
minimize the buffeting. If the buffeting occurs with the
sunroof open, then adjust the sunroof opening to mini-
mize the buffeting.
TRUNK LOCK AND RELEASE
The trunk lid can be released from inside the vehicle by
pressing the Trunk Release button. The button is located
on the instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel.
NOTE:The transmission must be in PARK before the
button will operate. If equipped with a manual transmis-
sion, the vehicle speed must be under 5 mph (8 km/h)
before the button will operate.
The trunk lid can be released from
outside the vehicle by pressing the
Trunk Release button on the Re-
mote Keyless Entry (RKE) trans-
mitter twice within five seconds
or by using the external release
switch located on the underside of
the decklid overhang. The release
Trunk ReleaseButton
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING! (Continued)
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
Bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) and Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
also need room to inflate. Do not lean against the
door or window. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
•In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly
buckled up. You can strike the interior of your
vehicle or other passengers, or you can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Always be sure you and others
in your vehicle are buckled up properly.Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45

Bag is mounted in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger’s Advanced Front Air Bag is mounted in the
instrument panel, above the glove compartment. The
words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on the air bag covers.NOTE:
The Driver and Front Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bags are certified to the new Federal regulations for
Advanced Air Bags.
The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage inflator
design. This allows the air bag to have different rates of
inflation based on several factors, including the severity
and type of collision.
This vehicle may be equipped with driver and/or front
passenger seat track position sensors that may adjust the
inflation rate of the Advanced Front Air Bags based upon
seat position.
This vehicle may be equipped with a driver and/or front
passenger seat belt buckle switch that detects whether
the driver or front passenger seat belt is fastened. The
seat belt buckle switch may adjust the inflation rate of the
Advanced Front Air Bags.
Advanced Front Air Bag And Knee Bolster Locations
1 — Driver And Passenger Advanced Front Air Bags
2 — Knee Bolster
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Seat-
Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB) to provide enhanced
protection for an occupant during a side impact. The
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags are located in
the outboard side of the front seats.
This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Side Air Bag
Inflatable Curtains (SABIC) to protect the driver, front,
and rear passengers sitting next to a window. The SABIC
air bags are located above the side windows and their
covers are also labeled: SRS AIRBAG.
NOTE:
•Air Bag covers may not be obvious in the interior trim,
but they will open during air bag deployment.
•After any accident, the vehicle should be taken to an
authorized dealer immediately.
Air Bag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following air bag
system components:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
•Air Bag Warning Light
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Knee Impact Bolster
•Driver Advanced Front Air Bag
•Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
•Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC)
•Front and Side Impact Sensors
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•Front Seat Belt Pretensioners, Seat Belt Buckle Switch,
and Seat Track Position Sensors
Advanced Front Air Bag Features
The Advanced Front Air Bag system has multistage
driver and front passenger air bags. This system provides
output appropriate to the severity and type of collision as
determined by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC),
which may receive information from the front impact
sensors.
The first stage inflator is triggered immediately during an
impact that requires air bag deployment. This low output
is used in less severe collisions. A higher energy output is
used for more severe collisions.
WARNING!
•No objects should be placed over or near the air
bag on the instrument panel, because any such
objects could cause harm if the vehicle is in a
collision severe enough to cause the air bag to
inflate.
•Do not put anything on or around the air bag
covers or attempt to open them manually. You may
damage the air bags and you could be injured
because the air bags may no longer be functional.
The protective covers for the air bag cushions are
designed to open only when the air bags are
inflating.
•Do not drill, cut or tamper with the knee bolster in
any way.
•Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band radios,
etc.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

The Advanced Front Air Bags will not deploy in all
frontal collisions, including some that may produce sub-
stantial vehicle damage — for example, some pole colli-
sions, truck underrides, and angle offset collisions. On
the other hand, depending on the type and location of
impact, Advanced Front Air Bags may deploy in crashes
with little vehicle front-end damage but that produce a
severe initial deceleration.
The side air bags will not deploy in all side collisions.
Side air bag deployment will depend on the severity and
type of collision.
Because air bag sensors measure vehicle deceleration
over time, vehicle speed and damage by themselves are
not good indicators of whether or not an air bag should
have deployed.
Seat belts are necessary for your protection in all colli-
sions, and also are needed to help keep you in position,
away from an inflating air bag.The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the air bag system whenever the ignition switch is in the
START or ON/RUN position. If the key is in the OFF
position, in the ACC position, or not in the ignition, the
air bag system is not on and the air bags will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
may deploy the air bags even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
Also, the ORC turns on the Air Bag Warning
Light in the instrument panel for approxi-
mately four to eight seconds for a self-check
when the ignition is first turned on. After the
self-check, the Air Bag Warning Light will turn off. If the
ORC detects a malfunction in any part of the system, it
turns on the Air Bag Warning Light, either momentarily
or continuously. A single chime will sound if the light
comes on again after initial startup.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61

It also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the instru-
ment cluster Air Bag Warning Light if a malfunction is
noted that could affect the air bag system. The diagnos-
tics also record the nature of the malfunction.
WARNING!
Ignoring the Air Bag Warning Light in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the air bags
to protect you in a collision. If the light does not come
on as a bulb check when the ignition is first turned
on, stays on after you start the vehicle, or if it comes
on as you drive, have an authorized dealer service the
air bag system immediately.
Driver And Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
Inflator Units
The Driver and Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
Inflator Units are located in the center of the steering
wheel and on the right side of the instrument panel.When the ORC detects a collision requiring the Ad-
vanced Front Air Bags, it signals the inflator units. A large
quantity of non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the
Advanced Front Air Bags. Different air bag inflation rates
are possible, based on the collision type and severity. The
steering wheel hub trim cover and the upper right side of
the instrument panel separate and fold out of the way as
the air bags inflate to their full size. The air bags fully
inflate in about 50 to 70 milliseconds. This is about half of
the time it takes to blink your eyes. The air bags then
quickly deflate while helping to restrain the driver and
front passenger.
The Advanced Front Air Bag gas is vented through the
vent holes in the sides of the air bag. In this way, the air
bags do not interfere with your control of the vehicle.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE