2012 DODGE DURANGO cooling

WARNING! (Continued)
•If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling
controls to force outside air into the vehicle. Set
the blower at high speed.
The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine exhaust
system.
Whenever a change is noticed in the sound of the exhaust
system, when exhaust fumes can be detected inside the
vehicle, or when the underside or rear of the vehicle is
damaged, have a competent mechanic inspect the com-
plete exhaust system and adjacent body areas for broken,
damaged, deteriorated, or mispositioned parts. Open
seams or loose connections could permit exhaust fumes
to seep into the passenger compartment. In addition,
inspect the exhaust system each time the vehicle is raised
for lubrication or oil change. Replace as required.
Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the belt system periodically, checking for cuts,
frays, and loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced
immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision. Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced after
a collision if they have been damaged (i.e., bent retractor,
torn webbing, etc.). If there is any question regarding belt
or retractor condition, replace the belt.
Air Bag Warning Light
The light should come on and remain on for four to eight
seconds as a bulb check when the ignition switch is first
turned ON. If the light is not lit during starting, see your
authorized dealer. If the light stays on, flickers, or comes
on while driving, have the system checked by an autho-
rized dealer.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 99

25. Temperature Gauge
The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tempera-
ture. Any reading within the normal range indicates that
the engine cooling system is operating satisfactorily.
The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher tempera-
ture when driving in hot weather, up mountain grades,
or when towing a trailer. It should not be allowed to
exceed the upper limits of the normal operating range.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could
damage your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads
“H” pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle
with the air conditioner turned off until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on the “H” and you hear continuous chimes,
turn the engine off immediately and call an autho-
rized dealership for service.
WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call an authorized dealer-
ship for service if your vehicle overheats. If you
decide to look under the hood yourself, see “Main-
taining Your Vehicle”. Follow the warnings under the
Cooling System Pressure Cap paragraph.
308 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

NOTE:
•If the system is in Mix, Floor or Defrost Mode, the A/C
can be turned off, but the A/C system shall remain
active to prevent fogging of the windows.
•If fog or mist appears on the windshield or side glass,
select Defrost mode and increase blower speed.
Recirculation Control
When outside air contains smoke, odors, or
high humidity, or if rapid cooling is desired,
you may wish to recirculate interior air by
pressing the Recirculation control button. Re-
circulation mode should only be used temporarily. The
recirculation LED will illuminate when this button is
selected. Push the button a second time to turn off the
Recirculation mode LED and allow outside air into the
vehicle. NOTE:
In cold weather, use of Recirculation mode may
lead to excessive window fogging. The Recirculation
mode is not allowed in the Defrost modes to improve
window clearing operation. Recirculation will be dis-
abled automatically if this mode is selected.
Rear Climate Control — If Equipped
The Rear Climate Control system has floor air outlets,
and overhead outlets at each outboard rear seating
position. The unit provides warm or cool air through the
floor and upper outlets.
The rear blower and temperature controls for the rear
seat passengers are located in the headliner, near the
center of the vehicle.
If the rear system is off, changing the rear setting to a
position other than off will turn the rear system on. If
both the front and rear systems are off, turning the rear
system on from the rear controls will also turn on the
front system on.
414 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

To access all six available gears, you must use the
Electronic Range Select (ERS) feature (refer to “Electronic
Range Select (ERS)” in this section).
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or
while towing heavy trailers), use the Electronic Range
Select (ERS) feature (refer to “Electronic Range Select
(ERS)” in this section) to select a lower gear range. Under
these conditions, using a lower gear range will improve
performance and extend transmission life by reducing
excessive shifting and heat buildup.
If the transmission operating temperature exceeds nor-
mal operating limits, the powertrain controller will
modify the transmission shift schedule and expand the
range of torque converter clutch engagement. This is
done to prevent transmission damage due to overheat-
ing.If the transmission becomes extremely hot, the “Trans-
mission Temperature Warning Light” may illuminate and
the transmission may downshift out of Overdrive until
the transmission cools down.
NOTE:
Use caution when operating a heavily loaded
vehicle at low speeds (such as towing a trailer up a steep
grade, or in stop-and-go traffic) during hot weather. In
these conditions, torque converter slip can impose a
significant additional heat load on the cooling system.
Downshifting the transmission to the lowest possible
gear (when climbing a grade), or shifting to NEUTRAL
(when stopped in heavy traffic) can help to reduce this
excess heat generation.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmission
temperature as well as vehicle speed. This feature im-
proves warm up time of the engine and transmission to
achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of both the
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 445

If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
Electronic Range Select (ERS) Operation
The Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control allows the
driver to limit the highest available gear when the shift
lever is in the DRIVE position. For example, if you shift
the transmission into 3 (third gear), the transmission will
never shift above third gear, but will shift down into
second and first gear normally.
Use of ERS (or TOW/HAUL mode) also enables an
additional underdrive gear which is not normally used
during through-gear accelerations. This additional gear
can improve vehicle performance and cooling capability
when towing a trailer on certain grades. In ERS mode,
gears 1 though 3 are underdrive gears, and ERS 4 is direct
drive. ERS 5 and 6 (Overdrive gears ) are the same as the
normal fourth and fifth gears.You can switch between DRIVE and ERS mode at any
vehicle speed. When the shift lever is in the DRIVE
position, the transmission will operate automatically,
shifting between all available gears. Tapping the shift
lever to the left (-) will activate ERS mode, display the
current gear in the instrument cluster, and maintain that
gear as the top available gear. Once in ERS mode, tapping
the shift lever to the left (-) or right (+) will change the top
available gear.
To exit ERS mode, simply press and hold the shift lever to
the right (+) until “D” is once again displayed in the shift
lever position indicator in the instrument cluster.
WARNING!
Do not downshift for additional engine braking on a
slippery surface. The drive wheels could lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid, causing an accident
or personal injury.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 447

Cooling System
To reduce potential for engine and transmission over-
heating, take the following actions:
City Driving
When stopped for short periods of time, shift the trans-
mission into NEUTRAL and increase engine idle speed.
Highway Driving
Reduce speed.
Air Conditioning
Turn off temporarily.
SNOW PLOW
Snow plows, winches, and other aftermarket equipment
should notbe added to the front end of your vehicle. The
airbag crash sensors may be affected by the change in the
front end structure. The airbags could deploy unexpect-
edly or could fail to deploy during a collision.
WARNING!
Do not add a snow plow, winches, or any other
aftermarket equipment to the front of your vehicle.
This could adversely affect the functioning of the
airbag system and you could be injured.5
STARTING AND OPERATING 539

HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS
The Hazard Warning flasher switch is located on the
switch bank just above the climate controls.Press the switch to turn on the Hazard Warning
flasher. When the switch is activated, all directional
turn signals will flash on and off to warn oncoming
traffic of an emergency. Press the switch a second time to
turn off the Hazard Warning flashers.
This is an emergency warning system and it should not
be used when the vehicle is in motion. Use it when your
vehicle is disabled and it is creating a safety hazard for
other motorists.
When you must leave the vehicle to seek assistance, the
Hazard Warning flashers will continue to operate even
though the ignition is placed in the OFF position.
NOTE: With extended use the Hazard Warning flashers
may wear down your battery.
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate action.
•On the highways — slow down.
•In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission
in NEUTRAL, but do not increase the engine idle
speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down
an impending overheat condition:
•If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C
system adds heat to the engine cooling system and
turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
•You can also turn the temperature control to maximum
heat, the mode control to floor and the blower control
to high. This allows the heater core to act as a
supplement to the radiator and aids in removing heat
from the engine cooling system.
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 551

CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads HOT
(H), pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle
with the air conditioner turned off until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on HOT (H), and you hear continuous
chimes, turn the engine off immediately and call for
service.
WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot engine
coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If
you see or hear steam coming from under the hood,
do not open the hood until the radiator has had time
to cool. Never try to open a cooling system pressure
cap when the radiator or coolant bottle is hot.
JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING
WARNING!
•Do not attempt to change a tire on the side of the
vehicle close to moving traffic. Pull far enough off
the road to avoid the danger of being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
•Being under a jacked-up vehicle is dangerous. The
vehicle could slip off the jack and fall on you. You
could be crushed. Never put any part of your body
under a vehicle that is on a jack. If you need to get
under a raised vehicle, take it to a service center
where it can be raised on a lift.
•Never start or run the engine while the vehicle is
on a jack.(Continued)
552 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES