2012 FIAT FREEMONT maintenance schedule

A/C AIR FILTER (for versions/markets, where
provided)
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
WARNING!
Do not remove the A/C air filter while
the blower is operating or personal in-
jury may result .
The A/C air filter is located in the fresh air inlet behind
the glove box. Perform the following steps to replace
the filter:
1. Open the glove box and remove all contents.
2. Push the retaining tab on each side of the glove box inward while gently pulling the glove box door
outward until both tabs clear the door opening in
the instrument panel. (fig. 179)
3. Pivot the glove box downward.
4. Disengage the two retaining tabs that secure the filter cover to the HVAC housing and remove the
cover. (fig. 180)
5. Remove the A/C air filter by pulling it straight out of the housing.
6. Install the A/C air filter with the arrow on the filter pointing toward the floor. When installing the filter
cover, make sure the retaining tabs fully engage the
cover.
(fig. 179) Glove Box Removal(fig. 180)
A/C Air Filter Replacement
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Cooling System – Drain, Flush, And Refill
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
If the solution is dirty or contains a considerable
amount of sediment, clean and flush with a reliable
cooling system cleaner. Follow with a thorough rinsing
to remove all deposits and chemicals. Properly dispose
of the old engine coolant (antifreeze) solution.
Selection Of Coolant – Gasoline Engine
Use only the manufacturer's recommended coolant.
Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in
“Technical Specifications” for further information.
 Mixing of coolants other than specified
engine coolants (antifreeze), may result
in engine damage and may decrease cor-
rosion protection. If a non-specified coolant (an-
tifreeze) is introduced into the cooling system in
an emergency, it should be replaced with the
specified coolant (antifreeze) as soon as possible.
 Do not use plain water alone or alcohol-based
engine coolant (antifreeze) products. Do not use
additional rust inhibitors or antirust products, as
they may not be compatible with the radiator
engine coolant (antifreeze) and may plug the
radiator.
(Continued)(Continued)
 This vehicle has not been designed for use with
Propylene Glycol based coolants. Use of Propyl-
ene Glycol based coolants is not recommended.
Selection Of Coolant – Diesel Engine
Use only the manufacturer's recommended coolant
(antifreeze). Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine
Parts” in “Technical Specifications” for further informa-tion.
 Do not use HOAT (Hybrid Organic Ad-
ditive Technology) products in the Diesel
Engine.
 Do not use OAT (Organic Additive Technology)
products containing 2-EH (2–ethyl hexanol).
 Do not use plain water alone or alcohol base
engine coolant (antifreeze) products. Do not use
additional rust inhibitors or antirust products, as
they may not be compatible with the radiator
engine coolant and may plug the radiator.
 This vehicle has not been designed for use with
Propylene Glycol based coolants. Use of Propyl-
ene Glycol based coolants is not recommended.
Adding Coolant – Gasoline Engine
Your vehicle has been built with an improved engine
coolant (antifreeze) that allows extended maintenance
intervals. This coolant (antifreeze) can be used up to 281
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BRAKE SYSTEM
In order to assure brake system performance, all brake
system components should be inspected periodically.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
WARNING!
Riding the brakes can lead to brake fail-
ure and possibly an accident . Driving
with your foot resting or riding on the brake
pedal can result in abnormally high brake tem-
peratures, excessive lining wear, and possible
brake damage.You would not have your full brak-
ing capacity in an emergency.
Master Cylinder – Brake Fluid Level Check
Check the fluid level in the master cylinder immediately
if the “Brake Warning Light” indicates system failure.
Check the fluid level in the master cylinder when
performing underhood services.
Clean the top of the master cylinder area before
removing the cap. If necessary, add fluid to bring the
fluid level up to the requirements described on the
brake fluid reservoir.
Overfilling of fluid is not recommended because it may
cause leaking in the system. Fluid level can be expected to fall as the brake pads
wear. Brake fluid level should be checked when pads are
replaced. However, low fluid level may be caused by a
leak and a checkup may be needed.
Use only manufacturer's recommended brake fluid.
Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in
“Technical Specifications” for further information.
WARNING!
 Use only manufacturer's recom-
mended brake fluid. Refer to “Fluids, Lu-
bricants, and Genuine Parts” in “Technical Speci-
fications” for further information. Using the
wrong type of brake fluid can severely damage
your brake system and/or impair its perfor-
mance. The proper type of brake fluid for your
vehicle is also identified on the original factory
installed hydraulic master cylinder reservoir.
(Continued)
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Fluid Level Check – Six-Speed Automatic
Routine fluid level checks are not required, therefore
the transmission has no dipstick. Your authorized
dealer can check your transmission fluid level using a
special service dipstick. If you notice fluid leakage or
transmission malfunction, visit your authorized dealer
immediately to have the transmission fluid level
checked. Operating the vehicle with an improper fluid
level can cause severe transmission damage.
Fluid And Filter Changes
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
In addition, change the fluid and filter if the transmis-
sion is disassembled for any reason.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION (for versions/
markets, where provided)
Fluid Level Check
Visually inspect manual transmission for leakage at each
oil change. Add fluid, if necessary, to maintain the
proper fluid level.
Check the fluid level by removing the fill plug. The fluid
level should be between the bottom of the fill hole and
a point not more that 4.7 mm below the bottom of the
hole.
Lubricant Selection
Use only manufacturers recommended transmission
fluid. Do not add any materials (other than leak detec-tion dyes). Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine
Parts” in “Technical Specifications” for further
information.
Frequency Of Fluid Change
Change the manual transmission fluid at the intervals
shown in the “Maintenance Schedule” in this manual.
REAR DRIVE ASSEMBLY (RDA) – AWD
MODELS ONLY
Lubricant Selection
Use only the manufacturer's recommended fluid. Refer
to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in “Technical
Specifications” for further information.
Fluid Level Check
Visually inspect the unit at each oil change for leakage.
If leakage is detected, check the fluid level by removing
the fill plug. The fluid level should be maintained be-
tween the bottom of the fill hole to 4 mm below the fill
hole.
Add fluid, if necessary, to maintain the proper level.
Frequency Of Fluid Change
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
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POWER TRANSFER UNIT (PTU) – AWD
MODELS ONLY
Lubricant Selection
Use only the manufacturer's recommended fluid. Refer
to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in “Technical
Specifications” for further information.
Fluid Level Check
Visually inspect the unit at each oil change for leakage.
If leakage is detected, Check the fluid level by removing
the fill plug. The fluid level should be maintained be-
tween the bottom of the fill hole to 4 mm below the fill
hole.
Add fluid, if necessary, to maintain the proper level.
Frequency Of Fluid Change
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
APPEARANCE CARE AND PROTECTION
FROM CORROSION
Protection Of Body And Paint From Corrosion
Vehicle body care requirements vary according to geo-
graphic locations and usage. Chemicals that make roads
passable in snow and ice and those that are sprayed on
trees and road surfaces during other seasons are highly
corrosive to the metal in your vehicle. Outside parking,
which exposes your vehicle to airborne contaminants,
road surfaces on which the vehicle is operated, ex-
treme hot or cold weather and other extreme condi-tions will have an adverse effect on paint, metal trim,
and underbody protection.
The following maintenance recommendations will en-
able you to obtain maximum benefit from the corro-
sion resistance built into your vehicle.
What Causes Corrosion?
Corrosion is the result of deterioration or removal of
paint and protective coatings from your vehicle.
The most common causes are:
• Road salt, dirt, and moisture accumulation.
• Stone and gravel impact.
• Insects, tree sap, and tar.
• Salt in the air near seacoast localities.
• Atmospheric fallout/industrial pollutants.
Washing
• Wash your vehicle regularly. Always wash your ve-
hicle in the shade using a mild car wash soap, and
rinse the panels completely with clear water.
• Use a high quality cleaner wax to protect your paint finish. Take care never to scratch the paint.
• Avoid using abrasive compounds and power buffing that may diminish the gloss or thin out the paint
finish.
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Illuminated Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71,225
Intensity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Lights On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Low Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,21
Low Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Malfunction Indicator (Check Engine) . . . . . . . . . 225
Map Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Parade Mode (Daytime Brightness) . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Passing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Rear Fog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230,250
Rear Servicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249,251
Rear Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Seat Belt Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248,249
Service Engine Soon (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . 225
Side Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Side Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS) . . . . . . . . . 123,227
Traction Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Turn Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,194,226,249,251
Vanity Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Warning (Instrument Cluster Description) . . . . . . 225
Load Floor, Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Auto Unlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Child Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Low Tire Pressure System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren
(LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176,177
Lubrication, Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Luggage Rack (Roof Rack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Maintenance Free Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Maintenance Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Maintenance, General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Maintenance, Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Malfunction Indicator Light (Check Engine) . . . . . . . 225
Manual Transaxle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202,286 Downshifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Fluid Level Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286,287
Frequency of Fluid Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286,287
Lubricant Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286,287
Map/Reading Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Marker Lights, Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Master Cylinder (Brakes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Methanol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Methanol Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Mini-Trip Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,84 Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Electric Powered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Electric Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Exterior Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
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Rear Drive Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Rear Fog Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Rear Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Rear Park Sense System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Rear Seat, Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,54
Rear Window Defroster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Rear Window Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Rear Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Reclining Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Reclining Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,54
Recorder, Event Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Recreational Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Refrigerant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Release, Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Reminder, Lights On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Reminder, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Remote Sound System (Radio) Controls . . . . . . . . . 137
Repeater Lights, Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Replacement Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Replacement Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Resetting Oil Change Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,226
Restraint, Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Restraints, Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Restraints, Occupant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Retractable Cargo Area Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Reverse Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Rocking Vehicle When Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Roof Rack (Luggage Rack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290Safety Checks Inside Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Safety Checks Outside Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Safety Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Safety, Exhaust Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106,192
Schedule, Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Seat Belt Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Seat Belt Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,159,193
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Anchorage . . . . . . . . 162
And Pregnant Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170,173,175,179
Front Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159,160
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Operating Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Pretensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Rear Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Untwisting Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Child Booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Easy Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Height Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,45
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Rear Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,54
Reclining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Reclining Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,54
Seatback Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,49,54
Tilting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Security Alarm (Theft Alarm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,230
Selection of Coolant (Antifreeze) . . . . . . . . . . . 281,302
Sentry Key (Immobilizer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
315
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