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 danger-
ous. 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.
• The jack is designed to be used as a tool
for changing tires only. The jack should not
be used to lift the vehicle for service pur-
poses. The vehicle should be jacked on a
firm level surface only. Avoid ice or slippery
areas.
Jack LocationThe scissor-type jack and tire changing tools
are located in rear cargo area, below the load
floor.
Spare Tire StowageThe spare tire is stowed under the load floor in
the rear cargo area and is secured to the body
with a special wing nut.
Preparations For Jacking
1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface.
Avoid ice or slippery surfaces.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on the side of
the vehicle closest to moving traffic, pull far
enough off the road to avoid being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
2. Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Place the shift lever into PARK.
5. Turn the ignition OFF. 6. Block both the front
and rear of the wheel
diagonally opposite of
the jacking position. For
example, if changing
the right front tire, block
the left rear wheel.
NOTE:
Passengers should not remain in the vehicle
when the vehicle is being jacked.
Jack Storage Location
283
7. For vehicle equipped with Quadra-Liftrefer
to “Quadra-Lift — If Equipped” in “Starting And
Operating” for further information on disabling
automatic leveling.
Jacking Instructions
WARNING!
Carefully follow these tire changing warnings
to help prevent personal injury or damage to
your vehicle:
• Always park on a firm, level surface as far
from the edge of the roadway as possible
before raising the vehicle.
• Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
• Block the wheel diagonally opposite the
wheel to be raised.
• Set the parking brake firmly and set an
automatic transmission in PARK.
• Never start or run the engine with the
vehicle on a jack.
• Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it
is on a jack.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
• Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a
jack.
• Only use the jack in the positions indicated
and for lifting this vehicle during a tire
change.
• If working on or near a roadway, be ex-
tremely careful of motor traffic.
• To assure that spare tires, flat or inflated,
are securely stowed, spares must be
stowed with the valve stem facing the
ground.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to raise the vehicle by jacking
on locations other than those indicated in the
Jacking Instructions for this vehicle. 1. Remove the spare tire, jack, and tools from
storage.
2. Loosen (but do not remove) the wheel lug
nuts by turning them to the left, one turn, while
the wheel is still on the ground.
3. Assemble the jack and jacking tools.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to raise vehicle by jacking on
locations other than those indicated in the
Jacking Instructions for this vehicle.Jack Warning Label
Jack and Tool Assembly
284
6. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack screw
clockwise. Raise the vehicle only until the tire
just clears the surface and enough clearance is
obtained to install the spare tire. Minimum tire
lift provides maximum stability.
WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can
make the vehicle less stable. It could slip off
the jack and hurt someone near it. Raise the
vehicle only enough to remove the tire.
7. Remove the lug nuts and wheel. 8. Position the spare wheel/tire on the vehicle
and install the lug nuts with the cone-shaped
end toward the wheel. Lightly tighten the nuts.
CAUTION!
Be sure to mount the spare tire with the valve
stem facing outward. The vehicle could be
damaged if the spare tire is mounted incor-
rectly.
WARNING!
To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the
jack, do not tighten the wheel nuts fully until
the vehicle has been lowered. Failure to follow
this warning may result in personal injury.
9. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw
counterclockwise, and remove the jack and
wheel blocks.
10. Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down
on the wrench while at the end of the handle for
increased leverage. Tighten the lug nuts in a
star pattern until each nut has been tightened
twice. The correct wheel nut tightness is 110 ft
lbs (150 N·m). If in doubt about the correct
tightness, have them checked with a torque
wrench by your authorized dealer or at a ser-
vice station.
11. Lower the jack to the fully closed position
and return it and the tools to the proper posi-
tions in the foam tray.
12. Remove the small center cap and securely
store the road wheel in the cargo area.
Rear Jacking Location
Mounting Spare Tire
286
13. Have the aluminum road wheel and tire
repaired as soon as possible, properly secure
the spare tire with the special wing nut torqued
to 3.7 ft-lbs (5 N·m), reinstall the jack and tool
kit foam tray, and latch the rear load floor cover.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack, thrown forward in a
collision or hard stop could endanger the
occupants of the vehicle. Always stow the jack
parts and the spare tire in the places provided.
Have the deflated (flat) tire repaired or re-
placed immediately.
Road Tire Installation
1. Mount the road tire on the axle.
2. Install the remaining lug nuts with the cone
shaped end of the nut toward the wheel. Lightly
tighten the lug nuts.
WARNING!
To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the
jack, do not tighten the wheel nuts fully until
the vehicle has been lowered. Failure to follow
this warning may result in personal injury.
3. Lower the vehicle to the ground by turning
the jack handle counterclockwise.
4. Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down on
the wrench while at the end of the handle for
increased leverage. Tighten the lug nuts in a
star pattern until each nut has been tightened
twice. The correct tightness of each lug nut is
110 ft/lbs (150 N·m). If in doubt about the
correct tightness, have them checked with a
torque wrench by your authorized dealer or
service station. 5. After 25 miles (40 km) check the lug nut
torque with a torque wrench to ensure that all
lug nuts are properly seated against the wheel.
JUMP-STARTINGIf your vehicle has a discharged battery it can
be jump-started using a set of jumper cables
and a battery in another vehicle or by using a
portable battery booster pack. Jump-starting
can be dangerous if done improperly so please
follow the procedures in this section carefully.
NOTE:
When using a portable battery booster pack
follow the manufacturer’s operating instruc-
tions and precautions.
CAUTION!
Do not use a portable battery booster pack or
any other booster source with a system volt-
age greater than 12 Volts or damage to the
battery, starter motor, alternator or electrical
system may occur.
Stowed Spare
287
WARNING!
Do not attempt jump-starting if the battery is
frozen. It could rupture or explode and cause
personal injury.
Preparations For Jump-StartThe battery in your vehicle is located under the
passenger’s front seat. There are remote loca-
tions located under the hood to assist in jump-
starting.
WARNING!
•Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan
whenever the hood is raised. It can start
anytime the ignition switch is on. You can
be injured by moving fan blades.
• Remove any metal jewelry such as watch
bands or bracelets that might make an
inadvertent electrical contact. You could be
seriously injured.
• Batteries contain sulfuric acid that can burn
your skin or eyes and generate hydrogen
gas which is flammable and explosive.
Keep open flames or sparks away from the
battery.
1. Set the parking brake, shift the automatic
transmission into PARK and turn the ignition to
LOCK.
2. Turn off the heater, radio, and all unneces-
sary electrical accessories.
3. Remove the protective cover over the re-
mote positive (+)battery post. Pull upward on
the cover to remove it. 4. If using another vehicle to jump-start the
battery, park the vehicle within the jumper
cables reach, set the parking brake and make
sure the ignition is OFF.
WARNING!
Do not allow vehicles to touch each other as
this could establish a ground connection and
personal injury could result.
Jump-Starting Procedure
WARNING!
Failure to follow this procedure could result in
personal injury or property damage due to
battery explosion.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these procedures could result
in damage to the charging system of the
booster vehicle or the discharged vehicle.
1. Connect the positive (+)end of the jumper
cable to the remote positive (+)post of the
discharged vehicle.
Remote Battery Posts
1 — Remote Positive (+) Post
(covered with protective cap)
2 — Remote Negative (-) Post
288
2. Connect the opposite end of the positive(+)
jumper cable to the positive (+)post of the
booster battery.
3. Connect the negative end (-)of the jumper
cable to the negative (-)post of the booster
battery.
4. Connect the opposite end of the negative (-)
jumper cable to the remote negative (-)post of
the vehicle with the discharged battery.
WARNING!
Do not connect the cable to the negative post
(-) of the discharged battery. The resulting
electrical spark could cause the battery to
explode and could result in personal injury.
5. Start the engine in the vehicle that has the
booster battery, let the engine idle a few min-
utes, and then start the engine in the vehicle
with the discharged battery. Once the engine is started, remove the jumper
cables in the reverse sequence:
6. Disconnect the negative
(-)jumper cable
from the remote negative (-)post of the dis-
charged vehicle.
7. Disconnect the negative end (-)of the
jumper cable from the negative (-)post of the
booster battery.
8. Disconnect the opposite end of the positive
(+) jumper cable from the positive (+)post of
the booster battery.
9. Disconnect the positive (+)end of the
jumper cable from the remote positive (+)post
of the discharged vehicle.
10. Reinstall the protective cover over the re-
mote positive (+)battery post of the discharged
vehicle.
If frequent jump-starting is required to start your
vehicle you should have the battery and charg-
ing system inspected at your authorized dealer.
CAUTION!
Accessories that can be plugged into the
vehicle power outlets draw power from the
vehicle’s battery, even when not in use (i.e.,
cellular phones, etc.). Eventually, if plugged in
long enough, the vehicle’s battery will dis-
charge sufficiently to degrade battery life
and/or prevent the engine from starting.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLEIf the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, sand or
mud, it can often be moved by a rocking
motion. Move the shift lever rhythmically be-
tween DRIVE and REVERSE while applying
slight pressure to the accelerator. In general,
the least amount of accelerator pedal pressure
to maintain the rocking motion without spinning
the wheels or racing the engine is most effec-
tive.
289
CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may
lead to transmission overheating and failure.
Allow the engine to idle with the shift lever in
NEUTRAL for at least one minute after every
five rocking-motion cycles. This will minimize
overheating and reduce the risk of transmis-
sion failure during prolonged efforts to free a
stuck vehicle.
CAUTION!
•When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving
between DRIVE and REVERSE, do not
spin the wheels faster than 15 mph
(24 km/h), or drivetrain damage may result.
• Revving the engine or spinning the wheels
too fast may lead to transmission overheat-
ing and failure. It can also damage the tires.
Do not spin the wheels above 30 mph
(48 km/h) while in gear (no transmission
shifting occurring).
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces
generated by excessive wheel speeds may
cause damage, or even failure, of the axle and
tires. A tire could explode and injure someone.
Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels faster than
30 mph (48 km/h) or for longer than 30 sec-
onds continuously without stopping when you
are stuck and do not let anyone near a
spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
TOW EYESYour vehicle is equipped with tow eyes, which
are mounted in the front and the rear.
CAUTION!
Tow eyes are for emergency use only, to
rescue a vehicle stranded off road. Do not use
tow eyes for tow truck hookup or highway
towing. You could damage your vehicle. Tow
straps are recommended when towing the
vehicle; chains may cause vehicle damage.
WARNING!
Stand clear of vehicles when pulling with tow
eyes. Tow straps and chains may break, caus-
ing serious injury.
SHIFT LEVER OVERRIDEIf a malfunction occurs and the shift lever
cannot be moved out of the PARK position, you
can use the following procedure to temporarily
move the shift lever:
1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Turn the engine OFF.
3. Remove the rubber liner from the cupholder
(located next to the shifter on the center con-
sole).
4. Using a screwdriver or similar tool, carefully
remove the shift lever override access cover,
located on the bottom of the cupholder.
290
and the recommended maintenance intervals
for oil and filter changes are followed.
Materials Added To Engine OilsDo not add supplemental materials, other than
leak detection dyes, to the engine oil. Engine oil
is an engineered product, and its performance
may be impaired by supplemental additives.
Disposing Of Used Engine Oil And
Filters
Care should be taken in disposing of used
engine oil and oil filters from your vehicle. Used
oil and oil filters, indiscriminately discarded,
can present a problem to the environment.
Contact your local authorized dealer, service
station, or governmental agency for advice on
how and where used oil and oil filters can be
safely discarded in your area.
Engine Oil FilterThe engine oil filter should be replaced with a
new filter at every oil change.
Engine Oil Filter Selection
The manufacturer’s engines have a full-flow
type disposable oil filter. Use a filter of this type
for replacement. The quality of replacementfilters varies considerably. Only high-quality
filters should be used to assure most efficient
service. MOPAR
engine oil filters are high-
quality oil filters and are recommended.
Engine Air Cleaner FilterRefer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the
proper maintenance intervals.
WARNING!
The air induction system (air cleaner, hoses,
etc) can provide a measure of protection in
the case of engine backfire. Do not remove
the air induction system (air cleaner, hoses,
etc.) unless such removal is necessary for
repair or maintenance. Make sure that no one
is near the engine compartment before start-
ing the vehicle with the air induction system
(air cleaner, hoses, etc.) removed. Failure to
do so can result in serious personal injury.
Engine Air Cleaner Filter Selection
The quality of replacement engine air cleaner
filters varies considerably. Only high quality
filters should be used to assure most efficient service. MOPAR
engine air cleaner filters are
a high quality filter and are recommended.
Maintenance-Free BatteryYour vehicle is equipped with a maintenance-
free battery. You will never have to add water,
nor is periodic maintenance required.
WARNING!
• Battery fluid is a corrosive acid solution and
can burn or even blind you. Do not allow
battery fluid to contact your eyes, skin or
clothing. Do not lean over a battery when
attaching clamps. If acid splashes in eyes
or on skin, flush the area immediately with
large amounts of water.
• Battery gas is flammable and explosive.
Keep flame or sparks away from the bat-
tery. Do not use a booster battery or any
other booster source with an output greater
than 12 Volts. Do not allow cable clamps to
touch each other.
• Battery posts, terminals and related acces-
sories contain lead and lead compounds.
Wash hands after handling.
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