2013 FIAT FREEMONT transmission fluid

EVIC WHITE TELLTALE LIGHTS
This area will show reconfigurable white caution tell-
tales. These telltales include:
 Shift Lever Status — Automatic Transmission
Only
The shift lever status “P,R,N,D,L,6,5,4,3,2,1” are dis-
played indicating the shift lever position. Telltales “6,
5,4,3,2,1” indicate the Autostick™ feature has been
engaged and the gear selected is displayed. For further
information on Autostick™, refer to “Starting And
Driving.”
 Electronic Speed Control ONThis light will turn on when the electronic
speed control is ON. For further informa-
tion, refer to “Electronic Speed Control” in
“Knowing Your Vehicle.”
 Electronic Speed Control SET This light will turn on when the electronic
speed control is SET. For further information,
refer to “Electronic Speed Control” in
“Knowing Your Vehicle.” EVIC AMBER TELLTALE LIGHTS
This area will show reconfigurable amber caution tell-
tales. These telltales include:
 Low Fuel Light
When the fuel level reaches approximately 11.0
L this light will turn on, and remain on until fuel
is added.
 Loose Gascap Indicator (for versions/markets,
where provided) If the vehicle diagnostic system determines
that the fuel filler cap is loose, improperly
installed, or damaged, a loose gascap indica-
tor will display in the telltale display area.
Tighten the fuel filler cap properly and press the SE-
LECT button to turn off the message. If the problem
continues, the message will appear the next time the
vehicle is started.
A loose, improperly installed, or damaged fuel filler cap
may also turn on the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL).
 Windshield Washer Fluid Low Indicator This light will turn on to indicate the wind-
shield washer fluid is low.
23KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
S
TARTING
AND
DRIVING
WARNING
LIGHTS
AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

single chime will sound after reaching a set threshold.
Further overheating will cause the temperature gauge
to passH,the indicator will continuously flash and a
continuous chime will occur until the engine is allowed
to cool.
If the light turns on while driving, safely pull over and
stop the vehicle. If the A/C system is on, turn it off.
Also, shift the transmission into NEUTRAL and idle the
vehicle. If the temperature reading does not return to
normal, turn the engine off immediately and call for
service.
 Transmission Temperature Warning Light (for
versions/markets, where provided) This light indicates that the transmission fluid
temperature is running hot. This may occur
with severe usage, such as trailer towing. If
this light turns on, safely pull over and stop
the vehicle. Then, shift the transmission into NEU-
TRAL and run the engine at idle or faster until the light
turns off.
Continuous driving with the Transmission
Temperature Warning Light illuminated
will eventually cause severe transmission
damage or transmission failure.
WARNING!
If the Transmission Temperature Warning
L
ight is illuminated and you continue
operating the vehicle, in some circumstances you
could cause the fluid to boil over, come in contact
with hot engine or exhaust components and
cause a fire.
OIL CHANGE DUE
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change
indicator system. The “Oil Change Due” message will
flash in the EVIC display for approximately 10 seconds
after a single chime has sounded to indicate the next
scheduled oil change interval. The engine oil change
indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the
engine oil change interval may fluctuate dependent
upon your personal driving style.
Unless reset, this message will continue to display each
time you cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position.
To turn off the message temporarily, press and release
the BACK button. To reset the oil change indicator
system please refer to a Fiat Dealership.
25KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
S
TARTING
AND
DRIVING
WARNING
LIGHTS
AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

may be started in this range. Apply the parking brake
and shift the transmission into PARK if you must leave
the vehicle.
WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never
t
urn off the ignition to coast down a hill.
These are unsafe practices that limit your re-
sponse to changing traffic or road conditions.You
might lose control of the vehicle and have a
collision.Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving
for any other reason with the transmis-
sion in NEUTRAL can result in severe
transmission damage. Refer to “Recreational Tow-
ing” in “Starting and Driving” and “Towing A Dis-
abled Vehicle” in “In An Emergency” for further
information.
DRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through all forward gears. The
DRIVE position provides optimum driving characteris-
tics under all normal operating conditions. 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 AutoStick
®
shift control (refer to “AutoStick
®” in this section) to
select a lower gear. Under these conditions, using a
lower gear will improve performance and extend trans-
mission life by reducing excessive shifting and heat
buildup.
If the transmission temperature exceeds normal oper-
ating 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 overheating.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmission
temperature as well as vehicle speed. This feature
improves warm up time of the engine and transmission
to achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of the
torque converter clutch is inhibited until the transmis-
sion fluid is warm (refer to the “Note” under “Torque
Converter Clutch” in this section). During extremely
cold temperatures (­27°C or below), operation may
briefly be limited to second gear only. Normal opera-
tion will resume once the transmission temperature
has risen to a suitable level.
215
KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING
AND
DRIVING
WARNING
LIGHTS
AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electronically for
abnormal conditions. If a condition is detected that
could result in transmission damage, Transmission
Limp Home Mode is activated. In this mode, the trans-
mission remains in second gear regardless of which
forward gear is selected. PARK, REVERSE, and NEU-
TRAL will continue to operate. The Malfunction Indi-
cator Light (MIL) may be illuminated. Limp Home Mode
allows the vehicle to be driven to an authorized dealer
for service without damaging the transmission.
In the event of a momentary problem, the transmission
can be reset to regain all forward gears by performing
the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Shift the transmission into PARK.
3. Turn the engine OFF.
4. Wait approximately 10 seconds.
5. Restart the engine.
6. Shift into the desired gear range. If the problem is nolonger detected, the transmission will return to
normal operation. NOTE:
Even if the transmission can be reset, we
recommend that you visit your authorized dealer at
your earliest possible convenience. Your authorized
dealer has diagnostic equipment to determine if the
problem could recur.
If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
Override Operation
The automatic transmission includes an electronically
controlled Overdrive (fourth gear). The transmission
will automatically shift into Overdrive if the following
conditions are present:
 the shift lever is in the DRIVE position,
 the transmission fluid has reached an adequate tem- perature,
 the engine coolant has reached an adequate tem- perature, and
 vehicle speed is sufficiently high, and
 the driver is not heavily pressing the accelerator.
Torque Converter Clutch
A feature designed to improve fuel economy has been
included in the automatic transmission on your vehicle.
A clutch within the torque converter engages auto-
matically at calibrated speeds. This may result in a
slightly different feeling or response during normal
216
KNOWING YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING AND
DRIVING
WARNING LIGHTSAND
MESSA
GES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

operation in the upper gears. When the vehicle speed
drops or during some accelerations, the clutch auto-
matically disengages.
NOTE:The torque converter clutch will not engage
until the transmission fluid and engine coolant are
warm [usually after 2 to 5 km of driving]. Because the
engine speed is higher when the torque converter
clutch is not engaged, it may seem as if the transmission
is not shifting into Overdrive when cold. This is normal.
Using the AutoStick
®shift control, when the transmis-
sion is sufficiently warm, will demonstrate that the
transmission is able to shift into and out of Overdrive.
SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
(for versions/markets, where provided)
The shift lever position display (located in the instru-
ment cluster) indicates the transmission gear range.
You must press the brake pedal to move the shift lever
out of PARK (refer to “Brake/Transmission Shift Inter-
lock System” in this section). To drive, move the shift
lever from PARK or NEUTRAL to the DRIVE position.
The electronically-controlled transmission provides a
precise shift schedule. The transmission electronics are
self-calibrating; therefore, the first few shifts on a new
vehicle may be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal
condition, and precision shifts will develop within a few
hundred kilometers. Only shift from DRIVE to PARK or REVERSE when the
accelerator pedal is released and the vehicle is stopped.
Be sure to keep your foot on the brake pedal when
shifting between these gears.
The transmission shift lever has PARK, REVERSE,
NEUTRAL, DRIVE, and AutoStick
®
shift positions.
Manual shifts can be made using the AutoStick
®shift
control (refer to “AutoStick
®” in “Starting And Driv-
ing” for further information). Moving the shift lever to
the left or right (-/+) while in the AutoStick
®position
(below the Drive position) will manually select the
transmission gear, and will display the current gear in
the instrument cluster as 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
GEAR RANGES
DO NOT race the engine when shifting from PARK or
NEUTRAL into another gear range.
NOTE: After selecting any gear range, wait a mo-
ment to allow the selected gear to engage before
accelerating. This is especially important when the
engine is cold.
PARK
This range supplements the parking brake by locking
the transmission. The engine can be started in this
range. Never attempt to use PARK while the vehicle is
in motion. Apply the parking brake when leaving the
vehicle in this range.
217
KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING
AND
DRIVING
WARNING
LIGHTS
AND
MESSA
GES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never
t
urn off the ignition to coast down a hill.
These are unsafe practices that limit your re-
sponse to changing traffic or road conditions.You
might lose control of the vehicle and have a
collision.Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving
for any other reason with the transmis-
sion in NEUTRAL can result in severe
transmission damage. Refer to “Recreational Tow-
ing” in “Starting and Driving” and “Towing A Dis-
abled Vehicle” in “In An Emergency” for further
information.
DRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through underdrive first, second,
third, and fourth gears, direct fifth gear and overdrive
sixth gear. The DRIVE position provides optimum driv-
ing characteristics under all normal operating condi-
tions.
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 AutoStick
®
shift control (refer to “AutoStick
®” in “Starting And
Driving” for further information) to select a lower gear.
Under these conditions, using a lower gear will im-
prove performance and extend transmission life by
reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmission
temperature as well as vehicle speed. This feature
improves warm up time of the engine and transmission
to achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of the
torque converter clutch is inhibited until the transmis-
sion fluid is warm (refer to the “Note” under “Torque
Converter Clutch” in this section). During extremely
cold temperatures (­27°C or below), operation may
briefly be limited to third gear only. Normal operation
will resume once the transmission temperature has
risen to a suitable level.
Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electronically for
abnormal conditions. If a condition is detected that
could result in transmission damage, Transmission
Limp Home Mode is activated. In this mode, the trans-
mission remains in third gear regardless of which for-
ward gear is selected. PARK, REVERSE, and NEUTRAL
will continue to operate. The Malfunction Indicator
220
KNOWING YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING AND
DRIVING
WARNING LIGHTSAND
MESSA
GES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

Light (MIL) may be illuminated. Limp Home Mode
allows the vehicle to be driven to an authorized dealer
for service without damaging the transmission.
In the event of a momentary problem, the transmission
can be reset to regain all forward gears by performing
the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Shift the transmission into PARK.
3. Turn the engine OFF.
4. Wait approximately 10 seconds.
5. Restart the engine.
6. Shift into the desired gear range. If the problem is nolonger detected, the transmission will return to
normal operation.
NOTE: Even if the transmission can be reset, we
recommend that you visit your authorized dealer at
your earliest possible convenience. Your authorized
dealer has diagnostic equipment to determine if the
problem could recur.
If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required. Overdrive Operation
The automatic transmission includes an electronically
controlled Overdrive (sixth gear). The transmission
will automatically shift into Overdrive if the following
conditions are present:
 the shift lever is in the DRIVE position,
 the transmission fluid has reached an adequate tem-
perature,
 the engine coolant has reached an adequate tem- perature, and
 vehicle speed is sufficiently high.
Torque Converter Clutch
A feature designed to improve fuel economy has been
included in the automatic transmission on your vehicle.
A clutch within the torque converter engages auto-
matically at calibrated speeds. This may result in a
slightly different feeling or response during normal
operation in the upper gears. When the vehicle speed
drops or during some accelerations, the clutch auto-
matically disengages.
221
KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING
AND
DRIVING
WARNING
LIGHTS
AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS

NOTE:The torque converter clutch will not engage
until the transmission fluid and engine coolant are
warm [usually after 2 to 5 km of driving]. Because the
engine speed is higher when the torque converter
clutch is not engaged, it may seem as if the transmission
is not shifting into Overdrive when cold. This is normal.
Using the AutoStick
®shift control, when the transmis-
sion is sufficiently warm, will demonstrate that the
transmission is able to shift into and out of Overdrive. ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
This feature provides on-demand All-Wheel Drive
(AWD). The system is automatic with no driver inputs
or additional driving skills required. Under normal
driving conditions, the front wheels provide most of
the traction. If the front wheels begin to lose traction,
power is shifted automatically to the rear wheels. The
greater the front wheel traction loss, the greater the
power transfer to the rear wheels.
Additionally, on dry pavement under heavy throttle
input (where one may have no wheel spin), torque will
be sent to the rear in a pre-emptive effort to improve
vehicle launch and performance characteristics.
All wheels must have the same size and
type tires. Unequal tire sizes must not be
used. Unequal tire size may cause failure
of the power transfer unit .
222
KNOWING YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING AND
DRIVING
WARNING LIGHTSAND
MESSA
GES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING AND
CARETECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONSCONTENTS