2014 DODGE DART User Guide

WARNING!
• When temperatures are below the freezing point, electrolyte in a discharged batterymay freeze. Do not attempt jump-starting because the battery could rupture or
explode and cause personal injury. Battery temperature must be brought above the
freezing point before attempting a jump-start.
• 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 severely 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.
• Do not allow vehicles to touch each other as this could establish a ground connection
and personal injury could result.
• Failure to follow this procedure could result in personal injury or property damage
due to battery explosion.
•
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.
SHIFT LEVER OVERRIDE
• If a malfunction occurs and the shift lever cannot be moved out of the PARK posi-
tion, you can use the following procedure
to temporarily move the shift lever:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.
2. Firmly set the parking brake.
3. Remove the rubber storage tray liner from the center console, then lift up
the front of the shift lever bezel,
carefully disengage the bezel from
the shift lever housing, and slide it up
to the top of the shift lever.
4. Press and maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal.
5. Insert a small screwdriver or similar tool down into the access slot at the front of the shift lever assembly, and push and hold the white override release lever down.
6. Move the shift lever into the NEUTRAL position.
7. The vehicle may then be started in NEUTRAL.
8. Reinstall the shift lever bezel (use care to avoid pinching the wiring), and the rubber storage tray liner.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
103

TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE
Towing ConditionWheels OFF The
Ground AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
Flat Tow NONE
NOT ALLOWED Transmission in
NEUTRAL
Wheel Lift or Dolly Tow Rear
NOT ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED
Front NOT ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED
Flatbed ALL
BEST METHOD BEST METHOD
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
• If your manual transmission vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand, or snow, it can often be
moved by a rocking motion. Turn your steering wheel right and left to clear the area
around the front wheels. Then shift back and forth between DRIVE/1st Gear and RE-
VERSE. Using minimal accelerator pedal pressure to maintain the rocking motion,
without spinning the wheels, is most effective.
NOTE:
• Automatic transmission vehicles cannot be rocked in this manner, because the trans- mission will not allow shifts between DRIVE and REVERSE while the wheels are turning.
• If your vehicle is equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Traction Control
,
turn the system off before attempting to “rock” the vehicle.
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 transmission failure during prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving between DRIVE/1st gear 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 over-
heating 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 seconds continuously without stopping when you are stuck and do not let
anyone near a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
104

EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is
to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an air bag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety
systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were operating.
• Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened.
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal.
• How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes
and injuries occur.
NOTE:
EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data (e.g. name,
gender, age, and crash location) is recorded. However, other parties, such as law enforce-
ment, could combine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle
or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties such as law
enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
105

OPENING THE HOOD
1. Pull the hood release lever located on theinstrument panel, below the steering col-
umn.
2. Raise the hood and locate the safety catch lever, in the middle of the hood
opening.
3. Move the safety latch while lifting the hood at the same time.
4. Lift upward on the hood prop rod insula- tor to release the hood prop rod from the
stowage retainer.
5. Insert the hood prop rod into the slot on the hood.
6. To close the hood, remove the support rod and place it in the retaining clip, then
lower the hood slowly.
WARNING!
Be sure the hood is fully latched before driving your vehicle. If the hood is not fully
latched, it could open when the vehicle is in motion and block your vision. Failure to
follow this warning could result in serious injury or death.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
106

FUEL DOOR RELEASE
• The fuel door release button is located onthe instrument panel below the headlight
switch.
• Push the button once and release to open the fuel door.
Fuel Door Emergency Release
• If you are unable to open the fuel fillerdoor, use the manual fuel filler door re-
lease.
1. Open the trunk.
2. Locate the release cable access door cut out on the right side of the trunk
trim.
3. Insert finger into half circle opening and pull flap open to access the
cable.
4. Pull the release cable.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
107

ENGINE COMPARTMENT1.4L Turbo Engine
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
108

2.0L Engine
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
109

2.4L Engine
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
110