2014 DODGE DURANGO stop start

WARNING!
•Do not connect trailer brakes to your vehicle’s
hydraulic brake lines. It can overload your brake
system and cause it to fail. You might not have
brakes when you need them and could have a
collision.
• Towing any trailer will increase your stopping
distance. When towing you should allow for addi-
tional space between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front of you. Failure to do so could result in a
collision.
CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (454 kg)
loaded, it should have its own brakes and they
should be of adequate capacity. Failure to do this
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CAUTION! (Continued)
could lead to accelerated brake lining wear, higher
brake pedal effort, and longer stopping distances.
Towing Requirements — Trailer Lights And Wiring
Whenever you pull a trailer, regardless of the trailer size,
stoplights and turn signals on the trailer are required for
motoring safety.
The Trailer Tow Package may include a four- and seven-
pin wiring harness. Use a factory approved trailer har-
ness and connector.
NOTE:Do not cut or splice wiring into the vehicles
wiring harness.
The electrical connections are all complete to the vehicle
but you must mate the harness to a trailer connector.
Refer to the following illustrations.
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Four-Pin Connector
1 — Female Pins4 — Park
2 — Male Pin 5 — Left Stop/Turn
3 — Ground 6 — Right Stop/Turn
Seven-Pin Connector
1 — Battery5 — Ground
2 — Backup Lamps 6 — Left Stop/Turn
3 — Right Stop/Turn 7 — Running Lamps
4 — Electric Brakes
514 STARTING AND OPERATING

Towing Tips
Before setting out on a trip, practice turning, stopping
and backing the trailer up in an area away from heavy
traffic.
Automatic Transmission
The DRIVE range can be selected when towing. The
transmission controls include a drive strategy to avoid
frequent shifting when towing. However, if frequent
shifting does occur while in DRIVE, you can use the
AutoStick® shift control to manually select a lower gear.
NOTE:Using a lower gear while operating the vehicle
under heavy loading conditions, will improve perfor-
mance and extend transmission life by reducing exces-
sive shifting and heat buildup. This action will also
provide better engine braking.
AutoStick®
• When using the AutoStick® shift control, select the
highest gear that allows for adequate performance and
avoids frequent downshifts. For example, choose “5” if
the desired speed can be maintained. Choose “4” or
“3” if needed to maintain the desired speed.
• To prevent excess heat generation, avoid continuous
driving at high RPM. Reduce vehicle speed as neces-
sary to avoid extended driving at high RPM. Return to
a higher gear or vehicle speed when grade and road
conditions allow.
Electronic Speed Control — If Equipped
• Do not use in hilly terrain or with heavy loads.
• When using the speed control, if you experience speed
drops greater than 10 mph (16 km/h), disengage until
you can get back to cruising speed.
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•Use speed control in flat terrain and with light loads to
maximize fuel efficiency.
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.
516 STARTING AND OPERATING

1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, with the enginerunning.
2. Press and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into NEUTRAL.
4. Using a ballpoint pen or similar object, press and hold the recessed transfer case NEUTRAL (N) button (lo-
cated by the selector switch) for four seconds. The
light behind the N symbol will blink, indicating shift
in progress. The light will stop blinking (stay on solid)
when the shift to NEUTRAL (N) is complete. A “FOUR
WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM IN NEUTRAL” message will
display on the EVIC (Electronic Vehicle Information
Center). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Cen-
ter (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your Instrument
Panel” for further information. 5. After the shift is completed and the NEUTRAL (N)
light stays on, release the NEUTRAL (N) button.
6. Shift the transmission into REVERSE.
7. Release the brake pedal for five seconds and ensure that there is no vehicle movement.
NEUTRAL (N) Switch
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8. Shift the transmission back into NEUTRAL.
9. Firmly apply the parking brake.
10. With the transmission and transfer case in NEU-TRAL, press and hold the ENGINE START/STOP
button until the engine turns off. Turning the engine
off will automatically place the transmission in
PARK.
11. Press the ENGINE STOP/START button again (with- out pressing the brake pedal), if needed, to turn the
ignition switch to the OFF position.
CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the trans-
mission is shifted into PARK with the transfer case in
NEUTRAL (N) and the engine running. With the
transfer case in NEUTRAL (N) ensure that the engine
is OFF before shifting the transmission into PARK. 12. Attach the vehicle to the tow vehicle using a suitable
tow bar.
13. Release the parking brake.
NOTE:
• Steps 1 through 3 are requirements that must be met
before pressing the NEUTRAL (N) button, and must
continue to be met until the shift has been completed.
If any of these requirements are not met before press-
ing the NEUTRAL (N) button or are no longer met
during the shift, the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light will
flash continuously until all requirements are met or
until the NEUTRAL (N) button is released.
• The ignition switch must be in the ON/RUN position
for a shift to take place and for the position indicator
lights to be operable. If the ignition switch is not in the
ON/RUN position, the shift will not take place and no
position indicator lights will be on or flashing.
522 STARTING AND OPERATING

•A flashing NEUTRAL (N) position indicator light
indicates that shift requirements have not been met.
Shifting Out Of NEUTRAL (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
normal usage.
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, leaving it con- nected to the tow vehicle.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Start the engine.
4. Press and hold the brake pedal.
5. Shift the transmission into NEUTRAL.
6. Using a ballpoint pen or similar object, press and hold the recessed transfer case NEUTRAL (N) button (lo-
cated by the selector switch) for one second. 7. When the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light turns off,
release the NEUTRAL (N) button.
8. After the NEUTRAL (N) button has been released, the transfer case will shift to the position indicated by the
selector switch.
NEUTRAL (N) Switch
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Use the least amount of accelerator pedal pressure that
will maintain the rocking motion without spinning the
wheels or racing the engine.
NOTE:Press the ESC Off switch (if necessary), to place
the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system in Partial
Off mode, before rocking the vehicle. Refer to “Elec-
tronic Brake Control” in “Starting And Operating” for
further information. Once the vehicle has been freed,
press the ESC Off switch again to restore ESC On
mode.
CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead to
transmission overheating and failure. Allow the en-
gine to idle with the transmission in NEUTRAL for at
least one minute after every five rocking-motion
cycles. This will minimize overheating and reduce
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CAUTION! (Continued)
the risk of transmission failure during prolonged
efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated 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 vehi-
cle’s wheels faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for
longer than 30 seconds continuously without stop-
ping when you are stuck and do not let anyone near
a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
550 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES