2014 FIAT FREEMONT Owners Manual

Automatic Transmission
The foot operated parking brake is located below the
lower left corner of the instrument panel. To apply the
park brake, firmly push the park brake pedal fully. To
release the parking brake, press the park brake pedal a
second time and let your foot up as you feel the brake
disengage.
(fig. 152)
When the parking brake is applied with the ignition
switch ON, the “Brake Warning Light” in the instru-
ment cluster will illuminate.NOTE:
• When the parking brake is applied and the automatic
transmission is placed in gear, the “Brake Warning
Light” will flash. If vehicle speed is detected, a chime
will sound to alert the driver. Fully release the park-
ing brake before attempting to move the vehicle.
• This light only shows that the parking brake is ap- plied. It does not show the degree of brake applica-
tion.
When parking on a hill, it is important to turn the front
wheels toward the curb on a downhill grade and away
from the curb on an uphill grade. For vehicles equipped
with an automatic transmission, apply the parking
brake before placing the shift lever in PARK, otherwise
the load on the transmission locking mechanism may
make it difficult to move the shift lever out of PARK.
The parking brake should always be applied whenever
the driver is not in the vehicle.
WARNING!
• Never use PARK position on an auto-
mat i

c transmission as a substitute for
the parking brake. Always apply the parking
brake fully when parked to guard against vehicle
movement and possible injury or damage.
(Continued)
(fig. 152)Parking Brake
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(Continued)
• Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the park-
ing brake, shift the automatic transmission into
PARK and first gear or REVERSE for a manual
transmission, and remove the key fob from the
ignition. When leaving the vehicle, always lock
your vehicle.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
• Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended
is dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
• Donotleavethekeyfobinornearthevehicle
(or in a location accessible to children), and do
not leave the ignition of a vehicle equipped with
Keyless Enter-N-Go™ in the ACC or ON/RUN
mode. A child could operate power windows,
other controls, or move the vehicle.
• Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving; failure to do so can lead to brake
failure and an accident .
(Continued)(Continued)
• Always fully apply the parking brake when
leaving your vehicle or it may roll and cause
damage or injury. Also, be cer tain to leave an
automatic transmission in PARK, a manual trans-
mission in REVERSE or first gear. Failure to do so
may cause the vehicle to roll and cause damage
or injury.
If the “Brake Warning Light” remains on
with the parking brake released, a brake
system malfunction is indicated. Have
the brake system serviced by an authorized dealer
immediately.
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MANUAL TRANSMISSION
(for versions/markets, where
provided)
WARNING!
You or others could be injured if you leave
the vehicle unattended without having
the parking brake fully applied.The parking brake
should always be applied when the driver is not in
the vehicle, especially on an incline.
Fully press the clutch pedal before you shift gears. As
you release the clutch pedal, lightly press the accelera-
tor pedal.
(fig. 153)
Use each gear in numerical order, do not skip a gear. Be
sure the transmission is in first gear, (not third), when
starting from a standing position. Damage to the clutch
can result from starting in third.
For most city driving you will find it easier to use only
the lower gears. For steady highway driving with light
accelerations, sixth gear is recommended.
Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal,
or try to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch pedal
partially engaged. This will cause abnormal wear on the
clutch.
To shift into REVERSE, pull up on the ring just below
the gear shift knob and then move into the REVERSE
(R) position.
Never shift into REVERSE until the vehicle has come to
a complete stop.
NOTE: During cold weather, until the transmission
lubricant is warm, you may experience slightly higher
shift efforts. This is normal and not harmful to the
transmission.
(fig. 153)
Shift Pattern (Six-Speed)
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DOWNSHIFTING
Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and
prolong engine life.
If you skip a gear while downshifting or
downshift at too high of a vehicle speed,
these conditions may cause the engine to
overspeed if too low of a gear is selected and the
clutch pedal is released. Damage to the clutch and
the transmission can result from skipping a gear
while downshifting or downshifting at too high of
a vehicle speed even if the clutch pedal is held
pressed (i.e., not released).
To maintain a safe speed and prolong brake life, shift
down to second or first when descending a steep
grade.
When turning a corner, or driving up a steep grade,
downshift early so that the engine will not be overbur-
dened.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
(for versions/markets, where
provided)
Damage to the transmission may occur if
the following precautions are not ob-
served:
•Shift into PARK only after the vehicle has come
to a complete stop.
• Shift into or out of REVERSE only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop and the
engineisatidlespeed.
• Do not shift between PARK, REVERSE, NEU-
TRAL, or DRIVE when the engine is above idle
speed.
• Before shifting into any gear, make sure your
foot is firmly pressing the brake pedal.
NOTE: You must press and hold the brake pedal while
shifting out of PARK.
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WARNING!
• It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or
NEUTRAL if

the engine speed is higher
than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly pressing
the brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse.You could lose con-
trol of the vehicle and hit someone or something.
Only shift into gear when the engine is idling
normally and your foot is firmly pressing the
brake pedal.
• Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
thoseinornearthevehicle.Aswithallvehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine is
running. Before exiting a vehicle, always apply
the parking brake, shift the transmission into
PARK, turn the engine off, and remove the key
fob.When the ignition is in the OFF position, the
transmission is locked in PARK, securing the ve-
hicle against unwanted movement .
• When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key fob and lock your vehicle.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
(Continued)(Continued)
• Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended
is dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
• Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle
(or in a location accessible to children), and do
not leave a vehicle equipped with Keyless Enter-
N-Go™ in the ACC or ON/RUN mode. A child
could operate power windows, other controls, or
move the vehicle.
KEY IGNITION PARK INTERLOCK
This vehicle is equipped with a Key Ignition Park Inter-
lock which requires the transmission to be in PARK
before the engine can be turned off. This helps the
driver avoid inadvertently leaving the vehicle without
placing the transmission in PARK.
This system also locks the transmission in PARK when-
ever the ignition switch is in the OFF position.
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Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock System
This vehicle is equipped with a Brake Transmission Shift
Interlock System (BTSI) that holds the shift lever in
PARK unless the brakes are applied. To shift the trans-
mission out of PARK, the ignition switch must be
turned to the ON/RUN position (engine running or
not) and the brake pedal must be pressed.
Four-Speed or Six-Speed Automatic
Transmission
The transmission gear position display (located in the
instrument 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
Interlock 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 this section for fur-
ther information). Moving the shift lever into the
AutoStick® (+/-) position (below the Drive position)
activates Autostick® mode, providing manual shift
control and displaying the current gear in the instru-
ment cluster.
(fig. 154)
(fig. 154)
Shift Lever
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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 moment
to allow the selected gear to engage before accelerat-
ing. This is especially important when the engine is
cold.
PARK (P)
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.
When parking on a level surface, you may shift the
transmission into PARK first, and then apply the park-
ing brake.
When parking on a hill, apply the parking brake before
shifting the transmission to PARK, otherwise the load
on the transmission locking mechanism may make it
difficult to move the shift lever out of PARK. As an
added precaution, turn the front wheels toward the
curb on a downhill grade and away from the curb on an
uphill grade.
WARNING!
• NeverusethePARKpositionasasub-
st i

tute for the parking brake. Always ap-
ply the parking brake fully when parked to guard
against vehicle movement and possible injury or
damage.
• Your vehicle could move and injure you and
others if it is not completely in PARK. Check by
trying to move the shift lever out of PARK with
the brake pedal released. Make sure the trans-
mission is in PARK before leaving the vehicle.
• It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEU-
TRAL if the engine speed is higher than idle
speed. If your foot is not firmly pressing the brake
pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly for-
ward or in reverse. You could lose control of the
vehicle and hit someone or something. Only shift
into gear when the engine is idling normally and
your foot is firmly pressing the brake pedal.
(Continued)
241
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(Continued)
• Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
those in or near the vehicle. As with all vehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine is
running. Before exiting a vehicle, always apply
the parking brake, shift the transmission into
PARK, turn the engine OFF, and remove the key
fob.When the ignition is in the OFF position, the
transmission is locked in the PARK, securing the
vehicle against unwanted movement .
• When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key fob and lock your vehicle.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Allowing children
to be in a vehicle unattended is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Children should be
warned not to touch the parking brake, brake
pedal or the shift lever. Do not leave the key fob
in or near the vehicle (or in a location accessible
to children), and do not leave the ignition of a
vehicle equipped with Keyless Enter-N-Go™ in
the ACC or ON/RUN mode.A child could operate
power windows, other controls, or move the ve-
hicle.• Before moving the shift lever out of
PARK, you must turn the ignition switch
from the LOCK/OFF position to the ON/
RUN position, and also press the brake pedal.
Otherwise, damage to the shift lever could result .
• DO NOT race the engine when shifting from
PARK or NEUTRAL into another gear range, as
this can damage the drivetrain.
The following indicators should be used to ensure that
you have engaged the transmission into the PARK
position:
• When shifting into PARK, firmly move the shift lever all the way forward and to the left until it stops and is
fully seated.
• Look at the transmission gear position display and verify that it indicates the PARK position.
• With brake pedal released, verify that the shift lever will not move out of PARK.
242
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