2016 DODGE DART Owners Manual

curb on a downhill grade and away from the curb on an
uphill grade.
WARNING!
•Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment 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 transmission is in
PARK before leaving the vehicle.
• 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
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in re-
verse. 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.
• 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 LOCK/OFF (key re-
moval) position, the transmission is locked in
PARK, securing the vehicle against unwanted
movement.
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
•When leaving the vehicle, always make sure the
ignition is in the OFF position, remove the key fob
from the vehicle and lock the vehicle. If equipped
with Keyless Enter-N-Go, always make sure the
keyless ignition node is in “OFF” mode, remove
the Key Fob from the vehicle and lock the 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 in a vehicle equipped with
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
Keyless Enter-N-Go in the ACC or ON/RUN posi-
tion. A child could operate power windows, other
controls, or move the vehicle.
CAUTION!
•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.
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The following indicators should be used to ensure that you
have engaged the transmission into the PARK position:
•When shifting into PARK, press the lock button on the
shift lever and firmly move the lever all the way
forward until it stops and is fully seated.
• Look at the transmission gear position display and
verify that it indicates the PARK position (P).
• With brake pedal released, verify that the shift lever
will not move out of PARK.
REVERSE (R)
This range is for moving the vehicle backward. Shift
into REVERSE only after the vehicle has come to a
complete stop.
NEUTRAL (N)
Use this range when the vehicle is standing for prolonged
periods with the engine running. The engine 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 turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe
practices that limit your response to changing traffic
or road conditions. You might lose control of the
vehicle and have a collision.
DRIVE (D)
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.
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To maximize fuel economy, the Dual Dry Clutch trans-
mission uses a geartrain arrangement similar to a manual
transmission. Therefore, you should become familiar
with some of the normal operational characteristics of
this transmission:
•During low-speed driving conditions in first gear,
vehicle momentum changes may feel exaggerated in
response to changes in accelerator pedal position. This
behavior is normal and is similar to vehicles equipped
with a manual transmission.
• At low speeds you may hear mechanical noises similar
to a manual transmission as the transmission changes
gears. These noises are normal and will not damage
the transmission.
• Very aggressive driving may result in some clutch
odor similar to a manual transmission. An active
warning message will display in the Instrument Clus-
ter if cool down actions are needed. •
When stopped on an incline, always use the brakes to
hold the vehicle in place. On steep inclines, Hill Start
Assist (HSA) will temporarily hold the car in position
when the brake pedal is released. If the accelerator
pedal is not applied after a short time, the car will roll
back. Either reapply the brake (to hold the vehicle) or
press the accelerator to climb the hill.
• Before and after the engine is started, you may hear a
hydraulic pump for a short period of time. This noise
is normal and will not damage the transmission.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain, or traveling into strong head
winds), use the AutoStick shift control (refer to
“AutoStick” in this section for further information) to
select a lower gear. Under these conditions, using a lower
gear will improve performance and extend transmission
life by reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
434 STARTING AND OPERATING

During extremely cold temperatures, the transmission
will not operate if the oil temperature is -22°F (-30°C) or
below. Allow the engine to idle briefly with the transmis-
sion in PARK in order to warm the fluid. Normal
operation will resume once the transmission temperature
has risen to a suitable level.Instrument Cluster Messages
Messages will be displayed in the instrument cluster to
alert the driver when certain unusual conditions occur.
These messages are described below.
MESSAGE
DESCRIPTION
GEAR NOT AVAILABLE In AutoStick mode, the gear selected by the driver is not available due to a fault condition. See your authorized dealer for diagnosis and service.
SHIFT NOT ALLOWED The gear position requested by the driver is currently blocked. This oc- curs if: REVERSE is requested while moving (at 6 mph [10 km/h] orfaster), if DRIVE is requested while moving backwards (at 6 mph
[10 km/h] or faster), or if (in AutoStick mode) a DOWNSHIFT is re-
quested while in 1st gear, 3rd gear or higher is requested at a stop, or a
requested shift would cause engine lugging or overspeed. Make sure the vehicle is stopped before engaging DRIVE or REVERSE.
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MESSAGEDESCRIPTION
SHIFT TO NEUTRAL – THEN DorR The transmission has shifted itself into NEUTRAL (due to a fault condi-
tion, or overheat due to excessive idling when stopped in DRIVE with
the brakes released), but the shift lever remains in gear. Shift into NEU-
TRAL and then back into gear for continued driving. If the transmission will not re-engage, see your authorized dealer.
AUTOSTICK NOT AVAILABLE AutoStick mode is unavailable due to a shift lever fault. See your autho- rized dealer for diagnosis and service.
AUTOMATIC MODE NOT AVAILABLE The transmission is unable to shift itself automatically, due to a fault con-
dition. Use the AutoStick mode to shift the transmission manually. See your authorized dealer for diagnosis and service.
REDUCE GEAR CHANGES The transmission pump is overheating. In AutoStick mode, try to drive in one specific gear as much as possible, avoiding frequent gear changes. InDRIVE, the transmission will automatically modify its shift schedule to reduce the number of shifts.
436 STARTING AND OPERATING

MESSAGEDESCRIPTION
TRANS. GETTING HOT PRESS BRAKE The transmission driving clutch is overheating, usually due to repeated
launches in stop-and-go traffic. Pull over and allow the transmission to cool in NEUTRAL until “TRANS. COOL READY TO DRIVE” is dis- played.
TRANS. HOT STOP SAFELY SHIFT TO P The transmission driving clutch has overheated. Pull over, shift the trans-
mission into PARK, and allow the vehicle to cool until “TRANS. COOL READY TO DRIVE” is displayed.
SERVICE TRANSMISSION A transmission fault has been detected. See your authorized dealer for diagnosis and service.
SERVICE SHIFTER A shift lever fault has been detected. See your authorized dealer for diag-
nosis and service.
ENGAGE PARK BRAKE The sensor that confirms PARK engagement is not functioning properly. Engage the parking brake to ensure that the vehicle will not roll when inPARK.
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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, some gears will be
unavailable. The transmission will operate only in a
certain select set of gears (such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and
Reverse, or 1st, 3rd, 5th, and Reverse, or 2nd, 4th, and 6th
[with no Reverse]). PARK and NEUTRAL will continue
to be available. The Malfunction Indicator 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 ignition switch to the OFF position.
4. Wait approximately 10 seconds.
5. Restart the engine.
6. Shift into the desired gear range. If the problem is no
longer detected, the transmission will return to normal
operation.
NOTE: Even if the transmission can be reset, we recom-
mend 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.
438 STARTING AND OPERATING