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SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE CARGO
AREA.
WARNING!
•Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up
may cause serious injury or death.
• It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
• Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain
carbon monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odor-
less. Breathing it can make you unconscious and
can eventually poison you. To avoid breathing
(CO), follow these safety tips:
• Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in
confined areas any longer than needed to move
your vehicle in or out of the area.
• If you are required to drive with the trunk/
liftgate/rear doors open, make sure that all win-
dows are closed and the climate control BLOWER
switch is set at high speed. DO NOT use the
recirculation mode.
• If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling
controls to force outside air into the vehicle. Set
the blower at high speed.
The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine ex-
haust system.
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
WARNING!
An improperly attached, damaged, folded, or
stacked floor mat, or damaged floor mat fasteners
may cause your floor mat to interfere with the
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and cause a loss
of vehicle control. To prevent SERIOUS INJURY or
DEATH:
•ALWAYS securely attach
your floor mat using
the floor mat fasteners. DO NOT install your
floor mat upside down or turn your floor mat
over. Lightly pull to confirm mat is secured
using the floor mat fasteners on a regular basis.
• ALWAYS REMOVE THE EXISTING FLOOR
MAT FROM THE VEHICLE
before installing
any other floor mat. NEVER install or stack an
additional floor mat on top of an existing floor
mat.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•ONLY install floor mats designed to fit your
vehicle. NEVER install a floor mat that cannot be
properly attached and secured to your vehicle. If a
floor mat needs to be replaced, only use a FCA
approved floor mat for the specific make, model,
and year of your vehicle.
• ONLY use the driver ’s side floor mat on the
driver ’s side floor area. To check for interference,
with the vehicle properly parked with the engine
off, fully depress the accelerator, the brake, and
the clutch pedal (if present) to check for interfer-
ence. If your floor mat interferes with the opera-
tion of any pedal, or is not secure to the floor,
remove the floor mat from the vehicle and place
the floor mat in your trunk.
• ONLY use the passenger ’s side floor mat on the
passenger ’s side floor area.
• ALWAYS make sure objects cannot fall or slide
into the driver ’s side floor area when the vehicle
is moving. Objects can become trapped under
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and could
cause a loss of vehicle control.
(Continued)
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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WARNING!(Continued)
•NEVER place any objects under the floor mat
(e.g., towels, keys, etc.). These objects could
change the position of the floor mat and may
cause interference with the accelerator, brake, or
clutch pedals.
• If the vehicle carpet has been removed and re-
installed, always properly attach carpet to the
floor and check the floor mat fasteners are secure
to the vehicle carpet. Fully depress each pedal to
check for interference with the accelerator, brake,
or clutch pedals then re-install the floor mats.
• It is recommended to only use mild soap and
water to clean your floor mats. After cleaning,
always check your floor mat has been properly
installed and is secured to your vehicle using the
floor mat fasteners by lightly pulling mat.
Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and
bulges. Check the wheel bolts for tightness. Check the
tires (including spare) for proper cold inflation pres-
sure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights
and exterior lights while you work the controls. Check
turn signal and high beam indicator lights on the
instrument panel.
Door Latches
Check for proper closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for
fuel, engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if
gasoline fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering
fluid (if equipped), or brake fluid leaks are suspected.
The cause should be located and corrected immediately.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63
Page 83 of 350
WARNING!
ALL the head restraints MUST be reinstalled in the
vehicle to properly protect the occupants. Follow
the re-installation instructions above prior to oper-
ating the vehicle or occupying a seat.
TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released.
1. Pull the bottom of the RED hood release lever,located on the left kick panel, rearward. 2. Rotate the safety catch under the front edge of the
hood, near the center, and raise the hood.
3. Lift the hood prop rod that clips to the right side (left side when standing in front of the hood) of the
engine compartment. Place the hood prop rod in the
hole of hood hinge to secure the hood in the open
position.
Hood Release Lever
Hood Safety Latch Location
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 81
Page 90 of 350

until the lever is released. When the lever is released,
the wipers will return to the off position and automati-
cally shut off.
Front Windshield Washer Operation
Pull the windshield wiper/washer lever toward the
steering wheel to activate the washers. The wipers will
activate automatically for three cycles after the lever is
released.
CAUTION!
•Turn the windshield wipers off when driving
through an automatic car wash. Damage to the
windshield wipers may result if the wiper control
is left in any position other than off.
• In cold weather, always turn off the wiper switch
and allow the wipers to return to the “Park”
position before turning off the engine. If the
wiper switch is left on and the wipers freeze to
the windshield, damage to the wiper motor may
occur when the vehicle is restarted.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•Always remove any buildup of snow that pre-
vents the windshield wiper blades from returning
to the off position. If the windshield wiper con-
trol is turned off and the blades cannot return to
the off position, damage to the wiper motor may
occur.
Rear Windshield Wiper
Rotate the end of the windshield wiper/washer lever
upward to the first detent past the intermittent settings
for intermittent wipe operation. With the front wind-
shield wiper active, rotate the end of the windshield
wiper/washer lever upward. The rear wiper will oper-
ate in the same mode as the front windshield wipers,
but at half the frequency. When the transmission is
shifted into REVERSE, the rear wiper will automatically
operate at Low Speed and return to normal operation
when the transmission is shifted out of REVERSE.
88 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
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WARNING!
To avoid serious injury or death:
•Only devices designed for use in this type of
outlet should be inserted into any 12 Volt outlet.
• Do not touch with wet hands.
• Close the lid when not in use and while driving
the vehicle.
• If this outlet is mishandled, it may cause an
electric shock and failure.
CAUTION!
• Many accessories that can be plugged in draw
power from the vehicle’s battery, even when not
in use (i.e., cellular phones, etc.). Eventually, if
plugged in long enough, the vehicle’s battery will
discharge sufficiently to degrade battery life
and/or prevent the engine from starting.
• Accessories that draw higher power (i.e., coolers,
vacuum cleaners, lights, etc.) will degrade the
battery even more quickly. Only use these inter-
mittently and with great caution.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•After the use of high power draw accessories, or
long periods of the vehicle not being started (with
accessories still plugged in), the vehicle must be
driven a sufficient length of time to allow the
generator to recharge the vehicle’s battery.
CIGAR LIGHTER — IF EQUIPPED
This is located on the center console, in front of the cup
holders. To activate the cigar lighter, push and release
the knob. After a few seconds the knob automatically
returns to its initial position, and the cigar lighter is
ready for use.
WARNING!
When the cigar lighter is in use it becomes very hot.
To avoid serious injury, handle the cigar lighter
with care. Always check that the cigar lighter has
turned off.
102 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
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REAR WINDOW FEATURES
Rear Window Defroster
The rear window defroster button is located in
the center of the instrument panel, below the
radio. Push this button to turn on the rear window
defroster. An indicator in the Instrument Cluster Dis-
play will illuminate when the rear window defroster is
on. The rear window defroster automatically turns off
after approximately 20 minutes. To manually shut the
defroster off, push the button a second time. NOTE:
To prevent excessive battery drain, use the rear
window defroster only when the engine is operating.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these cautions can cause damage
to the heating elements:
• Use care when washing the inside of the rear
window. Do not use abrasive window cleaners on
the interior surface of the window. Use a soft
cloth and a mild washing solution, wiping paral-
lel to the heating elements. Labels can be peeled
off after soaking with warm water.
• Do not use scrapers, sharp instruments, or abra-
sive window cleaners on the interior surface of
the window.
• Keep all objects a safe distance from the window.
Folded Rear Seats
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 105
Page 117 of 350
1.Tachometer
• This gauge measures engine revolutions per min-
ute (RPM x 1000). Before the pointer reaches the red
area, ease up on the accelerator to prevent engine
damage. 2.
Temperature Gauge
• The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tem-
perature. Any reading within the normal range
indicates that the engine cooling system is operat-
ing satisfactorily.
Sport Turbo Instrument Cluster Sport Mode
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 115