Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the seat belt system periodically, checking for cuts,
frays, and loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced
immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision.
Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision
if they have been damaged (i.e., bent retractor, torn web-
bing, etc.). If there is any question regarding seat belt or
retractor condition, replace the seat belt.
Air Bag Warning Light
The Air Bag warning lightwill turn on for four to
eight seconds as a bulb check when the ignition switch
is first turned to ON/RUN. If the light is either not on
during starting, stays on, or turns on while driving,
have the system inspected at your authorized dealer as
soon as possible. After the bulb check, this light will
illuminate with a single chime when a fault with the Air
Bag System has been detected. It will stay on until the
fault is removed. If the light comes on intermittently or
remains on while driving, have your authorized dealer
service the vehicle immediately.
Refer to “Occupant Restraint Systems” in “Safety” for
further information.
Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and place
the blower control on high speed. You should be able to
feel the air directed against the windshield. See your
authorized dealer for service if your defroster is inoper-
able.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit your vehicle. Only
use a floor mat that does not interfere with the operation of
the accelerator, brake or clutch pedals. Only use a floor mat
that is securely attached using the floor mat fasteners so it
cannot slip out of position and interfere with the accelera-
tor, brake or clutch pedals or impair safe operation of your
vehicle in other ways.
5
SAFETY 215
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 fasten-
ers 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.
• 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
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
vehicle properly parked with the engine off, fully
depress the accelerator, the brake, and the clutch
pedal (if present) to check for interference. If your
floor mat interferes with the operation 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 accelera-
tor, brake, or clutch pedals and could cause a loss of
vehicle control.
• 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
(Continued)
216 SAFETY
STARTING AND OPERATING
CONTENTS
STARTING THE ENGINE ..................222
▫ Automatic Transmission ..................222
▫ Normal Starting .......................223
▫ Keyless Enter-N-Go — Ignition .............224
▫ Cold Weather Operation
(Below –22°F Or 30°C) ..................225
▫ If Engine Fails To Start ..................225
▫ After Starting ..........................225
ENGINE BLOCK HEATER — IF EQUIPPED . . . .225
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS . . . .226
PARKING BRAKE .......................227
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ..............230
▫ Ignition Park Interlock ...................231
▫ Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock System . . . .231
▫ Eight-Speed Automatic Transmission .........232
SPORT MODE — WITHOUT PERFORMANCE
CONTROL ............................241
FUEL SAVER TECHNOLOGY 5.7L AND 6.4L
ONLY — IF EQUIPPED ....................242
POWER STEERING ..................... .242
SPEED CONTROL — IF EQUIPPED ..........243
▫ To Activate .......................... .244
▫ To Set A Desired Speed ..................244
6
Normal Starting
To Turn On The Engine Using The ENGINE START/
STOP Button
1. The transmission must be in PARK.
2. Press and hold the brake pedal while pushing theENGINE START/STOP button once.
3. The system takes over and attempts to start the vehicle. If the vehicle fails to start, the starter will disengage
automatically after 10 seconds.
4. If you wish to stop the cranking of the engine prior to the engine starting, push the button again.
NOTE: Normal starting of either a cold or a warm engine
is obtained without pumping or pressing the accelerator
pedal.
To Turn Off The Engine Using ENGINE START/STOP
Button
1. Place the gear selector in PARK, then push and release the ENGINE START/STOP button. 2. The ignition will return to the OFF mode.
3. If the gear selector is not in PARK, the ENGINE START/
STOP button must be held for two seconds or three short
pushes in a row with the vehicle speed above 5 mph
(8 km/h) before the engine will shut off. The ignition
will remain in the ACC mode until the gear selector is in
PARK and the button is pushed twice to the OFF mode.
If the gear selector is not in PARK and the ENGINE
START/STOP button is pushed once, the instrument
cluster will display a “Vehicle Not In Park” message and
the engine will remain running. Never leave a vehicle
out of the PARK position, or it could roll.
NOTE: If the gear selector is in NEUTRAL, push and
release the ENGINE START/STOP button with the vehicle
speed below 5 mph (8 km/h) before the engine will shut
off, and the ignition will remain in the ACC position. The
system will automatically time out and the ignition will
cycle to the OFF mode after 30 minutes of inactivity if the
ignition is left in the ACC or RUN (engine not running)
mode and the transmission is in PARK.
6
STARTING AND OPERATING 223
ENGINE START/STOP Button Functions — With Driv-
er ’s Foot OFF The Brake Pedal (In PARK Or NEUTRAL
Position)
The ENGINE START/STOP button operates similar to an
ignition switch. It has three modes: OFF, ACC, and RUN.
To change the ignition modes without starting the vehicle
and use the accessories, follow these directions:
1. Start with the ignition in the OFF mode.
2. Push the ENGINE START/STOP button once to placethe ignition to the ACC mode.
3. Push the ENGINE START/STOP button a second time to place the ignition to the RUN mode.
4. Push the ENGINE START/STOP button a third time to return the ignition to the OFF mode.Keyless Enter-N-Go — Ignition
This feature allows the driver to operate the ignition switch
with the push of a button, as long as the Remote Start/
Keyless Enter-N-Go key fob is in the passenger
compartment.
Keyless Push Button Ignition
224 STARTING AND OPERATING
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
For vehicles equipped with the 3.6L or 5.7L use the
following engine break-in recommendations:
A long break-in period is not required for the drivetrain
(engine, transmission, clutch, and rear axle) in your new
vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After
the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80
or 90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
However, wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can
be detrimental and should be avoided.
The engine oil, transmission fluid, and axle lubricant
installed at the factory is high-quality and energy-
conserving. Oil, fluid, and lubricant changes should be
consistent with anticipated climate and conditions under
which vehicle operations will occur. For the recommended
viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Fluids And Lubri-
cants” in “Technical Specifications”.
CAUTION!
Never use Non-Detergent Oil or Straight Mineral Oil
in the engine or damage may result.
NOTE: A new engine may consume some oil during its
first few thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This
should be considered a normal part of the break-in and not
interpreted as an indication of difficulty. Please check your
oil level with the engine oil indicator often during the
break in period. Add oil as required.
For vehicles equipped with the 6.4L use the following
engine break-in recommendations:
Despite modern technology and World Class manufactur-
ing methods, the moving parts of the vehicle must still
wear in with each other. This wearing in occurs mainly
during the first 500 miles (805 km) and continues through
the first oil change interval.
226 STARTING AND OPERATING
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.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can cause
severe transmission damage.
Refer to “Recreational Towing” in “Starting And Op-
erating” and “Towing A Disabled Vehicle” in “In Case
Of Emergency” for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and downshifts,
and the best fuel economy. The transmission automatically
upshifts through all forward gears. The DRIVE position
provides optimum driving characteristics under all normal
operating conditions. When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as when
operating the vehicle under heavy loading conditions, in
hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or while
towing a heavy trailer), use the AutoStick shift control (if
equipped, 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.
During extremely cold temperatures (-22°F [-30°C] or be-
low), transmission operation may be modified depending
on engine and transmission temperature as well as vehicle
speed. Normal operation will resume once the transmis-
sion temperature has risen to a suitable level.
MANUAL (M)
The MANUAL (M, +/-) position (beside the DRIVE posi-
tion) enables full manual control of transmission shifting
(also known as AutoStick mode; refer to “AutoStick” in this
section for further information). Toggling the gear selector
forward (-) or rearward (+) while in the MANUAL
(AutoStick) position will manually select the transmission
gear, and will display the current gear in the instrument
cluster as M1, M2, M3, etc.
6
STARTING AND OPERATING 237
Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electronically for ab-
normal conditions. If a condition is detected that could
result in transmission damage, Transmission Limp Home
Mode is activated. In this mode, the transmission may
operate only in certain gears, or may not shift at all. Vehicle
performance may be severely degraded and the engine
may stall. In some situations, the transmission may not
re-engage if the engine is turned off and restarted. The
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) may be illuminated. A
message in the instrument cluster will inform the driver of
the more serious conditions, and indicate what actions may
be necessary.
In the event of a momentary problem, the transmission can
be reset to regain all forward gears by performing the
following steps:
NOTE:In cases where the instrument cluster message
indicates the transmission may not re-engage after engine
shutdown, perform this procedure only in a desired loca-
tion (preferably, at an authorized dealer).
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Shift the transmission into PARK, if possible. If not, shift the transmission to NEUTRAL. 3. Push and hold the ignition switch until the engine turns
OFF.
4. Wait approximately 30 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 an authorized dealer at your earliest
possible convenience. An authorized dealer has diagnostic
equipment to assess the condition of your transmission.
If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
AutoStick
AutoStick is a driver-interactive transmission feature pro-
viding manual shift control, giving you more control of the
vehicle. AutoStick allows you to maximize engine braking,
eliminate undesirable upshifts and downshifts, and im-
prove overall vehicle performance.
This system can also provide you with more control during
passing, city driving, cold slippery conditions, mountain
driving, trailer towing, and many other situations.
238 STARTING AND OPERATING