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WARNING!(Continued)
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work with
your seat belt to restrain you properly. In some
collisions, air bags won’t deploy at all. Always wear
your seat belts even though you have air bags.
Front Air Bag Operation
Front Air Bags are designed to provide additional protec-
tion by supplementing the seat belts. Front air bags are not
expected to reduce the risk of injury in rear, side, or
rollover collisions. The front air bags will not deploy in all
frontal collisions, including some that may produce sub-
stantial vehicle damage — for example, some pole colli-
sions, truck underrides, and angle offset collisions.
On the other hand, depending on the type and location of
impact, front air bags may deploy in crashes with little
vehicle front-end damage but that produce a severe initial
deceleration.
Because air bag sensors measure vehicle deceleration over
time, vehicle speed and damage by themselves are not
good indicators of whether or not an air bag should have
deployed. Seat belts are necessary for your protection in all collisions,
and also are needed to help keep you in position, away
from an inflating air bag.
When the ORC detects a collision requiring the front air
bags, it signals the inflator units. A large quantity of
non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the front air bags.
The steering wheel hub trim cover and the upper passen-
ger side of the instrument panel separate and fold out of
the way as the air bags inflate to their full size. The front air
bags fully inflate in less time than it takes to blink your
eyes. The front air bags then quickly deflate while helping
to restrain the driver and front passenger.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and front passenger, and position the front occu-
pants for improved interaction with the front air bags.
WARNING!
•
Do not drill, cut, or tamper with the knee impact
bolsters in any way.
• Do not mount any accessories to the knee impact
bolsters such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band
radios, etc.
192 SAFETY
Page 337 of 524

3.6L Engine —The level of the coolant in the pressurized
coolant bottle should be between the “COLD” and “FULL”
range on the bottle when the engine is cold.
The radiator normally remains completely full, so there is
no need to remove the radiator cap unless checking for
coolant freeze point or replacing engine coolant (anti-
freeze). Advise your service attendant of this. As long as
the engine operating temperature is satisfactory, the cool-
ant bottle need only be checked once a month. When
additional engine coolant (antifreeze) is needed to main-
tain the proper level, it should be added to the coolant
bottle. Do not overfill. See “Adding Coolant” section for
additional information.
Points To Remember
NOTE: When the vehicle is stopped after a few miles/
kilometers of operation, you may observe vapor coming
from the front of the engine compartment. This is normally
a result of moisture from rain, snow, or high humidity
accumulating on the radiator and being vaporized when
the thermostat opens, allowing hot engine coolant (anti-
freeze) to enter the radiator.
If an examination of your engine compartment shows no
evidence of radiator or hose leaks, the vehicle may be
safely driven. The vapor will soon dissipate. •
Do not overfill the coolant expansion bottle.
• Check the coolant freeze point in the radiator and in the
coolant expansion bottle. If engine coolant (antifreeze)
needs to be added, the contents of the coolant expansion
bottle must also be protected against freezing.
• If frequent engine coolant (antifreeze) additions are
required, the cooling system should be pressure tested
for leaks.
• Maintain engine coolant (antifreeze) concentration at a
minimum of 50% OAT coolant (conforming to
MS.90032) and distilled water for proper corrosion pro-
tection of your engine which contains aluminum com-
ponents.
• Make sure that the coolant expansion bottle overflow
hoses are not kinked or obstructed.
• Keep the front of the radiator clean. If your vehicle is
equipped with air conditioning, keep the front of the
condenser clean.
• Do not change the thermostat for Summer or Winter
operation. If replacement is ever necessary, install ONLY
the correct type thermostat. Other designs may result in
unsatisfactory engine coolant (antifreeze) performance,
poor gas mileage, and increased emissions.
8
SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE 335
Page 381 of 524

CAUTION!
Only vehicles with the E-85 fuel filler door label or a
yellow gas cap can operate on E-85.
Ethanol Fuel (E-85)
E-85 is a mixture of approximately 85% ethanol and 15%
unleaded gasoline.
WARNING!
Ethanol vapors are extremely flammable and could
cause serious personal injury. Never have any smoking
materials lit or products that can cause spark in or near
the vehicle when removing the fuel filler tube cap (gas
cap) or filling the tank. Do not use E-85 as a cleaning
agent and never use it near an open flame.
Fuel Requirements
If your vehicle is E-85 compatible, it will operate on
unleaded gasoline with any octane rating greater than 87
(R+M)/2, or solely E-85 fuel, or any mixture of these fuels.
For best results, avoid fueling patterns alternating be-
tween E-85 and unleaded gasoline.When switching fuel types:
•
Add 5 gallons (19 liters) or more when refueling.
• Drive the vehicle immediately after refueling for at least
5 miles (8 km).
Observing these precautions will avoid possible hard start-
ing and/or driveability problems during warm up.
NOTE:
• Use seasonally adjusted E-85 fuel (ASTM D5798). With
non-seasonally adjusted E-85 fuel, hard starting and
rough idle following start up may be experienced even if
the above recommendations are followed, especially
when the ambient temperature is below 32°F (0°C).
• Some additives used in regular gasoline are not fully
compatible with E-85 and may form deposits in your
engine. To eliminate driveability issues that may be
caused by these deposits, a supplemental gasoline addi-
tive, such as Mopar Injector Cleanup or Techron may be
used.
9
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 379