224STARTING AND OPERATING
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 ignition switch is left in the ACC or RUN
(engine not running) position and the transmis -
sion is in PARK, the system will automatically
time out after 30 minutes of inactivity and the
ignition will switch to the OFF position.
ENGINE BLOCK HEATER — IF EQUIPPED
The engine block heater warms the engine and
permits quicker starts in cold weather.
Connect the cord to a 110-115 Volt AC electrical
outlet with a grounded, three-wire extension
cord.
For ambient temperatures below 0°F (-18°C),
the engine block heater is recommended. For
ambient temperatures below -20°F (-29°C),
the engine block heater is required. The engine block heater cord is routed under
the hood, behind to the passenger’s side
headlamp. Follow the steps below to properly
use the engine block heater:
1. Locate the engine block heater cord
(behind the passenger’s side headlamp).
2. Undo the hook-and-loop strap that secures the heater cord in place.
3. Pull the cord to the front of the vehicle and plug it into a grounded, three-wire extension
cord.
4. After the vehicle is running, reattach the cord to the hook-and-loop strap and
properly stow away behind the passenger’s
side headlamp.
NOTE:
The engine block heater cord is a factory
installed option. If your vehicle is not
equipped, heater cords are available from an
authorized Mopar dealer.
The engine block heater will require 110
Volts AC and 6.5 Amps to activate the heater
element.
The engine block heater must be plugged in
at least one hour to have an adequate
warming effect on the engine.
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the
engine and drivetrain (transmission and axle) in
your 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.
WARNING!
Remember to disconnect the engine block
heater cord before driving. Damage to the
110-115 Volt electrical cord could cause
electrocution.
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STARTING AND OPERATING225
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration
within the limits of local traffic laws contributes
to a good break-in. Wide-open throttle
acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and
should be avoided.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the
factory is a high-quality energy conserving type
lubricant. Oil changes should be consistent with
anticipated climate conditions under which
vehicle operations will occur. For the
recommended viscosity and quality grades,
refer to “Dealer Service” in “Servicing And
Maintenance”.
NOTE:
A new engine may consume some oil during its
first few thousand miles (kilometers) of opera -
tion. This should be considered a normal part of
the break-in and not interpreted as a problem.PARK BRAKE
Electric Park Brake (EPB)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Electric Park
Brake System (EPB) that offers simple
operation, and some additional features that
make the park brake more convenient and
useful.
The park brake is primarily intended to prevent
the vehicle from rolling while parked. Before
leaving the vehicle, make sure that the park
brake is applied. Also, be certain to leave the
transmission in PARK.
You can engage the park brake in two ways;
Manually, by applying the park brake switch.
Automatically, by enabling the Auto Park
Brake feature in the customer programmable
features section of the Uconnect Settings. The park brake switch is located in the
integrated center stack.
Electric Park Brake Switch
To apply the park brake manually, push the
switch momentarily. You may hear a slight
whirring sound from the back of the vehicle
while the park brake engages. Once the park
brake is fully engaged, the BRAKE warning lamp
in the instrument cluster and an indicator on
the switch will illuminate. If your foot is on the
brake pedal while you apply the park brake, you
may notice a small amount of brake pedal
movement. The park brake can be applied even
when the ignition switch is OFF, however, it can
only be released when the ignition switch in the
ACC or ON/RUN position.
CAUTION!
Never use Non-Detergent Oil or Straight
Mineral Oil in the engine or damage may
result.
5
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226STARTING AND OPERATING
(Continued)
(Continued)
NOTE:
The EPB fault lamp will illuminate if the EPB
switch is held for longer than 180 seconds. The
light will extinguish upon releasing the switch.
If the Auto Park Brake feature is enabled, the
parking brake will automatically engage
whenever the transmission is placed into PARK.
Once the park brake is engaged, the BRAKE
warning lamp in the instrument cluster and the
LED indicator on the switch will illuminate. If
your foot is on the brake pedal, you may notice
a small amount of brake pedal movement while
the parking brake is engaging.
The park brake will release automatically when
the ignition is cycled to the ON/RUN position,
the transmission is in DRIVE or REVERSE, and
the driver seat belt is buckled and an attempt is
made to drive the vehicle away by pressing the
accelerator pedal.
To release the parking brake manually, the
ignition switch must be in the ON/RUN position.
Press on the brake pedal, then push the park
brake switch momentarily. You may hear a
slight whirring sound from the back of the
vehicle while the parking brake disengages. You
may also notice a small amount of movement in the brake pedal. Once the park brake is fully
disengaged, the BRAKE warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and the LED indicator on the
switch will extinguish.
NOTE:
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. Apply the park brake before placing the
gear selector in PARK, otherwise the load on the
transmission locking mechanism may make it
difficult to move the gear selector out of PARK.
The park brake should always be applied when
-
ever the driver is not in the vehicle.
WARNING!
Never use the PARK position as a substi -
tute for the parking brake. Always apply the
parking brake fully when parked to guard
against vehicle movement and possible
injury or damage.
When exiting the vehicle, always make sure
the ignition is in the OFF mode, remove the
key fob from the vehicle, 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 unat -
tended 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 transmission gear
selector.
Do not leave the key fob in or near the
vehicle, (or in a location accessible to chil -
dren), and do not leave the ignition 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 disen -
gaged before driving; failure to do so can
lead to brake failure and a collision.
Always fully apply the parking brake when
leaving your vehicle, or it may roll and
cause damage or injury. Also be certain to
leave the transmission in PARK. Failure to
do so may allow the vehicle to roll and
cause damage or injury.
WARNING! (Continued)
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STARTING AND OPERATING227
If exceptional circumstances should make it
necessary to engage the park brake while the
vehicle is in motion, push on the electric park
brake switch for as long as engagement is
desired. The BRAKE warning lamp will
illuminate, and a continuous chime will sound.
The rear stop lamps will also be illuminated
automatically while the vehicle remains in
motion. To disengage the park brake while the vehicle is
in motion, release the switch. If the vehicle is
brought to a complete stop using the park
brake, when the vehicle reaches approximately
3 mph (4.8 km/h), the park brake will remain
engaged.
In the unlikely event of a malfunction of the
Electric Park Brake system, a yellow EPB fault
lamp will illuminate. This may be accompanied
by the BRAKE warning lamp flashing. In this
case, urgent service of the electric park brake
system is required. Do not rely on the park
brake to hold the vehicle stationary.
Auto Park Brake
The Electric Park Brake can be programmed to
be applied automatically whenever the vehicle
is at a standstill and the automatic transmission
is placed in PARK. Auto Park Brake is enabled
and disabled by customer selection through the
“Customer Programmable Features” section of
the “Uconnect Settings”.
SafeHold
SafeHold is a safety feature of the Electric Park
Brake System that will engage the park brake
automatically if the vehicle is left unsecured. If
the automatic transmission is not in PARK, the
seat belt is unbuckled, the driver door is open,
the vehicle is at a standstill, and there is no
attempt to depress the brake pedal or
accelerator pedal, the park brake will
automatically engage to prevent the vehicle
from rolling.
SafeHold can be temporarily bypassed by
pushing the Electric Park Brake Switch while the
driver door is open and brake pedal is pressed.
Once manually bypassed, SafeHold will be
enabled again once the vehicle reaches
12 mph (20 km/h) or the ignition is cycled to
the OFF position and back to ON again.
Brake Service Mode
We recommend having your brakes serviced by
an authorized dealer. You should only make
repairs for which you have the knowledge and
the right equipment. You should only enter
Brake Service Mode during brake service.
When servicing your rear brakes, it may be
necessary for you or your technician to push the
rear piston into the rear caliper bore. With the
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake
engaged, or repeated use of the parking
brake to slow the vehicle may cause
serious damage to the brake system.
CAUTION!
If the Brake System 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.
WARNING!
(Continued)
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228STARTING AND OPERATING
(Continued)
(Continued)
Electric Park Brake system, this can only be
done after retracting the Electric Park Brake
actuator. Fortunately, actuator retraction can
be done easily by entering the “Brake Service”
through the “Uconnect Settings” in your vehicle.
This menu based system will guide you through
the steps necessary to retract the EPB actuator
in order to perform rear brake service.
Brake Service Mode has requirements that
must be met in order to be activated:
The vehicle must be at a standstill.
The park brake must be unapplied.
The transmission must be in PARK or
NEUTRAL.
While in service mode, the Electric Park Brake
fault lamp will flash continuously while the
ignition switch is ON.
When brake service work is complete, the
following steps must be followed to reset the
parking brake system to normal operation:
Ensure the vehicle is at a standstill.
Press the brake pedal with moderate force.
Apply the Electric Park Brake Switch.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WARNING!
You can be badly injured working on or
around a motor vehicle. Do only that service
work for which you have the knowledge and
the right equipment. If you have any doubt
about your ability to perform a service job,
take your vehicle to a competent mechanic.
WARNING!
Never use the PARK position as a substi -
tute for the parking brake. Always apply the
parking brake fully when exiting the vehicle
to guard against vehicle movement and
possible injury or damage.
Your vehicle could move and injure you and
others if it is not in PARK. Check by trying to
move the transmission gear selector out of
PARK with the brake pedal released. Make
sure the transmission is in PARK before
exiting the vehicle.
The transmission may not engage PARK if
the vehicle is moving. Always bring the
vehicle to a complete stop before shifting to
PARK, and verify that the transmission gear
position indicator solidly indicates PARK (P)
without blinking. Ensure that the vehicle is
completely stopped, and the PARK position
is properly indicated, before exiting 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 vehicle could accel -
erate quickly forward 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.
WARNING! (Continued)
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230STARTING AND OPERATING
Nine-Speed Automatic Transmission
The transmission is controlled using a rotary
electronic gear selector located on the center
console. The transmission gear selector has
PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, DRIVE, and LOW
shift positions. Using the LOW position manually
downshifts the transmission to a lower gear
based on vehicle speed. The transmission gear
range (PRNDL) is displayed both above the gear
selector and in the instrument cluster. To select
a gear range, simply rotate the gear selector.
Push down on the gear selector and then rotate
it, to access the L position. You must also press
the brake pedal to shift the transmission out of
PARK (or NEUTRAL, when stopped or moving at
low speeds). To shift past multiple gear ranges
at once (such as PARK to DRIVE), simply rotate
the gear selector to the appropriate detent.
Select the DRIVE range for normal driving. NOTE:
In the event of a mismatch between the gear
selector position and the actual transmission
gear (for example, driver selects PARK while
driving), the position indicator will blink continu
-
ously until the selector is returned to the proper
position, or the requested shift can be
completed.
The electronically-controlled transmission
adapts its shift schedule based on driver inputs,
along with environmental and road conditions.
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 miles
(kilometers).
The nine-speed transmission has been
developed to meet the needs of current and
future FWD/AWD vehicles. Software and
calibration is refined to optimize the customer’s
driving experience and fuel economy. By design,
some vehicle and driveline combinations utilize
9th gear only in very specific driving situations
and conditions. 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.
Transmission Gear Selector
Gear Ranges
Do not depress the accelerator pedal 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
accelerating. This is especially important when
the engine is cold.
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232STARTING AND OPERATING
The following indicators should be used to
ensure that you have properly engaged the
transmission into the PARK position:
Look at the transmission gear position
display and verify that it indicates the PARK
position (P), and is not blinking.
With brake pedal released, verify that the
gear selector 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
park brake and shift the transmission into PARK
if you must exit the vehicle.
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.
If the transmission temperature exceeds
normal operating limits, the transmission
controller may modify the transmission shift
schedule, reduce engine torque, and/or expand
the range of torque converter clutch
engagement. This is done to prevent
transmission damage due to overheating.
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 transmis -
sion gear selector.
Do not leave the key fob in or near the
vehicle (or in a location accessible to chil -
dren), and do not leave the ignition in the
ACC or ON/RUN mode. A child could
operate power windows, other controls, or
move the vehicle.
CAUTION!
Before moving the transmission gear
selector out of PARK, you must start the
engine, and also press the brake pedal.
Otherwise, damage to the gear selector
could result.
DO NOT race the engine when shifting from
PARK or NEUTRAL into another gear range,
as this can damage the drivetrain.
WARNING! (Continued)
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 Operating” and “Towing A Disabled
Vehicle” in “In Case Of Emergency” for further
information.
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STARTING AND OPERATING233
If the transmission becomes extremely hot, the
“Transmission Temperature Warning Light” will
illuminate, a warning message will appear in the
instrument cluster, and the transmission may
operate differently until the transmission cools
down.
During cold temperatures, transmission
operation may be modified depending on
engine and transmission temperature as well
as vehicle speed. This feature improves warm
up time of the engine and transmission to
achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of
the torque converter clutch, and shifts into 8th
or 9th gear, are inhibited until the transmission
fluid is warm refer to the “Note” under “Torque
Converter Clutch” in this section. Normal
operation will resume once the transmission
temperature has risen to a suitable level.
LOW (L)
Use this range for engine braking when
descending very steep grades. In this range, the
transmission will downshift for increased
engine braking. To access the LOW position,
push down on the gear selector and rotate it
fully clockwise.
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, the
transmission may operate only in a fixed gear,
or may remain in NEUTRAL. The Malfunction
Indicator Light (MIL) may be illuminated. Limp
Home Mode may allow 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, 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
recommend that you visit an authorized dealer
at your earliest possible convenience. An autho -
rized dealer has diagnostic equipment to
assess the condition of your transmission. If the
transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
Torque Converter Clutch
A feature designed to improve fuel economy
has been included in the automatic
transmission on your vehicle. A clutch within the
torque converter engages automatically at
calibrated speeds. This may result in a slightly
different feeling or response during normal
operation in the upper gears. When the vehicle
speed drops or during some accelerations, the
clutch automatically disengages.
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