2023 DODGE DURANGO manual transmission

152STARTING AND OPERATING
Remember, never drive diagonally across a hill;
always drive straight up or down.
If the wheels start to slip as you approach the crest
of a hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain
forward motion by turning the front wheels slowly.
This may provide a fresh “bite” into the surface and
will usually provide traction to complete the climb.
Traction Downhill
Shift the transmission into a low gear, and the
transfer case into AWD Low. Let the vehicle go
slowly down the hill with all four wheels turning
against engine compression drag. This will permit
you to control the vehicle speed and direction.
When descending mountains or hills, repeated
braking can cause brake fade with loss of braking
control. Avoid repeated heavy braking by
downshifting the transmission whenever possible.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your
vehicle than does most on-road driving. After going
off-road, it is always a good idea to check for
damage. That way you can get any problems taken
care of right away and have your vehicle ready
when you need it.
Completely inspect the underbody of your
vehicle. Check tires, body structure, steering,
suspension, and exhaust system for damage.
Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and
clean as required.
Check threaded fasteners for looseness, partic -
ularly on the chassis, drivetrain components,
steering, and suspension. Retighten them, if
required, and torque to the values specified in
the Service Manual.
Check for accumulations of plants or brush.
These things could be a fire hazard. They might
hide damage to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle
pinion seals, and propeller shafts.
After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan,
brake rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle
yokes inspected and cleaned as soon as
possible.
If you experience unusual vibration after driving
in mud, slush or similar conditions, check the
wheels for impacted material. Impacted mate -
rial can cause a wheel imbalance and freeing
the wheels of it will correct the situation.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may
cause excessive wear or unpredictable braking.
You might not have full braking power when you
need it to prevent a collision. If you have been
operating your vehicle in dirty conditions, get
your brakes checked and cleaned as necessary.

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182SAFETY
The parking brake must be off.
The driver door must be closed.
The vehicle must be on a sufficient grade.
The gear selection must match vehicle uphill
direction (i.e., vehicle facing uphill is in forward
gear; vehicle backing uphill is in REVERSE gear).
HSA will work in REVERSE gear and all forward
gears. The system will not activate if the trans -
mission is in PARK or NEUTRAL. For vehicles
equipped with a manual transmission, if the
clutch is pressed, HSA will remain active.
Disabling And Enabling HSA
This feature can be turned on or turned off. To
change the current setting see Ú page 153.
Towing With HSA
HSA will also provide assistance to mitigate roll
back while towing a trailer.
Rain Brake Support (RBS)
RBS may improve braking performance in wet
conditions. It will periodically apply a small amount
of brake pressure to remove any water buildup on
the front brake rotors. It functions when the
windshield wipers are in LO or HI speed. When Rain
Brake Support is active, there is no notification to
the driver and no driver interaction is required.
Ready Alert Braking (RAB)
RAB may reduce the time required to reach full
braking during emergency braking situations. It
anticipates when an emergency braking situation
may occur by monitoring how fast the throttle is
released by the driver. The Electronic Brake
Controller (EBC) will prepare the brake system for
a panic stop.
Traction Control System (TCS)
The TCS monitors the amount of wheel spin of
each of the driven wheels. If wheel spin is
detected, the TCS may apply brake pressure to the
spinning wheel(s) and/or reduce engine power to
provide enhanced acceleration and stability. A
feature of the TCS, Brake Limited Differential (BLD)
functions similarly to a limited slip differential and
controls the wheel spin across a driven axle. If one
wheel on a driven axle is spinning faster than the
other, the system will apply the brake of the
WARNING!
There may be situations where the Hill Start
Assist (HSA) will not activate and slight rolling
may occur, such as on minor hills or with a
loaded vehicle, or while pulling a trailer. HSA is
not a substitute for active driving involvement. It
is always the driver’s responsibility to be
attentive to distance to other vehicles, people,
and objects, and most importantly brake
operation to ensure safe operation of the vehicle
under all road conditions. Your complete
attention is always required while driving to
maintain safe control of your vehicle. Failure to
follow these warnings can result in a collision or
serious personal injury.
WARNING!
If you use a trailer brake controller with your
trailer, the trailer brakes may be activated and
deactivated with the brake switch. If so, there
may not be enough brake pressure to hold
both the vehicle and the trailer on a hill when
the brake pedal is released. In order to avoid
rolling down an incline while resuming accel -
eration, manually activate the trailer brake or
apply more vehicle brake pressure prior to
releasing the brake pedal.
HSA is not a parking brake. Always apply the
parking brake fully when exiting your vehicle.
Also, be certain to place the transmission in
PARK.
Failure to follow these warnings can result in a
collision or serious personal injury.

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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY243
5. Remove funnel from filler pipe, clean off prior to putting back in the spare tire storage area.
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
If the vehicle is overheating, it will need to be
serviced by an authorized dealer.
Potential signs of vehicle overheating can be:
Temperature gauge is at HOT (H)
Strong smell of coolant
White smoke coming from engine or exhaust
Coolant bottle coolant has bubbles present In the event it is observed that the temperature
gauge is moving towards or close to the HOT (H)
position, you can reduce the potential for
overheating by taking the appropriate action.
On the highways — slow down.
In city traffic — while stopped, place the trans
-
mission in NEUTRAL (N), but do not increase the
engine idle speed while preventing vehicle
motion with the brakes.
If your Air Conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The
A/C system adds heat to the engine cooling
system and turning the A/C off can help remove
this heat.
You can also turn the temperature control to
maximum heat, the mode control to floor and
the blower control to high. This allows the heater
core to act as a supplement to the radiator and
aids in removing heat from the engine cooling
system.
MANUAL PARK RELEASE
In order to move the vehicle in cases where the
transmission will not shift out of PARK (P) (such as
a depleted battery), a Manual Park Release is
available.
CAUTION!
To avoid fuel spillage and overfilling, do not “top
off” the fuel tank after filling.
WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot engine
coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator.
If you see or hear steam coming from under the
hood, do not open the hood until the radiator
has had time to cool. Never try to open a cooling
system pressure cap when the radiator or
coolant bottle is hot.CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads
HOT (H), pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the
vehicle with the air conditioner turned off until
the pointer drops back into the normal range. If
the pointer remains on HOT (H), and you hear
continuous chimes, turn the engine off
immediately and call for service.
WARNING!
Always secure your vehicle by fully applying the
parking brake before activating the Manual Park
Release. In addition, you should be seated in the
driver’s seat with your foot firmly on the brake
pedal when activating the Manual Park Release.
Activating the Manual Park Release will allow
your vehicle to roll away if it is not secured by the
parking brake, or by proper connection to a tow
vehicle. Activating the Manual Park Release on
an unsecured vehicle could lead to serious
injury or death for those in or around the vehicle.
7

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244IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Follow these steps to use the Manual Park
Release:

1. Firmly apply the parking brake.

2. Open the center console and locate the Manual Park Release cover, remove it by
snapping the cover away from the console
hinges.

Manual Park Release Cover

NOTE:Depending on your vehicle’s trim level, the Manual
Park Release cable may be located in a different
area on the center console.
3. Press and maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal.
4. Using a screwdriver or similar tool, push the metal latch in towards the tether strap.
Release Latch

5. While the metal latch is in the open position, pull upward on the tether strap until the lever
clicks and latches in the released position. The
transmission is now out of PARK (P) and the
vehicle can be moved.

Released Position

NOTE:To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintentionally,
firmly apply the parking brake.
To Disengage The Manual Park Release Lever:

1. To disengage the Manual Park Release, apply tension upward while pushing the release
latch towards the tether to unlock the lever.

Release Latch

CAUTION!
Closing the armrest while the Manual Park
Release is activated may damage the Manual
Park Release mechanism, the transmission,
and/or the armrest.

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320 Seats
.......................................... 28, 33, 34, 35Adjustment........................................... 28, 34Easy Entry................................................... 34Heated........................................................ 35Memory....................................................... 27Rear Folding......................................... 28, 30Reclining..................................................... 29Seatback Release....................................... 28Tilting.......................................................... 28Vented......................................................... 36Ventilated.................................................... 36Security Alarm Arm The System.......................................... 20Disarm The System..................................... 20Security System........................................ 20, 91Sentry Key (Immobilizer).................................. 16Sentry Key Replacement................................. 15Service Assistance......................................... 308Service Contract............................................ 310Service Manuals............................................ 312
Shifting......................................................... 103Automatic Transmission.................. 103, 104Shoulder Belts.............................................. 193Signals, Turn................................. 95, 227, 280Snow Chains (Tire Chains)............................ 296Snow Tires.................................................... 293Spare Tires................................. 234, 293, 294Speed ControlAccel/Decel.............................................. 116Accel/Decel (ACC Only)............................. 120Cancel...................................................... 117Resume.................................................... 117Set............................................................ 116Speed Control (Cruise Control)... 115, 116, 117Starting............................................................ 98Button......................................................... 16Cold Weather............................................ 101Engine Fails To Start................................. 101Remote........................................................ 17Starting And Operating..................................... 98Starting Procedures......................................... 98
Steering...........................................................25Power........................................................ 113Tilt Column............................................ 25, 26Wheel, Heated.............................................26Wheel, Tilt.............................................25, 26Steering Wheel Audio Controls...................... 176Steering Wheel Mounted Sound
System Controls............................................ 176Storage............................................................61Storage, Vehicle..................................... 60, 299Storing Your Vehicle...................................... 299Sun Roof...................................................70, 71Sun Visor..........................................................40Sunglasses Storage.........................................61Sunshade Operation........................................71Sway Control, Trailer..................................... 183Symbol Glossary................................................. 9Synthetic Engine Oil...................................... 257SystemVehicle Security...........................................20System, Remote Starting.................................17

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