warning DODGE CALIBER 2009 1.G Owners Manual

NOTE:Remember that everything put into or on the
trailer adds to the load on your vehicle. Also, additional
factory-installed options, or dealer-installed options,
must be considered as part of the total load on your
vehicle. Refer to the “Tire and Loading Information
placard” under “Tire Safety Information” in Section 5 of
this manual for the maximum combined weight of occu-
pants and cargo for your vehicle.
Towing Requirements
To promote proper break-in of your new vehicle drive-
train components, the following guidelines are recom-
mended:
CAUTION!
•Avoid towing a trailer for the first 500 miles
(805 km) of vehicle operation. Doing so may dam-
age your vehicle.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•During the first 500 miles (805 km) of trailer
towing, limit your speed to 50 mph (80 km/h).
Perform the maintenance listed in Section 8 of this
manual. When towing a trailer, never exceed the GAWR
or GCWR ratings.
WARNING!
Improper towing can lead to an injury accident.
Follow these guidelines to make your trailer towing
as safe as possible: (Continued)
STARTING AND OPERATING 315
5

WARNING! (Continued)
Make certain that the load is secured in the trailer
and will not shift during travel. When trailering
cargo that is not fully secured, dynamic load shifts
can occur that may be difficult for the driver to
control. You could lose control of your vehicle and
have an accident.
•When hauling cargo or towing a trailer, do not over-
load your vehicle or trailer. Overloading can cause a
loss of control, poor performance or damage to the
brakes, axle, engine, transmission, steering, suspen-
sion, chassis structure or tires.
•Safety chains must always be used between your
vehicle and trailer. Always connect the chains to the
frame or hook retainers of the vehicle hitch. Cross the
chains under the trailer tongue and allow enough
slack for turning corners.
•Vehicles with trailers should not be parked on a grade.
When parking, apply the parking brake on the tow
vehicle. Put the tow vehicle automatic transmission in
PARK. With a manual transmission, shift the transmis-
sion into REVERSE. Always block or chockthe trailer
wheels.
•GCWR must not be exceeded.
•Total weight must be distributed between the tow
vehicle and the trailer such that the following four
ratings are not exceeded:
1. GVWR
2. GTW
3. GAWR
316 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (450 kg)
loaded, it should have its own brakes and they
should be of adequate capacity. Failure to do this
could lead to accelerated brake lining wear, higher
brake pedal effort, and longer stopping distances.
WARNING!
•Do not connect trailer brakes to your vehicle’s
hydraulic brake lines. It can overload your brake
system and cause it to fail. You might not have
brakes when you need them and could have an
accident.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Towing any trailer will increase your stopping
distance. When towing, you should allow for ad-
ditional space between your vehicle and the ve-
hicle in front of you. Failure to do so could result
in an accident.
Towing Requirements — Trailer Lights and Wiring
Whenever you pull a trailer, regardless of the trailer size,
stop lights and turn signals on the trailer are required for
motoring safety.
The Trailer Tow Package may include a 4-pin and 7-pin
wiring harness. Use a factory approved trailer harness
and connector.
NOTE: Do not cut or splice wiring into the vehicle’s
wiring harness.
318 STARTING AND OPERATING

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
CONTENTS
Hazard Warning Flasher ................ 324
 If Your Engine Overheats ................ 324
 Automatic Transaxle Overheating .......... 325
 Jacking And Tire Changing ............... 326
▫ Jack Location ....................... 326
▫ Spare Tire Stowage ................... 326
▫ Preparations For Jacking ............... 327 ▫
Jacking Instructions ................... 327
 Jump-Starting Procedures ................ 331
 Freeing A Stuck Vehicle ................. 333
 Towing A Disabled Vehicle ............... 334
▫ With Ignition Key .................... 334
▫ Without The Ignition Key .............. 336
6

HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
The Hazard Warning flasher switch is located on the
instrument panel, below the radio.Press the switch to turn on the Hazard Warning
flashers. When the Hazard Warning flasher switch
is activated, all directional turn signals will flash
on and off to warn oncoming traffic of an emergency.
Press the switch a second time to turn off flashers.
Do not use this emergency warning system when the
vehicle is in motion. Use it when your vehicle is disabled
and is creating a safety hazard for other motorists.
If it is necessary to leave the vehicle to go for service, the
Hazard Warning flasher will continue to operate with the
ignition key removed and the vehicle locked.
NOTE: With extended use, the Hazard Warning flasher
may wear down your battery.IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate ac-
tion.
•On the highways — Slow down.
•In city traffic — While stopped, put the transmission in
NEUTRAL, but do not increase engine idle speed.
If the pointer rises to the H(red) mark, the instrument
cluster will sound a chime. When safe, pull over and stop
the vehicle with the engine at idle. Turn off the air
conditioning and wait until the pointer drops back into
the normal range. If the pointer remains on the H(red)
mark for more than a minute, turn the engine off imme-
diately and call for service.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down
an impending overheat condition. If your air conditioner
is on, turn it off. The air conditioning system adds heat to
324 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

the engine cooling system and turning off the A/C
removes this heat. You can also turn the Temperature
control to maximum heat, the Mode control to floor, and
the fan 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.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads “H”,
pull over when safe and stop the vehicle with the
engine at idle. Turn the air conditioner off and wait
until the pointer drops back into the normal range.
After appropriate action has been taken, if the
pointer remains on the “H”, turn the engine OFF
immediately and call for service.
WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call a service center if your
vehicle overheats. If you decide to look under the
hood yourself, refer to “Maintenance”, Section 7 of
this manual. Follow the warnings under the “Cooling
System Pressure Cap” paragraph.
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE OVERHEATING
During sustained high speed driving or trailer towing up
long grades on hot days, the automatic transaxle oil may
become too hot.If this happens, the transmission overheat in-
dicator light will come on, and the vehicle will
slow slightly until the automatic transaxle
cools down enough to allow a return to the
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 325
6

requested speed. If the high speed is maintained, the
overheating will reoccur, as before, in a cyclic fashion.
JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING
WARNING!
•Being under a jacked-up vehicle is dangerous. The
vehicle could slip off the jack and fall on you. You
could be crushed. Never put any part of your body
under a vehicle that is on a jack. Never start or run
the engine while the vehicle is on a jack. If you
need to get under a raised vehicle, take it to a
service center where it can be raised on a lift.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•The jack is designed to use as a tool for changing
tires only. The jack should not be used to lift the
vehicle for service purposes. The vehicle should
be jacked on a firm level surface only. Avoid ice or
slippery areas.
Jack Location
The jack and jack-handle are stowed under the load floor
in the cargo area.
Spare Tire Stowage
The compact spare tire is stowed under the rear load floor
in the cargo area.
Spare Tire and Jack Stowage
326 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Spare Tire Removal
Lift up the load floor cover and remove the hold down.
Preparations For Jacking
1. Park the vehicle on a firm level surface, avoiding ice or
slippery areas.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on the side of the
vehicle close to moving traffic. Pull far enough off
the road to avoid the danger of being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Place the shift lever in PARK (automatic transaxle) or
REVERSE (manual transaxle).
4. Turn OFF the ignition. 5. Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
6. Block both the front and rear of the
wheel diagonally opposite the jacking
position. For example, if changing the
right front tire, block the left rear
wheel.
NOTE: Passengers should not remain in the vehicle
while the vehicle is being jacked.
Jacking Instructions
WARNING!
Carefully follow these tire changing warnings to
help prevent personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
(Continued)
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 327
6

WARNING! (Continued)
•Always park on a firm, level surface as far from
the edge of the roadway as possible before raising
the vehicle.
•Block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to
be raised.
•Set the parking brake firmly and set an automatic
transmission in PARK; a manual transmission in
REVERSE.
•Never start or run the engine with the vehicle on a
jack.
•Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a
jack.
•Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a jack.
•Only use the jack in the positions indicated and
for lifting this vehicle during a tire change.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•If working on or near a roadway, be extremely
careful of motor traffic.
•To assure that spare tires, flat or inflated are
securely stowed, spares must be stowed with the
valve stem facing the ground.
•Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
1. Remove the scissors jack and lug wrench from the
spare wheel as an assembly. Turn the jack screw to the left
to loosen the lug wrench and remove the wrench from
the jack assembly.
Jack Warning Label
328 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make
the vehicle less stable. It could slip off the jack and
hurt someone near it. Raise the vehicle only enough
to remove the tire.
5. Using the swivel wrench raise the vehicle by turning
the jack screw to the right. Raise the vehicle only until the
tire just clears the surface and enough clearance is
obtained to install the spare tire. Minimum tire lift
provides maximum stability.
6. Remove the wheel nuts and pull the wheel and wheel
covers, where applicable, off the hub. Install the spare
wheel and wheel nuts with the cone shaped end of the
nuts toward the wheel. Lightly tighten the nuts. To avoid
the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do not tighten
the nuts fully until the vehicle has been lowered.
WARNING!
To avoid possible personal injury, handle the wheel
covers with care to avoid contact with any sharp
edges.
NOTE: The wheel cover is held on the wheel by the
wheel nuts. When reinstalling the original wheel, prop-
erly align the wheel cover to the valve stem, place the
wheel cover onto the wheel, then install the wheel nuts.
7. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw to the left.
8. Finish tightening the nuts. Push down on the wrench
while tightening the wheel nuts. Alternate nuts until each
nut has been tightened twice. Correct wheel nut torque is
100 ft lbs (135 N·m). If you doubt that you have tightened
the nuts correctly, have them checked with a torque
wrench by your authorized dealer or service station.
330 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES