DODGE NITRO 2011 1.G Owner's Manual

WARNING!
• Do not start or run an engine in a closed garage or confined area. Exhaust gascontains Carbon Monoxide (CO) which is odorless and colorless. Carbon
Monoxide is poisonous and can cause serious injury or death when inhaled.
• Keep Key Fob transmitters away from children. Operation of the Remote Start System, windows, door locks or other controls could cause serious injury or
death.
THEFT ALARM
To Arm
• Press the Key Fob LOCK button or the power door lock switch while the door is
open.
To Disarm
• Press the Key Fob UNLOCK button and turn the ignition to the ON/RUN position.
SEAT BELT
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a seat belt properly.
• Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your abdomen. To remove slack inthe lap portion, pull up a bit on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too
tight, tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt reduces the risk of
sliding under the belt in a collision.
• Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retractor will withdraw any slack in the belt.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect you from injury during a collision. You are more likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not wear your
shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt are meant to be used together.
• A belt that is too loose will not protect you properly. In a sudden stop you could move too far forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt
snugly.
• A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision and leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose parts.
Damaged parts must be replaced immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the
system. Seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision if they have been
damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing, etc.).
• The seat belts for both front seating positions are equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a
collision.
• A deployed pretensioner or a deployed airbag must be replaced immediately.
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WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer much greater injuries if you
are not buckled up properly. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or other
passengers, or you can be thrown out of the vehicle. Always be sure you and
others in your vehicle are buckled up properly.
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) —
AIRBAGS
• This vehicle has Advanced Front Airbags for both the driver and right frontpassenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraint system. The Advanced Front
Airbags will not deploy in every type of collision.
• Advanced Front Airbags are designed to provide additional protection by supplementing the seat belts in certain frontal collisions depending on the severity
and type of collision. Advanced Front Airbags are not expected to reduce the risk
of injury in rear, side, or rollover collisions.
• This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains to protect the driver, front and rear passengers sitting next to a window.
• If the Airbag Warning Light
is not on during starting, stays on, or turns on
while driving, have the vehicle serviced by an authorized service center
immediately.
• Refer to the Owner's Manual on the DVD for further details regarding the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).
WARNING!
• Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more severe injuries in a collision.The airbags work with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In some
collisions, the airbags won't deploy at all. Always wear your seat belts even
though you have airbags.
• Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel during Advanced Front Airbag deployment could cause serious injury, including death. Airbags
need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably extending your arms to reach the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains need room to inflate. Do not lean against the door or window. Sit upright in the center of the seat.
• Being too close to the Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain during deployment could cause you to be severely injured or killed.
• Do not drive your vehicle after the airbags have deployed. If you are involved in another collision, the airbags will not be in place to protect you.
• After any collision, the vehicle should be taken to an authorized dealer immediately.
GETTING STARTED
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CHILD RESTRAINTS
• Children 12 years and under should ride properly buckled up in a rear seat, ifavailable. According to crash statistics, children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seats rather than in the front.
• Every state in the United States and all Canadian provinces require that small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law, and you can be
prosecuted for ignoring it.
Installing The LATCH - Compatible Child Restraint System
• Your vehicle's second row passenger seats are equipped with the child restraintanchorage system called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren.
• The rear outboard seating positions have lower anchors and all three rear seating positions have top tether anchors.
• Child seats with fixed lower attachments must be installed in the outboard positions only. Child seats with flexible lower attachments can be used in all three
seating positions.
• Never install LATCH-compatible child seats such that two seats share a common
lower anchorage.
• Loosen the child seat adjusters on thelower straps and tether straps so that
you can attach the hook or connector
to the lower and tether anchorages
more easily.
• Attach the lower hooks or connectors over the top of the anchorage bars, pushing aside the seat cover material. The rear seat lower anchorages are round bars,
located at the rear of the seat cushion where it meets the seatback. The rear seat
lower anchors can be readily identified by the symbol
located on the seatback
directly above the anchorages and are just visible when you lean into the rear seat
to install the child restraint.
• The tether strap should be attached to the tether anchor on the rear of the seatback using the most direct path. For the outboard seating positions, route the
tether underneath the head rest and attach the hook to the tether anchor located
on the back of the seat.
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• Tighten all three straps as you push thechild restraint rearward and downward
into the seat.
Installing The Child Restraint Using The Vehicle Seat Belts
• To install a child restraint, first, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the
retractor to route it through the belt path of the child restraint and slide the latch
plate into the buckle.
• Next, extract all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor and then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so
check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
• Once you have completed securing the child restraint with the seat belt, secure the top tether strap. The tether strap should be attached to the tether anchor on the
rear of the seatback using the most direct path. For the outboard seating positions,
route the tether underneath the head rest and attach the hook to the tether anchor
located on the back of the seat.
WARNING!
• In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby, can become aprojectile inside the vehicle. The force required to hold even an infant on
your lap could become so great that you could not hold the child, no matter
how strong you are. The child and others could be severely injured or killed.
Any child riding in your vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child's
size.
• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of an infant or child restraint. The child could be severely injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly when installing an infant
or child restraint.
• An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to increased head motion and possible injury to the child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind the
child seat to secure a child restraint top tether strap.
• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger airbag. An airbag deployment could cause infants in
this position to be severely injured or killed.
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FRONT SEATS
Power Seat
• The power seat switch, located on theoutboard side of the seat near the
floor, controls forward/back, up/down,
and tilt adjustment.
Recliner • Lift the recliner lever located on the outboard side of the seat, lean back
and release at the desired position.
Manual Seat Adjustment
Forward/Rearward
• Lift up on the adjusting bar located atthe front of the seat near the floor and
release at the desired position.
Fold-Flat Front Passenger Seat
• The front passenger seat can be foldedflat to allow for extended cargo space.
Pull up on the recliner lever to fold
down the seatback.
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CAUTION!
Do not place any article under a power seat or impede its ability to move as it
may cause damage to the seat controls. Seat travel may become limited if
movement is stopped by an obstruction in the seat’s path.
WARNING!
• Adjusting a seat while the vehicle is moving is dangerous. The suddenmovement of the seat could cause you to lose control. The seat belt might
not be properly adjusted, and you could be severely injured or killed. Only
adjust a seat while the vehicle is parked.
• Do not ride with the seatback reclined so that the seat belt is no longer resting against your chest. In a collision, you could slide under the seat belt
and be severely injured or killed. Use the recliner only when the vehicle is
parked.
REAR SEATS
60/40 Split Folding Rear Seat With Fold-Flat Feature
• Each rear seatback can be folded flat or reclined.
To Lower Rear Seatback • With the front seats fully upright and positioned forward, pull the release strap toward the front of the vehicle and fold the rear seatback completely forward.
• Push down on the seatback to lock it in the folded position.
To Raise Rear Seatback• Pull the release strap (toward the front of the vehicle).
• Raise the seatback and lock it into place.
Recliner Adjustment • Pull the release strap while sitting in the rear seat to recline the seatback,
release at the desired position.
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WARNING!
Be certain that the seatback is securely locked into position. If the seatback is
not securely locked into position, the seat will not provide the proper stability
for child seats and/or passengers. An improperly latched seat could cause
serious injury.
HEATED SEATS
Front Heated Seats
• The controls for front heated seats arelocated near the bottom center of the
instrument panel (below the heater/air
conditioning controls).
• Press the switch once to select High-level heating. Press the switch a
second time to select Low-level
heating. Press the switch a third time
to shut the heating elements Off.
• If the High-level setting is selected, the system will automatically switch to Low-level after approximately 30 minutes. The Low-level setting will turn Off
automatically after approximately 30 minutes.
CAUTION!
Repeated overheating of the seat could damage the heating element and/or
degrade the material of the seat.
WARNING!
• Persons who are unable to feel pain to the skin because of advanced age,chronic illness, diabetes, spinal cord injury, medication, alcohol use,
exhaustion or other physical conditions must exercise care when using the
seat heater. It may cause burns even at low temperatures, especially if used
for long periods of time.
• Do not place anything on the seat that insulates against heat, such as a blanket or cushion. This may cause the seat heater to overheat. Sitting in a
seat that has been overheated could cause serious burns due to the increased
surface temperature of the seat.
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TILT STEERING COLUMN
• The tilt lever is located on the steeringcolumn, below the turn signal lever.
• Push down on the lever to unlock the steering column.
• With one hand firmly on the steering wheel, move the steering column up or
down as desired.
• Pull upward on the lever to lock the column firmly in place.
WARNING!
Tilting the steering column while the vehicle is moving is dangerous. Without a
stable steering column, you could lose control of the vehicle and have a
collision. Adjust the column only while the vehicle is stopped. Be sure it is
locked before driving.
GETTING STARTED
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TURN SIGNAL/LIGHTS LEVER
Headlights/Parking Lights
• Rotate the end of the lever to the first detent for parking lightsand to the
second detent for headlights
.
Instrument Panel Dimmer
• Rotate the center portion of the lever to the extreme bottom position to fully dim the instrument panel lights and prevent the interior lights from illuminating when a
door is opened.
• Rotate the center portion of the lever up to increase the brightness of the instrument panel lights when the parking lights or headlights are on.
• Rotate the center portion of the lever upward to the next detent position to brighten the odometer and radio controls when the parking lights or headlights are
on.
• Rotate the center portion of the lever upward to the last detent to turn on the interior lighting.
Flash To Pass
• Pull the lever toward you to activate the high beams. The high beams will remainon until the lever is released.
High Beam Operation
• Push the lever forward to activate the high beams.
NOTE: For safe driving, turn off the high beams when oncoming traffic is present to
prevent headlight glare and as a courtesy to other motorists.
Fog Lights
• Turn on the parking lights or low beam headlights and pull out the end of the lever.
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Turn Signals/Lane Change Assist
• Tap the lever up or down once and the turn signal (right or left) will flash threetimes and automatically turn off.
WIPER/WASHER LEVER
Front Wipers
Intermittent, Low And High Operation
• Rotate the end of the lever to the first detent position for one of five intermittent settings, the second detent for low wiper operation and the third detent for high
wiper operation.
Washer Operation
• Pull the lever toward you and hold for as long as spray is desired.
Mist
• Pull down on the lever and release when a single wipe is desired.
Rear Wiper
Wiper Operation• Rotate the center portion of the lever forward to the first detent for rear wiper operation.
Washer Operation
• Rotate the center portion of the lever past the first detent to activate the rear washer.
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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