CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY 2011 5.G Owners Manual

CAUTION!
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Lower the hood until it is open approxi-
mately 12 in (30 cm) and then drop it. This should
secure both latches. Never drive your vehicle unless
the hood is fully closed, with both latches engaged.
WARNING!
Be sure the hood is fully latched before driving your
vehicle. If the hood is not fully latched, it could open
when the vehicle is in motion and block your vision.
Failure to follow this warning could result in serious
injury or death.
LIGHTS
All of the lights, except the Hazard Warning lights,
headlight high beams and flash-to-pass, are controlled by
switches to the left of the steering column on the instru-
ment panel.
Headlight Switch With Halo Control Assembly
168 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Interior Lighting
Interior lights are turned on when a door or liftgate is
opened, the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
activated, or when the dimmer control is moved to the
extreme top.
The interior lights will automatically turn off in approxi-
mately 10 minutes for the first activation and 90 seconds
every activation thereafter until the engine is started, if
one of the following occur:
•A door, sliding door or the liftgate is left open
•Any overhead reading light is left on
NOTE: The key must be out of the ignition switch or the
ignition switch must be in the OFF position for this
feature to operate.
Dimmer Switch
The dimmer switch is located to the right of the headlight
switch.
Interior Lighting Off
Rotate the dimmer control to the off position (extreme
bottom). The interior lights will remain off when the
doors or liftgate are open.
Dimmer Switch
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 169

Dimmer Control
With the parking lights or headlights on, rotating the
dimmer control for the interior lights on the instrument
panel upward will increase the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights.
Parade Mode (Daytime Brightness Feature)
Rotate the dimmer control to the first detent. This feature
brightens the odometer, radio and overhead displays
when the parking lights or headlights are on.
Interior Lights On
Rotate the dimmer control completely upward to the
second detent (extreme top position) to turn on the
interior lights. The interior lights will remain on when the
dimmer control is in this position.
Halo Lights — If Equipped
Halo lights are strategically placed soft lighting that help
to illuminate specific areas to aid the occupants in
locating specific features while driving at night.The Halo control switch is located to the right of the
dimmer switch.
To activate the Halo lights, rotate the Halo
switch control upward or downward to in-
crease or decrease the lighting.
Halo Switch
170 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Parking Lights
Turn the headlight switch knob to the first detent
to turn the parking lights on. This also turns on all
instrument panel lighting.
Headlights
Turn the headlight switch knob to the second
detent to turn the headlights and parking lights
on. This also turns on all instrument panel
lighting.
To change the brightness of the instrument panel lights,
rotate the dimmer control up or down.
Automatic Headlights — If Equipped
This system automatically turns your headlights on or off
based on ambient light levels. To turn the system on, turn
the headlight switch to the extreme counterclockwise
position aligning the indicator with AUTO on the head-
light switch. When the system is on, the Headlight Time
Delay feature is also on. This means your headlights will stay on for up to 90 seconds after you turn the ignition
switch OFF. To turn the Automatic System off, turn the
headlight switch clockwise to the O (Off) position.
NOTE:
The engine must be running before the head-
lights will come on in the Automatic mode.
Headlights On With Wipers — If Equipped
When your headlights are in the Automatic mode and the
engine is running, the headlights will automatically turn
on when the wiper system is also turned on. Headlights
on when windshield wipers are on may be found on
vehicles equipped with an automatic headlight system.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/
Customer-Programmable Features” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
Headlight Delay — If Equipped
This feature provides the safety of headlight illumination
for up to 90 seconds after exiting your vehicle.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 171

To activate the delay feature, turn OFF the ignition switch
while the headlights are still on. Then turn off the
headlights within 45 seconds. The 90 second delay inter-
val begins when headlight switch is turned off. If the
headlights or parking lights are turned back on or the
ignition switch is turned ON, the delay will be cancelled.
When exiting the vehicle the driver can choose to have
the headlights remain on for 30, 60, or 90 seconds or not
remain on. To change the timer setting, see your autho-
rized dealer.
The headlight delay time is programmable on vehicles
equipped with an EVIC. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)/Customer-Programmable
Features” in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for
further information.
If the headlights are turned off before the ignition, they
will turn off in the normal manner.NOTE:
The headlights must be turned off within 45 sec-
onds of turning the ignition OFF to activate this feature.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights or the parking lights are left on, or if the
dimmer control is in the extreme top position after the
ignition switch is turned OFF, a chime will sound when
the driver’s door is opened.
Daytime Running Lights — If Equipped
The headlights on your vehicle will illuminate when the
engine is started and the transmission is in any gear
except PARK. This provides a constant lights on condi-
tion until the ignition is turned OFF. The lights illuminate
at less than 50% of normal intensity. If the parking brake
is applied, the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) will turn
off. Also, if a turn signal is activated, the DRL lamp on the
same side of the vehicle will turn off for the duration of
the turn signal activation. Once the turn signal is no
longer active, the DRL lamp will illuminate.
172 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Front Fog Lights — If Equipped
To activate the front fog lights, turn on the parking
lights or the low beam headlights and push in the
headlight switch control knob. Pressing the head-
light switch control knob in a second time will turn the
front fog lights off.
Battery Protection
This feature provides battery protection to avoid wearing
down the battery if the headlights, parking lights, or front
fog lights are left on for extended periods of time when
the ignition switch is in the LOCK position. After eight
minutes of the ignition switch being in the LOCK position
and the headlight switch in any position other than OFF
or AUTO, the lights will turn off automatically until the
next cycle of the ignition switch or headlight switch.
The battery protection feature will be disabled if the
ignition switch is turned to any other position other than
LOCK during the eight minute delay.
Multifunction Lever
The multifunction lever is located on the left side of the
steering column.
The multifunction lever controls the:
•Turn Signals
Multifunction Lever
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 173

•Headlight Beams Low/High
•Flash-To-Pass (Optical Horn)
•Front and Rear Wipers — Washer Functions
Turn Signals
Move the multifunction lever up or down and the arrows
on each side of the instrument cluster flash to show
proper operation of the front and rear turn signal lights.
NOTE:If either light remains on and does not flash, or
there is a very fast flash rate, check for a defective outside
light bulb. If an indicator fails to light when the lever is
moved, it would suggest that the indicator bulb is
defective.
Lane Change Assist
Tap the lever up or down once, without moving beyond
the detent, and the turn signal (right or left) will flash
three times then automatically turn off.
Turn Signal Warning
If the vehicle electronics sense that the vehicle has
traveled at over 18 mph (29 km/h) for approximately
1 mile (1.6 km) with the turn signals on, a chime will
sound to alert the driver.
High/Low Beam Switch
When the headlights are turned on, pushing the multi-
function lever toward the instrument panel will switch
from low beams to high beams. Pulling back to the
neutral position returns the headlights to the low beam
operation.
Flash-To-Pass
You can signal another vehicle with your headlights by
lightly pulling the multifunction lever toward you. This
will turn on the high beam headlights until the lever is
released.
174 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

SmartBeam™ — If Equipped
The SmartBeam™ system provides increased forward
lighting at night by automating high beam control
through the use of a digital camera mounted on the
inside rearview mirror. This camera detects vehicle spe-
cific light and automatically switches from high beams to
low beams until the approaching vehicle is out of view.
To Activate
1. Select “Automatic High Beams — ON” through the
EVIC. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC)/Customer-Programmable Features” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
2. Rotate the headlight switch counterclockwise to the
AUTO (A) position.
3. Push the multifunction lever away from you to switch
the headlights to the high beam position. Refer to “Mul-
tifunction Lever” in this section for further information.NOTE:
This system will not activate until the vehicle is
at, or above, 25 mph (40 km/h).
To Deactivate
Perform either of the following steps to deactivate the
SmartBeam™ system.
1. Select “Automatic High Beams — OFF” through the
EVIC. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC)/Customer-Programmable Features” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
2. Pull the multifunction lever toward you to switch the
headlights from the high beam to the low beam position.
3. Rotate the headlight switch clockwise from the AUTO
(A) to the on position.
NOTE: Broken, muddy or obstructed headlights and
taillights of vehicles in the field of view will cause
headlights to remain on longer (closer to the vehicle).
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 175

Also, dirt, film and other obstructions on the windshield
or camera lens will cause the system to function
improperly.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND WASHERS
The wipers and washers are operated by a switch within
the multifunction lever. Rotate the end of the multifunc-
tion lever to select the desired wiper speed.
NOTE:Always remove any buildup of snow that pre-
vents the windshield wiper blades from returning to the
off position. If the windshield wiper switch is turned off
and the blades cannot return to the off position, damage
to the wiper motor may occur.
Mist, Front Wiper And Washer
Use the Mist feature when weather conditions make
occasional usage of the wipers necessary.
Press the end of the multifunction lever inward (toward
the steering column) to the first detent and release for a
single wiping cycle. To use the Washer, push on the end
Washer And Wiper Controls
176 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

of the lever to the second detent and hold while spray is
desired. If the lever is pushed while on the intermittent
setting, the wipers will turn on and operate for several
wipe cycles after the lever is released, and then resume
the intermittent interval previously selected. If the lever
is pushed while the wipers are in the off position, the
wipers will operate several wipe cycles, then turn off.
Intermittent, Low And High Speed Wipers
Rotate the end of the lever to one of the first five detent
positions for intermittent wiper operation, the sixth de-
tent for low wiper operation and the seventh detent for
high wiper operation.
Use one of the five intermittent wiper settings when
weather conditions make a single wiping cycle, with a
variable delay between cycles, desirable. At driving
speeds above 10 mph (16 km/h), the delay can be
regulated from a maximum of approximately 18 second
between cycles (first detent), to a cycle every one second
(fifth detent).NOTE:
If the vehicle is moving less than 10 mph
(16 km/h), delay times will be doubled.
Rear Wiper And Washer
Rotating the rotary ring to the first detent activates the
rear intermittent wipers. To activate the washers, rotate
the rotary ring fully forward and the washers will spray
until the ring is released, and then resume the intermit-
tent interval.
NOTE: Rear window wipers function in the intermittent
wiper speed only.
WARNING!
Sudden loss of visibility through the windshield
could lead to a collision. You might not see other
vehicles or other obstacles. To avoid sudden icing of
the windshield during freezing weather, warm the
windshield with defroster before and during wind-
shield washer use.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 177