DODGE AVENGER 2012 2.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 you or others to be severely injured or
killed when inhaled.
• Keep Key Fob transmitters away from children. Operation of the Remote Start System, windows, door locks or other controls could cause you and others to
be severely injured or killed.
THEFT ALARM
To Arm
• Press the Key Fob LOCK button or the power door lock switch while the door isopen.
To Disarm
• Press the Key Fob UNLOCK button or 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 air bag 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) —
AIR BAGS
• This vehicle has Advanced Front Air Bags for both the driver and right frontpassenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraint system. The Advanced Front
Air Bags will not deploy in every type of collision.
• Advanced Front Air Bags 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 Air Bags are not expected to reduce the risk
of injury in rear, side, or rollover collisions.
• This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains to protect the driver, front and rear passengers sitting next to a window.
• This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags to provide enhanced protection to help protect an occupant during a side impact.
• If the Air Bag 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 air bags alone could lead to more severe injuries in a collision.The air bags work with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In some
collisions, the air bags won't deploy at all. Always wear your seat belts even
though you have air bags.
• Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment could cause serious injury, including death. Air
bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably extending your arms to
reach the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains and Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags 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 Air Bag Inflatable Curtain and/or Seat-Mounted Side Air Bag during deployment could cause you to be severely
injured or killed.
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
• Do not drive your vehicle after the air bags have deployed. If you are involvedin another collision, the air bags will not be in place to protect you.
• After any collision, the vehicle should be taken to an authorized dealer immediately.
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.
• 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. If you are installing LATCH-compatible child restraints in
adjacent rear seating positions, you can use either the lower anchors or the vehicle
seat belt in the outboard seating position, but the center seating position must use
the vehicle seat belt. Always use the top tether anchorage with a forward facing
child seat.
• The rear seat lower anchorages are round bars, located at the rear of the
seat cushion where it meets the
seatback. They are just visible when
you lean into the rear seat to install the
child restraint. You will easily feel
them if you run your finger along the
intersection of the seatback and seat
cushion surfaces.
• In addition, there are tether strap anchorages behind each rear seating position located in the panel between the rear seatback and the rear window. These tether
strap anchorages are under a plastic cover.
• Loosen the child seat adjusters on the lower straps and tether straps so that you can attach the hook or connector to the lower and tether anchorages more easily.
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• Attach the lower hooks or connectors over the top of the seat cover material.
• Then rotate the tether anchorage cover directly behind the seat where you areplacing the child restraint and attach the tether strap to the anchorage, being
careful to route the tether strap to provide the most direct path between the anchor
and the child restraint.
• Tighten all three straps as you push the child 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 theretractor 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.
• Rotate the cover over the anchor directly behind the seat where you are placing the child restraint. These tether strap anchorages are under a plastic cover.
• Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the anchor and the child seat.
• Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the anchor and remove slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
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.
• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger air bag. An air bag deployment could cause infants in
this position to be severely injured or killed.
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead tofailure 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.
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.
• The recline switch controls the seatback recliner.
Manual Seat Adjustment
Forward/Rearward
• Lift up on the adjusting bar located at the front of the seat near the floor and
release at the desired position.
Recliner • Lift the recliner lever located on the outboard side of the seat, lean back
and release at the desired position.
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Lumbar Support• The lumbar adjust lever is on the outboard side of the seatback. Rotate
the lumbar adjust lever downward to
increase the lumbar support or upward
to decrease the lumbar support as
desired.
Driver’s Seat Height Adjustment • The height adjustment control lever is located on the outboard side of the
seat. Raise the lever to raise the seat.
Lower the lever to lower the seat.
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.
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WARNING!(Continued)
• Do not ride with the seatback reclined so that the seat belt is no longerresting 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
Folding Rear Seatback
• To fold the rear seatback forward, pullon the loops to fold down either or
both seatbacks. When returning the
rear seatback to the upright position,
be sure the seatback is latched.
HEATED SEATS
Front Heated Seats
• The controls for the front heated seatsare located in the center console below
the climate 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 60 minutes. The Low-level setting will turn Off
automatically after approximately 45 minutes.
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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.
TILT / TELESCOPING STEERING COLUMN
• The tilt/telescoping control lever islocated below the steering wheel at the
end of the steering column.
• Push down on the lever to unlock the steering column.
• To tilt the steering column, move the steering wheel upward or downward as
desired. To lengthen or shorten the
steering column, pull the steering
wheel outward or push it inward as
desired.
• Pull upward on the lever to lock the column firmly in place.
WARNING!
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving. The tilt/telescoping adjustment
must be locked while driving. Adjusting the steering wheel while driving or
driving without the tilt/telescoping adjustment locked could cause the driver to
lose control of the vehicle. Failure to follow this warning may result in you and
others being severely injured or killed.
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ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
• A long break-in period is not required for the engine and drivetrain (transmissionand 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.
• 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 “Maintaining Your Vehicle”.
NOTE: A new engine may consume some oil during its first few thousand miles
(kilometers) of operation. This should be considered a normal part of the break-in and
not interpreted as an indication of difficulty.
CAUTION!
Never use Non-Detergent Oil or Straight Mineral Oil in the engine or damage
may result.
TURN SIGNAL/LIGHTS LEVER
Headlights/Parking Lights/Automatic Headlights
• Rotate the end of the lever to the first detent for parking lights, the second
detent for headlightsand the third detent for AUTO.
• When set to AUTO, the system automatically turns the headlights on or off based on ambient light levels.
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Instrument Panel Dimmer
• Rotate the center portion of the lever to the extreme bottom position to fully dimthe 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.
Front Fog Lights
• Turn on the parking lights or low beam headlights and pull out the end of the lever.
Turn Signals/Lane Change Assist
• Tap the lever up or down once and the turn signal (right or left) will flash three times and automatically turn off.
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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