flat tire DODGE AVENGER 2013 2.G Owners Manual

Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts
and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and bulges.
Check the wheel nuts for tightness. Check the tires
(including spare) for proper cold inflation pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights and
exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn
signal and high beam indicator lights on the instrument
panel.
Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering fluid (if
equipped), or brake fluid leaks are suspected, the cause
should be located and corrected immediately.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 101

23. Front Fog Light Indicator — If EquippedThis indicator will illuminate when the front fog
lights are on.
24. Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle
has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving
on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper
tire maintenance, and it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS
low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then remain continuously
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 223

•Remote start aborted — Door ajar
• Remote start aborted — Hood ajar
• Remote start aborted — Trunk ajar
• Remote start aborted — Fuel low
• Remote start disabled — System fault
• Oil Change Required (with a single chime)
• Low Tire (with a graphic of the car showing which
tire(s) is/are low - with a single chime and Inflate to
XX). Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System in
Starting and Operating.
• Check TPM System (with a single chime) Refer to
Tire Pressure Monitoring System inStarting and
Operating.Oil Change Required — If Equipped
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change
indicator system. The Oil Change Required message will
flash in the EVIC display for approximately five seconds
after a single chime has sounded to indicate the next
scheduled oil change interval. The engine oil change
indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the
engine oil change interval may fluctuate dependent upon
your personal driving style.
Unless reset, this message will continue to display each
time you turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN
position. To turn off the message temporarily, press and
release the MENU button. To reset the oil change indica-
tor system (after performing the scheduled maintenance),
perform the following procedure:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position (Do not start the engine.)
232 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Tire PSI
Press and release the MENU button untilTire PSIis
displayed.
Tire pressure information is displayed as follows:
• If tire pressure is OK for all tires, TIRE and a vehicle
graphic are displayed with tire pressure values in each
corner or the graphic.
• If one or more tires have low pressure, LOW TIRE,
Inflate to XX” and a vehicle graphic are displayed
with tire pressure values in each corner of the graphic.
Tire pressure values that are too low will be flashing.
• If the Tire Pressure System requires service, Check
TPM System is displayed. Tire PSI is an information
only function and cannot be reset.
Elapsed Time
Shows the total elapsed time of travel since the last reset.
Elapsed time will increment when the ignition switch is
in the RUN or START position.
Elapsed time is displayed as follows:
• Hours
• Minutes
• Seconds
Elapsed time can be reset by pressing and holding the
SELECT button (as prompted in the EVIC display). Upon
reset all digits will change to zeros and time will start
incrementing again if the ignition switch is in RUN or
START.
238 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES .........323
▫ Acceleration ........................ .323
▫ Traction ........................... .323
 DRIVING THROUGH WATER .............324
▫ Flowing/Rising Water ..................324
▫ Shallow Standing Water .................324
 POWER STEERING .....................326
▫ Power Steering Fluid Check ..............327
 PARKING BRAKE ..................... .328
 ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) .........330
 ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM . . . .332
▫ Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) ............333
▫ Traction Control System (TCS) ............333▫
Brake Assist System (BAS) ...............334
▫ Electronic Stability Control (ESC) ..........335
▫ ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light
And ESC OFF Indicator Light ............337
 TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION .............339
▫ Tire Markings ....................... .339
▫ Tire Identification Number (TIN) ...........342
▫ Tire Terminology And Definitions ..........344
▫ Tire Loading And Tire Pressure ...........345
 TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION ........349
▫ Tire Pressure ....................... .349
▫ Tire Inflation Pressures .................350
▫ Radial Ply Tires ..................... .352
294 STARTING AND OPERATING

DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES
Acceleration
Rapid acceleration on snow covered, wet, or other slip-
pery surfaces may cause the driving wheels to pull
erratically to the right or left. This phenomenon occurs
when there is a difference in the surface traction under
the front (driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery surfaces is dangerous.
Unequal traction can cause sudden pulling of the
front wheels. You could lose control of the vehicle
and possibly have a collision. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet, mud, loose sand, etc.).
Traction
When driving on wet or slushy roads, it is possible for a
wedge of water to build up between the tire and road
surface. This is hydroplaning and may cause partial or
complete loss of vehicle control and stopping ability. To
reduce this possibility, the following precautions should
be observed:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or when the roads areslushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
3. Replace the tires when tread wear indicators first become visible.
4. Keep tires properly inflated.
5. Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 323

ABS is activated during braking under certain road or
stopping conditions. ABS-inducing conditions can in-
clude ice, snow, gravel, bumps, railroad tracks, loose
debris, or panic stops.
You also may experience the following when the brake
system goes into anti-lock:
•The ABS motor running (it may continue to run for a
short time after the stop),
• the clicking sound of solenoid valves,
• brake pedal pulsations,
• and a slight drop or fall away of the brake pedal at the
end of the stop.
These are all normal characteristics of ABS.WARNING!
The Anti-Lock Brake System contains sophisticated
electronic equipment that may be susceptible to
interference caused by improperly installed or high
output radio transmitting equipment. This interfer-
ence can cause possible loss of anti-lock braking
capability. Installation of such equipment should be
performed by qualified professionals.
All vehicle wheels and tires must be the same size and
type, and tires must be properly inflated to produce
accurate signals for the computer.
ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM
Your vehicle may be equipped with an optional ad-
vanced electronic brake control system that includes
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Traction Control System
(TCS), Brake Assist System (BAS), and Electronic Stability
332 STARTING AND OPERATING

EXAMPLE:
Load Identification: ....blank.... = Absence of any text on the sidewall of the tire indicates a Standard Load (SL) tire
Extra Load (XL) = Extra load (or reinforced) tire
Light Load (LL) = Light load tire
C, D, E, F, G = Load range associated with the maximum load a tire can carry at a specified pressure
Maximum Load— Maximum load indicates the maximum load this tire is designed to carry
Maximum Pressure— Maximum pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire inflation pressure for
this tire
Tire Identification Number (TIN)
The TIN may be found on one or both sides of the tire,
however, the date code may only be on one side. Tires
with white sidewalls will have the full TIN, including the
date code, located on the white sidewall side of the tire. Look for the TIN on the outboard side of black sidewall
tires as mounted on the vehicle. If the TIN is not found on
the outboard side, then you will find it on the inboard
side of the tire.
342 STARTING AND OPERATING

Tire Terminology And Definitions
TermDefinition
B-Pillar The vehicle B-Pillar is the structural member of the body located behind the
front door.
Cold Tire Inflation Pressure Cold tire inflation pressure is defined as the tire pressure after the vehicle has
not been driven for at least 3 hours, or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after
sitting for a three hour period. Inflation pressure is measured in units of PSI
(pounds per square inch) or kPa (kilopascals).
Maximum Inflation Pressure The maximum inflation pressure is the maximum permissible cold tire infla-
tion pressure for this tire. The maximum inflation pressure is molded into the
sidewall.
Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressure Vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold tire inflation pressure as shown on
the tire placard.
Tire Placard A paper label permanently attached to the vehicle describing the vehicle’s
loading capacity, the original equipment tire sizes and the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures.
344 STARTING AND OPERATING

Tire Loading And Tire Pressure
Tire And Loading Information Placard Location
NOTE:The proper cold tire inflation pressure is listed on
the driver ’s side B-Pillar or the rear edge of the driver’s
side door.
Tire And Loading Information Placard
This placard tells you important information about
the:
1) number of people that can be carried in the vehicle
2) total weight your vehicle can carry
B-Pillar Location for Tire And Loading Information Placard
Tire and Loading Information Placard
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STARTING AND OPERATING 345