DODGE CARAVAN 2009 Owner's Manual
Manufacturer: DODGE, Model Year: 2009, Model line: CARAVAN, Model: DODGE CARAVAN 2009Pages: 534, PDF Size: 9.93 MB
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Arming The System
Remove the key from the ignition switch and either press
a power door lock switch while the driver or passenger
door is open, or press the LOCK button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter. After all the doors are
locked and closed, the Vehicle Security Light in the
instrument cluster will flash rapidly to signal that the
system is arming. The Vehicle Security Light in the
instrument panel cluster will flash rapidly for about
16 seconds to indicate that the alarm is being set. After
the alarm is set, the Vehicle Security Light will flash at a
slower rate to indicate that the system is armed.
NOTE:If the Vehicle Security Light stays on continu-
ously during vehicle operation, have the system checked
by your authorized dealer.
Disarm The System
Either press the UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter
or insert a valid ignition key into the ignition switch.NOTE:
•The driver’s door key cylinder and the liftgate button
on the RKE transmitter cannot arm or disarm the
system.
•The system remains armed during liftgate entry. Press-
ing the liftgate button will not disarm the system. If
someone enters the vehicle through the liftgate and
opens any door the alarm will sound.
•When the system is armed, the interior power door
lock switches will not unlock the doors.
The Vehicle Security Alarm System is designed to protect
your vehicle; however, you can create conditions where
the system will give you a false alarm. If one of the
previously described arming sequences has occurred, the
system will arm regardless of whether you are in the
vehicle or not. If you remain in the vehicle and open a
door, the alarm will sound. If this occurs, disarm the
system.
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If the Vehicle Security Alarm system is armed and the
battery becomes disconnected, the system will remain
armed when the battery is reconnected; the exterior lights
will flash, the horn will sound. If this occurs, disarm the
system.
Tamper Alert
If something has triggered the system in your absence,
the horn will sound three times when you unlock the
doors and the Vehicle Security Light will flash for 30 sec-
onds. Check the vehicle for tampering.
Security System Manual Override
The system will not arm if you lock the doors using the
manual door lock plunger.
ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM — IF EQUIPPED
The courtesy lights will turn on when you use the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or open the
doors. This feature is only available if you have RKE.
The lights will fade to off after about 30 seconds or they
will immediately fade to off once the ignition switch is
turned ON.
NOTE:
•The front courtesy overhead console, door courtesy,
and liftgate lights do not turn on if the dimmer control
is in the interior lights ON position (extreme top
position).
•The Illuminated Entry System will not operate if the
dimmer control is in the extreme downward position.
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REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY (RKE) — IF
EQUIPPED
This system allows you to lock or unlock the doors and
liftgate, and activate the Panic Alarm, optional power
liftgate, left power sliding door, and right power sliding
door from distances up to about 23 ft (7 m) using a
hand-held radio RKE transmitter. The RKE transmitter
need not be pointed at the vehicle to activate the system.
NOTE:If the key is in the Ignition Switch, then all
buttons on that RKE transmitter will be disabled. The
buttons on the remaining transmitters will work. If the
shift lever is out of PARK, all the RKE transmitter buttons
are disabled for all keys.
Two RKE transmitters may be supplied with the vehicle.
Vehicles built without the powered options will be
equipped from the factory with three-button RKE trans-
mitters, and those built with power options will be
equipped with up to seven-button RKE transmitters.
Using the RKE Transmitter
Three-button RKE transmitters will provide basic UN-
LOCK, LOCK and PANIC functions.
Seven-button RKE transmitters will provide functions
that allow the same basic operation as the three-button,
but may also be used to operate the power liftgate
Three-Button RKE Transmitter
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(optional), power sliding doors, Remote Start feature
(optional). Some features can be programmed to the
customers preferences. For example, flash headlights or
sound horn on LOCK.Remote Unlock Doors and Liftgate
Press and release the UNLOCK button on the RKE
transmitter once to unlock the driver’s door or twice to
unlock all doors and liftgate. The Illuminated Entry
system also turns on.
Remote Key Unlock on First Press
This feature lets you program the system to unlock either
the driver’s side door, or all doors, on the first press of the
UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter.
•For vehicles equipped with an “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC),” refer to “Remote Key
Unlock,” under “Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” in Section 4.
Seven-Button RKE Transmitter
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•For vehicles not equipped with the EVIC, the Remote
Unlock feature can be enabled or disabled by perform-
ing the following steps:
1. Perform this operation while standing outside the
vehicle.
2. Press the LOCK button for five to ten seconds.
3. While the LOCK button is pressed, (after five seconds)
press the UNLOCK button. Release both buttons.
The Remote Key Unlock feature can be reactivated by
repeating the above steps or by performing the steps in
the optional Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC), Personal Settings (Customer-Programmable Fea-
tures) section of this manual.
Remote Lock Doors and Liftgate
Press and release the LOCK button on the RKE transmit-
ter to lock all doors and liftgate. The horn will chirp once
to acknowledge the signal.
Express Down Window Feature
This feature allows you to remotely lower both front door
windows at the same time. To use this feature, press and
release the UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter and
then immediately press and hold the UNLOCK button
until the windows lower to the level desired or until they
lower completely.
Sound Horn with Remote Lock
This feature will cause the horn to chirp when the doors
are locked with the RKE transmitter.
If desired, the Sound Horn with Remote Key Lock feature
can be turned on and off by performing the following
steps:
1. Perform this operation while standing outside the
vehicle.
2. Press the LOCK button for five to ten seconds.
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3. While the LOCK button is pressed (after five seconds)
press the PANIC button. Release both buttons.
The Sound Horn with Remote Key Lock feature can be
reactivated by repeating the above steps or by perform-
ing the steps in the optional Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC), Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features) section of this manual.
Using the Panic Alarm
To turn the Panic Alarm feature on or off, press and hold
the PANIC button on the RKE transmitter for at least one
second and release. When the Panic Alarm is on, the
headlights and park lights will flash, the horn will pulse
on and off, and the interior lights will turn on.
The Panic Alarm will stay on for three minutes unless
you turn it off by pressing the PANIC button a second
time, or you turn the ignition switch to the ON position.NOTE:When you turn off the Panic Alarm by pressing
the PANIC button a second time, you may have to be
closer to the vehicle due to the Radio Frequency (RF)
noises of the system.
Open/Close Power Liftgate — If Equipped
Press the LIFTGATE button twice on the RKE transmitter
within five seconds to Open/Close the Power Liftgate.
The liftgate will beep for three seconds and then open/
close. If the button is pushed while the liftgate is being
power closed, the liftgate will reverse to the full open
position.
If the liftgate is locked and is not equipped with a
powered liftgate, pressing the LIFTGATE button twice
will result in the liftgate becoming unlocked for 30 sec-
onds allowing you to manually access the liftgate area.
The power liftgate may also be opened and closed by
pressing the LIFTGATE button located on the overhead
console.
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If equipped with a rear interior switch on the left rear
pillar, pushing this switch once will close the liftgate only.
The liftgate cannot be opened from this switch.
Open/Close Power Left Power Sliding Door — If
Equipped
Press the LEFT Power Sliding Door button twice on the
RKE transmitter within five seconds to Open/Close
Power Left Power Sliding Door. If the button on the RKE
transmitter is pushed while the door is being power-
closed, the door will reverse to the full open position.
Open/Close Power Right Power Sliding Door — If
Equipped
Press the RIGHT Power Sliding Door button twice on the
RKE transmitter within five seconds to Open/Close
Power Right Power Sliding Door. If the button on the
RKE transmitter is pushed while the door is being
power-closed, the door will reverse to the full open
position.
Turn Off Flash Lights with RKE Lock — If
Equipped
If desired, the Flash Lights with RKE Lock feature can be
turned on and off by performing the following steps:
1. Perform this operation while standing outside the
vehicle.
2. Press the UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter for
five to ten seconds.
3. While the UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter is
pressed, (after five seconds) press the LOCK button.
Release both buttons.
The Flash Lights with Remote Key Lock feature can be
reactivated by repeating the above steps or by perform-
ing the steps in Section 4, “Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC), Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features),” on vehicles so equipped.
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The table below explains the Lamp Flash options.
FunctionWhich Turn
Signal LampsNumber of
Flashes
Lock All 1
Unlock 1st Press Left Side 2
Unlock All Doors All 2
Left Side Left Side 2
Right Side Right Side 2
Liftgate All 2
Programming Additional RKE Transmitters
Refer to Sentry KeyImmobilizer System “Customer Key
Programming.”
If you do not have a programmed RKE transmitter,
contact your authorized dealer for details.
Replacing the RKE Transmitter Battery
The recommended replacement battery is one CR2032
battery.
NOTE:
•Perchlorate Material — special handling may apply.
See: www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
•Do not touch the battery terminals that are on the back
housing or the printed circuit board.
1. Battery access is through a door located on the back of
the RKE transmitter. Insert a small, flat-bladed screw-
driver into the slot and gently pry open the access door.
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2. Remove and replace the battery. Avoid touching the
new battery with your fingers. Skin oils may cause
battery deterioration. If you touch the battery, clean it
with rubbing alcohol.3. Reposition the access door panel over the battery
opening and snap into place.
General Information
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules and
RSS 210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the
following conditions:
•This device may not cause harmful interference.
•This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
If your RKE transmitter fails to operate from a normal
distance, check for these two conditions.
1. A weak battery in the RKE transmitter. The expected
life of the battery is approximately three years.
2. Closeness to a radio transmitter such as a radio station
tower, airport transmitter, and some mobile or CB radios.
RKE Transmitter Battery Replacement
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REMOTE STARTING SYSTEM — IF EQUIPPED
The Remote Starting system conveniently starts the en-
gine from outside the vehicle by using the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter while maintaining the
Vehicle Security Alarm system. The Remote Starting
system has a targeted range of 328 ft (100 m). In order to
Remote Start your vehicle, the hood, liftgate, and all the
doors must be closed and the shift lever in PARK.
NOTE:The Remote Starting system is available only on
vehicles with automatic transaxles.
How to Use Remote Start
All of the following conditions must be met before the
engine will Remote Start:
•Shift lever in PARK
•Doors closed
•Hood closed
•Trunk closed
•Hazard switch off
•Brake switch inactive (brake pedal not pressed)
•Ignition key removed from ignition switch
•Battery at an acceptable charge level, and
•RKE PANIC button not pressed.
To Enter Remote Start Mode
Press and release the REMOTE START button
on the RKE transmitter twice within five sec-
onds. The parking lights will flash and the horn
will sound twice (if programmed). Then, the
engine will start and the vehicle will remain in the
Remote Start mode for a 15-minute cycle.
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