instrument panel Ram Cargo Van 2012 Owner's Guide

NOTE:Once programmed, all RKE transmitters linked
to memory can be easily enabled or disabled at one time.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/
Customer-Programmable Features in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
Easy Entry/Exit Seat (Available With Memory Seat
ONLY)
This feature provides automatic driver seat positioning to
enhance driver mobility when entering and exiting the
vehicle.
The distance the driver seat moves depends on where
you have the driver seat positioned when you remove the
key from the ignition switch.
•When you remove the key from the ignition switch,
the driver seat will move about 2.4 in (60 mm)
rearward if the driver seat position is greater than or
equal to 2.7 in (67.7 mm) forward of the rear stop. The seat will return to its previously set position when you
insert the key into the ignition switch and turn it out of
the LOCK position.
•When you remove the key from the ignition switch the
driver seat will move to a position 0.3 in (7.7 mm)
forward of the rear stop if the driver seat position is
between 0.9 – 2.7 in (22.7 – 67.7 mm) forward of the
rear stop. The seat will return to its previously set
position when you insert the key into the ignition
switch and turn it out of the LOCK position.
•The Easy Entry/Easy Exit feature is disabled when the
driver seat position is less than 0.9 in (22.7 mm)
forward of the rear stop. At this position, there is no
benefit to the driver by moving the seat for Easy Exit
or Easy Entry.
Each stored memory setting will have an associated Easy
Entry and Easy Exit Position.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 195

NOTE:The Easy Entry/Easy Exit feature can be en-
abled or disabled through the programmable features in
the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). If your
vehicle is not equipped with an EVIC, your dealership
can activate/deactivate this feature for you. For details,
refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/
Customer-Programmable Features” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released.
1. Pull the hood release lever located on the instrument
panel, below the steering column. 2. Move to the front of the vehicle and look inside the
center of the hood opening. Locate, then push the safety
catch downward while raising the hood at the same time.
Hood Release Lever
196 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

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
Headlight Switch
The headlight switch is located on the left side of the
instrument panel. The switch controls the operation of
the headlights, parking lights, instrument panel lights,
interior lights and the fog lights.
Headlight Switch With Halo Control
198 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Rotate the headlight switch clockwise to the first detent
for parking light and instrument panel light operation.
Rotate the headlight switch to the second detent for
headlight, parking light and instrument panel operation.
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 the AUTO on the
headlight 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 AUTO 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.
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.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 199

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.
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.
200 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Dimmer Controls
The dimmer switch is located next to the headlight
switch.
With the parking lights or headlights on, rotating the
dimmer control upward will increase the brightness of
the instrument panel lights.
Interior Lighting On
Rotate the left 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.
Interior lights are also 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
Dimmer Control
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 201

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.
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 cause the headlights to turn on at high beam and
remain on until the lever is released.
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.
WINDSHIELD WIPER 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.
204 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Rain Sensing Wipers — If Equipped
This feature senses moisture on the windshield and
automatically activates the wipers for the driver. This
feature is especially useful for road splash or overspray
from the windshield washers of the vehicle ahead. Rotate
the end of the multifunction lever to one of the five
intermittent wiper sensitivity settings to activate this
feature.
The sensitivity of the system is adjustable from the
multifunction lever. Wiper sensitivity position 3 has been
calibrated for best overall wiping sensitivity. If the opera-
tor desires more wiping sensitivity, they may select
sensitivity positions 4 or 5. If the operator desires less
wiping sensitivity, they may select sensitivity positions 2
or 1. Place the multifunction lever in the OFF position
when not using the system.NOTE:•The Rain Sensing feature will not operate when the
wiper speed is in the low or high position.
•The Rain Sensing feature may not function properly
when ice or dried saltwater is present on the wind-
shield.
•Use of Rain-X
or products containing wax or silicone
may reduce rain sensor performance.
•The Rain Sensing feature can be turned on and off
through the EVIC (if equipped). Refer to “Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings
(Customer-Programmable Features)” in “Understand-
ing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 207

WARNING ALERTS
Rear Distance (in/cm) Greater than
79 in (200 cm) 79-39 in
(200-100 cm) 39-25 in
(100-65 cm) 25-12 in
(65-30 cm) Less than
12 in (30 cm)
Audible Alert Chime None
Single 1/2
Second Tone Slow
FastContinuous
Display Message Park Assist System ONWarning Object
Detected Warning Object
Detected Warning Object
Detected Warning Object
Detected
Arcs None3 Solid
(Continuous) 3 Slow
Flashing 2 Slow
Flashing 1 Slow
Flashing
Radio Mute NoYes YesYesYes
NOTE: ParkSense will MUTE the radio, if on, when
the system is sounding an audio tone.
Enabling/Disabling ParkSense
ParkSense can be enabled and disabled through the
Customer-Programmable Features section of the EVIC.
The available choices are: OFF, Sound Only, or Sound and
Display. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-Programmable Fea-
tures)” in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for
further information.
When ParkSense
is disabled, the instrument cluster will
display the “PARK ASSIST SYSTEM OFF” message for
approximately five seconds. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your
Instrument Panel” for further information. When the
220 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the system is
disabled, the EVIC will display the “PARK ASSIST SYS-
TEM OFF” message for as long as the vehicle is in
REVERSE.
Service The ParkSenseRear Park Assist System
When the ParkSenseRear Park Assist System is mal-
functioning, the instrument cluster will actuate a single
chime, once per ignition cycle, and it will display the
“CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” or the “SERVICE
PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” message. Refer to “Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information. When
the shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the system has
detected a faulted condition, the EVIC will display the
“CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” or the “SERVICE
PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” message for as long as the
vehicle is in REVERSE. Under this condition, ParkSense
will not operate. If “CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” appears in the
EVIC after making sure the rear fascia/bumper is free
from snow, ice, mud, dirt or other obstruction, see your
authorized dealer.
If “SERVICE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” appears in the
EVIC, see your authorized dealer.
Cleaning The ParkSense
System
Clean the ParkSensesensors with water, car wash soap
and a soft cloth. Do not use rough or hard cloths. Do not
scratch or poke the sensors. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the sensors.
ParkSense System Usage Precautions
NOTE:
•Ensure that the rear bumper is free of snow, ice, mud,
dirt and debris to keep the ParkSense system operat-
ing properly.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 221