2005 DODGE RAM 2500 DIESEL towing

Children Too Large for Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend
over the front of the seat when their back is against the
seat back should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
•Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
•The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
•Check belt fit periodically. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. Never allow a
child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind
their back.
NEW ENGINE BREAK-IN
Your Cummins 24 Valve Turbo Diesel engine does not
require a normal break-in period due to its construction.
Normal operation is allowed, provided the following
recommendations are followed:
NOTE:Light duty operation such as light trailer towing
or no load operation, will extend the time before the
engine is at full efficiency. Reduced fuel economy and
power may be seen at this time.
•Warm up the engine before placing it under load.
•Do not operate the engine at idle for prolonged
periods.
•Use the appropriate transmission gear to prevent
engine lugging.
•Observe vehicle oil pressure and temperature indica-
tors.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67
2

•Check the coolant and oil levels frequently.
•Vary throttle position at highway speeds when carry-
ing or towing significant weight.
Because of the construction of the Cummins Diesel
engine, engine run-in is enhanced by loaded operating
conditions which allow the engine parts to achieve final
finish and fit during the first 6,000 miles (10 000 km).
CAUTION!
•During the first 500 miles (805 km) your new
vehicle is driven, do not tow a trailer. Doing so
may damage your vehicle.
•Limit your speed to 50 mph (80 km/h) during the
first 500 miles (805 km) of towing.
SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
This vehicle is designed to carry passengers in the cab
only. For safety reasons, NEVER TRANSPORT PASSEN-
GERS IN THE CARGO AREA.
WARNING!
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed.
Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat belts.
Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
CONTENTS

Mirrors...............................78
▫Inside Mirror.........................78
▫Automatic Dimming Mirror— If Equipped....79
▫Outside Mirrors.......................79
▫Exterior Mirrors Folding Feature...........80
▫Electronic Power Mirrors — If Equipped......80
▫Electric Rear Window Defroster And Heated
Sideview Mirrors — If Equipped...........81
▫Trailer Towing Mirrors — If Equipped.......81
Hands–Free Communication (UConnect™) — If
Equipped.............................83
▫Operation............................85
▫Phone Call Features....................91
▫UConnect™ System Features..............94
▫Advanced Phone Connectivity.............98
▫Things You Should Know About Your
UConnect™ System....................100
3

Set the top switch to the left or right for the left or right
mirror, and set it to the center off position to prevent
accidentally moving a mirror when you are finished
adjusting the mirror. To adjust a mirror, select left or right
with the top switch, and press one of the four arrows for
the direction you want the mirror to move.
Electric Rear Window Defroster and Heated
Sideview Mirrors — If Equipped
The Electric Rear Window Defroster and Heated
side view mirrors are activated by pressing the
heated grid button, located on the Climate Control panel,
with the ignition On. Turning Off the ignition will
deactivate the Electric Rear Window Defroster and
Heated side view mirrors feature. These features also
turn off after activation, when 15 minutes have elapsed.
To reactivate, simply press the button again.
Trailer Towing Mirrors — If Equipped
These mirrors are designed with an adjustable mirror
head to provide a greater vision range when towing
extra-wide loads. To change position inboard or out-
board, the mirror head should be rotated (flipped Out or
In). A small blindspot mirror is integrated onto the main
mirror surface.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 81
3

NOTE: Fold the7x10inch trailer towing mirrors
rearward prior to entering an automated car wash.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to fold the7x10inch trailer towing
mirrors forward. The7x10inch trailer towing
mirrors are not designed to be folded forward and
doing so will damage the mirrors and/or vehicle.
82 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Emergency Assistance
If you are in an emergency and the mobile phone is
reachable:
•Pick up the phone and manually dial the emergency
number for your area.
If the phone is not reachable and the UConnect™ system
is operational, you may reach the emergency number as
follows:
•Press the ’Phone’ button to begin.
•After theReadyprompt and the following beep, say
Emergencyand the UConnect™ system will instruct
the paired cellular phone to call the emergency num-
ber. This feature is only supported in the USA.
NOTE:The emergency number dialed is based on the
Country where the vehicle is purchased (911 for USA/
Canada and 060 for Mexico). The number called may not
be applicable with the available cellular service and area.The UConnect™ system does slightly lower your chances
of successfully making a phone call as to that for the cell
phone directly.
Your phone must be turned on and paired to the UCon-
nect™ system to allow use of this vehicle feature in
emergency situations when the cell phone has network
coverage and stays paired to the UConnect™ system.
Towing Assistance
If you need towing assistance,
•Press the ’Phone’ button to begin.
•After theReadyprompt and the following beep, say
Towing Assistance.
NOTE:The Towing Assistance number dialed is based
on the Country where the vehicle is purchased (1-800-
528-2069 for USA, 1-877-213-4525 for Canada, 55-14-3454
for Mexico city and 1-800-712-3040 for outside Mexico
city in Mexico).
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 95
3

Please refer to the 24-Hour Towing Assistance coverage
details in the DaimlerChrysler Corporation 24-Hour
Towing Assistance Program Guide.
Paging
To learn how to page, refer to section
Working with
Automated Systems.
Paging works properly except for
pagers of certain companies which time-out a little too
soon to work properly with the UConnect™ system.
Voice Mail Calling
To learn how to access your voice mail, refer to section

Working with Automated Systems.

Working with Automated Systems
This method is designed to be used in instances where
one generally has to press numbers on the cellular phone
keypad while navigating through an automated tele-
phone system.You can use your UConnect™ system to access a voice-
mail system or an automated service, such as, paging
service or automated customer service. Some services
require immediate response selection, in some instances,
that may be too quick for use of UConnect™ system.
When calling a number with your UConnect™ system
that normally requires you to enter in a touch-tone
sequence on your cellular phone keypad, you can push
the ’Voice Recognition’ button and say the sequence you
wish to enter followed by the word
Send.
For example,
if required to enter your pin number followed with a
pound3746#,youcanpressthe’Voice Recognition’
button and say
3746#Send.
Saying a number, or
sequence of numbers, followed by
Send
is also to be
used to navigate through an automated customer service
center menu structure and to leave a number on a pager.
96 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To decrease speed while the speed control is on, press
and hold the DECEL button. Release the button when the
desired speed is reached, and the new speed will be set.
To Accelerate For Passing
Depress the accelerator as you would normally. When the
pedal is released, the vehicle will return to the set speed.
NOTE:When driving uphill, at elevations above 2,000
ft. (610 meters), or when the vehicle is heavily loaded
(especially when towing) the vehicle may slow below the
SET speed. If the vehicle speed drops below 35 mph (56
km/h), the speed control will automatically disengage. If
this happens, you can push down on the accelerator
pedal to maintain the desired speed.
Vehicles equipped with a 6–speed manual transmission
should be operated in 4th or 5th gear under the above
conditions.Vehicles equipped with a 4–speed automatic transmis-
sion may exhibit several 4-3 downshifts under the above
conditions. To reduce the frequency of the downshifts
and to improve vehicle performance, it is advisable to
lock out overdrive by pressing the O/D OFF button
located at the end of the gear shifter.
WARNING!
Speed Control can be dangerous where the system
can’t maintain a constant speed. Your vehicle could
go too fast for the conditions, and you could lose
control. An accident could be the result. Don’t use
Speed Control in heavy traffic or on roads that are
winding, icy, snow-covered, or slippery.
126 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE