2008 DODGE SPRINTER brake

71 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
BrakingIf ABS intervenes during braking, you will
feel the steering wheel vibrate gently
and the brake pedal pulsate.
If ABS intervenes: \1
Continue to depress the brake pedal
firmly until the braking situation is
over.
For full brake application:
\1
Depress the brake pedal with maxi-
mum force.Brake Assist operates in emergency
braking situations. If you depress the
brake pedal quickly, BAS automatically
increases the brake pressure, thereby
reducing the stopping distance.
\1
Keep the brake pedal firmly de-
pressed until the emergency braking
situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from lock-
ing.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes will work as normal again. BAS is
deactivated.
Warning
G
Always adapt your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions, and
maintain an adequately safe distance
from other road users as well as any ob-
stacles on the road.
If ABS malfunctions, the wheels could
lock when you brake. This means that the
steerability of the vehicle is restricted
during braking and the stopping distance
may increase. If ABS is deactivated due to
a malfunction, BAS is also deactivated.
Brake Assist (BAS)
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72 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
Vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
There is a malfunction if the
k
indi-
cator lamp is permanently lit while the
engine is running (
\2
page 73).ESP
® monitors driving stability and de-
tects a tendency of the vehicle to under-
steer or oversteer (skidding) in good
time. ESP
® stabilizes the vehicle by
braking individual wheels, limiting the
engine power output, and greatly assists
y o u w h e n d r i v i n g o n w e t o r s l i p p e r y r o a d
surfaces. ESP
® also stabilizes the vehi-
cle when braking.
When ESP
® intervenes, the
v
warn-
ing lamp in the speedometer flashes.
Warning
G
If BAS malfunctions, the brake system is
still available with the full brake boosting
effect. In an emergency braking situation,
however, the braking force will not be ad-
ditionally boosted automatically and the
stopping distance may increase.
Electronic Stability Program
(ESP
®)
Warning
G
Proceed as follows if the v warning
lamp in the speedometer flashes:
\4Do not deactivate ASR under any cir-
cumstances.
\4Only depress the accelerator pedal as
far as necessary when pulling away.
\4Adapt your driving style to suit the
prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could begin to
skid.
ESP
® cannot reduce the risk of an acci-
dent if you drive too fast. ESP
® is unable
to override the laws of physics.
nf_BA.book Page 72 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

73 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
There is a malfunction if the
#
indica-
tor lamp is permanently lit while the en-
gine is running (
\2
page 468).
If ESP
® malfunctions, engine power out-
put may be reduced.ASR improves traction for a sustained
period, i.e. the transfer of power from
the tires to the road surface, and thus
also improves the driving stability of the
vehicle. ASR assists you when pulling
away and accelerating, especially on
smooth and slippery surfaces.
ASR brakes individual drive wheels and
limits the engine torque to prevent the
drive wheels from spinning. When ASR
intervenes, the
v
indicator lamp in
the speedometer flashes.
!
CAUTION
Only operate the vehicle briefly (max-
imum of 10 seconds) on a brake dy-
namometer. The key must be turned
to position
1 in the ignition lock dur-
ing this time. You could damage the
drive train or the brake system.
!
CAUTION
Do not operate the vehicle on a roller
dynamometer (for example for per-
formance testing). If you wish to op-
erate the vehicle on a roller
dynamometer, please consult an au-
thorized Sprinter Dealer beforehand.
You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
Acceleration skid control (ASR)
nf_BA.book Page 73 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

74 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
If the road surface is not capable of pro-
viding sufficient traction, bearing in
mind the tires, load and gradient, it is
not be possible to pull away smoothly
even with ASR.
Vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
There is a malfunction if the
k
indi-
cator lamp is permanently lit while the
engine is running (
\2
page 73).
If ASR malfunctions, engine power out-
put may be reduced.
Activating/deactivating ASRASR is automatically activated as soon
as the engine is switched on.
It may be best to deactivate ASR in the
following situations:\4
if snow chains are being used
\4
in deep snow
\4
on sand or gravelIf you deactivate ASR:
\4
the engine’s torque is then no longer
limited and the drive wheels could
spin; the spinning wheels produce a
cutting effect for better traction
\4
traction control still intervenes by
braking if one drive wheel reaches its
grip limit, for example if the surface
under one side of the vehicle is slip-
pery. The wheel is then braked to in-
crease traction in this situation.
\4
ESP
® still intervenes to stabilize the
vehicle
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75 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
The ASR switch is located on the center
console.1To deactivate/activate ASR
\1To switch off:
press upper
section
1
of the switch.
The
v
warning lamp in the speed-
ometer lights up.
\1To switch on:
press upper
section
1
of the switch again.
The
v
warning lamp in the speed-
ometer goes out.
Warning
G
ESP
® remains active despite ASR having
been deactivated and carries out braking
interventions if this is necessary to im-
prove driving stability. Thev warning
lamp flashes.
If ASR is deactivated, there is an in-
creased risk that the brake system of your
vehicle could overheat and be damaged
when subjected to high loads for a long
period of time. A hot brake system also in-
creases the stopping distance.
For this reason, only deactivate ASR when
it is absolutely necessary.
N54.25-2916-31
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76 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
EBV monitors and regulates the brake
pressure at the rear wheels to improve
driving stability during braking.There is a malfunction if the
#
, k
,
-
and
6
indicator lamps are per-
manently lit while the engine is running
(
\2
page 462).
Electronic brake force distribution
(EBV)
Warning
G
If EBV malfunctions, the brake system is
still available with the full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels may
lock, for example if the brakes are applied
with maximum force. You could then lose
control of the vehicle and cause an acci-
dent. Always adapt your driving style to
the change in handling characteristics.
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Sprinter Dealer as soon as possible.
nf_BA.book Page 76 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

112 Controls in detailSeats
3
\3 SeatsDriver’s and passenger’s seatsWarning
G
Only adjust the seats when the vehicle is
stationary and the handbrake is applied.
You could otherwise lose control of the
vehicle as a result of the seat moving and
cause an accident.
Warning
G
Make sure that nobody can become
trapped as the seat is adjusted. Never
place your hands under the seat or near to
moving parts.Your seat must be adjusted in such a way
that you can wear the seat belt correctly
(\2page 39). Observe the following points:\4Position the backrest as vertically as
possible and sit upright.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
\4Avoid seat positions that do not allow
the seat belt to be routed correctly.
The shoulder section of the seat belt
must be routed across the middle of
your shoulder and must fit closely
across your chest. The lap section of
the belt must be routed as low as pos-
sible across your pelvic area, i.e.
across your hip joints. Never drive
with the backrest tilted too far back.\4
Your arms should be slightly bent when
you are holding the steering wheel.
Continued
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116 Controls in detailSeats
3
Seat suspension adjustment* The seat suspension must be adjusted
to your body weight. Only adjust the seat
suspension when the seat is unoccup-
ied.\1
Relieve the load on the seat.
\1
Select your body weight 88 to
265 lbs (40 to 120 kg) using thumb-
wheel
6
for optimal seat suspensi-
on.
The seat suspension becomes har-
der as you adjust it to a higher body
weight. The seat will then travel
down as far.
Suspension lock* If the seat bounces up and down fre-
quently, you can engage the seat the lo-
wer position of its suspension travel.\1
Turn lever
7
downward.
The next time the seat bounces, it
will engage.
\1
Turn lever
7
upward to release the
seat from the suspension lock.The seat can now move up and down
again.
Swivelling front seats*
iThe suspension lock will engage only
if your weight is identical or above
the adjusted suspension weight.
Warning
G
Only adjust the seats when the vehicle is
stationary and the handbrake is applied.
You could otherwise lose control of the
vehicle as a result of the seat moving and
cause an accident.
nf_BA.book Page 116 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM