2008 JEEP PATRIOT warning

WARNING!
Never attempt to climb a hill at an angle or turn
around on a steep grade. Driving across an incline
increases the risk of a rollover, which may result in
severe injury.
•Driving Down Hill– Before driving down a steep hill
you need to determine if it is too steep for a safe
descent. What is the surface traction? Is the grade too
steep to maintain a slow controlled descent? Are there
obstacles? Is it a straight descent? Is there plenty of
distance at the base of the hill to regain control if the
vehicle descends to fast? If you feel confident in your
ability to proceed then make sure you are in low (L
Off-Road) with the 4WD LOCK engaged and proceedwith caution. Allow engine and hill descent braking to
control the descent and apply your brakes if necessary,
but do not allow the tires to lock.
WARNING!
Do not descend a steep grade in NEUTRAL. Use
vehicle brakes in conjunction with engine braking.
Descending a grade too fast could cause you to lose
control and be seriously injured.
•Driving Across An Incline– If at all possible avoid
driving across an incline. If it is necessary, know your
vehicle’s abilities. Driving across an incline places
more weight on the down-hill wheels, which increases
the possibilities of a down-hill slide or rollover. Make
sure the surface has good traction with firm and stable
soils. If possible transverse the incline at an angle
heading slightly up or down.
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WARNING!
Driving across an incline increases the risk of a
rollover, which may result in severe injury.
•If You Stall Or Begin To Lose Headway– If you stall
or begin to lose headway while climbing a steep hill,
allow your vehicle to come to a stop and immediately
apply the brake. Restart the engine and shift to RE-
VERSE. Back slowly down the hill allowing engine
and hill descent braking to control the descent and
apply your brakes if necessary, but do not allow the
tires to lock.
WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill or grade, never
attempt to turn around. To do so may result in
tipping and rolling the vehicle, which may result in
severe injury. Always back carefully straight down a
hill in REVERSE gear. Never back down a hill in
NEUTRAL using only the vehicle brakes. Never
drive diagonally across a hill, always drive straight
up or down.
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•Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or Other
Flowing Water– Flowing water can be extremely
dangerous. Never attempt to cross a fast running
stream or river even in shallow water. Fast moving
water can easily push your vehicle downstream
sweeping it out of control. Even in very shallow water,
a high current can still wash the dirt out from around
your tires putting you and your vehicle in jeopardy.
There is still a high risk of personal injury and vehicle
damage with slower water currents in depths greater
than the vehicle’s running ground clearance. You
should never attempt to cross flowing water which is
deeper than the vehicle’s running ground clearance.
Even the slowest current can push the heaviest vehicle
downstream out of control if the water is deep enough
to push on the large surface area of the vehicle’s body.
Before you proceed determine the speed of the current,
the water’s depth, approach angle, bottom conditionand if there are any obstacles, then cross at an angle
heading slightly upstream using the low and slow
technique.
WARNING!
Never drive through fast moving deep water. It can
push your vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of
control. This could put you and your passengers at
risk of injury or drowning.
Airing Down For Off-Road Driving
Running lower tire pressure off-road can improve your
ride comfort and vehicle traction. Reducing the tire air
pressure allows the tire to bulge slightly, improving its
surface area for better flotation and ability to mold or
form to the ground contour. Different terrain, tires, and
vehicles require different tire pressure. Hard surfaces like
rock and heavier vehicles require higher pressures than
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WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than 2 to
3 ft (61 to 91 cm) of slack in the strap. More slack than
this greatly increases the risk of injury and vehicle
damage. Always keep everyone at least 30 ft (9 m)
away from a strapping or winching situation.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After driving off-road, it is
always a good idea to check for damage.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
•Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual.
•Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard, or they might hide
damage to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals,
and propeller shafts.
•After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have brake drums and rotors,
brake linings, and axle yokes inspected and cleaned as
soon as possible.
•If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
packed material. Packed foreign material can cause a
wheel imbalance and cleaning the wheels will correct
the situation.
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WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent an accident. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary. Failure to do so may result
is serious injury.
DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES
ACCELERATION
Rapid acceleration on snow covered, wet, or other slip-
pery surfaces may cause the front wheels to pull errati-
cally 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 an accident. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet, mud, loose sand, etc.).
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WARNING!
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle. Leaving
unattended children in a vehicle is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Don’t leave the key in
the ignition. A child could operate power win-
dows, other controls, or move the vehicle.
•Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving; failure to do so can lead to brake
failure and an accident.
BRAKE SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with power assisted brakes as
standard equipment. In the event power assist is lost for
any reason (for example, repeated brake applications
with the engine off), the brakes will still function. How-
ever, the effort required to brake the vehicle will be much
greater than that required with the power system oper-
ating.
WARNING!
Riding the brakes can lead to brake failure and
possibly an accident. Driving with your foot resting
or riding on the brake pedal can result in abnormally
high brake temperatures, excessive lining wear, and
possible brake damage. You would not have your full
braking capacity in an emergency.
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If either of the two hydraulic systems lose normal capa-
bility, the remaining system will still function with some
loss of overall braking effectiveness. This will be evident
by increased pedal travel during application and greater
pedal force required to slow or stop. In addition, if the
malfunction is caused by an internal leak, as the brake
fluid in the master cylinder drops, the brake warning
indicator will light.
WARNING!
Driving a vehicle with the brake light on is danger-
ous. A significant decrease in braking performance or
vehicle stability during braking may occur. It will
take you longer to stop the vehicle or will make your
vehicle harder to control. You could have an accident.
Have the vehicle checked immediately.
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) — If Equipped
The ABS provides increased vehicle stability and brake
performance under most braking conditions. The system
automatically “pumps” the brakes during severe braking
conditions to prevent wheel lock-up.
WARNING!
Pumping of the Anti-Lock Brakes will diminish their
effectiveness and may lead to an accident. Pumping
makes the stopping distance longer. Just press firmly
on your brake pedal when you need to slow down or
stop.
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WARNING!
•The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of phys-
ics from acting on the vehicle, nor can it increase
braking or steering efficiency beyond that af-
forded by the condition of the vehicle brakes and
tires or the traction afforded.
•The ABS cannot prevent accidents, including
those resulting from excessive speed in turns,
following another vehicle too closely, or hydro-
planing. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver
can prevent accidents.
•The capabilities of an ABS-equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user’s safety
or the safety of others.The ABS light monitors the ABS System. The
light will come on when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position and may stay on for
as long as four seconds.
If the ABS light remains on or comes on while driving, it
indicates that the Anti-Lock portion of the brake system
is not functioning and that service is required. However,
the conventional brake system will continue to operate
normally if the BRAKE warning light is not on.
If the ABS light is on, the brake system should be serviced
as soon as possible to restore the benefits of Anti-Lock
brakes. If the ABS light does not come on when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON position, have the
bulb repaired as soon as possible.
If both the Brake Warning light and the ABS light remain
on, the ABS and Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD) systems are not functioning. Immediate repair to
the ABS is required.
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