
PARKING BRAKE
To set the parking brake, pull the lever up as firmly as
possible. When the parking brake is applied with the
ignition ON, the “Brake Warning Light” in the instru-
ment cluster will light. To release the parking brake, pull
up slightly, press the center button, then lower the lever
completely.
NOTE:The “Brake Warning Light” indicates only that
the parking brake is applied. You must be sure the
parking brake is fully applied before leaving the vehicle.
Be sure the parking brake is firmly set when parked, and
the shift lever is in the PARK position. When parking on
a hill, you should apply the parking brake before placing
the shift lever in PARK. Otherwise, the load on the
transmission locking mechanism may make it difficult to
move the shift lever out of PARK.
Parking Brake
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WARNING!
Significant over or under-inflation of tires or mixing
sizes of tires or wheels on the vehicle can lead to loss
of braking effectiveness.
The ABS conducts a low-speed self-test at about 12 mph
(20 km/h). If you have your foot lightly on the brake
while this test is occurring, you may feel slight pedal
movement. The movement can be more apparent on ice
and snow. This is normal.
The ABS pump motor runs during the self-test at 12 mph
(20 km/h) and during an ABS stop. The pump motor
makes a low humming noise during operation, which is
normal.
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.
•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. (Continued)
322 STARTING AND OPERATING

WARNING!
Many factors, such as vehicle loading, road condi-
tions, and driving conditions, influence the chance
that wheel lift or rollover may occur. Electronic Roll
Mitigation (ERM) cannot prevent all wheel lift or
rollovers, especially those that involve leaving the
roadway or striking objects or other vehicles. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can prevent acci-
dents. The capabilities of an ERM-equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner, which could jeopardize the user’s safety or
the safety of others.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) — If Equipped
TSC uses sensors in the vehicle to recognize an exces-
sively swaying trailer. TSC activates automatically once
the excessively swaying trailer is recognized. When TSC
is functioning, the “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” will flash,the engine power will be reduced, and you will feel the
brake being applied to individual wheels in an attempt to
stop the trailer from swaying.
NOTE:
The TSC is disabled when the ESP system is in
the “Partial Off” mode and “Full Off” mode.
WARNING!
•Trailer Sway Control (TSC) cannot stop all trailers
from swaying. Always use caution when towing a
trailer and follow the tongue weight recommenda-
tions. Refer to ”Vehicle Loading” and “Trailer
Towing” in this section for more information be-
fore towing a trailer with your vehicle.
•If TSC activates while towing a trailer, stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe location and adjust the
trailer load to eliminate the trailer sway.
(Continued)
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5

WARNING!
There may be situations where the Hill Start Assist
(HSA) will not activate and slight rolling may occur,
such as on minor hills (i.e., less than 7%), or with a
loaded vehicle, or while pulling a trailer. HSA is not
a substitute for active driving involvement. It is
always the driver ’s responsibility to be attentive to
distance to other vehicles, people, and objects, and
most importantly brake operation to ensure safe
operation of the vehicle under all road conditions.
Your complete attention is always required while
driving to maintain safe control of your vehicle.
Failure to follow these warnings can result in an
accident or serious personal injury.
Towing with HSA
HSA will provide assistance during acceleration on an
incline while towing a trailer.
WARNING!
•If you use a trailer brake controller with your
trailer, the trailer brakes may be activated and
deactivated with the brake switch. If so, there may
not be enough brake pressure to hold both the
vehicle and the trailer on a hill when the brake
pedal is released. In order to avoid rolling down
an incline while resuming acceleration, manually
activate the trailer brake or apply more vehicle
brake pressure prior to releasing the brake pedal.
•HSA is not a parking brake. Always apply the
parking brake fully when leaving your vehicle.
Also, be certain to leave the transmission in PARK.
•Failure to follow these warnings can result in an
accident or serious personal injury.
STARTING AND OPERATING 329
5

The ESP uses sensors in the vehicle to determine the path
that the driver intends to steer the vehicle and compares
it to the actual path of the vehicle. When the actual path
does not match the intended path, the ESP applies the
brake of the appropriate wheel to assist in counteracting
the condition of over-steer or under-steer.
•Oversteer - when the vehicle is turning more than
appropriate for the steering wheel position.
•Understeer - when the vehicle is turning less than
appropriate for the steering wheel position.
ESP/TCS Indicator Light
TheESP/TCS Indicator Light” located in the
instrument cluster, starts to flash as soon as the
tires lose traction and the ESP system becomes
active. The ESP/TCS Indicator Light” also
flashes when TCS is active. If the ESP/TCS Indicator
Light” begins to flash during acceleration, ease up on the accelerator and apply as little throttle as possible. Be sure
to adapt your speed and driving to the prevailing road
conditions.
WARNING!
The ESP (Electronic Stability Program) cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting on the
vehicle, nor can it increase the traction afforded by
prevailing road conditions. ESP cannot prevent acci-
dents, including those resulting from excessive speed
in turns, driving on very slippery surfaces, or hydro-
planing. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can
prevent accidents. The capabilities of an ESP-
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in a reck-
less or dangerous manner, which could jeopardize
the user’s safety or the safety of others.
STARTING AND OPERATING 333
5

In this mode, ESP and TCS are turned off (except for the
“limited slip” feature described in the TCS section) until
the vehicle reaches a speed of 40 mph (64 km/k). At
speeds over 40 mph (64 km/k), the system automatically
switches to “Partial Off” mode, described above. When
the vehicle speed returns to less than 35 mph (56 km/h),
the ESP system will return to “Full Off” mode. The
“ESP/TCS Indicator Light” is always illuminated when
ESP is off. To turn ESP on again, momentarily depress the
“ESP OFF” button. This will restore the normal “ESP On”
mode of operation.
NOTE:
•“Full Off” is the only operating mode for ESP in 4WD
LOW range. The ESP system will be in this mode
whenever the vehicle is started in 4WD LOW range or
the transfer case is shifted into 4WD LOW range.
•The “ESP OFF” message will display and a chime will
sound when the shift lever is moved from any positionto the PARK position and then moved out of the PARK
position. This will occur even if the message was
cleared previously.
WARNING!
With the ESP switched off, the enhanced vehicle
stability offered by ESP is unavailable. In an emer-
gency evasive maneuver, the ESP system will not
engage to assist in maintaining stability. “Full Off”
mode is only intended for off-highway or off-road use.
ESP/BAS Warning Light and ESP/TCS Indicator
Light
The malfunction indicator for the ESP is com-
bined with the BAS indicator. The “ESP/BAS
Malfunction Indicator Light” and the “ESP/
TCS Indicator Light” in the instrument cluster
both turn on when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position. They should both turn off with the engine
336 STARTING AND OPERATING

These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread
grooves. They will appear as bands when the tread depth
becomes 1/16 in (2 mm). When the indicators appear in
two or more adjacent grooves, the tire should be replaced.
Life Of Tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon various
factors including but not limited to:
•Driving style
•Tire pressure
•Distance driven
WARNING!
Tires and the spare tire should be replaced after six
years, regardless of the remaining tread. Failure to
follow this warning can result in sudden tire failure.
You could lose control and have an accident resulting
in serious injury or death.Keep dismounted tires in a cool, dry place with as little
exposure to light as possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease, and gasoline.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide a balance of many
characteristics. They should be inspected regularly for
wear and correct cold tire inflation pressure. The manu-
facturer strongly recommends that you use tires equiva-
lent to the originals in size, quality and performance
when replacement is needed. (Refer to the paragraph on
“Tread Wear Indicators”). Refer to the “Tire and Loading
Information” placard for the size designation of your
tires. The service description and load identification will
be found on the original equipment tire. Failure to use
equivalent replacement tires may adversely affect the
safety, handling, and ride of your vehicle. We recommend
that you contact your original equipment or an autho-
rized tire dealer with any questions you may have on tire
specifications or capability.
352 STARTING AND OPERATING

Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” in Section 8 of this
manual for the proper maintenance intervals. Remember,
more frequent rotation is permissible if desired. Also,
correct for anything causing rapid or unusual wear prior
to performing the tire rotation.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM (TPMS)
The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) will warn the
driver of a low tire pressure based on the vehicle recom-
mended cold placard pressure.
The tire pressure will vary with temperature by about
1 psi (6.9 kPa) for every 12°F (6.5°C). This means that
when the outside temperature decreases, the tire pressure
will decrease. Tire pressure should always be set based
on cold inflation tire pressure. This is defined as the tire
pressure after the vehicle has not been driven for at least
three hours, or driven less than 1 mile (1 km) after a three
hour period. The cold tire inflation pressure must not
exceed the maximum inflation pressure molded into thetire sidewall. Refer to the “Tires – General Information”
in this section for information on how to properly inflate
the vehicle’s tires. The tire pressure will also increase as
the vehicle is driven. This is normal and there should be
no adjustment for this increased pressure.
The TPMS will warn the driver of a low tire pressure if
the tire pressure falls below the low-pressure warning
limit for any reason, including low temperature effects
and natural pressure loss through the tire.
The TPMS will continue to warn the driver of low tire
pressure as long as the condition exists, and will not turn
off until the tire pressure is at or above the recommended
cold placard pressure. Once the low tire pressure warn-
ing (Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light) illuminates,
you must increase the tire pressure to the recommended
cold placard pressure in order for the Tire Pressure
Monitoring Telltale Light to turn off. The system will
automatically update and the Tire Pressure Monitoring
356 STARTING AND OPERATING