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period of time after the driver takes their foot off of the
brake pedal. If the driver does not apply the throttle
during this short period of time, the system will release
brake pressure and the vehicle will roll down the hill. The
system will release brake pressure in proportion to the
amount of throttle applied as the vehicle starts to move in
the intended direction of travel.
HSA Activation Criteria
The following criteria must be met in order for HSA to
activate:
•Vehicle must be stopped.
•Vehicle must be on a 8% grade or greater hill.
•Gear selection matches vehicle uphill direction (i.e.,
vehicle facing uphill is in forward gear; vehicle back-
ing uphill is in REVERSE gear).HSA will work in REVERSE and all forward gears when
the activation criteria have been met. The system will not
activate if the vehicle is placed in NEUTRAL or PARK.
WARNING!
There may be situations on minor hills (i.e., less than
8%), with a loaded vehicle, or while pulling a trailer,
when the system will not activate and slight rolling
may occur. This could cause a collision with another
vehicle or object. Always remember the driver is
responsible for braking the vehicle.
Towing with HSA
HSA will provide assistance when starting on a grade
when pulling a trailer.
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WARNING!
•If you use a trailer brake controller with your
trailer, your trailer brakes may be activated and
deactivated with the brake switch. If so, when the
brake pedal is released, there may not be enough
brake pressure to hold the vehicle and trailer on a
hill and this could cause a collision with another
vehicle or object behind you. In order to avoid
rolling down the hill while resuming acceleration,
manually activate the trailer brake prior to releas-
ing the brake pedal. Always remember the driver
is responsible for braking the vehicle.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•HSA is not a parking brake. If you stop the vehicle
on a hill without putting the transmission in
PARK and using the parking brake, it will roll
down the hill and could cause a collision with
another vehicle or object. Always remember to use
the parking brake while parking on a hill, and that
the driver is responsible for braking the vehicle.
HSA Off
If you wish to turn off the HSA system, it can be done
using the Customer Programmable Features in the Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). Refer to “Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in Section 4 of
this manual.
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Hill Descent Control (HDC) – Four-Wheel Drive
Models With NV245 Two–Speed Transfer Case
Only
HDC maintains vehicle speed while descending hills
during off-road driving situations and is available in
4WD LOW range only. To enable HDC (transfer case
must be in 4WD LOW range), press the HDC switch. If
the HDC switch is pressed when the vehicle is not in
4WD LOW range, the light in the switch will flash for five
seconds and HDC will not be enabled.When HDC is properly enabled, the message “HILL
DESCENT CONTROL” will appear in the EVIC and the
light in the switch will be illuminated. HDC will auto-
matically apply the brakes to control downhill speed
when necessary. HDC has the capability to sense terrain
Hill Descent Switch
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and will only activate when the vehicle is descending a
hill. It will usually not activate on level ground.
The HDC speed may be adjusted by the driver to suit the
driving conditions. The speed corresponds to the trans-
mission gear selected.
•1st = 1 mph (1.6 km/h)
•2nd = 2.5 mph (4 km/h)
•3rd = 4 mph (6 km/h)
•4th = 5.5 mph (9 km/h)
•5th = 7.5 mph (12 km/h)
•REVERSE = 1 mph (1.6 km/h)
•NEUTRAL = 2.5 mph (4 km/h)
•PARK = HDC will not functionHDC also has the capability to sense rough terrain, and
will automatically adjust to a slightly slower set speed
[about 0.3 mph (0.5 km/h) than normal.]
HDC operation can be overridden with brake application
to slow the vehicle down below the HDC control speed.
Conversely, if more speed is desired during HDC control,
the accelerator pedal will increase vehicle speed in the
usual manner. When either the brake or the accelerator is
released, HDC will control the vehicle back to the origi-
nal set speed.
HDC is intended for low speed off-road driving only.
At vehicle speeds above 30 mph (48 km/h), HDC will no
longer function. When the vehicle speed drops below
30 mph (48 km/h), HDC function will automatically
resume and the vehicle speed will return to the chosen set
speed.
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WARNING!
HDC is only intended to assist the driver in control-
ling vehicle speed when descending hills. The driver
must remain attentive to the driving conditions and
is responsible for maintaining a safe vehicle speed.
ESP/BAS Warning Light and ESP/TCS Indicator
Light
The malfunction indicator light for the ESP is
combined with the BAS indicator. The “ESP/
BAS Warning Light” and the “ESP/TCS Indi-
cator Light” in the instrument cluster both
come on when the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position. They should both go out with the engine
running. If the “ESP/BAS Warning Light” comes on
continuously with the engine running, a mal-
function has been detected in either the ESP or
the BAS system, or both. If this light remains on
after several ignition cycles, and the vehicle has been
driven several miles at speeds greater than 30 mph
(48 km/h), see your authorized dealer as soon as possible
to have the problem diagnosed and corrected.
NOTE:•The “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” and the “ESP/BAS
Warning Light” come on momentarilyeach time the
ignition switch is turned ON.
•Each time the ignition is turned ON, the ESP System
will be ON even if it was previously turned off.
•The ESP Control System will make buzzing or clicking
sounds when it is active. This is normal; the sounds
will stop when the ESP becomes inactive following the
maneuver that caused the ESP activation.
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TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION
Tire MarkingsNOTE:
•P (Passenger) - Metric tire sizing is based on U.S.
design standards. P-Metric tires have the letter “P”
molded into the sidewall preceding the size designa-
tion. Example: P215/65R15 95H.
•European-Metric tire sizing is based on European
design standards. Tires designed to this standard have
the tire size molded into the sidewall beginning with
the section width. The letterPis absent from this tire
size designation. Example: 215/65R15 96H.
•LT (Light Truck) - Metric tire sizing is based on U.S.
design standards. The size designation for LT-Metric
tires is the same as for P-Metric tires except for the
letters “LT” that are molded into the sidewall preced-
ing the size designation. Example: LT235/85R16.
•Temporary spare tires are high-pressure compact
spares designed for temporary emergency use only.
1 — U.S. DOT Safety Stan-
dards Code (TIN) 4 — Maximum Load
2 — Size Designation 5 — Maximum Pressure
3 — Service Description 6 — Treadwear, Traction and Temperature Grades
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Tires designed to this standard have the letter “T”
molded into the sidewall preceding the size designa-
tion. Example: T145/80D18 103M.•High flotation tire sizing is based on U.S. design
standards and it begins with the tire diameter molded
into the sidewall. Example: 31x10.5 R15 LT.
Tire Sizing Chart
EXAMPLE:
Size Designation:
P= Passenger car tire size based on U.S. design standards
....blank.... = Passenger car tire based on European design standards
LT = Light truck tire based on U.S. design standards
T = Temporary spare tire
31 = Overall diameter in inches (in)
215 = Section width in millimeters (mm)
65 = Aspect ratio in percent (%)
— Ratio of section height to section width of tire
10.5 = Section width in inches (in)
R = Construction code
— R means radial construction
—D means diagonal or bias construction
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EXAMPLE:
15 = Rim diameter in inches (in)
Service Description: 95= Load Index
— A numerical code associated with the maximum load a tire can carry
H = Speed Symbol
— A symbol indicating the range of speeds at which a tire can carry a load corresponding to its load
index under certain operating conditions
— The maximum speed corresponding to the speed symbol should only be achieved under specified
operating conditions (i.e., tire pressure, vehicle loading, road conditions, and posted speed limits)
Load Identification: ....blank.... = Absence of any text on the sidewall of the tire indicates a Standard Load (SL) tire
Extra Load (XL) = Extra load (or reinforced) tire
Light Load = Light load tire
C, D, E = Load range associated with the maximum load a tire can carry at a specified pressure
Maximum Load — Maximum load indicates the maximum load this tire is designed to carry
Maximum Pressure — Maximum pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire inflation pressure for
this tire
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