2011 Ram 1500 park assist

▫Daytime Running Lights (DRL) — If
Equipped .......................... 127
▫ Multifunction Lever .................. 127
 Windshield Wipers And Washers .......... 129
▫ Windshield Wipers ................... 129
▫ Windshield Washers .................. 130
▫ Mist Feature ........................ 131
 Tilt Steering Column ................... 131
 Heated Steering Wheel — If Equipped ...... 132
 Driver Adjustable Pedals — If Equipped ..... 133
 Electronic Speed Control — If Equipped ..... 134
▫ To Activate ......................... 135
▫ To Set A Desired Speed ................ 136 ▫
Deactivating Electronic Speed Control ...... 136
▫ To Resume Speed .................... 136
▫ Varying The Speed Setting .............. 136
▫ To Accelerate For Passing .............. 137
 Parksense Rear Park Assist — If Equipped . . . 138
▫ Parksense Sensors................... 138
▫ Parksense Warning Display ............ 138
▫ Parksense Display................... 139
▫ Enabling And Disabling Parksense ....... 142
▫ Service The Parksense Rear Park Assist
System ............................ 143
▫ Cleaning The Parksense System......... 144
▫ Parksense System Usage Precautions ...... 144
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 89

PARKSENSEREAR PARK ASSIST — IF
EQUIPPED
The ParkSense Rear Park Assist system provides visual
and audible indications of the distance between the rear
fascia and a detected obstacle when backing up, e.g.
during a parking maneuver. Refer to ParkSense System
Usage Precautions for limitations of this system and
recommendations.
ParkSense will retain the last system state (enabled or
disabled) from the last ignition cycle when the ignition is
changed to the ON/RUN position.
ParkSense can be active only when the shift lever is in
REVERSE. If ParkSense is enabled at this shift lever
position, the system will remain active until the vehicle
speed is increased to approximately 11 mph (18 km/h) or
above. The system will become active again if the vehicle
speed is decreased to speeds less than approximately
10 mph (16 km/h).
ParkSense Sensors
The four ParkSense sensors, located in the rear fascia/
bumper, monitor the area behind the vehicle that is
within the sensors’ field of view. The sensors can detect
obstacles from approximately 12 in (30 cm) up to 79 in
(200 cm) from the rear fascia/bumper in the horizontal
direction, depending on the location, type and orienta-
tion of the obstacle.
ParkSense Warning Display
The ParkSense Warning screen will only be displayed if
Sound and Display is selected from the Customer- Pro-
grammable Features section of the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” in “Understanding Your In-
strument Panel” for further information.
The ParkSense Warning Display is located in the Instru-
ment cluster ’s EVIC display. It provides both visual and
138 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

audible warnings to indicate the distance between the
rear fascia/bumper and the detected obstacle.ParkSenseDisplay
When the vehicle is in REVERSE, the warning display
will turn ON indicating the system status.
Rear ParkSense Display
Park Assist System On
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 139

The system will indicate a detected obstacle by showing
three solid arcs and will produce a one-half second tone.
As the vehicle moves closer to the object the EVIC
display will show fewer arcs and the sound tone will
change from slow, to fast, to continuous.
Park Assist System OffSlow Tone
140 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING ALERTS
Rear Distance (in/cm) Greater than
79 in (200 cm) 79-39 in
(200-100 cm) 39-25 in
(100-65 cm) 25-12 in
(65-30 cm) Less than
12 in (30 cm)
Audible Alert Chime None
Single 1/2
Second Tone Slow
FastContinuous
Display Message Park Assist ON Warning Object DetectedWarning Object
Detected Warning Object
Detected Warning Object
Detected
Arcs None3 Solid
(Continuous) 3 Slow
Flashing 2 Slow
Flashing 1 Slow
Flashing
Radio Mute NoYes YesYesYes
NOTE: ParkSense will MUTE the radio, if on, when
the system is sounding an audio tone.
Enabling And Disabling ParkSense 
ParkSensecan be enabled and disabled with a switch
located in the switch bank of the instrument panel or
through the Customer-Programmable Features section of
the EVIC. The available choices are: OFF, Sound Only, or Sound and Display. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” in “Understanding Your In-
strument Panel” for further information.
When the ParkSense switch is pressed to
disable the system, the instrument cluster will
display the “PARK ASSIST OFF” message for
142 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

approximately five seconds. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your
Instrument Panel” for further information. When the
shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the system is
disabled, the EVIC will display the “PARK ASSIST OFF”
message for as long as the vehicle is in REVERSE.
The ParkSenseswitch LED will be ON when Park-
Sense is disabled or defective. The ParkSense switch
LED will be OFF when the system is enabled.
The ParkSense system uses four sensors located in the
rear bumper fascia to scan for obstacles up to 79 in
(200 cm) away from the rear bumper fascia. The warning
display located above in the Instrument Cluster ’s EVIC
provides both visual and audible warnings to indicate
the range of the object.
Service The ParkSense Rear Park Assist System
When the ParkSenseRear Park Assist System is mal-
functioning, the instrument cluster will actuate a single chime, once per ignition cycle, and it will display the
“CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” or the “SERVICE
PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” message. Refer to “Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information. When
the shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the system has
detected a faulted condition, the EVIC will display the
“CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” or the “SERVICE
PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” message for as long as the
vehicle is in REVERSE. Under this condition, ParkSense
will not operate.
If “CLEAN PARK ASSIST SENSORS” appears in the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) and the
rear fascia/bumper is clean and clear of snow, ice, mud,
dirt or other obstruction, see your authorized dealer.
If “SERVICE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” appears in the
EVIC, see your authorized dealer.
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 143

Cleaning The ParkSenseSystem
Clean the ParkSense sensors with water, car wash soap
and a soft cloth. Do not use rough or hard cloths. Do not
scratch or poke the sensors. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the sensors.
ParkSense System Usage Precautions
NOTE:
•Ensure that the rear bumper is free of snow, ice, mud,
dirt and debris to keep the ParkSense system operat-
ing properly.
•Jackhammers, large trucks, and other vibrations could
affect the performance of ParkSense.
•When you turn ParkSense off, the instrument cluster
will display “PARK ASSIST OFF.” Furthermore, once
you turn ParkSense off, it remains off until you turn
it on again, even if you cycle the ignition key.
•When you move the shift lever to the REVERSE
position and ParkSense is turned off, the instrument
cluster will display “PARK ASSIST OFF” message for
as long as the vehicle is in REVERSE.
•ParkSense, when on, will MUTE the radio when it is
sounding a tone.
•Clean the ParkSense sensors regularly, taking care
not to scratch or damage them. The sensors must not
be covered with ice, snow, slush, mud, dirt or debris.
Failure to do so can result in the system not working
properly. The ParkSense system might not detect an
obstacle behind the fascia/bumper, or it could provide
a false indication that an obstacle is behind the fascia/
bumper.
•Objects such as bicycle carriers, trailer hitches, etc.,
must not be placed within 12 in (30 cm) from the rear
fascia/bumper while driving the vehicle. Failure to do
so can result in the system misinterpreting a close
144 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

object as a sensor problem, causing the “SERVICE
PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” message to be displayed in
the instrument cluster.
•On vehicles equipped with a tailgate, ParkSense
should be disabled when the tailgate is in the lowered
or open position and the vehicle is in REVERSE. A
lowered tailgate could provide a false indication that
an obstacle is behind the vehicle.
CAUTION!
•ParkSense is only a parking aid and it is unable
to recognize every obstacle, including small ob-
stacles. Parking curbs might be temporarily de-
tected or not detected at all. Obstacles located
above or below the sensors will not be detected
when they are in close proximity.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•The vehicle must be driven slowly when using
ParkSensein order to be able to stop in time
when an obstacle is detected. It is recommended
that the driver looks over his/her shoulder when
using ParkSense.
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 145