2011 Ram 3500 Owner's Manual

WARNING!
Leaving the Electronic Speed Control system on
when not in use is dangerous. You could accidently
set the system or cause it to go faster than you want.
You could lose control and have a collision. Always
leave the Electronic Speed Control system off when
you are not using it.
To Set a Desired Speed
Turn the Electronic Speed Control ON. When the vehicle
has reached the desired speed, press the SET lever
downward and then release. Lift your foot off the accel-
erator and the vehicle will operate at the selected speed.
Deactivating Electronic Speed Control
A soft tap on the brake pedal or pulling the Electronic
Speed Control lever (CANCEL) toward you will deacti-
vate the Electronic Speed Control without erasing the setspeed memory. Pushing the ON/OFF button to the OFF
position or turning OFF the ignition erases the set speed
memory.
To Resume Speed
To resume a previously set speed, raise the Electronic
Speed Control lever (RESUME ACCEL) upwards and
release. Resume can be used at any speed above 30 mph
(50 km/h).
Varying The Speed Setting
When the Electronic Speed Control is set, you can in-
crease speed by pushing up and holding the RESUME
ACCEL lever. If the lever is continually held in the
RESUME ACCEL position, the set speed will continue to
increase until the lever is released, then the new set speed
will be established.
Tapping the RESUME ACCEL lever once will result in a
1 mph (2 km/h) increase in set speed. Each subsequent
tap of the lever results in an increase of 1 mph (2 km/h).
136 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To decrease speed while the Electronic Speed Control is
set, push down and hold the SET DECEL lever. If the
lever is continually held in the SET DECEL position, the
set speed will continue to decrease until the lever is
released. Release the lever when the desired speed is
reached, and the new set speed will be established.
Tapping the SET DECEL lever once will result ina1mph
(2 km/h) decrease in set speed. Each subsequent tap of
the lever results in a decrease of 1 mph (2 km/h).
To Accelerate for Passing
Press the accelerator as you would normally. When the
pedal is released, the vehicle will return to the set speed.
NOTE:The Electronic Speed Control system maintains
speed up and down hills. A slight speed change on
moderate hills is normal.Your vehicle may experience a downshift (automatic
transmissions only) while climbing uphill or descending
downhill. This downshift is necessary to maintain vehicle
set speed.
On steep hills a greater speed loss or gain may occur so
it may be preferable to drive without Electronic Speed
Control.
WARNING!
Electronic Speed Control can be dangerous where the
system cannot maintain a constant speed. Your ve-
hicle could go too fast for the conditions, and you
could lose control and have a collision. Do not use
Electronic Speed Control in heavy traffic or on roads
that are winding, icy, snow-covered or slippery.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 137

PARKSENSEREAR PARK ASSIST — IF
EQUIPPED
The ParkSenseRear 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 ParkSenseSystem
Usage Precautions for limitations of this system and
recommendations.
ParkSensewill retain the last system state (enabled or
disabled) from the last ignition cycle when the ignition is
changed to the ON/RUN position.
ParkSensecan be active only when the shift lever is in
REVERSE. If ParkSenseis 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).
ParkSenseSensors
The four ParkSensesensors, 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.
ParkSenseWarning Display
The ParkSenseWarning 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.
138 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

The ParkSenseWarning Display is located in the Instru-
ment cluster ’s EVIC display. It provides both visual and
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 ParkSenseDisplay
Park Assist System On
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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

Fast ToneContinuous Tone
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 141

The vehicle is close to the obstacle when the EVIC display
shows one flashing arc and sounds a continuous tone.
The following chart shows the warning alert operation
when the system is detecting an obstacle:
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
ChimeNone Single 1/2
Second ToneSlow Fast Continuous
Display Message Park Assist ON Warning Object
DetectedWarning Object
DetectedWarning Object
DetectedWarning Object
Detected
Arcs None 3 Solid
(Continuous)3 Slow
Flashing2 Slow
Flashing1 Slow
Flashing
Radio Mute No Yes Yes Yes Yes
NOTE:ParkSensewill MUTE the radio, if on, when
the system is sounding an audio tone.
142 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Enabling and Disabling Park Sense
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 ParkSenseswitch is pressed to
disable the system, the instrument cluster will
display the “PARK ASSIST OFF” message for
approximately five seconds. Refer to “Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in “Under-
standing 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-
Senseis disabled or defective. The ParkSenseswitch
LED will be OFF when the system is enabled.
The ParkSensesystem 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 ParkSenseRear 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
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 143