2012 JEEP COMPASS light

WARNING!
•When leaving the vehicle, always remove the key
fob from the ignition and lock your vehicle.
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
•Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
•Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle. A
child could operate power windows, other con-
trols, or move the vehicle.
•Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving; failure to do so can lead to brake
failure and a collision.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Always fully apply the parking brake when leav-
ing your vehicle or it may roll and cause damage or
injury. Also, be certain to leave an automatic
transmission in PARK, a manual transmission in
REVERSE or first gear. Failure to do so may cause
the vehicle to roll and cause damage or injury.
CAUTION!
If the Brake System Warning Light remains on with
the parking brake released, a brake system malfunc-
tion is indicated. Have the brake system serviced by
an authorized dealer immediately.
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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 a collision. 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.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
Light” will light.
WARNING!
Driving a vehicle with the “Brake Warning Light” on
is dangerous. A significant decrease in braking per-
formance 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 a collision. Have the vehicle checked immedi-
ately.
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Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
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 a collision.
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.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•The ABS cannot prevent collisions, including
those resulting from excessive speed in turns,
following another vehicle too closely, or hydro-
planing.
•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 Warning 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 Warning 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
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required. However, the conventional brake system will
continue to operate normally if the “Brake Warning
Light” is not on.
If the “ABS Warning Light” is on, the brake system
should be serviced as soon as possible to restore the
benefits of anti-lock brakes. If the “ABS Warning 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 Warning
Light” remain on, the ABS and Electronic Brake Force
Distribution (EBD) systems are not functioning. Immedi-
ate repair to the ABS is required.
When the vehicle is driven over 7 mph (11 km/h), you
may also hear a slight clicking sound as well as some
related motor noises. These noises are the system per-
forming its self-check cycle to ensure that the ABSworking properly. This self-check occurs each time the
vehicle is started and accelerated past 7 mph (11 km/h).
ABS is activated during braking under certain road or
stopping conditions. ABS-inducing conditions can in-
clude ice, snow, gravel, bumps, railroad tracks, loose
debris, or panic stops.
You may also experience the following when the brake
system goes into anti-lock mode:
•the ABS motor running (it may continue to run for a
short time after the stop)
•the clicking sound of solenoid valves
•brake pedal pulsations
•a slight drop or fall away of the brake pedal at the end
of the stop
These are all normal characteristics of ABS.
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Hill Descent Control (HDC) – If Equipped
This system maintains vehicle speed while descending
hills during off-road driving situations. HDC will auto-
matically apply the brakes to control downhill speed to
between 4 mph (7 km/h) and 6 mph (9 km/h) depending
on terrain. The system is activated by placing the vehicle
in “Off-Road” mode and placing the shift lever in LOW
or REVERSE. Refer to “Safe Off-Road Driving” in “Start-
ing and Operating” for further information.When HDC is properly enabled, the “Hill
Decent Control Light” in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
HDC has the capability to sense terrain and will only
activate when the vehicle is descending a hill. It will not
activate on level ground. If desired, HDC can be fully
deactivated by putting the vehicle into ESC “Full Off”
mode. This is done by pressing and holding the “ESC Off” button for five seconds. Refer to “Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)” in this section of the manual.
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 like
normal. When either the brake or the accelerator is
released, HDC will control the vehicle back to the origi-
nal set speed.
HDC is only intended for low speed off-road driving. At
vehicle speeds above 31 mph (50 km/h) HDC will no
longer function. If the “HDC Indicator Light” begins to
flash this indicates that the brakes are getting too hot and
the vehicle should be stopped to allow the brakes to cool.
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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.
Hill Start Assist (HSA) – Manual Transmission
Only
The HSA system is designed to assist the driver when
starting a vehicle from a stop on a hill. HSA will maintain
the level of brake pressure the driver applied for a short
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
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 7% 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).
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.
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Disabling/Enabling HSA
If you wish to turn on or off the HSA system, it can be
done using the Customer Programmable Features in the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). Refer to
“Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in “Un-
derstanding Your Instrument Panel” for further informa-
tion.
For vehicles not equipped with the EVIC, perform the
following steps:
NOTE:You must complete Steps 1 through 8 within
90 seconds.
1. Center the steering wheel (front wheels pointing
straight forward).
2. Shift the transmission into NEUTRAL.
3. Apply the parking brake.
4. Start the engine. 5. Release the clutch pedal.
6. Rotate the steering wheel one-half turn to the left.
7. Press the “ESC Off” switch (located in the lower
switch bank below the climate controls) four times within
20 seconds. The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator
Light” should turn on and turn off two times.
8. Rotate the steering wheel back to center and then an
additional half-turn to the right.
9. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position and then
back to the ON position. If the sequence was completed
properly, the “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator
Light” will blink several times to confirm HSA is dis-
abled.
10. Repeat these steps if you want to return this feature
to it’s previous setting.
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Full On (Four-Wheel Drive Models) Or On
(Two-Wheel Drive Models)
This is the normal operating mode for ESC. Whenever
the vehicle is started the ESC system will be in this “On”
mode. This mode should be used for most driving
situations. ESC should only be turned to “Partial Off” or
“ESC Off” for specific reasons as noted below.
Partial Off (Four-Wheel Drive Models) Or On
(Two-Wheel Drive Models)
This mode is entered by momentarily pressing the “ESC
Off” switch. When in “Partial Off” mode, the TCS portion
of ESC, except for the “limited slip” feature described in
the TCS section, has been disabled and the “ESC
Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light” will be illumi-
nated. All other stability features of ESC function nor-
mally. This mode is intended to be used if the vehicle is
in deep snow, sand or gravel conditions and more wheel
spin than ESC would normally allow is required to gain
traction.To turn ESC on again, momentarily press the “ESC Off”
switch. This will restore the normal “ESC On” mode of
operation.
NOTE:
To improve the vehicle’s traction when driving
with snow chains, or starting off in deep snow, sand or
gravel, it may be desirable to switch to the “Partial Off”
mode by pressing the “ESC Off” switch. Once the situa-
tion requiring ESC to be switched to the “Partial Off”
mode is overcome, turn ESC back on by momentarily
pressing the “ESC Off” switch. This may be done while
the vehicle is in motion.
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