2013 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

To decrease speed while the Electronic Speed Control is
set, push the SET (-) button. If the button is continually
held in the SET (-) position, the set speed will continue to
decrease until the button is released. Release the button
when the desired speed is reached, and the new set speed
will be established.
Pressing the SET (-) button once will result ina1mph
(1.6 km/h) decrease in set speed. Each subsequent tap of
the button results in a decrease of 1 mph (1.6 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.
Using Electronic Speed Control On Hills
The transmission may downshift on hills to maintain the
vehicle set speed.NOTE:
The Electronic Speed Control system maintains
speed up and down hills. A slight speed change on
moderate hills is normal.
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 an accident. 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 183

PARKSENSE® REAR 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 leverposition, the system will remain active until the vehicle
speed is increased to approximately 7 mph (11 km/h) or
above. The system will become active again if the vehicle
speed is decreased to speeds less than approximately
6 mph (9 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 18 in (45 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.
184 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

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) or from the Uconnect Touch®
System (if available). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Infor-
mation Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” orUconnect Touch® Settings”
(if available) in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel”
for further information.
The ParkSense® Warning screen is located within the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). It provides
visual warnings to indicate the distance between the rear
fascia/bumper and the detected obstacle. Refer to “Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Settings” in
Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further infor-
mation.
ParkSense® Display
When the vehicle is in REVERSE, the warning display
will turn ON indicating the system status.
The system will indicate a detected obstacle by showing
a single arc in the left and/or right rear regions based on
the object’s distance and location relative to the vehicle.
If an object is detected in the left and/or right rear region,
the display will show a single solid arc in the left and/or
right rear region and the system will produce a tone. As
the vehicle moves closer to the object, the display will
show the single arc moving closer to the vehicle and the
tone will change from a single 1/2 second tone to slow, to
fast, to continuous.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 185

Single 1/2 Second ToneSlow Tone
186 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Fast ToneContinuous Tone
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 187

The vehicle is close to the obstacle when the warning
display shows one flashing arc and sounds a continuous
tone. The following chart shows the warning alert opera-
tion when the system is detecting an obstacle:
WARNING ALERTS
Rear Distance (in/cm) Greater than
79 in (200 cm) 79-45 in
(200-115 cm) 45-31 in
(115-80 cm) 31-18 in
(80-45 cm) Less than
18 in (45 cm)
Audible Alert Chime None
Single 1/2
Second Tone Slow
FastContinuous
Arc None4th Solid 3rd
Solid 2nd
Flashing 1st
Flashing
Radio Volume Reduced No
Yes YesYes Yes
NOTE: ParkSense® will reduce the volume of the radio,
if on, when the system is sounding an audio tone.
188 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Enabling And Disabling ParkSense®
ParkSense® can be enabled and disabled with the
ParkSense® switch.When the ParkSense switch is pressed to dis-
able the system, the instrument cluster will
display the “PARKSENSE 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
“PARKSENSE OFF” message for as long as the vehicle is
in REVERSE.
NOTE: The ParkSense® system will automatically dis-
able when the system detects that a trailer with trailer
brakes has been connected to the Integrated Trailer Brake
Module. The EVIC will display “PARKSENSE OFF”
message for as long as the vehicle is in reverse. The ParkSense® switch LED will be ON when
ParkSense® is disabled or defective. The ParkSense®
switch LED will be OFF when the system is enabled.
Service The ParkSense® Rear Park Assist
System
When the ParkSense® Rear Park Assist System is mal-
functioning, the instrument cluster will actuate a single
chime, once per ignition cycle, and it will display the
PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS

or the PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE RE-
QUIRED message. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion 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
PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS 3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 189

or thePARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE RE-
QUIRED message for as long as the vehicle is in RE-
VERSE. Under this condition, ParkSense® will not oper-
ate.
If PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS
appears in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC) make sure the outer surface and the underside of
the rear fascia/bumper is clean and clear of snow, ice,
mud, dirt or other obstruction, and then cycle the igni-
tion. If the message continues to appear, see an autho-
rized dealer.
If PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE REQUIRED
appears in the EVIC, see your authorized dealer.
Cleaning The ParkSense® System
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 oper-
ating properly.
• Jackhammers, large trucks, and other vibrations could
affect the performance of ParkSense®.
• When you turn ParkSense® off, the instrument cluster
will display PARKSENSE 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 PARKSENSE OFF message for as
long as the vehicle is in REVERSE.
190 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE