2015 JEEP RENEGADE brake

driving maneuvers. It cannot prevent wheel lift due to
other factors, such as road conditions, leaving the road-
way, or striking objects or other vehicles.
NOTE:ERM is disabled anytime the ESC is in “Full Off”
mode. Refer to Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in this
section for a complete explanation of the available ESC
modes.
WARNING!
Many factors, such as vehicle loading, road condi-
tions, and driving conditions, influence the chance
that wheel lift or rollover may occur. Electronic Roll
Mitigation (ERM) cannot prevent all wheel lift or
rollovers, especially those that involve leaving the
roadway or striking objects or other vehicles. The
capabilities of an ERM-equipped vehicle must never
be exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner,
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WARNING!(Continued)
which could jeopardize the user’s safety or the safety
of others.
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
The HSA system is designed to help the driver accelerate
the vehicle from a complete stop while on an incline. If
the driver releases the brake while stopped on an incline,
HSA will continue to hold the brake pressure for a short
period. If the driver does not apply the throttle before this
time expires, the system will release brake pressure and
the vehicle will roll down the hill as normal. The system
will release brake pressure in proportion to amount of
throttle applied.
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SAFETY 229

The following conditions must be met in order for HSA to
activate:
•The vehicle must be stopped.
•The vehicle must be on a 5% (approximate) grade or
greater hill.
•The gear selection must match vehicle uphill direction
(i.e., vehicle facing uphill is in forward gear; vehicle
backing uphill is in REVERSE gear).
•For vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission,
the HSA will work in REVERSE gear and all forward
gears. The system will not activate if the transmission
is in PARK.
WARNING!
There may be situations where the Hill Start Assist
(HSA) will not activate and slight rolling may occur,
such as on minor hills or with a loaded vehicle, or
while pulling a trailer. HSA is not a substitute for
active driving involvement. It is always the driver ’s
responsibility to be attentive to distance to other
vehicles, people, and objects, and most importantly
brake operation to ensure safe operation of the ve-
hicle under all road conditions. Your complete atten-
tion is always required while driving to maintain
safe control of your vehicle. Failure to follow these
warnings can result in a collision or serious personal
injury.
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Hill Descent Control (HDC) — If Equipped
HDC is intended for low speed off road driving while in
4WD Low Range. HDC maintains vehicle speed while
descending hills during various driving situations. HDC
controls vehicle speed by actively controlling the brakes.
HDC has three states:
1. Off (feature is not enabled and will not activate).
2. Enabled (feature is enabled and ready but activation
conditions are not met, or driver is actively overriding
with brake or throttle application).
3. Active (feature is enabled and actively controlling
vehicle speed).
Enabling HDC
HDC is enabled by pushing the HDC switch, but the
following conditions must also be met to enable HDC:
•Driveline is in 4WD Low Range.
•Vehicle speed is below 7.5 mph (12 km/h).
•Electric Park Brake (EPB) is released.
•Driver door is closed.
Hill Descent Control (Trailhawk)
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SAFETY 231

Activating HDC
Once HDC is enabled, it will activate automatically if
driven down a grade of sufficient magnitude (greater
than approximately 8%). The set speed for HDC is
selectable by the driver and can be adjusted using brake
and throttle input.
Driver Override:
The driver may override HDC activation with throttle or
brake application at anytime.
Deactivating HDC
HDC will be deactivated but remain available if any of
the following conditions occur:
•Driver overrides HDC set speed with throttle or brake
application.
•Vehicle speed exceeds 7.5 mph (12 km/h) but remains
below 25 mph (40 km/h).
•Vehicle is on a downhill grade of insufficient magni-
tude (less than approximately 8%), is on level ground,
or is on an uphill grade.
•Vehicle is shifted to PARK.
Disabling HDC
HDC will be deactivated and disabled if any of the
following conditions occur:
•The driver pushes the HDC switch.
•The driveline is shifted out of 4WD Low Range.
•Driver door opens.
•The vehicle is driven greater than 25 mph (40 km/h)
(HDC exits immediately.)
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Feedback To The Driver:
The instrument cluster has an HDC icon and the HDC
switch has an LED which offer feedback to the driver
about the state HDC is in.
•The cluster icon and switch lamp will illuminate and
remain solid when HDC is enabled or activated. This is
the normal operating condition for HDC.
•The cluster icon and switch lamp will flash for several
seconds then extinguish when the driver pushes the
HDC switch when enable conditions have not been met.
•The cluster icon and switch lamp will flash for several
seconds then extinguish when HDC deactivates due to
excess speed.
•The cluster icon and switch lamp will flash when HDC
deactivates due to overheated brakes. The flashing will
stop and HDC will activate again once the brakes have
cooled sufficiently.
The Hill Descent Switch is located within the Selec-
Terrain™ knob in the upper right position.
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.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
This system enhances directional control and stability of
the vehicle under various driving conditions. ESC cor-
rects for oversteering or understeering of the vehicle by
applying the brake of the appropriate wheel to assist in
counteracting the oversteer or understeer condition. En-
gine power may also be reduced to help the vehicle
maintain the desired path.
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SAFETY 233

ESC uses sensors in the vehicle to determine the vehicle
path intended by the driver and compares it to the actual
path of the vehicle. When the actual path does not match
the intended path, ESC applies the brake of the appro-
priate wheel to assist in counteracting the oversteer or
understeer condition.
•Oversteer - when the vehicle is turning more than
appropriate for the steering wheel position.
•Understeer - when the vehicle is turning less than
appropriate for the steering wheel position.
The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light” lo-
cated in the instrument cluster will start to flash as soon
as the tires lose traction and the ESC system becomes
active. The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator
Light” also flashes when the TCS is active. If the “ESC
Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light” begins to flash
during acceleration, ease up on the accelerator and apply
as little throttle as possible. Be sure to adapt your speed
and driving to the prevailing road conditions.
WARNING!
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting on the
vehicle, nor can it increase the traction afforded by
prevailing road conditions. ESC cannot prevent col-
lisions, including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, driving on very slippery surfaces, or
hydroplaning. ESC also cannot prevent collisions
resulting from loss of vehicle control due to inappro-
priate driver input for the conditions. Only a safe,
attentive, and skillful driver can prevent collisions.
The capabilities of an ESC equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner
which could jeopardize the user ’s safety or the safety
of others.
234 SAFETY

flashes when Traction Control System is active. If the
“ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light” begins to
flash during acceleration, ease up on the accelerator and
apply as little throttle as possible. Be sure to adapt your
speed and driving to the prevailing road conditions.
NOTE:
•The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light”
and the “ESC OFF Indicator Light” come on momen-
tarily each time the ignition switch is turned ON.
•Each time the ignition is turned ON, the ESC system
will be ON even if it was turned off previously.
•The ESC system will make buzzing or clicking sounds
when it is active. This is normal; the sounds will stop
when ESC becomes inactive following the maneuver
that caused the ESC activation.
The#ESC OFF Indicator Light#indicates the
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is partially
off or full off.
The ESC OFF switch is located in the center console.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
TSC uses sensors in the vehicle to recognize an exces-
sively swaying trailer and will take the appropriate
actions to attempt to stop the sway. The system may
reduce engine power and apply the brake of the appro-
priate wheel(s) to counteract the sway of the trailer. TSC
will become active automatically once an excessively
swaying trailer is recognized.
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SAFETY 239

NOTE:TSC cannot stop all trailers from swaying. Al-
ways use caution when towing a trailer and follow the
trailer tongue weight recommendations. Refer to “Trailer
Towing” in this section for further information. When
TSC is functioning, the “ESC Activation/Malfunction
Indicator Light” will flash, the engine power may be
reduced and you may feel the brakes being applied to
individual wheels to attempt to stop the trailer from
swaying. TSC is disabled when the ESC system is in the
“Partial Off” mode.
WARNING!
If TSC activates while driving, slow the vehicle
down, stop at the nearest safe location, and adjust the
trailer load to eliminate trailer sway.
Ready Alert Braking (RAB)
Ready Alert Braking may reduce the time required to
reach full braking during emergency braking situations.
It anticipates when an emergency braking situation may
occur by monitoring how fast the throttle is released by
the driver. When the throttle is released very quickly,
Ready Alert Braking applies a small amount of brake
pressure. This brake pressure will not be noticed by the
driver. The brake system uses this brake pressure to allow
a fast brake response if the driver applies the brakes.
Dynamic Steering Torque (DST)
The DST function uses the integration of the ESC system
with the electric power steering to increase the safety
level of the whole car. In critical situations (understeer-
ing, oversteering, braking with different grip conditions),
through the DST function the ESC system controls the
steering to implement an additional torque contribution
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