Page 512 of 770

•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
• Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
• Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual.
• Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage
to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
• After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
• If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
impacted material. Impacted material can cause a
wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
POWER STEERING
The electric power steering system will give you good
vehicle response and increased ease of maneuverability
in tight spaces. The system will vary its assist to provide
510 STARTING AND OPERATING
Page 513 of 770

light efforts while parking and good feel while driving. If
the electric steering system experiences a fault that
reduces assist or prevents the vehicle from providing
assist, you will still have the ability to steer the vehicle
manually.
WARNING!
Continued operation with reduced assist could pose
a safety risk to yourself and others. Service should be
obtained as soon as possible.If the “SERVICE POWER STEERING OR
POWER STEERING ASSIST OFF - SERVICE
SYSTEM” message and a steering wheel icon
are displayed on the EVIC/DID screen, it indi-
cates that the vehicle needs to be taken to the dealer for
service. It is likely the vehicle has lost power steering
assistance. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information (EVIC) or
Driver Information Display (DID)” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
If the “POWER STEERING SYSTEM HOT - PERFOR-
MANCE MAY BE LIMITED” message and an icon are
displayed on the EVIC/DID screen, it indicates that
extreme steering maneuvers may have occurred, which
caused an over temperature condition in the power
steering system. You will lose power steering assistance
momentarily until the over temperature condition no
longer exists. Once driving conditions are safe, then pull
over and let vehicle idle for a few moments until the light
turns off. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information
(EVIC)/Driver Information Display (DID)” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.5
STARTING AND OPERATING 511
Page 515 of 770

To apply the park brake manually, pull up on the switch
momentarily. You may hear a slight whirring sound from
the back of the vehicle while the park brake engages.
Once the park brake is fully engaged, the BRAKE warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster and an indicator on
the switch will illuminate. If your foot is on the brakepedal while you apply the park brake, you may notice a
small amount of brake pedal movement. The park brake
can be applied even when the ignition switch is OFF but
the BRAKE warning lamp will not illuminate, however, it
can only be released when the ignition switch is in the
ON/RUN position.
NOTE:
The EPB fault lamp will illuminate if the EPB
switch is held for longer than 20 seconds in either the
released or applied position. The light will extinguish
upon releasing the switch.
If the Auto Park Brake feature is enabled, the parking
brake will automatically engage whenever the transmis-
sion is placed into PARK, or with a manual transmission,
when the ignition switch is turned OFF. If your foot is on
the brake pedal, you may notice a small amount of brake
pedal movement while the park brake is engaging.
Electric Park Brake Switch
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 513
Page 516 of 770

The park brake will release automatically when the
ignition switch is ON, the transmission is in DRIVE or
REVERSE, the driver seat belt is buckled, and an attempt
is made to drive away.
To release the park brake manually, the ignition switch
must be in the ON/RUN position. Put your foot on the
brake pedal, then push the park brake switch down
momentarily. You may hear a slight whirring sound from
the back of the car while the parking brake disengages.
You may also notice a small amount of movement in the
brake pedal. Once the park brake is fully disengaged, The
BRAKE warning lamp in the instrument cluster and the
LED indicator on the switch will extinguish.NOTE:
When parking on a hill, it is important to turn the
front wheels toward the curb on a downhill grade and
away from the curb on an uphill grade. Apply the park
brake before placing the shift lever in PARK, otherwise
the load on the transmission locking mechanism may
make it difficult to move the shift lever out of PARK. The
parking brake should always be applied whenever the
driver is not in the vehicle.
WARNING!
• Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment and possible injury or damage.
• When leaving the vehicle, always remove the Key
Fob from the ignition and lock your vehicle.
(Continued)
514 STARTING AND OPERATING
Page 517 of 770

WARNING!(Continued)
•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. Children 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, or
in a location accessible to children, and do not
leave a vehicle equipped with Keyless Enter-N-Go
in the ACC or ON/RUN mode. A child could
operate power windows, other controls, 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 the transmission in
PARK. Failure to do so may allow 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.
If exceptional circumstances should make it necessary to
engage the park brake while the vehicle is in motion,
maintain upward pressure on the electric park brake
switch for as long as engagement is desired. The Brake
warning lamp will illuminate, and a continuous chime
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 515
Page 518 of 770

will sound. The rear stop lamps will also be illuminated
automatically while the vehicle remains in motion.
To disengage the park brake while the vehicle is in
motion, release the switch. If the vehicle is brought to a
complete stop using the parking brake, when the vehicle
reaches approximately 3 mph, (5 km/h) the parking
brake will remain engaged.
WARNING!
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake engaged,
or repeated use of the parking brake to slow the
vehicle may cause serious damage to the brake sys-
tem; failure to do so can lead to brake failure and a
collision.
In the unlikely event of a malfunction of the Electric Park
Brake system, a yellow EPB fault lamp will illuminate.
This may be accompanied by the Brake warning lamp flashing. In this event, urgent service of the electric park
brake system is required. Do not rely on the parking
brake to hold the vehicle stationary.
Auto Park Brake
The electric park brake can be programmed to be applied
automatically whenever the vehicle is at a standstill and
the automatic transmission is placed in PARK, or with a
manual transmission, whenever the ignition switch is
turned “OFF”. Auto Park Brake is enabled and disabled
by customer selection through the customer program-
mable features section of the Uconnect Settings.
Any single auto park brake application can be bypassed
by pressing the EPB switch to the release position while
the transmission is placed in PARK.
516 STARTING AND OPERATING
Page 520 of 770

When servicing your rear brakes, it may be necessary for
you or your technician to push the rear piston into the
rear caliper bore. With the electric park brake system, this
can only be done after retracting the Electric Park Brake
actuator. Fortunately, actuator retraction can be done
easily by entering the Brake Service Mode through the
Uconnect Settings in your vehicle. This menu based
system will guide you through the steps necessary to
retract the EPB actuator in order to perform rear brake
service.
Service Mode has requirements that must be met in order
to be activated:
•The vehicle must be at a standstill.
• The park brake must be unapplied.
• The transmission must be in Park or Neutral.
While in service mode, the Electric Park Brake fault lamp
will flash continuously while the ignition switch is ON. When brake service work is complete, the following steps
must be followed to reset the park brake system to
normal operation:
•
Ensure the vehicle is at a standstill.
• Press the brake pedal with moderate force.
• Apply the Electric Park Brake Switch.
WARNING!
You can be badly injured working on or around a
motor vehicle. Do only that service work for which you
have the knowledge and the right equipment. If you
have any doubt about your ability to perform a service
job, take your vehicle to a competent mechanic.
518 STARTING AND OPERATING
Page 521 of 770

BRAKE SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with dual hydraulic
brake systems. If either of the two hydraulic
systems loses normal capability, the remaining
system will still function. However, there will
be 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 the vehicle. In
addition, if the malfunction is caused by a leak in the
hydraulic system, the “Brake Warning Light” will turn on
as the brake fluid level drops in the master cylinder.
In the event power assist is lost for any reason (i.e.,
repeated brake applications with the engine OFF) the
brakes will still function. However, the effort required to
brake the vehicle will be much greater than that required
with the power system operating.
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 abnor-
mally high brake temperatures, excessive lining
wear, and possible brake damage. You would not
have your full braking capacity in an emergency.
• Driving a vehicle with the “Brake Warning Light”
on is dangerous. A significant decrease in braking
performance 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 immediately.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 519