Page 510 of 770

Maintenance
After driving through deep water, inspect your vehicle
fluids and lubricants (engine, transmission, Power Trans-
fer Unit and Rear Drive Module) to assure they have not
been contaminated. Contaminated fluids and lubricants
(milky, foamy in appearance) should be flushed/changed
as soon as possible to prevent component damage.
Driving In Snow, Mud And Sand
In heavy snow, when pulling a load, or for additional
control at slower speeds, shift the transmission to a low
gear and shift the 4WD system to the appropriate terrain
mode, using 4WD LOW if necessary. Refer to “Four-
Wheel Drive Operation” in “Starting And Operating” for
further information. Do not shift to a lower gear than
necessary to maintain headway. Over-revving the engine
can spin the wheels and traction will be lost.Avoid abrupt downshifts on icy or slippery roads be-
cause engine braking may cause skidding and loss of
control.
Hill Climbing
NOTE:
Before attempting to climb a hill, determine the
conditions at the crest and/or on the other side.
Before climbing a steep hill, shift the transmission to a
lower gear and shift the 4WD System to 4WD LOW. Use
first gear and 4WD LOW for very steep hills.
If you stall or begin to lose headway while climbing a
steep hill, allow your vehicle to come to a stop and
immediately apply the brakes. Restart the engine and shift
to REVERSE. Back slowly down the hill allowing the
compression braking of the engine to help regulate your
speed. If the brakes are required to control vehicle speed,
apply them lightly and avoid locking or skidding the tires.
508 STARTING AND OPERATING
Page 511 of 770

WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill or grade, never
attempt to turn around. To do so may result in
tipping and rolling the vehicle. Always back straight
down a hill in REVERSE gear carefully. Never back
down a hill in NEUTRAL using only the brake.
NOTE: Remember, never drive diagonally across a hill -
drive straight up or down.
If the wheels start to slip as you approach the crest of a
hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain headway by
turning the front wheels slowly left and right. This may
provide a fresh “bite” into the surface and will usually
provide traction to complete the climb.
Traction Downhill
Shift the transmission into a low gear and the 4WD
System to 4WD LOW range or Select Hill Descent
Control if equipped (refer to Electronic Brake Control
System in this section for further information). Let the
vehicle go slowly down the hill with all four wheels
turning against engine compression drag. This will per-
mit you to control the vehicle speed and direction.
When descending mountains or hills, repeated braking
can cause brake fade with loss of braking control. Avoid
repeated heavy braking by downshifting the transmis-
sion whenever possible.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is
always a good idea to check for damage. That way you
can get any problems taken care of right away and have
your vehicle ready when you need it.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 509
Page 514 of 770

NOTE:
•Even if the power steering assistance is no longer
operational, it is still possible to steer the vehicle.
Under these conditions there will be a substantial
increase in steering effort, especially at low speeds and
during parking maneuvers.
• If the condition persists, see your authorized dealer for
service.
ELECTRIC PARK BRAKE (EPB)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Electric Park Brake
System (EPB) that offers simple operation, and some
additional features that make the parking brake more
convenient and useful. The parking brake is primarily intended to prevent the
vehicle from rolling while parked. Before leaving the
vehicle, make sure that the park brake is applied. Also, be
certain to leave the transmission in PARK.
You can engage the park brake in two ways;
•
Manually, by applying the park brake switch.
• Automatically, by enabling the Auto Park Brake fea-
ture in the customer programmable features section of
the Uconnect settings.
The park brake switch is located in the center console.
512 STARTING AND OPERATING
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 519 of 770

SafeHold
SafeHold is a safety feature of the Electric Park Brake
System that will engage the park brake automatically if
the vehicle is left unsecured while the ignition switch is
in RUN.
For automatic transmissions, the park brake will auto-
matically engage if all of the following conditions are
met:
•The vehicle is at a standstill.
• There is no attempt to depress the brake pedal or
accelerator pedal.
• The seat belt is unbuckled.
• The driver door is open.
For manual transmissions, the park brake will automati-
cally engage if all of the following conditions are met:
• The vehicle is at a standstill. •
There is no attempt to depress the brake pedal or
accelerator pedal.
• The clutch pedal is not pressed.
• The seat belt is unbuckled.
• The driver door is open.
SafeHold can be temporarily bypassed by pressing the
Electric Park Brake Switch while the driver door is open.
Once manually bypassed, SafeHold will be enabled again
once the vehicle reaches 12 mph (20 km/h) or the ignition
is turned to the OFF position and back to ON again.
Brake Service Mode
We recommend having your brakes serviced by your
authorized dealer. You should only make repairs for
which you have the knowledge and the right equipment.
You should only enter Brake Service Mode during brake
service.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 517