Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) Indicator Light
Yellow TelltaleLight What It Means
Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) Indicator Light
This light monitors the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS). The light will turn on when the ignition
switch is placed in the ON/RUN position and may stay on for as long as four seconds.
If the ABS light remains on or turns on while driving, then the Anti-Lock portion of the brake
system is not functioning and service is required. However, the conventional brake system will
continue to operate normally if the brake warning light is not on.
If the ABS light is on, the brake system should be serviced as soon as possible to restore the ben-
efits of Anti-Lock Brakes. If the ABS light does not turn on when the ignition switch is placed in
the ON/RUN position, have the light inspected by an authorized dealer.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 145
SAFETY FEATURES
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) provides increased
vehicle stability and brake performance under most brak-
ing conditions. The system automatically prevents wheel
lock, and enhances vehicle control during braking.
The ABS performs a self-check cycle to ensure that the ABS
is working properly each time the vehicle is started and
driven. During this self-check, you may hear a slight
clicking sound as well as some related motor noises.
ABS is activated during braking when the system detects
one or more wheels begin to lock. Road conditions such as
ice, snow, gravel, bumps, railroad tracks, loose debris, or
panic stops may increase the likelihood of ABS activa-
tion(s).
You also may experience the following when ABS activates:
•The ABS motor noise (it may continue to run for a short
time after the stop).
• The clicking sound of solenoid valves.
• Brake pedal pulsations.
• A slight drop of the brake pedal at the end of the stop. These are all normal characteristics of ABS.
WARNING!
•
The ABS contains sophisticated electronic equip-
ment that may be susceptible to interference caused
by improperly installed or high output radio trans-
mitting equipment. This interference can cause pos-
sible loss of anti-lock braking capability. Installation
of such equipment should be performed by qualified
professionals.
• 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 physics
from acting on the vehicle, nor can it increase brak-
ing or steering efficiency beyond that afforded by the
condition of the vehicle brakes and tires or the
traction afforded.
• The ABS cannot prevent collisions, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, following
another vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
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168 SAFETY
WARNING!(Continued)
•The capabilities of an ABS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner
that could jeopardize the user ’s safety or the safety of
others.
ABS is designed to function with the OEM tires. Modifica-
tion may result in degraded ABS performance.
Anti-Lock Brake Warning Light
The yellow “Anti-Lock Brake Warning Light” will turn on
when the ignition is turned to the ON/RUN mode and
may stay on for as long as four seconds.
If the “Anti-Lock Brake 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 required. However, the conventional brake sys-
tem will continue to operate normally if the “Brake System
Warning Light” is not on.
If the “Anti-Lock Brake Warning Light” is on, the brake
system should be serviced as soon as possible to restore the benefits of anti-lock brakes. If the “Anti-Lock Brake Warn-
ing Light” does not come on when the ignition is turned to
the ON/RUN mode, have the light repaired as soon as
possible.
Electronic Brake Control System
Your vehicle is equipped with an advanced Electronic
Brake Control system (EBC). This system includes Anti-
Lock Brake System (ABS), Brake Assist System (BAS), Hill
Start Assist (HSA), Traction Control System (TCS), Elec-
tronic Stability Control (ESC), and Electronic Roll Mitiga-
tion (ERM). These systems work together to enhance both
vehicle stability and control in various driving conditions.
Your vehicle may also be equipped with Trailer Sway
Control (TSC), Dynamic Steering Torque (DST), and Hill
Descent Control (HDC).
Brake Assist System (BAS)
The BAS is designed to optimize the vehicle’s braking
capability during emergency braking maneuvers. The sys-
tem detects an emergency braking situation by sensing the
rate and amount of brake application and then applies
optimum pressure to the brakes. This can help reduce
braking distances. The BAS complements the anti-lock
brake system (ABS). Applying the brakes very quickly
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SAFETY 169
results in the best BAS assistance. To receive the benefit of
the system, you must apply continuous braking pressure
during the stopping sequence, (do not “pump” the brakes).
Do not reduce brake pedal pressure unless braking is no
longer desired. Once the brake pedal is released, the BAS is
deactivated.
WARNING!
The Brake Assist System (BAS) cannot prevent the
natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle, nor
can it increase the traction afforded by prevailing road
conditions. BAS cannot prevent collisions, including
those resulting from excessive speed in turns, driving
on very slippery surfaces, or hydroplaning. The capa-
bilities of a BAS-equipped vehicle must never be
exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner, 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 timeexpires, 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.
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
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170 SAFETY
WARNING!(Continued)
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 ve-
hicles, people, and objects, and most importantly brake
operation to ensure safe operation of the vehicle under
all road conditions. Your complete attention 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.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) — If Equipped
TSC uses sensors in the vehicle to recognize an excessively
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 appropriate wheel(s) to
counteract the sway of the trailer. TSC will become active
automatically once an excessively swaying trailer is recog-
nized. NOTE:
TSC cannot stop all trailers from swaying. Always
use caution when towing a trailer and follow the trailer
tongue weight recommendations. Refer to “Trailer Tow-
ing” in “Starting And Operating” 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.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
This system enhances directional control and stability of
the vehicle under various driving conditions. ESC corrects
for oversteering or understeering of the vehicle by apply-
ing the brake of the appropriate wheel(s) 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 171
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 (understeering,
oversteering, braking with different grip conditions),
through the DST function the ESC system controls the
steering to implement an additional torque contribution on
the steering wheel, to suggest the most correct maneuver to
the driver. The coordinated action of brakes and steering
increases the safety and car control feeling.
NOTE:The DST is a driving aid system and does not
replace the driver ’s actions while driving the car.
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).
Hill Descent Control (Trailhawk)
178 SAFETY
NOTE:
•FCW monitors the information from the forward look-
ing sensors as well as the Electronic Brake Controller
(EBC), to calculate the probability of a forward collision.
When the system determines that a forward collision is
probable, the driver will be provided with audible and
visual warnings and may provide a brake jerk warning.
• If the driver does not take action based upon these
progressive warnings, then the system will provide a
limited level of active braking to help slow the vehicle
and mitigate the potential forward collision. If the driver
reacts to the warnings by braking and the system
determines that the driver intends to avoid the collision
by braking but has not applied sufficient brake force, the
system will compensate and provide additional brake
force as required.
Vehicles With A Manual Transmission: After the end of
the intervention of automatic braking, the engine could
stall, unless the driver can depress the clutch pedal.
Vehicles With Automatic Transmission: After the end of
the intervention of automatic braking, the transmission
may remain in last gear stored: therefore the vehicle could
lurch forward, once the brakes release a few seconds later.
If the Forward Collision Warning with Mitigation event stops the vehicle completely, the system will hold the
vehicle at standstill for two seconds and then release the
brakes.
If a Forward Collision Warning with Mitigation event
begins at a speed below 20 mph (32 km/h), the system may
provide the maximum braking possible to mitigate the
potential forward collision. If the Forward Collision Warn-
ing with Mitigation event stops the vehicle completely, the
system will hold the vehicle at standstill for two seconds
and then release the brakes.
FCW Message
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SAFETY 189
•Changing the FCW status to “Only warning” prevents
the system from providing limited active braking, or
additional brake support if the driver is not braking
adequately in the event of a potential frontal collision,
but maintains the audible and visual warnings.
Changing the status of the system is only possible with the
vehicle at a complete stop.
NOTE: The FCW system state is not kept in memory from
one ignition position to the next. If the system is turned off,
it will turn on when the vehicle is restarted.
Changing FCW Sensitivity
By changing the settings on the menu of the Uconnect
system, you can change the sensitivity of the system by
choosing one of the following three options: Near,Me-
dium orFar. Refer to “Uconnect Settings” in “Multime-
dia” for further information.
The default option is Medium. This setting provides that
the system notify the driver of a possible accident with the
vehicle ahead of it when the latter is at a standard distance,
intermediate between the other two possible settings.
By setting the sensitivity of the system to Far, the system
will warn the driver of a possible accident with the vehicle
in front when the latter is at a greater distance, giving you the chance to act on the brakes in a more limited and
gradual. This setting gives the driver the maximum pos-
sible time of reaction to prevent a possible accident.
By changing the option to
Near, the system will warn the
driver of a possible accident with the vehicle ahead of it
when the latter is a reduced distance. This setting offers a
reaction time to the driver lower than the settings Me-
dium andFar, in the case of a potential accident, while a
more dynamic driving of the vehicle.
The setting of the sensitivity of the system is maintained in
memory when the engine is switched off.FCW Limited Warning
If the instrument cluster display reads “FCW Limited
Functionality” or “FCW Limited Functionality Wipe Front
Windshield” momentarily, there may be a condition that
limits FCW functionality. Although the vehicle is still
drivable under normal conditions, the active braking may
not be fully available. Once the condition that limited the
system performance is no longer present, the system will
return to its full performance state. If the problem persists,
see your authorized dealer.
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SAFETY 191