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 activation(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 equipment
that may be susceptible to interference caused by
improperly installed or high output radio transmitting
equipment. This interference can cause possible loss of
anti-lock braking capability. Installation of such equip-
ment 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.
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
•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.
• 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 Elec-
tronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System
(BAS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Traction Control System
(TCS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and Electronic
Roll Mitigation (ERM). These systems work together to
enhance both vehicle stability and control in various driv-
ing conditions.
Your vehicle may also be equipped with Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) and Hill Descent Control (HDC).
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SAFETY 215
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
This function manages the distribution of the braking
torque between the front and rear axles by limiting braking
pressure to the rear axle. This is done to prevent overslip of
the rear wheels to avoid vehicle instability, and to prevent
the rear axle from entering ABS before the front axle.
Brake System Warning Light
The red “Brake System 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 “Brake System Warning Light” remains on or comes
on while driving, it indicates that the brake system is not
functioning properly and that immediate service is re-
quired. If the “Brake System Warning Light” does not come
on when the ignition is turned to the ON/RUN mode, have
the light repaired as soon as possible.
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-lockbrake system (ABS). Applying the brakes very quickly
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 mitigate roll back 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
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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 following conditions must be met in order for HSA to
activate:
•The feature must be enabled.
• The vehicle must be stopped.
• Park brake must be off.
• Driver door must be closed.
• The vehicle must be on a sufficient grade.
• The gear selection must match vehicle uphill direction
(i.e., vehicle facing uphill is in forward gear; vehicle
backing uphill is in REVERSE gear).
• HSA will work in REVERSE gear and all forward gears.
The system will not activate if the transmission is in
PARK or NEUTRAL. For vehicles equipped with a
manual transmission, if the clutch is pressed, HSA will
remain active.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 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.
Disabling And Enabling HSA
This feature can be turned on or turned off. To change the
current setting, proceed as follows:
• If disabling HSA using your instrument cluster display,
refer to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Getting To
Know Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
• If disabling HSA using Uconnect Settings, refer to
“Uconnect Settings” in “Multimedia” for further infor-
mation.
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SAFETY 217
the intended path, ESC applies the brake of the appropriate
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), starts to flash as soon as
the tires lose traction and the ESC system becomes active.
The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light” also
flashes when TCS is active. If the “ESC Activation/
Malfunction Indicator Light” begins to flash during accel-
eration, 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!
•Electronic Stability Control (ESC) cannot prevent the
natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle, nor
can it increase the traction afforded by prevailing road
conditions. ESC cannot prevent accidents, including
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
those resulting from excessive speed in turns, driving
on very slippery surfaces, or hydroplaning. ESC also
cannot prevent accidents resulting from loss of vehicle
control due to inappropriate driver input for the con-
ditions. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can
prevent accidents. The capabilities of an ESC equipped
vehicle must never be exploited in a reckless or dan-
gerous manner which could jeopardize the user ’s safety
or the safety of others.
•Vehicle modifications, or failure to properly maintain
your vehicle, may change the handling characteristics
of your vehicle, and may negatively affect the perfor-
mance of the ESC system. Changes to the steering
system, suspension, braking system, tire type and size
or wheel size may adversely affect ESC performance.
Improperly inflated and unevenly worn tires may also
degrade ESC performance. Any vehicle modification or
poor vehicle maintenance that reduces the effective-
ness of the ESC system can increase the risk of loss of
vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and
death.
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SAFETY 219
The ESC system has three available operating modes in 4H
range. The system has one operating mode in 4L range.
Two-wheel drive vehicles and four-wheel drive vehicles in
2H range have two operating modes.
4H Range (4WD Models)
ESC On
This is the normal operating mode for ESC in 4H range.
ESC Partial Off
This mode is entered by momentarily pushing the ESC
OFF switch. When inESC Partial Offmode, the TCS
portion of ESC (except for the limited slip feature described
in the TCS section), has been disabled and the ESC Off
Indicator Light will be illuminated.
This mode is intended to be used if the vehicle is in deep
snow, sand, or gravel conditions and more wheel spin than
ESC would normally allow is required to gain traction. To
turn ESC on again, momentarily push the ESC OFF switch.
This will restore the normal “ESC On” mode of operation. NOTE:
To improve the vehicle’s traction when driving
with snow chains, or starting off in deep snow, sand, or
gravel, it may be desirable to switch to the ESC Partial Off
mode by pushing the ESC OFF switch. Once the situation
requiring ESC to be switched to the ESC Partial Offmode
is overcome, turn ESC back on by momentarily pushing the
ESC OFF switch. This may be done while the vehicle is in
motion.
WARNING!
• When in ESC Partial Off mode, the TCS function-
ality of ESC, (except for the limited slip feature
described in the TCS section), has been disabled and
the “ESC Off Indicator Light” will be illuminated.
When in ESC Partial Off mode, the engine power
reduction feature of TCS is disabled, and the en-
hanced vehicle stability offered by the ESC system is
reduced.
• Trailer Sway control (TSC) is disabled when the ESC
system is in the ESC Partial Off mode.
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ESC Full Off
This mode is entered by pushing and holding the ESC OFF
switch for five seconds.
In theESC Full Off mode, the engine torque reduction
and stability features are disabled. Therefore, the enhanced
vehicle stability offered by ESC is unavailable. In an
emergency evasive maneuver, the ESC system will not
engage to assist in maintaining stability. “ESC Full Off”
mode is intended for off-highway or off-road use only. When in
ESC Full Off mode, ESC and TCS, except for the
Brake Limited Differential (BLD) feature described in the
TCS section, are turned off until the vehicle reaches an
approximate speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). For speeds at or
exceeding approximately 40 mph (64 km/h) the ESC goes
into ESC Partial Off. When the vehicle speed drops below
35 mph (56 km/h), the ESC system goes back to ESC Full
Off. To turn ESC on again, momentarily push the ESC OFF
switch. This will restore normal “ESC On” mode of opera-
tion. The ESC Off Indicator Light” will always be illumi-
nated when ESC is in ESC Partial OffandESC full Off.
WARNING!
With the ESC in ESC Full Offmode, the engine
torque reduction and stability features offered by ESC
and ERM are disabled. In an emergency evasive ma-
neuver, the ESC and ERM systems will not engage to
assist in maintaining stability. The ESC Full Off
mode is intended for off-road use only.
ESC OFF Switch
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SAFETY 221
4L Range (4WD Models)
ESC Full Off
This is the normal operating mode for ESC in 4L range.
Whenever the vehicle is started in 4L range, or the transfer
case (if equipped) is shifted from 4H range or NEUTRAL to
4L range, the ESC system will be in this mode. In 4L range,
ESC and TCS, except for the Brake Limited Differential (BLD)
feature described in the TCS section, are turned off until the
vehicle reaches an approximate speed of 40 mph (64 km/h).
For speeds at or exceeding approximately 40 mph (64 km/h)
the ESC goes intoESC Partial OffWhen the vehicle speed
drops below 35 mph (56 km/h), the ESC system goes back to
ESC Full Off. The ESC is in ESC Full Offat low vehicle
speeds in 4L range so that it will not interfere with off-road
driving, but the ESC function returns to provide the stability
feature at speeds above 40 mph (64 km/h). The “ESC OFF
Indicator Light” will always be illuminated in 4L range when
ESC is in ESC Full Off orESC Partial Off.
NOTE:The “ESC OFF” message will display and an audible
chime will sound when the gear selector is placed in the
PARK position from any other position, and then moved out
of the PARK position. This will occur even if the message was
previously cleared.
WARNING!
With the ESC in ESC Full Offmode, the engine
torque reduction and stability features offered by ESC
and ERM are disabled. In an emergency evasive ma-
neuver, the ESC and ERM systems will not engage to
assist in maintaining stability. The ESC Full Off
mode is intended for off-road use only.
2H Range (4WD Models) Or 2WD Models
ESC On
This is the normal operating mode for ESC in 2H range and
on 2WD vehicles.
ESC Partial Off
When in ESC Partial Off mode, the TCS portion of ESC
(except for the limited slip feature described in the TCS
section), has been disabled and the ESC Off Indicator
Light will be illuminated.
This mode is intended to be used if the vehicle is in deep
snow, sand, or gravel conditions and more wheel spin than
ESC would normally allow is required to gain traction. To
turn ESC on again, momentarily push the ESC OFF switch.
This will restore the normal ESC Onmode of operation.
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