2019 JEEP CHEROKEE TRAILHAWK recreational towing

WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe practices
that limit your response to changing traffic or road
conditions. You might lose control of the vehicle and
have a collision.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can cause
severe transmission damage.
Refer to “Recreational Towing” in “Starting And Op-
erating” and “Towing A Disabled Vehicle” in “In Case
Of Emergency” for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and downshifts,
and the best fuel economy. The transmission automatically
upshifts through all forward gears. The DRIVE position
provides optimum driving characteristics under all normal
operating conditions.When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as when
operating the vehicle under heavy loading conditions, in
hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or while
towing a heavy trailer), use the AutoStick shift control
(refer to
AutoStick in this section for further information)
to select a lower gear. Under these conditions, using a
lower gear will improve performance and extend transmis-
sion life by reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
If the transmission temperature exceeds normal operating
limits, the transmission controller may modify the trans-
mission shift schedule, reduce engine torque, and/or ex-
pand the range of torque converter clutch engagement.
This is done to prevent transmission damage due to
overheating.
If the transmission becomes extremely hot, the “Transmis-
sion Temperature Warning Light” may illuminate and the
transmission may operate differently until the transmission
cools down.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may be
modified depending on engine and transmission tempera-
ture as well as vehicle speed. This feature improves warm
up time of the engine and transmission to achieve maxi-
mum efficiency. Engagement of the torque converter
clutch, and shifts into 8th or 9th gear, are inhibited until the
6
STARTING AND OPERATING 271

Refer to “Recreational Towing” in “Starting And Operat-
ing” for further information.

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Tow only in a forward direction. Towing this vehicle
backwards can cause severe damage to the power
transfer unit.
• The transmission must be in PARK for recreational
towing.
• Before recreational towing, perform the procedure
outlined under “Shifting into NEUTRAL (N)” to be
certain that the power transfer unit is fully in NEU-
TRAL (N). Otherwise, internal damage will result.
• Towing this vehicle in violation of the above require-
ments can cause severe transmission and/or power
transfer unit damage. Damage from improper towing
is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited War-
ranty.
• Ensure that the Electric Park Brake is released, and
remains released, while being towed.
• Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar on
your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be damaged.
Shifting Into NEUTRAL (N)
WARNING!
You or others could be injured or killed if you leave the
vehicle unattended with the power transfer unit in the
NEUTRAL (N) position without first fully engaging
the parking brake. The NEUTRAL (N) position disen-
gages both the front and rear driveshafts from the
powertrain and will allow the vehicle to roll, even if
the transmission is in PARK. The parking brake
should always be applied when the driver is not in the
vehicle.
Use the following procedure to shift the 4WD system into
NEUTRAL (N).

If flatbed equipment is not available and the Power Trans-
fer Unit is operable, vehicleswith a 2–speed Power Trans-
fer Unit may be towed (in the forward direction, with ALL
wheels on the ground), under the following conditions:
• The Power Transfer Unit must be in NEUTRAL (N).
• The transmission must be in PARK.
• Ensure that the Electric Park Brake is released, and
remains released, while being towed.
Refer to “Recreational Towing” in “Starting And Operat-
ing” for detailed instructions.