WARNING!
Do not descend a steep grade in NEUTRAL.
Use vehicle brakes in conjunction with en-
gine braking. Descending a grade too fast
could cause you to lose control and be
seriously injured or killed.
Driving Across An Incline
If at all possible avoid driving across an incline.
If it is necessary, know your vehicle’s abilities.
Driving across an incline places more weight on
the down-hill wheels, which increases the pos-
sibilities of a down-hill slide or rollover. Make
sure the surface has good traction with firm and
stable soils. If possible transverse the incline at
an angle heading slightly up or down.
WARNING!
Driving across an incline increases the risk of
a rollover, which may result in severe injury.
If You Stall Or Begin To Lose Headway
If you stall or begin to lose headway while
climbing a steep hill, allow your vehicle to cometo a stop and immediately apply the brake.
Restart the engine and shift to REVERSE. Back
slowly down the hill allowing engine and hill
descent braking to control the descent and
apply your brakes if necessary, but do not allow
the tires to lock.
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,
which may result in severe injury. Always
back carefully straight down a hill in RE-
VERSE gear. Never back down a hill in
NEUTRAL using only the vehicle brakes.
Never drive diagonally across a hill, always
drive straight up or down.
Driving Through WaterExtreme care should be taken crossing any
type of water. Water crossings should be
avoided if possible, and only be attempted
when necessary in a safe responsible manner.You should only drive through areas which are
designated and approved. You should tread
lightly and avoid damage to the environment.
You should know your vehicles abilities and be
able to recover it if something goes wrong. You
should never stop or shut a vehicle off when
crossing deep water unless you ingested water
into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls, do
not attempt to restart it. Determine if it has
ingested water first. The key to any crossing is
low and slow. You want to use low (L Off-Road
[if equipped] ) with the 4WD LOCK engaged
and proceed very slowly with a constant slow
speed (3-5 mph [5–8 km/h] maximum) and light
throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not try to
accelerate through the crossing. After crossing
any water higher than the bottom of the axle
differentials, you should inspect all of the ve-
hicle fluids for signs of water ingestion.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the transaxle, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if
you drive too fast or through too deep of
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182
CAUTION!(Continued)
water. Water can cause permanent damage
to engine, driveline or other vehicle compo-
nents and your brakes will be less effective
once wet and/or muddy.
Before You Cross Any Type Of Water
As you approach any type of water, you need to
determine if you can cross it safely and respon-
sibly. If necessary, get out and walk through the
water or probe it with a stick. You need to be
sure of its depth, approach angle, current and
bottom condition. Be careful of murky or muddy
waters; check for hidden obstacles. Make sure
you will not be intruding on any wildlife, and you
can recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to
a safe crossing is the water depth, current and
bottom conditions. On soft bottoms, the vehicle
will sink in, effectively increasing the water level
on the vehicle. Be sure to consider this when
determining the depth and the ability to safely
cross.Crossing Puddles, Pools, Flooded Areas
Or Other Standing Water
Puddles, pools, flooded or other standing water
areas normally contain murky or muddy waters.
These water types normally contain hidden
obstacles and make it difficult to determine an
accurate water depth, approach angle, and
bottom condition. Murky or muddy water holes
are where you want to hook up tow straps prior
to entering. This makes for a faster, cleaner and
easier vehicle recovery. If you are able to deter-
mine you can safely cross, than proceed using
the low and slow method.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling sys-
tem effectiveness by depositing debris onto
the radiator.
After Driving Off-RoadOff-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 problemstaken care of right away and have your vehicle
ready when you need it.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your
vehicle. Check tires, body structure, steering,
suspension, and exhaust system for dam-
age.
•Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and
clean as required.
•Check threaded fasteners for looseness, par-
ticularly on the chassis, drivetrain compo-
nents, steering, and suspension. 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, wa-
ter, or similar dirty conditions, have the radia-
tor, fan, brake rotors, wheels, brake linings,
and axle yokes inspected and cleaned as
soon as possible.
183
WARNING!
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Allow-
ing 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
gear selector.
•Do not leave the Key Fob in or near the
vehicle, or in a location accessible to chil-
dren. A child could operate power win-
dows, other controls, or move the vehicle.
•Be sure the parking brake is fully disen-
gaged before driving; failure to do so can
lead to brake failure and a collision.
•
Always fully apply the parking brake when
leaving your vehicle, or it may roll and cause
damage or injury. Also, be certain to leave a
manual transmission in REVERSE or first
gear. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle
to roll and cause damage or injury.
CAUTION!
If the “Brake Warning Light” remains on with
the parking brake released, a brake system
malfunction is indicated. Have the brake
system serviced by an authorized dealer
immediately.
BRAKE SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with power assisted
brakes as standard equipment. In the event
power assist is lost for any reason (for example,
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 sys-
tem 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
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
result in abnormally high brake tempera-
tures, excessive lining wear, and possible
brake damage. You would not have your full
braking capacity in an emergency.
If either of the two hydraulic systems lose
normal capability, the remaining system will still
function with some loss of overall braking effec-
tiveness. This will be evident by increased pedal
travel during application and greater pedal force
required to slow or stop. In addition, if the
malfunction is caused by an internal leak, as the
brake fluid in the master cylinder drops, the
“Brake Warning Light” will light.
WARNING!
Driving a vehicle with the “Brake Warning
Light” on is dangerous. A significant de-
crease in braking performance or vehicle
stability during braking may occur. It will take
you longer to stop the vehicle or will make
(Continued)
186
Tire Pressure Monitoring Low Pressure
Warnings
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will
illuminate in the instrument cluster, a LOW TIRE
message will be displayed for a minimum of five
seconds, and an audible chime will be activated
when one or more of the four active road tire
pressures are low. Should this occur, you
should stop as soon as possible, check the
inflation pressure of each tire on your vehicle,
and inflate each tire to the vehicle’s recom-
mended cold placard pressure value. The sys-
tem will automatically update and the Tire Pres-
sure Monitoring Light will extinguish and the
LOW TIRE message will turn off once the
updated tire pressures have been received.
NOTE:
When filling warm tires, the tire pressure
may need to be increased up to an additional
4 psi (30 kPa) above the recommended cold
placard pressure in order to turn the Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light off.
The vehicle may need to be driven for up to 10
minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h) to receive this
information.Check TPMS Warnings
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will
flash on and off for 75 seconds and remain on
solid when a system fault is detected. The
system fault will also sound a chime. If the
ignition key is cycled, this sequence will repeat
providing the system fault still exists. The Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will turn off
when the fault condition no longer exists. A
system fault can occur with any of the following
scenarios:
1. Jamming due to electronic devices or driving
next to facilities emitting the same radio
frequencies as the TPM sensors.
2. Installing some form of aftermarket window
tinting that affects radio wave signals.
3. Snow or ice around the wheels or wheel
housings.
4. Using tire chains on the vehicle.
5. Using wheels/tires not equipped with TPM
sensors.NOTE:
Your vehicle is equipped with a compact
spare wheel and tire assembly.
1. The compact spare tire does not have a tire
pressure monitoring sensor. Therefore, the
TPMS will not monitor the tire pressure in the
compact spare tire.
2. If you install the compact spare tire in place
of a road tire that has a pressure below the
low-pressure warning limit, upon the next
ignition key cycle, a chime will sound and the
Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light and
LOW TIRE message will still turn ON due to
the low tire.
3. However, after driving the vehicle for up to
10 minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h), the Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will flash
on and off for 75 seconds and then remain
on solid.
4. For each subsequent ignition key cycle, a
chime will sound and the Tire Pressure
Monitoring Telltale Light will flash on and off
for 75 seconds and then remain on solid.
206
NOTE:
When filling warm tires, the tire pressure
may need to be increased up to an additional
4 psi (30 kPa) above the recommended cold
placard pressure in order to turn the Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light off.
The vehicle may need to be driven for up to 10
minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h) to receive this
information.
Service TPMS Message
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will
flash on and off for 75 seconds, and remain on
solid when a system fault is detected. The
system fault will also sound a chime. The EVIC
will display a “SERVICE TPM SYSTEM” mes-
sage for a minimum of five seconds. This text
message is then followed by a graphic display,
with “- -“ in place of the pressure value(s)
indicating which Tire Pressure Monitoring Sen-
sor(s) is not being received.If the ignition key is cycled, this sequence will
repeat, providing the system fault still exists. If
the system fault no longer exists, the Tire Pres-
sure Monitoring Telltale Light will no longer
flash, the"SERVICE TPM SYSTEM"text mes-
sage will not be present, and a pressure value
will be displayed instead of dashes. A system
fault can occur with any of the following sce-
narios:
1. Jamming due to electronic devices or driving
next to facilities emitting the same radio
frequencies as the TPM sensors.2. Installing some form of aftermarket window
tinting that affects radio wave signals.
3. Snow or ice around the wheels or wheel
housings.
4. Using tire chains on the vehicle.
5. Using wheels/tires not equipped with TPM
sensors.
The EVIC will also display a"SERVICE TPM
SYSTEM"message for a minimum of five sec-
onds when a system fault related to an incorrect
sensor location fault is detected. In this case,
the"SERVICE TPM SYSTEM"message is then
followed with a graphic display with pressure
values still shown. This indicates that the pres-
sure values are still being received from the
TPM sensors but they may not be located in the
correct vehicle position. The system still needs
to be serviced as long as the"SERVICE TPM
SYSTEM"message is displayed.
NOTE:
Your vehicle is equipped with a compact
spare wheel and tire assembly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring Display
208
1. The compact spare tire does not have a tire
pressure monitoring sensor. Therefore, the
TPMS will not monitor the tire pressure in the
compact spare tire.
2. If you install the compact spare tire in place
of a road tire that has a pressure below the
low-pressure warning limit, upon the next
ignition key cycle, a chime will sound and the
Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will
still turn ON due to the low tire. The “LOW
TIRE” text message and the graphic with the
low tire pressure flashing will be displayed.
3. However, after driving the vehicle for up to
10 minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h), the Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will flash
on and off for 75 seconds and then remain
on solid. In addition, the EVIC will display a
“SERVICE TPM SYSTEM” message for a
minimum of five seconds and then display
dashes (- -) in place of the pressure values.
4. For each subsequent ignition key cycle, a
chime will sound and the Tire Pressure
Monitoring Telltale Light will flash on and offfor 75 seconds and then remain on solid,
and the EVIC will display a “SERVICE TPM
SYSTEM” message for a minimum of five
seconds and then display dashes (- -) in
place of the pressure values.
5.
Once you repair or replace the original road
tire and reinstall it on the vehicle in place of the
compact spare tire, the TPMS will update
automatically and the Tire Pressure Monitoring
Telltale Light will turn OFF, as long as no tire
pressure is below the low-pressure warning
limit in any of the four active road tires. The
vehicle may need to be driven for up to 10
minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h) in order for
the TPMS to receive this information.
TPMS Deactivation — If EquippedThe TPMS can be deactivated if replacing all
four wheel and tire assemblies (road tires) with
wheel and tire assemblies that do not have
TPMS Sensors, such as when installing Winter
wheel and tire assemblies on your vehicle. To
deactivate the TPMS, first, replace all four
wheel and tire assemblies (road tires) with tires
not equipped with Tire Pressure Monitoring(TPM) Sensors. Then, drive the vehicle for 10
minutes above 15 mph (24 km/h). The TPMS
will chime, the “TPM Telltale Light” will flash on
and off for 75 seconds and then remain on and
the Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC) will display the “SERVICE TPM SYS-
TEM” message and then display dashes (--) in
place of the pressure values. Beginning with the
next ignition switch cycle, the TPMS will no
longer chime or flash the TPM telltale and
display the “SERVICE TPM SYSTEM” message
in the EVIC but dashes (--) will remain in place
of the pressure values.
To reactivate the TPMS, replace all four wheel
and tire assemblies (road tires) with tires
equipped with TPM sensors. Then, drive the
vehicle for up to 10 minutes above 15 mph
(24 km/h). The TPMS will chime, the “TPM
Telltale Light” will flash on and off for 75 sec-
onds and then turn off, and the Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) will display
the “SERVICE TPM SYSTEM” message. The
EVIC will also display pressure values in place
of the dashes. On the next ignition switch cycle
209
WARNING!(Continued)
•Guard against carbon monoxide with
proper maintenance. Have the exhaust
system inspected every time the vehicle is
raised. Have any abnormal conditions re-
paired promptly. Until repaired, drive with
all side windows fully open.
•Keep the liftgate closed when driving your
vehicle to prevent carbon monoxide and
other poisonous exhaust gases from en-
tering the vehicle.
ADDING FUEL
Locking Fuel Filler Cap (Gas Cap)The locking gas cap is inside the fuel filler door,
on the left side of the vehicle. If the gas cap is
lost or damaged, be sure the replacement cap
is for use with this vehicle.
1. Turn off the engine.2. Insert the ignition key into the fuel cap and
turn the key one-quarter turn to the right,
then rotate the fuel cap to the left to remove.
3. After removing the gas cap, place the gas
cap tether cable over a hook on the inside of
the fuel door. This keeps the gas cap sus-
pended away from and protects the vehicle’s
surface.
4. Rotate the ignition key back to the left to
remove the key from the cap.
5. To replace the cap, insert it into the filler neck
and tighten to the right until at least one click
is heard.NOTE:
•When the fuel nozzle “clicks” or shuts off,
the fuel tank is full.
•Tighten the gas cap about 1/4 turn until
you hear one click. This is an indication
that cap is properly tightened.
•If the gas cap is not tightened properly,
the MIL will come on. Be sure the gas cap
is tightened every time the vehicle is
refueled.
Loose Fuel Filler Cap MessageIf the vehicle diagnostic system determines that
the fuel filler cap is loose or improperly installed,
a “gASCAP” message will be displayed in the
Odometer/Trip Odometer in the instrument clus-
ter. Refer to “Warning And Indicator Lights” in
“Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for fur-
ther information. Tighten the fuel filler cap prop-
erly and push the odometer/trip odometer RE-
SET button to turn the message off. If the
problem continues, the message will appear the
next time the vehicle is started. Refer to “On-
board Diagnostic System” in “Maintaining Your
Vehicle” for further information.
212
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle
Towing Condition Wheels OFF the Ground Manual Transmission Automatic Transmission
Flat Tow None
•Transmission in NEUTRAL
•Key in ACC PositionNOT ALLOWED
Dolly TowFront FWD Models ONLY FWD Models ONLY
Rear NOT ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED
On Trailer All OK OK
NOTE:
•
When recreational towing your vehicle, al-
ways follow applicable state and provincial
laws. Contact state and provincial Highway
Safety offices for additional details.
•Vehicles equipped with manual transmis-
sions may be recreational towed (flat
towed) at any legal highway speed, for
any distance, if the manual transmission
is in NEUTRAL and the ignition key is in
the ACC position.
CAUTION!
•DO NOT flat tow any vehicle equipped with
an automatic transmission. Damage to the
drivetrain will result. If these vehicles re-
quire towing, make sure all drive wheels
are OFF the ground.
•DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Inter-
nal damage to the transmission or transfer
case will occur if a dolly is used when
recreational towing.
223