2020 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

STARTING AND OPERATING 343
NOTE:
Any chassis/suspension or tire size modifications to the
vehicle will effect the performance of the Adaptive Cruise
Control and Forward Collision Warning System.
Activating Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
You can only engage ACC if the vehicle speed is above
0 mph (0 km/h).
The minimum set speed for the ACC system is 20 mph
(32 km/h).
When the system is turned on and in the ready state, the
instrument cluster display will read “ACC Ready.”
When the system is off, the instrument cluster display will
read “Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Off.”NOTE:
You cannot engage ACC under the following conditions:
• When in Four-Wheel Drive Low
• When you apply the brakes
• When the parking brake is applied
• When the automatic transmission is in PARK, REVERSE or
NEUTRAL
• When the vehicle speed is outside of the speed range
• When the brakes are overheated
• When the driver door is open at low speed
• When the driver seat belt is unbuckled at low speed
• ESC Full-Off Mode is active
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To Activate/Deactivate
Push and release the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on/off
button. The ACC menu in the instrument cluster displays
“ACC Ready.”Adaptive Cruise Control Ready
To turn the system off, push and release the Adaptive Cruise
Control (ACC) on/off button again. At this time, the system
will turn off and the instrument cluster display will show
“Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Off.” Adaptive Cruise Control Off
WARNING!
Leaving the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system on
when not in use is dangerous. You could accidentally set
the system or cause it to go faster than you want. You
could lose control and have a collision. Always leave the
system off when you are not using it.
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To Set A Desired ACC Speed
When the vehicle reaches the speed desired, push the SET (+)
button or the SET (-) button and release. The instrument
cluster display will show the set speed.
If the system is set when the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(32 km/h), the set speed shall be defaulted to 20 mph
(32 km/h). If the system is set when the vehicle speed is
above 20 mph (32 km/h), the set speed shall be the current
speed of the vehicle.
NOTE:
ACC cannot be set if there is a stationary vehicle in front of
your vehicle in close proximity.
Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal, after the ACC
has been set. If you do not, the vehicle may continue to accel -
erate beyond the set speed. If this occurs:
• The message “ACC DRIVER OVERRIDE” will display in the instrument cluster display.
• The system will not be controlling the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead. The vehicle speed will
only be determined by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
To Cancel
The following conditions cancel the system:
• The brake pedal is applied.
• The CANC (cancel) button is pushed.
• An Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) event occurs.
• The trailer brake is applied manually (if equipped).
• The gear selector is removed from the DRIVE position.
• The Electronic Stability Control/Traction Control System(ESC/TCS) activates.
• The vehicle parking brake is applied.
• Driver seatbelt is unbuckled at low speeds.
• Driver door is opened at low speeds.
• A Trailer Sway Control (TSC) event occurs.
• The driver switches ESC to Full Off mode.
• The braking temperature exceeds normal range (over -
heated).
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To Turn Off
The system will turn off and clear the set speed in memory if:
• The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on/off button ispushed.
• The Normal (Fixed Speed) Cruise Control on/off button is pushed.
• The ignition is placed in the OFF position.
• You switch to Four-Wheel Drive Low.
To Resume
If there is a set speed in memory push the RES (resume)
button and then remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The instrument cluster display will display the last set speed.
NOTE:
• If your vehicle stays at standstill for longer than two seconds, then the driver will either have to push the RES
(resume) button, or apply the accelerator pedal to reen -
gage the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to the existing set
speed.
• ACC cannot be resumed if there is a stationary vehicle in-front of your vehicle in close proximity.
To Vary The Speed Setting
To Increase Speed
While ACC is set, you can increase the set speed by pushing
the SET (+) button.
The speed increment shown is dependent on the chosen
speed unit of U.S. (mph) or Metric (km/h):
U.S. Speed (mph)
• Pushing the SET (+) button once will result in a 1 mph
increase in set speed. Each subsequent tap of the button
results in an increase of 1 mph.
• If the button is continually pushed, the set speed will continue to increase in 5 mph increments until the button
is released. The increase in set speed is reflected in the
instrument cluster display.
WARNING!
The Resume function should only be used if traffic and
road conditions permit. Resuming a set speed that is too
high or too low for prevailing traffic and road conditions
could cause the vehicle to accelerate or decelerate too
sharply for safe operation. Failure to follow these
warnings can result in a collision and death or serious
personal injury.
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Metric Speed (km/h)
• Pushing the SET (+) button once will result in a 1 km/h
increase in set speed. Each subsequent tap of the button
results in an increase of 1 km/h.
• If the button is continually pushed, the set speed will continue to increase in 10 km/h increments until the
button is released. The increase in set speed is reflected in
the instrument cluster display.
To Decrease Speed
While ACC is set, the set speed can be decreased by pushing
the SET (-) button.
The speed decrement shown is dependent on the chosen
speed unit of U.S. (mph) or Metric (km/h):
U.S. Speed (mph)
• Pushing the SET (-) button once will result in a 1 mph
decrease in set speed. Each subsequent tap of the button
results in a decrease of 1 mph.
• If the button is continually pushed, the set speed will continue to decrease in 5 mph increments until the button
is released. The decrease in set speed is reflected in the
instrument cluster display. Metric Speed (km/h)

• Pushing the SET (-) button once will result in a 1 km/h
decrease in set speed. Each subsequent tap of the button
results in a decrease of 1 km/h.
• If the button is continually pushed, the set speed will continue to decrease in 10 km/h increments until the
button is released. The decrease in set speed is reflected in
the instrument cluster display.
NOTE:
• When you override and push the SET (+) button or SET (-) buttons, the new set speed will be the current speed of the
vehicle.
• When you use the SET (-) button to decelerate, if the engine’s braking power does not slow the vehicle suffi -
ciently to reach the set speed, the brake system will auto -
matically slow the vehicle.
• The ACC system decelerates the vehicle to a full stop when following a target vehicle. If an ACC host vehicle follows a
target vehicle to a standstill, after two seconds the driver
will either have to push the RES (resume) button, or apply
the accelerator pedal to reengage the ACC to the existing
set speed.
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348 STARTING AND OPERATING
• The ACC system maintains set speed when driving uphilland downhill. However, a slight speed change on
moderate hills is normal. In addition, downshifting may
occur while climbing uphill or descending downhill. This
is normal operation and necessary to maintain set speed.
When driving uphill and downhill, the ACC system will
cancel if the braking temperature exceeds normal range
(overheated).
Setting The Following Distance In ACC
The specified following distance for ACC can be set by
varying the distance setting between four bars (longest),
three bars (long), two bars (medium) and one bar (short). Using this distance setting and the vehicle speed, ACC calcu-
lates and sets the distance to the vehicle ahead. This distance
setting displays in the instrument cluster display.
Distance Setting 4 Bars (Longest)
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Distance Setting 3 Bars (Long)Distance Setting 2 Bars (Medium)
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Distance Setting 1 Bar (Short)
To increase the distance setting, push the Distance Setting —
Increase button and release. Each time the button is pushed,
the distance setting increases by one bar (longer).
To decrease the distance setting, push the Distance Setting —
Decrease button and release. Each time the button is pushed,
the distance setting decreases by one bar (shorter).

If there is no vehicle ahead, the vehicle will maintain the set
speed. If a slower moving vehicle is detected in the same lane,
the instrument cluster displays the “Sensed Vehicle Indicator”
icon, and the system adjusts vehicle speed automatically to
maintain the distance setting, regardless of the set speed.
The vehicle will then maintain the set distance until:
• The vehicle ahead accelerates to a speed above the set
speed.
• The vehicle ahead moves out of your lane or view of the sensor.
• The distance setting is changed.
• The system disengages. (Refer to the information on ACC Activation).
The maximum braking applied by ACC is limited; however,
the driver can always apply the brakes manually, if neces -
sary.
NOTE:
The brake lights will illuminate whenever the ACC system
applies the brakes.
A Proximity Warning will alert the driver if ACC predicts
that its maximum braking level is not sufficient to maintain
the set distance. If this occurs, a visual alert “BRAKE” will
flash in the instrument cluster display and a chime will
sound while ACC continues to apply its maximum braking
capacity.
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