2020 Ram 1500 warning light

204 SAFETY
(Continued)
Indicator Light” will illuminate, and the “ESC OFF” message
will display in the instrument cluster. To turn ESC ON again,
momentarily push the “ESC Off” switch.
NOTE:
System may switch from ESC “Full Off” to “Partial Off”
mode when vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed. When
the vehicle speed slows below the predetermined speed the
system will return to ESC “Full Off”.
ESC modes may also be affected by drive modes if so
equipped.ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light And ESC
OFF Indicator Light
The “ESC Activation/Malfunction Indicator Light”
in the instrument cluster will come on when the igni -
tion is placed in the ON/RUN mode. It should go
out with the engine running. If the “ESC Activation/
Malfunction Indicator Light” comes on continuously with
the engine running, a malfunction has been detected in the
ESC system. If this light remains on after several ignition
cycles, and the vehicle has been driven several miles (kilome -
ters) at speeds greater than 30 mph (48 km/h), see an autho -
rized dealer as soon as possible to have the problem
diagnosed and corrected.
WARNING!
• In the ESC “Full Off” mode, the engine torque reduc -
tion and stability features are disabled. Therefore,
enhanced vehicle stability offered by the ESC system 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.
• The 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 all accidents,
including those resulting from excessive speed in
turns, driving on very slippery surfaces, or hydro -
planing. ESC also cannot prevent collisions.
WARNING! (Continued)
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 204

208 SAFETY
The following conditions must be met in order for HSA to
activate:
• The feature must be enabled.
• The vehicle must be stopped.
• The park brake must be off.
• The 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 (R) gear).
• HSA will work in REVERSE (R) gear and all forward gears. The system will not activate if the transmission is in PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N). 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
vehicles, 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.
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 208

SAFETY 209
Towing With HSA
Hill Start Assist (HSA) will also provide assistance to miti-
gate roll back while towing a trailer. 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 “Ucon -
nect Settings” in “Multimedia” for further information.
For vehicles not equipped with an instrument cluster
display, perform the following steps:
1. Center the steering wheel (front wheels pointing straight forward).
2. Shift the transmission into PARK (P).
3. Apply the park brake.
4. Start the engine.
5. Rotate the steering wheel slightly more than one-half turn to the left.
WARNING!
• If you use a trailer brake controller with your trailer, the trailer brakes may be activated and deactivated with
the brake switch. If so, there may not be enough brake
pressure to hold both the vehicle and the trailer on a
hill when the brake pedal is released. In order to avoid
rolling down an incline while resuming acceleration,
manually activate the trailer brake or apply more
vehicle brake pressure prior to releasing the brake
pedal.
• HSA is not a parking brake. Always apply the parking brake fully when exiting your vehicle. Also, be certain
to place the transmission in PARK.
• Failure to follow these warnings can result in a colli -
sion or serious personal injury.
4
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 209

210 SAFETY

6. Push the “ESC Off” button located in the lower switch bankbelow the climate control four times within 20 seconds. The
“ESC Off Indicator Light” should turn on and turn off two
times.

7. Rotate the steering wheel back to center and then an addi -
tional slightly more than one-half turn to the right.
8. Turn the ignition to the OFF mode and then back to ON. If the sequence was completed properly, the “ESC Off
Indicator Light” will blink several times to confirm HSA
is disabled.
9. Repeat these steps if you want to return this feature to its previous setting.
Traction Control System (TCS)
The Traction Control System (TCS) monitors the amount of
wheel spin of each of the driven wheels. If wheel spin is
detected, the TCS may apply brake pressure to the spinning
wheel(s) and/or reduce engine power to provide enhanced
acceleration and stability. A feature of the TCS, Brake
Limited Differential (BLD), functions similar to a limited slip
differential and controls the wheel spin across a driven axle.
If one wheel on a driven axle is spinning faster than the other,
the system will apply the brake of the spinning wheel. This will allow more engine torque to be applied to the wheel that
is not spinning. BLD may remain enabled even if TCS and
ESC are in a reduced mode.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) uses sensors in the vehicle to
recognize an excessively swaying trailer and will take the
appropriate actions to attempt to stop the sway. TSC will
become active automatically once an excessively swaying
trailer is recognized.
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 Towing” 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” or “Full
Off” modes.
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.
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 210

SAFETY 211
AUXILIARY DRIVING SYSTEMS
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) — If Equipped
The Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) system uses two
radar-based sensors, located inside the taillights, to detect
highway licensable vehicles (automobiles, trucks, motorcy-
cles, etc.) that enter the blind spot zones from the rear/front/
side of the vehicle.
Rear Detection Zones When the vehicle is started, the BSM warning light will
momentarily illuminate in both outside rearview mirrors to
let the driver know that the system is operational. The BSM
system sensors operate when the vehicle is in any forward
gear or REVERSE and enters stand-by mode when the
vehicle is in PARK.
The BSM detection zone covers approximately one lane
width on both sides of the vehicle 12 ft (3.8 m). The zone
length starts at the outside rear view mirror and extends
approximately 10 ft (3 m) beyond the rear bumper of the
vehicle. The BSM system monitors the detection zones on
both sides of the vehicle when the vehicle speed reaches
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h) or higher and will alert the
driver of vehicles in these areas.
NOTE:
• The BSM system DOES NOT alert the driver about rapidly
approaching vehicles that are outside the detection zones.
• The Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) system may experience drop outs (blinking on and off) of the side mirror Warning
Indicator lamps when a motorcycle or any small object
remains at the side of the vehicle for extended periods of
time (more than a couple of seconds).
4
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 211

212 SAFETY
The vehicle’s taillights, where the radar sensors are located,
must remain free of snow, ice, and dirt/road contamination
so that the BSM system can function properly. Do not block
the taillights with foreign objects (bumper stickers, bicycle
racks, etc.).Radar Sensor Locations
If the system detects degraded performance due to contami -
nation or foreign objects, a message will warn you of a
blocked sensor and the warning indicators in side view
mirrors will be on. The warning indicators will remain illu-
minated until blockage clearing conditions are met. First clear the taillights around the sensors of the blockage. After
removing the blockage, the following procedure can be used
to reset the system:
• Cycle the ignition from ON to OFF and then back ON.
If the blockage message is still present after cycling the igni
-
tion and driving in traffic, check again for a blockage.
The BSM system notifies the driver of objects in the detection
zones by illuminating the BSM warning light located in the
outside mirrors, in addition to sounding an audible (chime)
alert and reducing the radio volume. Refer to “Modes Of
Operation” in this section for further information.
Warning Light Location
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 212

214 SAFETY
Overtaking Traffic
If you pass another vehicle slowly with a relative speed less
than 15 mph (24 km/h) and the vehicle remains in the blind
spot for approximately 1.5 seconds, the warning light will be
illuminated. If the difference in speed between the two vehi-
cles is greater than 15 mph (24 km/h), the warning light will
not illuminate.
Overtaking/Approaching Overtaking/Passing
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 214

SAFETY 217
When RCP is on and the vehicle is in REVERSE (R), the
driver is alerted using both the visual and audible alarms,
including reducing the radio volume.
Modes Of Operation
Three selectable modes of operation are available in the
Uconnect System.
Refer to “Uconnect Settings” in “Multimedia” for further
information.
Blind Spot Alert Lights Only
When operating in Blind Spot Alert mode, the BSM system
will provide a visual alert in the appropriate side viewmirror based on a detected object. However, when the
system is operating in Rear Cross Path (RCP) mode, the
system will respond with both visual and audible alerts
when a detected object is present. Whenever an audible alert
is requested, the radio is muted.
Blind Spot Alert Lights/Chime
When operating in Blind Spot Alert Lights/Chime mode, the
BSM system will provide a visual alert in the appropriate
side view mirror based on a detected object. If the turn signal
is then activated, and it corresponds to an alert present on
that side of the vehicle, an audible chime will also be
sounded. Whenever a turn signal and detected object are
present on the same side at the same time, both the visual
and audible alerts will be issued. In addition to the audible
alert the radio (if on) will also be muted.
NOTE:
Whenever an audible alert is requested by the BSM system,
the radio is also muted.
When the system is in RCP, the system shall respond with
both visual and audible alerts when a detected object is
present. Whenever an audible alert is requested, the radio is
also muted. Turn/hazard signal status is ignored; the RCP
state always requests the chime.
WARNING!
Rear Cross Path Detection (RCP) is not a back up aid
system. It is intended to be used to help a driver detect
an oncoming vehicle in a parking lot situation. Drivers
must be careful when backing up, even when using RCP.
Always check carefully behind your vehicle, look
behind you, and be sure to check for pedestrians,
animals, other vehicles, obstructions, and blind spots
before backing up. Failure to do so can result in serious
injury or death.
4
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 217