2021 RAM 1500 warning

STARTING AND OPERATING183
To Turn Off
The system will turn off and clear the set speed
in memory if:
The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on/off
button is pushed
The Fixed Speed Cruise Control on/off button
is pushed
The ignition is placed in the OFF position
4WD Low is engaged
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.
Resume can be used at any speed above
20 mph (32 km/h) when only Fixed Speed
Cruise Control is being used.
Resume can be used at any speed above 0 mph
(0 km/h) when ACC is active. NOTE:
While in ACC mode when the vehicle comes
to a complete stop longer than two seconds,
the system will cancel. The driver will have to
apply the brakes to keep the vehicle at a
standstill.
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 Or Decrease The Set Speed
After setting a speed, you can increase the set
speed by pushing the SET
(+) button, or
decrease speed by pushing the SET (-) button. U.S. Speed (mph)
Pushing the SET
(+), or SET (-) button once
will result in a 1 mph speed adjustment. Each
subsequent tap of the button results in an
adjustment of 1 mph.
If the button is continually pushed, the set
speed will continue to adjust in 5 mph incre -
ments until the button is released. The new
set speed is reflected in the instrument
cluster display.
Metric Speed (km/h)
Pushing the SET (+), or SET (-) button once
will result in a 1 km/h speed adjustment.
Each subsequent tap of the button results in
an adjustment of 1 km/h.
If the button is continually pushed, the set
speed will continue to adjust in 10 km/h
increments until the button is released. The
new 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.
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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STARTING AND OPERATING185
The maximum braking applied by ACC is limited;
however, the driver can always apply the brakes
manually, if necessary.
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.
NOTE:
The “BRAKE!” Screen in the instrument cluster
display is a warning for the driver to take action
and does not necessarily mean that the
Forward Collision Warning system is applying
the brakes autonomously.
Overtake Aid
When driving with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
engaged, and following a vehicle, the system
will provide an additional acceleration up to the
ACC set speed to assist in passing the vehicle. This additional acceleration is triggered when
the driver utilizes the left turn signal and will
only be active when passing on the left hand
side.
ACC Operation At Stop
If the ACC system brings your vehicle to a
standstill while following the vehicle in front,
your vehicle will resume motion without any
diver intervention if the vehicle in front starts
moving within two seconds.
If the vehicle in front does not start moving
within two seconds of your vehicle coming to a
standstill, 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.
NOTE:
After the ACC system holds your vehicle at a
standstill for approximately three consecutive
minutes, the parking brake will be activated,
and the ACC system will be cancelled.
While ACC is holding your vehicle at a standstill,
if the driver seat belt is unbuckled or the driver
door is opened, the parking brake will be
activated, and the ACC system will be cancelled.
Display Warnings And Maintenance
“Wipe Front Radar Sensor In Front Of Vehicle”
Warning
The “ACC/FCW Unavailable Wipe Front Radar
Sensor” warning will display and also a chime
will indicate when conditions temporarily limit
system performance.
This most often occurs at times of poor visibility,
such as in snow or heavy rain. The ACC system
may also become temporarily blinded due to
obstructions, such as mud, dirt or ice. In these
cases, the instrument cluster display will display
“ACC/FCW Unavailable Wipe Front Radar
Sensor” and the system will deactivate.
The “ACC/FCW Unavailable Wipe Front Radar
Sensor” message can sometimes be displayed
while driving in highly reflective areas (i.e. ice
WARNING!
When the ACC system is resumed, the driver
must ensure that there are no pedestrians,
vehicles or objects in the path of the vehicle.
Failure to follow these warnings can result in
a collision and death or serious personal
injury.
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186STARTING AND OPERATING
and snow, or tunnels with reflective tiles). The
ACC system will recover after the vehicle has left
these areas. Under rare conditions, when the
radar is not tracking any vehicles or objects in
its path this warning may temporarily occur.
NOTE:
If the “ACC/FCW Unavailable Wipe Front Radar
Sensor” warning is active, Fixed Speed Cruise
Control is still available.
If weather conditions are not a factor, the driver
should examine the sensor. It may require
cleaning or removal of an obstruction. The
sensor is located in the camera in the center of
the windshield, on the forward side of the
rearview mirror.
To keep the ACC system operating properly, it is
important to note the following maintenance
items:
Always keep the sensor clean. Carefully clear
the windshield.
Do not remove any screws from the sensor.
Doing so could cause an ACC system
malfunction or failure and require a sensor
realignment.
Do not attach or install any accessories near
the sensor, including transparent material.
Doing so could cause an ACC system failure
or malfunction.
When the condition that deactivated the system
is no longer present, the system will return to
the “Adaptive Cruise Control Off” state and will
resume function by simply reactivating it.
NOTE:
If the “ACC/FCW Unavailable Wipe Front
Radar Sensor” message occurs frequently
(e.g. more than once on every trip) without
any snow, rain, mud, or other obstruction,
have the radar sensor realigned at an autho -
rized dealer.
Installing a snow plow, front-end protector,
an aftermarket grille or modifying the grille is
not recommended. Doing so may block the
sensor and inhibit ACC/FCW operation. “Clean Front Windshield” Warning
The “ACC/FCW Limited Functionality Clean
Front Windshield” warning will display and also
a chime will indicate when conditions
temporarily limit system performance. This
most often occurs at times of poor visibility,
such as in snow or heavy rain and fog. The ACC
system may also become temporarily blinded
due to obstructions, such as mud, dirt, or ice on
windshield, driving directly into the sun and fog
on the inside of glass. In these cases, the
instrument cluster display will show “ACC/FCW
Limited Functionality Clean Front Windshield”
and the system will have degraded
performance.
This message can sometimes be displayed
while driving in adverse weather conditions. The
ACC/FCW system will recover after the vehicle
has left these areas. Under rare conditions,
when the camera is not tracking any vehicles or
objects in its path this warning may temporarily
occur.

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STARTING AND OPERATING187
If weather conditions are not a factor, the driver
should examine the windshield and the camera
located on the back side of the inside rear view
mirror. They may require cleaning or removal of
an obstruction.
When the condition that created limited
functionality is no longer present, the system
will return to full functionality.
NOTE:
If the “ACC/FCW Limited Functionality Clean
Front Windshield” message occurs frequently
(e.g. more than once on every trip) without any
snow, rain, mud, or other obstruction, have the
windshield and forward facing camera
inspected at an authorized dealer.
Service ACC/FCW Warning
If the system turns off, and the instrument
cluster displays “ACC/FCW Unavailable Service
Required” or “Cruise/FCW Unavailable Service
Required”, there may be an internal system
fault or a temporary malfunction that limits ACC
functionality. Although the vehicle is still
drivable under normal conditions, ACC will be
temporarily unavailable. If this occurs, try
activating ACC again later, following an ignition
cycle. If the problem persists, see an authorized
dealer.Precautions While Driving With ACC
NOTE:
Aftermarket add-ons such as snow plows, lift
kits, and brush/grille bars can hinder module
performance. Ensure the radar/camera has
no obstructions in the field of view.
Height modifications can limit module perfor -
mance and functionality.
Do not put stickers or easy passes over the
camera/radar field of view.
Any modifications to the vehicle that may
obstruct the field of view of the radar/camera
are not recommended.
In certain driving situations, ACC may have
detection issues. In these cases, ACC may
brake late or unexpectedly. The driver needs to
stay alert and may need to intervene. The
following are examples of these types of
situations:
Towing A Trailer
ACC while towing a trailer is recommended only
with an Integrated Trailer Brake Controller.
Aftermarket trailer brake controllers will not
activate the trailer brakes when ACC is braking. Offset Driving
ACC may not detect a vehicle in the same lane
that is offset from your direct line of travel, or a
vehicle merging in from a side lane. There may
not be sufficient distance to the vehicle ahead.
The offset vehicle may move in and out of the
line of travel, which can cause your vehicle to
brake or accelerate unexpectedly.

Offset Driving Condition Example

Turns And Bends
When driving on a curve with ACC engaged, the
system may decrease the vehicle speed and
acceleration for stability reasons, with no
vehicle in front detected. Once the vehicle is out
of the curve the system will resume your original
set speed. This is a part of normal ACC system
functionality.
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190STARTING AND OPERATING
For limitations of this system and usage
precautions, see Úpage 194.
ParkSense will retain the last system state
(enabled or disabled) from the last ignition cycle
when the ignition is placed in the ON/RUN
position.
ParkSense can be active only when the gear
selector is in REVERSE or DRIVE. If ParkSense is
enabled while in one of these gears, the system
will remain active until the vehicle speed is
increased to approximately 7 mph (11 km/h) or
above. A warning will appear in the instrument
cluster display indicating the vehicle is above
ParkSense operating speed. The system will
become active again if the vehicle speed is
decreased to speeds less than approximately
6 mph (9 km/h).PARKSENSE SENSORS
The four ParkSense sensors (six if equipped
with Active Parksense), located in the front
fascia/bumper, monitor the area in front of the
vehicle that is within the sensors’ field of view,
and the four ParkSense sensors, located in the
rear fascia/bumper, monitor the area behind
the vehicle that is within the sensors’ field of
view. The front sensors can detect obstacles
from approximately 12 inches (30 cm) up to
47 inches (120 cm) from the front fascia/
bumper. The rear sensors can detect obstacles
from approximately 12 inches (30 cm) up to
79 inches (200 cm). These distances depend
on the location, type and orientation of the
obstacle in the horizontal direction.
PARKSENSE WARNING DISPLAY
The ParkSense Warning screen is located within
the instrument cluster display Ú page 114. It
provides visual warnings to indicate the
distance between the rear fascia/bumper and/
or front fascia/bumper and the detected
obstacle.
PARKSENSE DISPLAY
The warning display will turn on indicating the
system status when the vehicle is in REVERSE
or when the vehicle is in DRIVE and an obstacle
has been detected.
The system will indicate a detected obstacle by
showing a single arc in the left, right, or center
regions based on the obstacle’s distance and
location relative to the vehicle.
If an obstacle is detected in the left, right, or
center regions, the display will show a single arc
in the left and/or right regions and the system
will produce a tone. As the vehicle moves closer
to the obstacle, the display will show the single
arc moving closer to the vehicle and the tone
will change from a single 1/2 second tone to
slow, to fast, to continuous.

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STARTING AND OPERATING191
Front/Rear ParkSense Arcs
The vehicle is close to the obstacle when the display shows one flashing arc and sounds a continuous tone. The following chart shows the warning alert
operation when the system is detecting an obstacle:
1 — No Tone/Solid Arc 6 — Fast Tone/Flashing Arc
2 — No Tone/Flashing Arc 7 — Fast Tone/Flashing Arc
3 — Fast Tone/Flashing Arc 8 — Slow Tone/Solid Arc
4 — Continuous Tone/Solid Arc 9 — Slow Tone/Solid Arc
5 — Continuous Tone/Solid Arc 10 — Single 1/2 Second Tone/Solid Arc
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192STARTING AND OPERATING
NOTE:
ParkSense will reduce the volume of the radio, if on, when the system is sounding an audio tone.
WARNING ALERTS FOR REAR
Rear Distance
(inches/cm) Greater than
79 inches (200 cm) 79-59 inches
(200-150 cm) 59-47 inches
(150-120 cm) 47-39 inches
(120-100 cm) 39-25 inches
(100-65 cm) 25-12 inches
(65-30 cm) Less than
12 inches (30cm)
Audible Alert (Chime) NoneSingle 1/2
Second Tone Slow
Medium FastFast Continuous
Arcs-Left None NoneNoneNoneNone 6th Flashing 5th Solid
Arcs-Center None 10th Solid 9th Solid 8th Solid 7th Flashing 6th Flashing 5th Solid Arcs-Right None NoneNoneNoneNone 6th Flashing 5th Solid
Radio Volume Reduced No
Yes YesYesYesYesYes
WARNING ALERTS FOR FRONT
Front Distance
(inches/cm) Greater than 47 inches
(120 cm) 47-39 inches
(120-100 cm) 39-25 inches
(100-65 cm) 25-12 inches
(65-30 cm) Less than 12 inches
(30 cm)
Audible Alert (Chime) None NoneNone FastContinuous
Arcs-Left NoneNoneNone3rd Flashing 4th Solid
Arcs-Center None1st Solid2nd Flashing 3rd Flashing 4th Solid
Arcs-Right NoneNoneNone3rd Flashing 4th Solid
Radio Volume Reduced No YesYesYesYes

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STARTING AND OPERATING195
PARKSENSE ACTIVE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM
— IF EQUIPPED
The ParkSense Active Park Assist system is
intended to assist the driver during parallel and
perpendicular parking maneuvers by identifying
a proper parking space, providing audible/
visual instructions, and controlling the steering
wheel. The ParkSense Active Park Assist system
is defined as “semi-automatic” since the driver
maintains control of the accelerator, gear
selector and brakes. Depending on the driver's parking maneuver selection, the ParkSense
Active Park Assist system is capable of
maneuvering a vehicle into a parallel or a
perpendicular parking space on either side (i.e.,
driver side or passenger side).
NOTE:
The driver is always responsible for
controlling the vehicle, responsible for any
surrounding objects, and must intervene as
required.
The system is provided to assist the driver
and not to substitute the driver.
During a semi-automatic maneuver, if the
driver touches the steering wheel after being
instructed to remove their hands from the
steering wheel, the system will cancel, and
the driver will be required to manually
complete the parking maneuver.
The system may not work in all conditions
(e.g. environmental conditions such as heavy
rain, snow, etc., or if searching for a parking
space that has surfaces that will absorb the
ultrasonic sensor waves).
WARNING!
Drivers must be careful when backing up
even when using ParkSense. 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. You are
responsible for safety and must continue to
pay attention to your surroundings. Failure
to do so can result in serious injury or
death.
Before using ParkSense, it is strongly
recommended that the ball mount and
hitch ball assembly is disconnected from
the vehicle when the vehicle is not used for
towing. Failure to do so can result in injury
or damage to vehicles or obstacles
because the hitch ball will be much closer
to the obstacle than the rear fascia when
the loudspeaker sounds the continuous
tone. Also, the sensors could detect the ball
mount and hitch ball assembly, depending
on its size and shape, and give a false indi
-
cation that an obstacle is behind the
vehicle, and could cause false braking.
CAUTION!
ParkSense is only a parking aid and it is
unable to recognize every obstacle,
including small obstacles. Parking curbs
might be temporarily detected or not
detected at all. Obstacles located above or
below the sensors will not be detected
when they are in close proximity.
The vehicle must be driven slowly when
using ParkSense in order to be able to stop
in time when an obstacle is detected. It is
recommended that the driver looks over
his/her shoulder when using ParkSense.4

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