2023 JEEP GLADIATOR automatic transmission

204STARTING AND OPERATING

Four-Pin Connector
Seven-Pin Connector

TOWING TIPS
Before towing, practice turning, stopping and
backing the trailer in an area away from heavy
traffic.
If using a manual transmission vehicle for trailer
towing, all starts must be in first gear to avoid
excessive clutch slippage.
Automatic Transmission — If Equipped
Select the DRIVE range when towing. The
transmission controls include a drive strategy to
avoid frequent shifting when towing. However, if
frequent shifting does occur while in DRIVE, you
can use the AutoStick shift control to manually
select a lower gear.
NOTE:Using a lower gear while operating the vehicle
under heavy loading conditions, will improve
performance and extend transmission life by
reducing excessive shifting and heat build-up. This
action will also provide better engine braking.
AutoStick — If Equipped
When using the AutoStick shift control, select
the highest gear that allows for adequate perfor -
mance and avoids frequent downshifts. For
example, choose “5” if the desired speed can be
maintained. Choose “4” or “3” if needed to
maintain the desired speed.
To prevent excess heat generation, avoid
continuous driving at high RPM. Return to a
higher gear or vehicle speed when grade and
road conditions allow.
Cruise Control — If Equipped
Do not use in hilly terrain or with heavy loads.
When using the Cruise Control, if you experience
speed drops greater than 10 mph (16 km/h),
disengage until you can get back to cruising
speed.
Use Cruise Control in flat terrain and with light
loads to maximize fuel efficiency.
1 — Ground
2 — Park
3 — Left Stop/Turn
4 — Right Stop/Turn
1 — Backup Lamps
2 — Running Lamps
3 — Left Stop/Turn
4 — Ground
5 — Battery
6 — Right Stop/Turn
7 — Electric Brakes

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STARTING AND OPERATING205
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RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME)
TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE
RECREATIONAL TOWING —
F
OUR-WHEEL DRIVE MODELS
NOTE:The transfer case must be shifted into N (Neutral),
automatic transmission must be in PARK, and
manual transmission must be in gear (NOT in
NEUTRAL) for recreational towing.
Towing Condition Wheels OFF the Ground Four-Wheel Drive Models
Flat TowNONESee Instructions
Automatic transmission in PARK.
Manual transmission in gear(NOT in NEUTRAL [N]).
Transfer case in (N) Neutral.
Tow in forward direction.
Dolly Tow Front
NOT ALLOWED
Rear NOT ALLOWED
On Trailer ALL OK
NOTE:When towing your vehicle, always follow applicable state and provincial laws. Contact state and provincial Highway Safety offices for additional details.
CAUTION!
DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Towing
with only one set of wheels on the ground
(front or rear) will cause severe transmission
and/or transfer case damage. Tow with all
four wheels either ON the ground, or OFF the
ground (using a vehicle trailer).Tow only in the forward direction. Towing this
vehicle backwards can cause severe damage
to the transfer case.
CAUTION!
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206STARTING AND OPERATING
Shifting Into N (Neutral)
Use the following procedure to prepare your
vehicle for recreational towing.

1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop on level
ground.

2. Press and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the automatic transmission into NEUTRAL or press the clutch pedal on a
manual transmission. 4. Turn the engine off.
5. Shift the transfer case lever into N (Neutral).
6. Start the engine.
7. Shift the transmission into DRIVE or REVERSE.
8. Release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on
manual transmissions) for five seconds and
ensure that there is no vehicle movement.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with automatic transmission in DRIVE or manual transmission
in first gear.
10. Turn the engine off.
11. Firmly apply the parking brake.
12. Shift the transmission into PARK or place manual transmission in gear (NOT in
NEUTRAL).
13. Attach the vehicle to the tow vehicle using a suitable tow bar.
14. Release the parking brake.Automatic transmissions must be placed in
PARK for recreational towing.
Manual transmissions must be placed in gear
(not in Neutral) for recreational towing.
Before recreational towing, perform the proce -
dure outlined under “Shifting Into N (Neutral)”
to be certain that the transfer case is fully in N
(Neutral). Otherwise, internal damage will
result.
Towing this vehicle in violation of the above
requirements can cause severe transmission
and/or transfer case damage. Damage from
improper towing is not covered under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow
bar on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will
be damaged.
CAUTION!
WARNING!
You or others could be injured or killed if you
leave the vehicle unattended with the transfer
case in the N (Neutral) position without first fully
engaging the parking brake. The transfer case N
(Neutral) position disengages both the front and
rear driveshafts from the powertrain, and will
allow the vehicle to roll, even if the automatic
transmission is in PARK (or manual transmission
is in gear). The parking brake should always be
applied when the driver is not in the vehicle.
CAUTION!
It is necessary to follow these steps to be certain
that the transfer case is fully in N (Neutral)
before recreational towing to prevent damage to
internal parts.CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the
transmission is shifted into PARK with the
transfer case in N (Neutral) and the engine
running. With the transfer case in N (Neutral)
ensure that the engine is OFF before shifting the
transmission into PARK.

23_JT_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 206

STARTING AND OPERATING207
Shifting Out of N (Neutral)
Use the following procedure to prepare your
vehicle for normal usage.

1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, leaving
it connected to the tow vehicle.

2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Start the engine.
4. Press and hold the brake pedal.
5. Shift the transmission into NEUTRAL.
6. Turn the engine off.
7. Shift the transfer case lever to the desired position.
NOTE:When shifting the transfer case out of N (Neutral),
the engine should remain off to avoid gear clash.
8. Shift the automatic transmission into PARK, or place manual transmission in NEUTRAL.
9. Release the brake pedal.
10. Disconnect vehicle from the tow vehicle.
11. Start the engine.
12. Press and hold the brake pedal.
13. Release the parking brake.
14. Shift the transmission into gear, release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on manual
transmissions), and check that the vehicle
operates normally.
DRIVING TIPS
ON-ROAD DRIVING TIPS
Utility vehicles have higher ground clearance and a
narrower track to make them capable of
performing in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design characteristics give
them a higher center of gravity than conventional
passenger cars.
An advantage of the higher ground clearance is a
better view of the road, allowing you to anticipate
problems. They are not designed for cornering at
the same speeds as conventional passenger cars
any more than low-slung sports cars are designed
to perform satisfactorily in off-road conditions.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers. As with
other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of control or
vehicle rollover.
OFF-ROAD DRIVING TIPS
Side Step Removal — If Equipped
NOTE:Prior to off-road usage, the side steps should be
removed to prevent damage.

1. There are two nuts connecting to the body side and one bolt connecting to the
underbody on each attachment bracket. There are four attachment brackets on each
side step.

Fastener Locations (One Side)

2. Remove two nuts and one bolt from the underside of the vehicle for each of the four
brackets. Repeat for other side of vehicle.

Underside Nuts

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212STARTING AND OPERATING
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 come to a stop
and immediately apply the brake. Restart the
engine and shift into REVERSE. Back slowly down
the hill allowing engine braking to control the
descent and apply your brakes, if necessary, but
do not allow the tires to lock.
Driving Through Water
Extreme 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 vehicle's
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. Shift into FIRST gear (manual
transmission), or DRIVE (automatic transmission),
with the transfer case in the 4L position and
proceed very slowly with a constant slow speed
(3 to 5 mph {5 to 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 vehicle
fluids for signs of water ingestion.
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
responsibly. 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 determine you can
safely cross, than proceed using the low and slow
method.
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 REVERSE. Never back
down a hill in NEUTRAL using only the vehicle
brakes. Never drive diagonally across a hill,
always drive straight up or down.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission,
transfer case, engine or vehicle interior can
occur if you drive too fast or through too deep
of 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.
When driving through water, do not exceed
5 mph (8 km/h). Always check water depth
before entering as a precaution, and check all
fluids afterward. Driving through water may
cause damage that may not be covered by the
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

23_JT_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 212

266MULTIMEDIA
The doors, hood, and trunk/liftgate are closed.
The vehicle’s check engine light must be off.
The vehicle must have at least a quarter tank of
fuel, along with oil and battery power.
The vehicle’s hazard lights must be off.
If equipped, the vehicle must have an automatic
transmission.
The vehicle must be in an open area with cell
tower reception.
Your mobile device must have a cellular or Wi-Fi
connection.
If the Panic button has been pressed, the
vehicle must be started at least once after
alarming the system.
NOTE:
The SiriusXM Guardian™ Customer Care agents are
not authorized for Remote Vehicle Start services.
Contact the Uconnect Care Team for assistance.

Remote Horn & Lights
Description
It is easy to locate a vehicle in a dark, crowded or
noisy parking area by activating the horn and
lights. It may also help if you need to draw attention
to your vehicle for any reason.
If you want, you can set up push notifications every
time a command is sent to turn on the horn and
lights. Working Vehicle Conditions
The vehicle must in PARK or at a standstill.
The vehicle must be in an open area with cell
tower reception.
Your mobile device must have a cellular or Wi-Fi
connection.
NOTE:The Remote Horn & Lights feature is designed to
be loud and get noticed. Please keep in mind the
surroundings when using this feature. You are
responsible for compliance with local laws, rules
and ordinances in the location of your vehicle
when using Remote Horn & Lights.
Assist — If Equipped
Description
Vehicles equipped with the SiriusXM Guardian™
connected services feature may contain an ASSIST
button in the vehicle. Once your SiriusXM
Guardian™ connected services have been
activated, the ASSIST button can connect you
directly to the Customer Care call center (if
equipped). You will be directed to one of the
following four services:
Roadside Assistance
— If you get a flat tire or
need a tow, you’ll be connected to someone
who can help anytime.
Connected Services — Contact the SiriusXM
Guardian™ Customer Care call center to acti -vate your services, renew after your trial has
expired, for in-vehicle support for your SiriusXM
Guardian™ connected services, or help
answering any general questions surrounding
your connected services.
Uconnect Care — In-vehicle support for all
non-connected Uconnect system features, such
as radio and Bluetooth® connections.
Vehicle Care
— Total support for your vehicle.
SiriusXM Guardian™ In-Vehicle Assistance
Features — If Equipped
With SiriusXM Guardian™, your vehicle has
onboard assistance features located on the
rearview mirror or overhead console designed to
enhance your driving experience if you should ever
need assistance or support.
How It Works
Simply push the ASSIST button in the vehicle and
you will be presented with your ASSIST options on
the touchscreen. Make your selection by pressing
the touchscreen.
Requirements
This feature is available only on vehicles sold in
the US and Canada.
Vehicle must be properly equipped with the
SiriusXM Guardian™ connected services.
Vehicle must have an operable LTE (voice/data)
or 4G (data) network connection.

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284SAFETY
Disabling And Enabling HSA
This feature can be turned on or turned off. To
change the current setting, see Ú page 215 for
further information.
Towing With HSA
HSA will also provide assistance to mitigate roll
back while towing a trailer.
Rain Brake Support (RBS)
RBS may improve braking performance in wet
conditions. It will periodically apply a small amount
of brake pressure to remove any water buildup on
the front brake rotors. It functions when the
windshield wipers are in LO or HI speed. When RBS
is active, there is no notification to the driver and
no driver interaction is required.
Ready Alert Braking (RAB)
RAB may reduce the time required to reach full
braking during emergency braking situations. It
anticipates when an emergency braking situation
may occur by monitoring how fast the throttle is
released by the driver. The Electronic Brake
Control will prepare the brake system for a panic
stop.
Rear Seat Reminder Alert (RSRA)
RSRA alerts you through a visual and auditory
notification of the possible presence of an object,
passenger, or pet in the rear seats if a rear door
was opened up to 10 minutes before the ignition
was placed in the ON/RUN position. RSRA does not
directly detect objects, passengers, or pets in the
rear seats. When the previous conditions are met,
RSRA displays the message “Check Rear Seat” on
the instrument cluster display and sounds an
auditory alert upon the driver placing the ignition in
the OFF position to exit the vehicle.
To enable or disable RSRA, see Ú page 215.
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 accel -
eration, 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
collision or serious personal injury.
WARNING!
Before exiting a vehicle, always come to a
complete stop, then shift the automatic trans -
mission into PARK and apply the parking
brake.
Always make sure the keyless ignition node is
in the OFF position, key fob is removed from
the vehicle and vehicle is locked.
Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Leaving chil -
dren 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 children, and do
not leave the ignition of a vehicle equipped
with Keyless Enter ‘n Go™ in the ACC or ON/
RUN position. A child could operate power
windows, other controls, or move the vehicle.
Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up
may cause serious injury or death.

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SAFETY285
Selec-Speed Control (SSC) — If Equipped
SSC is intended for off-road driving in
4WD Low only. SSC maintains vehicle
speed by actively controlling engine
torque and brakes.
SSC has three states:

1. Off (feature is not enabled and will not activate)

2. Enabled (feature is enabled and ready but activation conditions are not met, or driver is
actively overriding with brake or throttle
application)
3. Active (feature is enabled and actively controlling vehicle speed)
Enabling SSC
SSC is enabled by pushing the SSC switch, but the
following conditions must also be met to enable
SSC:
The driveline is in 4WD Low.
The vehicle speed is below 5 mph (8 km/h).
The parking brake is released.
The driver seat belt is buckled.
The driver is not applying throttle.
The driver door is closed (If doors are attached,
the door must be closed. If doors are detached,
then driver seat belt must be buckled). Activating SSC
Once SSC is enabled it will activate automatically
once the following conditions are met:
The driver releases the throttle.
The driver releases the brake.
The transmission is in any selection other than
PARK.
Your vehicle speed is below 20 mph (32 km/h).
The driver door is closed (If doors are attached,
the door must be closed. If doors are detached,
then driver seat belt must be buckled).
The set speed for SSC is selectable by the driver,
and can be adjusted by using the gear shift +/-.
Additionally, the SSC set speed may be reduced
when climbing a grade and the level of set speed
reduction depends on the magnitude of grade. The
following summarizes the SSC set speeds:
SSC Target Set Speeds
1st = 0.6 mph (1 km/h)
2nd = 1.2 mph (2 km/h)
3rd = 1.8 mph (3 km/h)
4th = 2.5 mph (4 km/h)
5th = 3.1 mph (5 km/h)
6th = 3.7 mph (6 km/h)
7th = 4.3 mph (7 km/h)
8th = 5 mph (8 km/h)
9th = 5.6 mph (9 km/h) — if equipped
REVERSE = 0.6 mph (1 km/h)
NEUTRAL = 1.2 mph (2 km/h)
PARK = SSC remains enabled but not active
SSC Target Set Speeds — If Equipped With Off
Road+
1st = 0.6 mph (1 km/h)
2nd = 0.9 mph (1.5 km/h)
3rd = 1.2 mph (2 km/h)
4th = 1.5 mph (2.5 km/h)
5th = 1.8 mph (3 km/h)
6th = 2.5 mph (4 km/h)
7th = 3.7 mph (6 km/h)
8th = 5 mph (8 km/h)
REVERSE = 0.6 mph (1 km/h)
NEUTRAL = 1.2 mph (2 km/h)
PARK = SSC remains enabled but not active
NOTE:
During SSC, the +/- gear selector input is used
for SSC target speed selection but will not affect
the gear chosen by the transmission. While
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