2023 JEEP RENEGADE towing

STARTING AND OPERATING 89
these conditions, using a lower gear will improve
performance and extend transmission life by
reducing excessive shifting and heat buildup.
If the transmission temperature exceeds normal
operat i

ng limits, the transmission controller may
modify the transmission shift schedule, reduce
engine torque, and/or expand the range of torque
converter clutch engagement. This is done to
prevent transmission damage due to overheating.
If the transmission becomes extremely hot, the
Trans m

ission Temperature Warning Light may
illuminate and the transmission may operate
differently until the transmission cools down.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation
may be
modified depending on engine and
transmission temperature as well as vehicle
speed. This feature improves warm up time of the
engine and transmission to achieve maximum
efficiency. Engagement of the torque converter
clutch, and shifts into EIGHTH or NINTH gear, are
inhibited until the transmission fluid is warm.
Normal operation will resume once the
transmission temperature has risen to a suitable
level.
AutoStick
AutoStick is a driver-interactive transmission
f eatu r

e providing manual shift control, giving you
more control of the vehicle. AutoStick allows you to
maximize engine braking, eliminate undesirable
upshifts and downshifts, and improve overall vehicle performance. This system can also provide
you with more control during passing, city driving,
cold slippery conditions, mountain driving, trailer
towing and many other situations.
Operation
When the gear selector is in the AutoStick position
(besi
d

e the DRIVE position), it can be moved
forward and rearward. This allows the driver to
manually select the transmission gear being used.
Moving the gear selector forward (-) triggers a
downshift, and rearward (+) an upshift. The current
gear is displayed in the instrument cluster.
NOTE:
In AutoStick mode, the transmission will only shift
up or d
own when the driver moves the gear
selector rearward (+) or forward (-), except as
described below:
The transmission will automatically upshift
when necessary to prevent engine overspeed.
The transmission will automatically downshift
as the vehicle slows (to prevent engine lugging)
and will display the current gear.
The transmission will automatically downshift to
FIRST or SECOND gear (depending on model)
when coming to a stop. After a stop, the driver
should manually upshift (+) the transmission as
the vehicle is accelerated.
You can start out (from a stop) in FIRST or
SECOND gear. Starting out in SECOND gear can
be helpful in snow or icy conditions. Tap the gear
selector forward or rearward to select the
desired gear after the vehicle is brought to a
stop.
If a requested downshift would cause the
engine to overspeed, that shift will not occur.
The system will ignore attempts to upshift at too
low of a vehicle speed.
Avoid using Cruise Control when AutoStick is
engaged because the transmission will not shift
automatically.
Transmission shifting will be more noticeable
when AutoStick is enabled.
The system may revert to automatic shift mode
if a fault or overheat condition is detected.
To disengage AutoStick mode, return the gear
select
or to the DRIVE position. You can shift in or
out of the AutoStick position at any time without
taking your foot off the accelerator pedal.
WARNING!
Do not downshift for additional engine braking
on a slippery surface. The drive wheels could
lose their grip and the vehicle could skid,
causing a collision or personal injury.
4

STARTING AND OPERATING 97
(Continued)
Resume Speed
To resume a previously set speed, push the RES
button and release. Resume can be used at any
speed above 20 mph (32 km/h).
Deactivation
A soft tap on the brake pedal, pushing the CANC
button, or normal brake pressure while slowing the
vehicle will deactivate the Cruise Control without
erasing the set speed from memory.
Pushing the on/off button or placing the ignition in
the OF

F position erases the set speed from
memory.
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (ACC)
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) increases the driving
convenience provided by Cruise Control while
traveling on highways and major roadways.
However, it is not a safety system and not designed
to prevent collisions. The Cruise Control function
performs differently if your vehicle is not equipped
with ACC Ú page 95.
ACC will allow you to keep Cruise Control engaged
in li g

ht to moderate traffic conditions without the
constant need to reset your speed. ACC utilizes a
radar sensor and a forward facing camera
designed to detect a vehicle directly ahead of you
to maintain a set speed.
NOTE:
If the ACC sensor detects a vehicle ahead, ACC
will apply limited braking or accelerate (not to
exceed the original set speed) automatically to
maintain a preset following distance, while
matching the speed of the vehicle ahead.
Any chassis/suspension or tire size modifica -
tions to the vehicle will affect the performance
of t
h e

Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Colli -
sion Warning system.
Fixed Speed Cruise Control (ACC not enabled)
will not detect vehicles directly ahead of you.
Always be aware of the feature selected
Ú page 349.
WARNING!

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is a convenience
system. It is not a substitute for active driver
involvement. It is always the driver’s responsi
-
bility to be attentive of road, traffic, and weather
condi t

ions, vehicle speed, distance to the
vehicle ahead 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 and death or serious personal injury.

The ACC system:
Does not react to pedestrians, oncoming
vehicles, and stationary objects (e.g., a
stopped vehicle in a traffic jam or a
disabled vehicle).
Cannot take street, traffic, and weather
conditions into account, and may be
limited upon adverse sight distance condi -
tions.
Does not always fully recognize complex
driving conditions, which can result in
wrong or missing distance warnings.
You should turn the ACC system off:
When driving in fog, heavy rain, heavy snow,
sleet, heavy traffic, and complex driving situa -
tions (i.e., in highway construction zones).
When entering a turn lane or highway
off-ramp; when driving on roads that are
winding, icy, snow-covered, slippery, or have
steep uphill or downhill slopes.
When towing a trailer up or down steep slopes.
When circumstances do not allow safe driving
at a constant speed.
WARNING!
4

STARTING AND OPERATING 103
SERVICE ACC/FCW WARNING
If the system turns off, and the instrument cluster
display reads “ACC/FCW Limited Functionality
Frontal Camera Service Required”, “Cruise Control
Service Required”, or “Cruise Control Temporarily
Unavailable", 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
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
Towing a trailer is not advised when using ACC.
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 increase or decrease the vehicle
speed for stability, with no vehicle ahead 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.
NOTE:
On tight turns ACC performance may be limited.
USING ACC ON HILLS
ACC performance may be limited when driving on
hills. ACC may not detect a vehicle in your lane
depending on the speed, vehicle load, traffic
conditions, and the steepness of the hill.

ACC Hill Example

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STARTING AND OPERATING 109
Clean the ParkSense sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them. The
sensors must not be covered with ice, snow,
slush, mud, dirt or debris. Failure to do so can
result in the system not working properly. The
ParkSense system might not detect an obstacle
behind or in front of the fascia/bumper, or it
could provide a false indication that an obstacle
is behind or in front of the fascia/bumper.
Use the ParkSense switch to turn the ParkSense
system off if objects such as bicycle carriers,
etc. are placed within 12
inches (30 cm) from
the re

ar fascia/bumper. Failure to do so can
result in the system misinterpreting a close
object as a sensor problem, causing the “PARK -
SENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE REQUIRED”
m essag

e to be displayed in the instrument
cluster display.
NOTE:
If any objects are attached to the bumper within a
6.5 ft
(2 m) field of view, they will interfere and
cause
false alerts and possibly blockage.
There may be a delay in the object detection
rate if the object is moving.
The operation of the rear sensors is automati -
cally deactivated when the trailer's electric plug
is in s
erted in the vehicle's tow hook socket,
while the front sensors stay active and can provide acoustic and visual warnings. The rear
sensors are automatically reactivated when the
trailer's cable plug is removed.
SIDE DISTANCE WARNING (SDW)
S
YSTEM
The Side Distance Warning system has the
function of detecting the presence of side
obstacles near the vehicle using the parking
sensors located in the front and rear bumpers.
Side Distance Warning Display
The Side Distance Warning screen will only be
displayed if “Sound and Display” is selected from
the Customer-Programmable Features section of
the Uconnect system Ú page 133.
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 recom -
mended that the ball mount and hitch ball
assem b
ly be 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 vehicle sounds the
continuous tone. Also, the sensors could
detect the ball mount and hitch ball assembly,
depending on its size and shape, giving a false
indication that an obstacle is behind the
vehicle.
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 recom -
mended that the driver looks over his/her
should e

r when using ParkSense.
4

STARTING AND OPERATING 111
Clean the ParkSense sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them. The
sensors must not be covered with ice, snow,
slush, mud, dirt or debris. Failure to do so can
result in the system not working properly. The
ParkSense system might not detect an obstacle
behind or in front of the fascia/bumper, or it
could provide a false indication that an obstacle
is behind or in front of the fascia/bumper.
The presence of a tow hook without a trailer may
interfere with the correct operation of the
parking sensors. Before using the ParkSense
system, it is recommended to remove the
removable tow hook ball assembly and any
attachments from the vehicle when it is not
used for towing operations. If you wish to leave
the tow hook fitted when not towing a trailer,
contact your authorized dealer for the Park
-
Sense system operations update because the
tow hook

could be detected as an obstacle by
the sensors.

PARKSENSE ACTIVE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM —
IF EQUIPPED

The ParkSense Active Park Assist system is
intended to assist the driver during parallel,
perpendicular, and parallel park exit 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
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 recom -
mended that the ball mount and hitch ball
assem b
ly be 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 vehicle sounds the
continuous tone. Also, the sensors could
detect the ball mount and hitch ball assembly,
depending on its size and shape, giving a false
indication that an obstacle is behind the
vehicle.
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 recom -
mended that the driver looks over his/her
should e

r when using ParkSense.
4

STARTING AND OPERATING 115
(Continued)
EXITING THE PARKING SPACE
NOTE:
The function does not work for exiting a perpen -
dicular parking space, but only exiting parallel
p arki n

g spaces.
Activation
To activate this function, push the ParkSense
Activ e

Park Assist switch and then use the steering
wheel arrow buttons to select the Parallel Park Exit
feature. After the selection, the system activates
and instructs the driver through the instrument
cluster display about the operations that have to
be carried out to perform the maneuver correctly. Selection Of The Maneuver Side
Use the right and left arrow buttons on the steering
wheel


to select between parallel or perpendicular
parking mode. Then use the direction indicators
(turn signals) to choose the direction that you want
to perform the maneuver.
During the maneuver, the system asks the driver to
shift

to REVERSE, and operate the turn signal in
the direction you want to exit. Let go of the steering
wheel and use the brake or accelerator pedals as
instructed, while the system handles the steering
automatically for exiting the parking space. If the
driver continues to carry out a voluntary or
involuntary action on the steering wheel during the
exit maneuver (touching or holding the steering
wheel to prevent its movement), the maneuver will
be interrupted.

Check Surroundings — Move Backward

Before using the ParkSense Active Park Assist
system, it is strongly recommended that the
ball mount and hitch ball assembly be discon -
nected from the vehicle when the vehicle is
not us e

d 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
vehicle sounds the continuous tone. Also, the
sensors could detect the ball mount and hitch
ball assembly, depending on its size and
shape, giving a false indication that an
obstacle is behind the vehicle.
CAUTION!
The ParkSense Active Park Assist system 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.
WARNING!
The vehicle must be driven slowly when using
the ParkSense Active Park Assist system 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 the ParkSense Active Park Assist
system.
CAUTION!
4

124 STARTING AND OPERATING
Improper weight distributions can have an adverse
effect on the way your vehicle steers and handles
and the way the brakes operate.
TRAILER TOWING
In this section you will find safety tips and
information on limits to the type of towing you can
reasonably do with your vehicle. Before towing a
trailer, carefully review this information to tow your
load as efficiently and safely as possible.
To maintain the New Vehicle Limited Warranty
covera g

e, follow the requirements and
recommendations in this manual concerning
vehicles used for trailer towing.
COMMON TOWING DEFINITIONS
The following trailer towing related definitions will
assist you in understanding the following
information:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
The GVWR is the total allowable weight of your
vehicle. This includes driver, passengers, cargo
and tongue weight. The total load must be limited
so that you do not exceed the GVWR Ú page 123.
Gross Trailer Weight (GTW)
The GTW is the weight of the trailer plus the weight
of all cargo, consumables and equipment
(permanent or temporary) loaded in or on the
trailer in its "loaded and ready for operation"
condition.
The recommended way to measure GTW is to put
your f u

lly loaded trailer on a vehicle scale. The
entire weight of the trailer must be supported by
the scale.
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)
The GCWR is the total allowable weight of your
vehicle and trailer when weighed in combination.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
The GAWR is the maximum capacity of the front
and rear axles. Distribute the load over the front
and rear axles evenly. Make sure that you do not
exceed either front or rear GAWR Ú page 123.
Tongue Weight (TW)
The TW is the downward force exerted on the hitch
ball by the trailer. You must consider this as part of
the load on your vehicle.
Frontal Area
The frontal area is the maximum height multiplied
by the maximum width of the front of a trailer.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
The TSC is a telescoping link that can be installed
between the hitch receiver and the trailer tongue
that typically provides adjustable friction
associated with the telescoping motion to dampen
any unwanted trailer swaying motions while
traveling.
CAUTION!
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR or the maximum front and rear GAWR. If
you do, parts on your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle handles. This could
cause you to lose control. Also overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.WARNING!
It is important that you do not exceed the
maximum front or rear GAWR. A dangerous
driving condition can result if either rating is
exceeded.

STARTING AND OPERATING 125
Weight-Carrying Hitch
A weight-carrying hitch supports the trailer tongue
weight, just as if it were luggage located at a hitch
ball or some other connecting point of the vehicle.
These kinds of hitches are commonly used to tow
small and medium sized trailers.
Weight-Distributing Hitch
A weight-distributing system works by applying
leverage through spring (load) bars. They are
typically used for heavier loads to distribute trailer
tongue weight to the tow vehicle's front axle and the trailer axle(s). When used in accordance with
vehicle manufacturer’s directions, it provides for a
more level ride, offering more consistent steering
and brake control thereby enhancing towing
safety. The addition of a friction/hydraulic sway
control also dampens sway caused by traffic and
crosswinds and contributes positively to tow
vehicle and trailer stability. Trailer sway control and
a weight-distributing (load equalizing) hitch are
recommended for heavier Tongue Weights (TW)
and may be required depending on vehicle and
trailer configuration/loading to comply with Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) requirements.
TRAILER HITCH CLASSIFICATION
The following chart provides the industry standard for the maximum trailer weight a given trailer hitch class can tow and should be used to assist you in selecting
the correct trailer hitch for your intended towing condition.
WARNING!
An improperly adjusted weight-distributing
hitch system may reduce handling, stability,
braking performance, and could result in a
collision.
Weight-distributing systems may not be
compatible with surge brake couplers. Consult
with your hitch and trailer manufacturer or a
reputable Recreational Vehicle dealer for
additional information.
Trailer Hitch Classification Definitions
Class
Max. Trailer Hitch Industry Standards
Class I - Light Duty 2,000 lb (907 kg)
Class II - Medium Duty 3,500 lb (1,587 kg)
Class III - Heavy Duty 6,000 lb (2,722 kg)
Class IV - Extra Heavy Duty 10,000 lb (4,535 kg)
Refer to the “Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum Trailer Weight Ratings)” chart for the Maximum Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) towable for your given drivetrain.
All trailer hitches should be professionally installed on your vehicle.
4