190STARTING AND OPERATING
OFF-ROAD DRIVING TIPS
Care should be taken when attempting to climb steep hills
or driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural
obstacles force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill,
choose a mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible.
Keep the vehicle moving and make turns slowly and
cautiously.
If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL or diagonally
across the hill.
When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain, shift
to low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator slowly
to avoid spinning the wheels.
Do not reduce the tire pressures for this type of driving.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is always
a good idea to check for damage. That way you can get any
problems taken care of right away and have your vehicle
ready when you need it.
Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly
on the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and
suspension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to
the values specified in the Service Manual.
Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage
to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.
If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
impacted material. Impacted material can cause a
wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
CAUTION!
Always check the depth of the standing water before
driving through it. Never drive through standing
water that is deeper than the bottom of the tire rims
mounted on the vehicle.
Determine the condition of the road or the path that
is under water and if there are any obstacles in the
way before driving through the standing water.
Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving through
standing water. This will minimize wave effects.
Driving through standing water may cause damage
to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always
inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, transmis -
sion, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (i.e., fluid
that is milky or foamy in appearance) after driving
through standing water. Do not continue to operate
the vehicle if any fluid appears contaminated, as this
may result in further damage. Such damage is not
covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can cause
it to lock up and stall out, and cause serious internal
damage to the engine. Such damage is not covered
by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might not
have full braking power when you need it to prevent a
collision. If you have been operating your vehicle in dirty
conditions, get your brakes checked and cleaned as
necessary.
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SAFETY267
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 Rain Brake Support 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 system will prepare the brake
system for a panic stop.
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 door is closed.
The driver is not applying throttle.
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 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 activeNOTE:
During SSC, the +/- gear selector input is used for SSC
target speed selection but will not affect the gear
chosen by the transmission. While actively controlling
SSC, the transmission will shift appropriately for the
driver-selected set speed and corresponding driving
conditions.
SSC operation is influenced by Off Road+ drive mode if
active. The differences may be notable to the driver as
a varying level of aggressiveness.
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334SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE PLAN
Refer to the Maintenance Plan for required maintenance. More frequent maintenance may be needed in severe conditions, such as dusty areas and very short trip driving. In some
extreme conditions, additional maintenance not specified in the maintenance schedule may be required.
NOTE:Using white lithium grease, lubricate the door hinge roller pivot joints twice a year to prevent premature wear.
At Every Oil Change Interval As Indicated By Oil Change Indicator System
Change the oil and filter.
Rotate the tires at the first sign of irregular wear, even if it occurs before the oil indicator system turns on.
Inspect the battery and clean and tighten terminals as required.
Inspect the CV/Universal joints.
Inspect the brake pads, shoes, rotors, drums, and hoses.
Inspect the engine cooling system protection and hoses.
Inspect the exhaust system.
Inspect the engine air cleaner if using in dusty or off-road conditions, replace the engine air cleaner, as necessary.
Inspect and replace the Evaporative System Fresh Air Filter as necessary; replacement may be more frequent if vehicle is operated in extreme dusty conditions.
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SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE383
WHEEL AND WHEEL TRIM CARE
All wheels and wheel trim, especially aluminum and
chrome plated wheels, should be cleaned regularly using
mild (neutral Ph) soap and water to maintain their luster
and to prevent corrosion. Wash wheels with the same
soap solution recommended for the body of the vehicle
and remember to always wash when the surfaces are not
hot to the touch.
Your wheels are susceptible to deterioration caused by
salt, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium
chloride, etc., and other road chemicals used to melt ice
or control dust on dirt roads. Use a soft cloth or sponge
and mild soap to wipe away promptly. Do not use harsh
chemicals or a stiff brush. They can damage the wheel’s
protective coating that helps keep them from corroding
and tarnishing. When cleaning extremely dirty wheels including excessive
brake dust, care must be taken in the selection of tire and
wheel cleaning chemicals and equipment to prevent
damage to the wheels. Mopar® Wheel Treatment or
Mopar® Chrome Cleaner or their equivalent is
recommended or select a non-abrasive, non-acidic
cleaner for aluminum or chrome wheels.
NOTE:If you intend parking or storing your vehicle for an
extended period after cleaning the wheels with wheel
cleaner, drive your vehicle and apply the brakes to remove
the water droplets from the brake components. This
activity will remove the red rust on the brake rotors and
prevent vehicle vibration when braking.
Dark Vapor Chrome, Black Satin Chrome, or Low Gloss
Clear Coat WheelsCAUTION!
Avoid products or automatic car washes that use acidic
solutions or strong alkaline additives or harsh brushes.
Many aftermarket wheel cleaners and automatic car
washes may damage the wheel's protective finish. Such
damage is not covered by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty. Only car wash soap, Mopar® Wheel Cleaner
or equivalent is recommended.
CAUTION!
Do not use scouring pads, steel wool, a bristle brush,
metal polishes or oven cleaner. These products may
damage the wheel's protective finish. Such damage is
not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Only
car wash soap, Mopar® Wheel Cleaner or equivalent is
recommended.
CAUTION!
If your vehicle is equipped with these specialty wheels,
DO NOT USE wheel cleaners, abrasives, or polishing
compounds. They will permanently damage this finish
and such damage is not covered by the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty. HAND WASH ONLY USING MILD SOAP
AND WATER WITH A SOFT CLOTH. Used on a regular
basis; this is all that is required to maintain this finish.
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