Ram 2500 2013 Owner's Manual

To Deactivate
A soft tap on the brake pedal, pushing the CANCEL
button, or normal brake pressure while slowing the
vehicle will deactivate Electronic Speed Control without
erasing the set speed memory. Pressing the ON/OFF
button or turning the ignition switch OFF erases the set
speed memory.
To 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).
To Vary The Speed Setting
When the Electronic Speed Control is set, you can in-
crease speed by pushing the RES (+) button. If the button
is continually pressed, the set speed will continue to
increase until the button is released, then the new set
speed will be established.Pressing the RES (+) button once will result ina1mph
(1.6 km/h) increase in set speed. Each subsequent tap of
the button results in an increase of 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
To decrease speed while the Electronic Speed Control is
set, push the SET (-) button. If the button is continually
held in the SET (-) position, the set speed will continue to
decrease until the button is released. Release the button
when the desired speed is reached, and the new set speed
will be established.
Pressing the SET (-) button once will result ina1mph
(1.6 km/h) decrease in set speed. Each subsequent tap of
the button results in a decrease of 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
To Accelerate For Passing
Press the accelerator as you would normally. When the
pedal is released, the vehicle will return to the set speed.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 179

Using Electronic Speed Control On Hills
The transmission may downshift on hills to maintain the
vehicle set speed.
NOTE:The Electronic Speed Control system maintains
speed up and down hills. A slight speed change on
moderate hills is normal.
On steep hills, a greater speed loss or gain may occur so
it may be preferable to drive without Electronic Speed
Control.
WARNING!
Electronic Speed Control can be dangerous where the
system cannot maintain a constant speed. Your ve-
hicle could go too fast for the conditions, and you
could lose control and have an accident. Do not use
Electronic Speed Control in heavy traffic or on roads
that are winding, icy, snow-covered or slippery.
PARKSENSE® REAR PARK ASSIST — IF
EQUIPPED
The ParkSense® Rear Park Assist system provides visual
and audible indications of the distance between the rear
fascia and a detected obstacle when backing up, e.g.
during a parking maneuver. Refer to ParkSense® System
Usage Precautions for limitations of this system and
recommendations.
ParkSense® will retain the last system state (enabled or
disabled) from the last ignition cycle when the ignition is
changed to the ON/RUN position.
ParkSense® can be active only when the shift lever is in
REVERSE. If ParkSense® is enabled at this shift lever
position, the system will remain active until the vehicle
speed is increased to approximately 7 mph (11 km/h) or
above. The system will become active again if the vehicle
speed is decreased to speeds less than approximately
6 mph (9 km/h).
180 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

ParkSense® Sensors
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 sensors can detect
obstacles from approximately 18 in (45 cm) up to 79 in
(200 cm) from the rear fascia/bumper in the horizontal
direction, depending on the location, type and orienta-
tion of the obstacle.
ParkSense® Warning Display
The ParkSense® Warning screen will only be displayed if
Sound and Display is selected from the Customer- Pro-
grammable Features section of the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC) or from the Uconnect® Sys-
tem (if available). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings (Customer-
Programmable Features)” orUconnect ® Settings” (if
available) in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for
further information. The ParkSense® Warning screen is located within the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). It provides
visual warnings to indicate the distance between the rear
fascia/bumper and the detected obstacle. Refer to “Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Settings” in
Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further infor-
mation.
ParkSense® Display
When the vehicle is in REVERSE, the warning display
will turn ON indicating the system status.
The system will indicate a detected obstacle by showing
a single arc in the left and/or right rear regions based on
the object’s distance and location relative to the vehicle.
If an object is detected in the left and/or right rear region,
the display will show a single solid arc in the left and/or
right rear region and the system will produce a tone. As
the vehicle moves closer to the object, the display will
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 181

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.
Single 1/2 Second Tone
Slow Tone
182 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

The vehicle is close to the obstacle when the warning
display shows one flashing arc and sounds a continuous
tone. The following chart shows the warning alert opera-
tion when the system is detecting an obstacle:
Fast ToneContinuous Tone
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 183

WARNING ALERTS
Rear Distance (in/cm) Greater than
79 in (200 cm) 79-45 in
(200-115 cm) 45-31 in
(115-80 cm) 31-18 in
(80-45 cm) Less than
18 in (45 cm)
Audible Alert Chime None
Single 1/2
Second Tone Slow
FastContinuous
Arc None4th Solid 3rd
Solid 2nd
Flashing 1st
Flashing
Radio Volume Reduced No
Yes YesYes Yes
NOTE: ParkSense® will reduce the volume of the radio,
if on, when the system is sounding an audio tone.
Enabling And Disabling ParkSense®
ParkSense® can be enabled and disabled with the
ParkSense® switch.
When the ParkSense switch is pressed to dis-
able the system, the instrument cluster will
display the “PARKSENSE OFF” message for
184 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

approximately five seconds. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your
Instrument Panel” for further information. When the
shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the system is
disabled, the EVIC will display the “PARKSENSE OFF”
message for as long as the vehicle is in REVERSE.
NOTE:The ParkSense® system will automatically dis-
able when the system detects that a trailer with trailer
brakes has been connected to the Integrated Trailer Brake
Module. The EVIC will display “PARKSENSE OFF”
message for as long as the vehicle is in reverse.
The ParkSense® switch LED will be ON when
ParkSense® is disabled or defective. The ParkSense®
switch LED will be OFF when the system is enabled.
Service The ParkSense® Rear Park Assist
System
When the ParkSense® Rear Park Assist System is mal-
functioning, the instrument cluster will actuate a single chime, once per ignition cycle, and it will display the
PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS

or the PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE RE-
QUIRED message. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your Instrument
Panel” for further information. When the shift lever is
moved to REVERSE and the system has detected a
faulted condition, the EVIC will display the
PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS 
or the PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE RE-
QUIRED message for as long as the vehicle is in RE-
VERSE. Under this condition, ParkSense® will not oper-
ate.
If PARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE WIPE REAR SENSORS
appears in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC) make sure the outer surface and the underside of
the rear fascia/bumper is clean and clear of snow, ice,
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 185

mud, dirt or other obstruction, and then cycle the igni-
tion. If the message continues to appear, see an autho-
rized dealer.
IfPARKSENSE UNAVAILABLE SERVICE REQUIRED
appears in the EVIC, see your authorized dealer.
Cleaning The ParkSense® System
Clean the ParkSense® sensors with water, car wash soap
and a soft cloth. Do not use rough or hard cloths. Do not
scratch or poke the sensors. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the sensors.
ParkSense® System Usage Precautions
NOTE:
• Ensure that the rear bumper is free of snow, ice, mud,
dirt and debris to keep the ParkSense® system oper-
ating properly. •
Jackhammers, large trucks, and other vibrations could
affect the performance of ParkSense® .
• When you turn ParkSense® off, the instrument cluster
will display PARKSENSE OFF. Furthermore, once
you turn ParkSense® off, it remains off until you turn
it on again, even if you cycle the ignition key.
• When you move the shift lever to the REVERSE
position and ParkSense® is turned off, the instrument
cluster will display PARKSENSE OFF message for as
long as the vehicle is in REVERSE.
• ParkSense® , when on, will reduce the volume of the
radio when it is sounding a tone.
• 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
186 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

obstacle behind the fascia/bumper, or it could provide
a false indication that an obstacle is behind the fascia/
bumper.
• Objects such as bicycle carriers, trailer hitches, etc.,
must not be placed within 12 in (30 cm) from the rear
fascia/bumper while driving the vehicle. Failure to do
so can result in the system misinterpreting a close
object as a sensor problem, causing the PARKSENSE
UNAVAILABLE SERVICE REQUIRED message to be
displayed in the instrument cluster.
• On vehicles equipped with a tailgate, ParkSense®
should be disabled when the tailgate is in the lowered
or open position and the vehicle is in REVERSE. A
lowered tailgate could provide 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 recommended
that the driver looks over his/her shoulder when
using ParkSense®.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 187

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.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Before using ParkSense®, it is strongly recom-
mended that the ball mount and hitch ball assem-
bly 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 assem-
bly, depending on its size and shape, giving a false
indication that an obstacle is behind the vehicle.
188 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE