engine Ram 5500 Chassis Cab 2012 User Guide

NOTE:If the speedometer, tachometer, or any engine
related gauges are not working, the Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) may also be disabled. The air bags may
not be ready to inflate for your protection. Promptly
check the fuse block for blown fuses. Refer to the label
located on the inside of the fuse block cover for the
proper air bag fuses. See your authorized dealer if the
fuse is good.
Event Data Recorder (EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder
(EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in
certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an air
bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems per-
formed. The EDR is designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle
is designed to record such data as:
•How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
•Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts
were buckled/fastened;
•How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
•How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of
the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and no per-
sonal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location)
are recorded. However, other parties, such as law en-
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely acquired during a
crash investigation.
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
an accident. Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in
pet harnesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine and
drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km).
After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or
55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detri-
mental and should be avoided.The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil
changes should be consistent with anticipated climate
conditions under which vehicle operations will occur. For
the recommended viscosity and quality grades, refer to
“Maintenance Procedures” in “Maintaining Your Ve-
hicle”. NON-DETERGENT OR STRAIGHT MINERAL
OILS MUST NEVER BE USED.
A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be
considered a normal part of the break-in and not inter-
preted as an indication of difficulty.
SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE CARGO
AREA.
78 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up may
cause serious injury or death.
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be seri-
ously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO),
follow these safety tips:
Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in confined
areas any longer than needed to move your vehicle in or
out of the area.
If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the engine
running, adjust your heating or cooling controls to force
outside air into the vehicle. Set the blower at high speed.
The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine exhaust
system.2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 79

WARNING! (Continued)
•Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the
driver footwell while the vehicle is moving. Ob-
jects can become trapped under the brake pedal
and accelerator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
•If required, mounting posts must be properly
installed, if not equipped from the factory.
Failure to properly follow floor mat installation or
mounting can cause interference with the brake
pedal and accelerator pedal operation causing loss
of control of the vehicle.
Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objectslodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts
and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and bulges.
Check the wheel nuts for tightness. Check the tires
(including spare) for proper cold inflation pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of exterior lights
while you work the controls. Check turn signal and high
beam indicator lights on the instrument panel.
Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering fluid, or
brake fluid leaks are suspected, the cause should be
located and corrected immediately.
82 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Things You Should Know About Your Uconnect™
Phone
Uconnect™ Phone Tutorial
To hear a brief tutorial of the system features, press the
button and say “Uconnect™ Tutorial.”
Voice Training
For users experiencing difficulty with the system recog-
nizing their voice commands or numbers, the Uconnect™
Phone Voice Training feature may be used. To enter this
training mode, follow one of the two following proce-
dures:
From outside the Uconnect™ Phone mode (e.g., from
radio mode):
•Press and hold thebutton for five seconds until
the session begins, or,
•Press thebutton and say the “Voice Training,
System Training, or Start Voice Training” command.You can either press the Uconnect™ Phone button to
restore the factory setting or repeat the words and
phrases when prompted by the Uconnect™ Phone. For
best results, the Voice Training session should be com-
pleted when the vehicle is parked with the engine
running, all windows closed, and the blower fan
switched off.
This procedure may be repeated with a new user. The
system will adapt to the last trained voice only.
Reset
•
press thebutton.
•After the “Ready” prompt, and the following beep, say
“Setup”, then “Reset”.
This will delete all phone pairing, phone book entries,
and other settings in all language modes. The System will
prompt you before resetting to factory settings.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 113

Voice Training
For users experiencing difficulty with the system recog-
nizing their voice commands or numbers the Uconnect™
Voice “Voice Training” feature may be used.
1. Press the Voice Command
button, say “System
Setup” and once you are in that menu then say “Voice
Training.” This will train your own voice to the system
and will improve recognition.
2. Repeat the words and phrases when prompted by
Uconnect™ Voice. For best results, the “Voice Training”
session should be completed when the vehicle is parked,
engine running, all windows closed, and the blower fan
switched off. This procedure may be repeated with a new
user. The system will adapt to the last trained voice only.
SEATS
Seats are a part of the Occupant Restraint System of the
vehicle.
WARNING!
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be seri-
ously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
Driver’s Power Seat — If Equipped
Some models may be equipped with an eight-way driv-
er’s power seat. The power seat switches are located on
the outboard side of the driver’s seat cushion.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 129

WARNING!
•Persons who are unable to feel pain to the skin
because of advanced age, chronic illness, diabetes,
spinal cord injury, medication, alcohol use, ex-
haustion or other physical condition must exercise
care when using the seat heater. It may cause burns
even at low temperatures, especially if used for
long periods of time.
•Do not place anything on the seat that insulates
against heat, such as a blanket or cushion. This
may cause the seat heater to overheat. Sitting in a
seat that has been overheated could cause serious
burns due to the increased surface temperature of
the seat.
Front Heated Seats
There are two heated seat switches that allow the driver
and passenger to operate the seats independently. Thecontrols for each seat are located near the bottom center
of the instrument panel (below the climate controls).
You can choose from HIGH, LOW or OFF heat settings.
Amber indicator lights in each switch indicate the level of
heat in use. Two indicator lights will illuminate for
HIGH, one for LOW and none for OFF.
Press the switch once to select HIGH-
level heating. Press the switch a sec-
ond time to select LOW-level heating.
Press the switch a third time to shut
the heating elements OFF.
NOTE:
•Once a heat setting is selected, heat will be felt within
two to five minutes.
•The engine must be running for the heated seats to
operate.
134 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:
•Once a heat setting is selected, heat will be felt within
two to five minutes.
•The engine must be running for the heated seats to
operate.
The heated seats switch from HIGH to LOW and from
LOW to OFF automatically, based on time and tempera-
ture of the seat. The heated seats can operate on HIGH
heat for a maximum of 60 minutes before switching to
LOW heat. Once a seat has switched to the LOW heat
setting it may operate for a maximum of 45 minutes
before automatically shutting OFF. The heated seats can
shut OFF early or may not turn on when the seat is
already warm.
Ventilated Seats — If Equipped
On some models, both the driver and passenger seats are
ventilated. Located in the seat cushion and seatback aresmall fans that draw the air from the passenger compart-
ment and blow air through fine perforations in the seat
cover to help keep the driver and front passenger cooler
in higher ambient temperatures.
The ventilated seat switches are located in the switch
bank in the center stack of the instrument panel, just
below the climate controls. The fans operate at two
speeds, HIGH and LOW.
Press the switch once to choose HIGH,
press it a second time to choose LOW.
Pressing the switch a third time will
turn the ventilated seat OFF. When
HIGH speed is selected both lights on
the switch will be illuminated. When
LOW speed is selected one light will
be illuminated.
NOTE:The engine must be running for the ventilated
seats to operate.
136 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

When the system is on, the Headlight Delay feature is
also on. This means the headlights will stay on for up to
90 seconds after you turn the ignition switch to the OFF
position. To turn the automatic headlights off, turn the
headlight switch out of the AUTO position.
NOTE:The engine must be running before the head-
lights will turn on in the Automatic Mode.
Headlights On With Wipers (Available With
Automatic Headlights Only)
When this feature is active, the headlights will turn on
approximately 10 seconds after the wipers are turned on
if the headlight switch is placed in the AUTO position. In
addition, the headlights will turn off when the wipers are
turned off, if they were turned on by this feature.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/
Customer-Programmable Features (SETUP)” in “Under-
standing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
Headlight Delay
To aid in your exit, your vehicle is equipped with a
headlight delay that will leave the headlights on for
approximately 90 seconds. This delay is initiated when
the ignition is turned OFF while the headlight switch is
on, and then the headlight switch is cycled off. Headlight
delay can be cancelled by either turning the headlight
switch on then off, or by turning the ignition ON.
The headlight delay time is programmable on vehicles
equipped with an Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC)/Customer-Programmable Features (SETUP)” in
“Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further
information.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 149

Daytime Running Lights — If Equipped
The headlights on your vehicle will illuminate when the
engine is started and the transmission is in any gear
except PARK. This provides a constantLights ON
condition until the ignition is turned OFF. The lights
illuminate at less than 50% of normal intensity. If the
parking brake is applied, the Daytime Running Lights
(DRL) will turn OFF. Also, if a turn signal is activated, the
DRL lamp on the same side of the vehicle will turn off for
the duration of the turn signal activation. Once the turn
signal is no longer active, the DRL lamp will illuminate.
Multifunction Lever
The multifunction lever is located on the left side of the
steering column.
Turn Signals
Move the multifunction lever up or down and the arrows
on each side of the instrument cluster flash to show
proper operation of the front and rear turn signal lights.NOTE:If either light remains on and does not flash, or
there is a very fast flash rate, check for a defective outside
light bulb. If an indicator fails to light when the lever is
moved, it would suggest that the indicator bulb is
defective.
Turn Signal Lever
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 153