steering JEEP CHEROKEE LATITUDE 2015 Owners Manual

WARNING!
Driving with the liftgate open can allow poisonous
exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your pas-
sengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep the
liftgate closed when you are operating the vehicle.
Power Liftgate — If Equipped
The power liftgate may be opened by pushing
the electronic liftgate release (refer to “Keyless
Enter-N-Go™” located in “Things To Know
Before Starting”) or by pushing the LIFTGATE
button on the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
Push the LIFTGATE button on the RKE transmitter twice
within five seconds to open the power liftgate. Once the
liftgate is open, pushing the button twice within five
seconds a second time will close the liftgate. The power liftgate may also be opened or closed by
pushing the LIFTGATE button located on the left side of
the steering wheel on the instrument panel, or closed by
pushing the LIFTGATE button located on left rear trim
panel, near the liftgate opening. Push the LIFTGATE
button located on left rear trim panel once will close the
liftgate only. This button cannot be used to open the
liftgate.
When the LIFTGATE button on the RKE transmitter is
pushed two times, the turn signals will flash twice to
signal that the liftgate is opening or closing (if Flash
Lamps with Lock is enabled in the Uconnect® settings),
and the liftgate chime will be audible. For further infor-
mation, refer to
Uconnect®inUnderstanding Your
Instrument Panel.”

WARNING!
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
• Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.

To lock the steering column in position, push the control
handle upward until fully engaged.

WARNING!(Continued)
You should switch off the ACC system:
•When driving in fog, heavy rain, heavy snow, sleet,
heavy traffic, and complex driving situations (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.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Operation
The speed control buttons (located on the right side of the
steering wheel) operates the ACC system.

WARNING!(Continued)
mount and hitch ball assembly, depending on its size
and shape, giving a false indication that an obstacle
is behind the vehicle.
PARKSENSE® ACTIVE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM —
IF EQUIPPED
The ParkSense® Active Park Assist system is intended to
assist the driver during parallel and perpendicular parking
maneuvers by identifying a proper parking space, provid-
ing audible/visual instructions, and controlling the steer-
ing wheel. The ParkSense® Active Park Assist system is
defined as “semi-automatic” since the driver maintains
control of the accelerator, shift lever and brakes. Depending
on the driver’s parking maneuver selection, the
ParkSense® Active Park Assist system is capable of ma-
neuvering a vehicle into a parallel or a perpendicular
parking space on either side (i.e., driver side or passenger
side).
NOTE:
•The driver is always responsible for controlling the
vehicle, responsible for any surrounding objects, and
must intervene as required.
• The system is provided to assist the driver and not to
substitute the driver.
• During a semi-automatic maneuver, if the driver
touches the steering wheel after being instructed to
remove their hands from the steering wheel, the sys-
tem will cancel, and the driver will be required to
manually complete the parking maneuver.
• The system may not work in all conditions (e.g.
environmental conditions such as heavy rain, snow,
etc., or if searching for a parking space that has
surfaces that will absorb the ultrasonic sensor waves).
• New vehicles from the dealership must have at least
30 miles accumulated before the ParkSense® Active
254 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

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 sus-
pension. 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.
POWER STEERING
The electric power steering system will give you good
vehicle response and increased ease of maneuverability
in tight spaces. The system will vary its assist to provide
light efforts while parking and good feel while driving. If
the electric steering system experiences a fault that
reduces assist or prevents the vehicle from providing
assist, you will still have the ability to steer the vehicle
manually.

WARNING!(Continued)
road conditions. BAS cannot prevent collisions, in-
cluding those resulting from excessive speed in
turns, driving on very slippery surfaces, or hydro-
planing. The capabilities of a BAS-equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner, which could jeopardize the user’s safety or
the safety of others.
Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM)
This system anticipates the potential for wheel lift by
monitoring the driver ’s steering wheel input and the
speed of the vehicle. When ERM determines that the rate
of change of the steering wheel angle and vehicle’s speed
are sufficient to potentially cause wheel lift, it then
applies the appropriate brake and may also reduce
engine power to lessen the chance that wheel lift will
occur. ERM will only intervene during very severe or evasive driving maneuvers. ERM can only reduce the
chance of wheel lift occurring during severe or evasive
driving maneuvers. It cannot prevent wheel lift due to
other factors, such as road conditions, leaving the road-
way, or striking objects or other vehicles.
NOTE:
ERM is disabled anytime the ESC is in “Full Off”
mode. Refer to Electronic Stability Control (ESC) for a
complete explanation of the available ESC modes.

WARNING!(Continued)
•Unequal tire pressures from one side of the vehicle
to the other can cause the vehicle to drift to the
right or left.
• Always drive with each tire inflated to the recom-
mended cold tire inflation pressure.
Both under-inflation and over-inflation affect the stability
of the vehicle and can produce a feeling of sluggish
response or over responsiveness in the steering.
NOTE:
• Unequal tire pressures from side to side may cause
erratic and unpredictable steering response.
• Unequal tire pressure from side to side may cause the
vehicle to drift left or right.
Fuel Economy
Underinflated tires will increase tire rolling resistance
resulting in higher fuel consumption.
Tread Wear
Improper cold tire inflation pressures can cause abnor-
mal wear patterns and reduced tread life, resulting in the
need for earlier tire replacement.
Ride Comfort And Vehicle Stability
Proper tire inflation contributes to a comfortable ride.
Over-inflation produces a jarring and uncomfortable
ride.
536 STARTING AND OPERATING

Weight-Distributing Hitch
A weight-distributing system works by applying lever-
age 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 the manufacturer’s directions, it pro-
vides 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.