four wheel drive Ram 1500 2016 Owner's Manual

Air Suspension Ride Height Lowering Indicator Light— If Equipped
Yellow Telltale
LightWhat It Means
Air Suspension Ride Height Lowering Indicator Light
This light will blink and alert the driver that the vehicle is changing to a lower ride height.
4WD Indicator Light — If Equipped
Yellow Telltale
LightWhat It Means
4WD Indicator Light
This light alerts the driver that the vehicle is in the four-wheel drive mode, and the front
and rear driveshafts are mechanically locked together forcing the front and rear wheels to
rotate at the same speed.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 325

4 Low Indicator Light — If Equipped
Yellow Telltale
LightWhat It Means
4 Low Indicator Light
This light alerts the driver that the vehicle is in the four-wheel drive LOW mode. The front
and rear driveshafts are mechanically locked together forcing the front and rear wheels to
rotate at the same speed. Low range provides a greater gear reduction ratio to provide in-
creased torque at the wheels.
Refer to “Four-Wheel Drive Operation — If Equipped” in “Starting And Operating” for fur-
ther information on four-wheel drive operation and proper use.
326 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

4WD AUTO Indicator Light — If Equipped
Green Telltale
LightWhat It Means
4WD AUTO Indicator Light
This light alerts the driver that the vehicle is in the four-wheel drive auto mode, and the
front axle is engaged, but the vehicle’s power is sent to the rear wheels. Four-wheel drive
will be automatically engaged when the vehicle senses a loss of traction.
For further information on four-wheel drive operation and proper use, refer to “Four-Wheel
Drive Operation — If Equipped” in “Starting And Operating.”
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 331

•ParkView Backup Camera Delay
When this feature is enabled, it will allow the ParkView
Backup Camera display to remain on while in drive for
up to 10 seconds, or 8 mph. To make your selection, press
the “ParkView Backup Camera Delay” button on the
touchscreen to select from on or off.
•Rain Sensing Auto Wipers — If Equipped
When this feature is selected, the system will automati-
cally activate the windshield wipers if it senses moisture
on the windshield. To make your selection, press the
“Rain Sensing” button on the touchscreen to select from
on or off.
•Hill Start Assist — If Equipped
When this feature is selected, the Hill Start Assist (HSA)
system is active. Refer to “Electronic Brake Control
System” in “Starting And Operating” for system functionand operating information. To make your selection, press
the “Hill Start Assist” button on the touchscreen to select
from on or off.
•Two Or Four Corner Air Suspension Modes — If
Equipped
There are four air suspension modes designed to protect
the system in unique situations. Tire Jack Mode is se-
lected to assist in changing a spare tire. Transport Mode
is selected to assist when the vehicle is being flat bed
towed. Wheel Alignment Mode is selected before per-
forming a wheel alignment, refer to your authorized
dealer for information. Protection Mode will automati-
cally be selected to “protect” the air suspension system
when the payload has been exceeded or load leveling
cannot be achieved.
Lights
After pressing the “Lights” button on the touchscreen the
following settings will be available.
406 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

▫Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock System . . .489
▫Eight-Speed Automatic Transmission — If
Equipped...........................490
▫Six-Speed Automatic Transmission — 1500 Models
Only (If Equipped)....................499
▫Six-Speed Automatic Transmission — 2500/3500
Models Only........................511
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION — IF
EQUIPPED...........................522
▫Manually Shifted Transfer Case — If
Equipped...........................522
▫Electronically Shifted Transfer Case (Four-Position
Switch) — If Equipped.................526
▫Electronically Shifted Transfer Case (Five-Position
Switch) — If Equipped.................533▫Electronically Shifted Transfer Case (Five-Position
Switch) — If Equipped.................538
AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM (1500 MODELS) — IF
EQUIPPED...........................545
▫Description..........................545
▫Air Suspension Modes..................549
▫Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC)/Driver Information Display (DID) Display
Messages...........................551
▫Operation...........................551
AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM (2500/3500 MODELS)
— IF EQUIPPED.......................553
▫Description..........................553
▫Air Suspension Modes..................554
470 STARTING AND OPERATING

RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.)...................714
▫Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle . .714▫Recreational Towing — Two-Wheel Drive
Models.............................715
▫Recreational Towing — Four-Wheel Drive
Models.............................716
476 STARTING AND OPERATING

NOTE:On four-wheel drive vehicles be sure that the
transfer case is in a drive position.
WARNING!
•Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment and possible injury or damage.
•Your vehicle could move and injure you and others
if it is not in PARK. Make sure the transmission is
in PARK before leaving the vehicle.
•It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEUTRAL
if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly pressing the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in re-
verse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear when
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
the engine is idling normally and your foot is
firmly pressing the brake pedal.
•Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
those in or near the vehicle. As with all vehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine is
running. When the ignition is in the LOCK/OFF
(key removal) position, the transmission is locked
in PARK, securing the vehicle against unwanted
movement.
•Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the parking
brake, shift the automatic transmission into PARK
or the manual transmission into REVERSE, turn
the vehicle OFF, remove the key fob from the
ignition and lock your vehicle. If equipped with
Keyless Enter-N-Go, always make sure the keyless
ignition node is in “OFF” mode, remove the Key
Fob from the vehicle and lock the vehicle.
(Continued)
492 STARTING AND OPERATING

transmission gear limit to 4 (fourth gear), the transmis-
sion will not shift above fourth gear (except to prevent
engine overspeed), but will shift through the lower gears
normally.
You can switch between DRIVE and ERS mode at any
vehicle speed. When the transmission gear selector is in
DRIVE, the transmission will operate automatically, shift-
ing between all available gears. Tapping the GEAR-
switch (on the steering wheel) will activate ERS mode,
display the current gear in the instrument cluster, and set
that gear as the top available gear. Once in ERS mode,
tapping the GEAR- or GEAR+ switch will change the top
available gear.
To exit ERS mode, simply push and hold the GEAR+
switch until the gear limit display disappears from the
instrument cluster.
1 — ERS (-) Switch 2 — ERS (+) Switch
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 497

When parking on a level surface, you may shift the
transmission into PARK first, and then apply the parking
brake.
When parking on a hill, apply the parking brake before
shifting the transmission to PARK, otherwise the load on
the transmission locking mechanism may make it diffi-
cult to move the shift lever out of PARK. As an added
precaution, turn the front wheels toward the curb on a
downhill grade and away from the curb on an uphill
grade.
NOTE:On four-wheel drive vehicles be sure that the
transfer case is in a drive position.
WARNING!
•Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment and possible injury or damage.
•Your vehicle could move and injure you and others
if it is not in PARK. Check by trying to move the
shift lever out of PARK with the brake pedal
released. Make sure the transmission is in PARK
before leaving the vehicle.
•It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEUTRAL
if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly pressing the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in re-
verse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear when
the engine is idling normally and your foot is
firmly pressing the brake pedal.
(Continued)
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 513

the upper gears. When the vehicle speed drops or during
some accelerations, the clutch automatically disengages.
NOTE:
•The torque converter clutch will not engage, until the
transmission fluid and engine coolant are warm [usu-
ally after 1 to 3 miles (2 to 5 km) of driving]. Because
the engine speed is higher when the torque converter
clutch is not engaged, it may seem as if the transmis-
sion is not shifting into Overdrive when cold. This is
normal. Using the Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift
control, when the transmission is sufficiently warm,
will demonstrate that the transmission is able to shift
into and out of Overdrive.
•If the vehicle has not been driven for several days, the
first few seconds of operation after shifting the trans-
mission into gear may seem sluggish. This is due to the
fluid partially draining from the torque converter into
the transmission. This condition is normal and will notcause damage to the transmission. The torque con-
verter will refill within five seconds after starting the
engine.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION — IF
EQUIPPED
Four-wheel drive trucks are equipped with either a manu-
ally shifted transfer case or an electronically shifted transfer
case. Refer to the operating instructions for your transfer
case, located in this section for further information.
Manually Shifted Transfer Case — If Equipped
The transfer case provides four mode positions:
•Two-wheel drive high range (2H)
•Four-wheel drive high range (4H)
•Neutral (N)
•Four-wheel drive low range (4L)
522 STARTING AND OPERATING