section 10 Ram 3500 2017 Owner's Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTSSECTIONPAGE
1INTRODUCTION
...................................................................3
2THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
......................................9
3UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
......................................99
4UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
...........................................233
5STARTINGANDOPERATING.........................................................375
6WHATTODOINEMERGENCIES ......................................................579
7MAINTAININGYOURVEHICLE .......................................................631
8MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES
.........................................................703
9IF YOU NEED CONSUMER ASSISTANCE
.................................................709
10INDEX........................................................................\
..715
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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on selecting your new FCA US LLC ve-
hicle. Be assured that it represents precision workmanship,
distinctive styling, and high quality.
This Owner’s Manual has been prepared with the assis-
tance of service and engineering specialists to acquaint you
with the operation and maintenance of your vehicle. It is
supplemented by Warranty Information, and various
customer-oriented documents. Please take the time to read
these publications carefully. Following the instructions and
recommendations in this manual will help assure safe and
enjoyable operation of your vehicle.
If applicable, refer to the Diesel Supplement for diesel
related information.
NOTE: After reviewing the owner information, it should
be stored in the vehicle for convenient referencing and
remain with the vehicle when sold.
When it comes to service, remember that your authorized
dealer knows your vehicle best, has factory-trained techni-
cians and genuine MOPAR® parts, and cares about your
satisfaction.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
Consult the Table of Contents to determine which section
contains the information you desire.
Since the specification of your vehicle depends on the items
of equipment ordered, certain descriptions and illustra-
tions may differ from your vehicle’s equipment.
The detailed index at the back of this Owner’s Manual
contains a complete listing of all subjects.
4 INTRODUCTION

WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS
This Owner ’s Manual containsWARNINGSagainst oper-
ating procedures that could result in a collision, bodily
injury and/or death. It also contains CAUTIONSagainst
procedures that could result in damage to your vehicle. If
you do not read this entire Owner ’s Manual, you may miss
important information. Observe all Warnings and Cau-
tions.
VAN CONVERSIONS/CAMPERS
The New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not apply to body
modifications or special equipment installed by van
conversion/camper manufacturers/body builders. U.S.
residents refer to the Warranty Information book, Section
2.1.C. Canadian residents refer to the, “What Is Not Cov-
ered” section of the Warranty Information book. Such
equipment includes video monitors, VCRs, heaters, stoves,
refrigerators, etc. For warranty coverage and service on
these items, contact the applicable manufacturer. Operating instructions for the special equipment installed
by the conversion/camper manufacturer should also be
supplied with your vehicle. If these instructions are miss-
ing, please contact your authorized dealer for assistance in
obtaining replacement documents from the applicable
manufacturer.
For information on the Body Builder ’s Guide refer to:
www.rambodybuilder.com. This website contains dimen-
sional and technical specifications for your vehicle. It is
intended for Second Stage Manufacturer’s technical sup-
port. For service issues, contact your authorized dealer.
6 INTRODUCTION

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your vehicle
are the restraint systems:
Occupant Restraint Systems Features
•Seat Belt Systems
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
• Child Restraints
Some of the safety features described in this section may be
standard equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask your autho-
rized dealer.
Important Safety Precautions
Please pay close attention to the information in this section.
It tells you how to use your restraint system properly, to
keep you and your passengers as safe as possible.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride buckled up in a vehicle with a rear seat. 2. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a rear-facing child
restraint) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the
seat as far back as possible and use the proper child
restraint (Refer to “Child Restraints.”)
3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt properly (Refer to Child Restraints) should be
secured in a vehicle with a rear seat in child restraints or
belt-positioning booster seats. Older children who do
not use child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats
should ride properly buckled up in a vehicle with a rear
seat.
4. Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under their arm.
5. You should read the instructions provided with your child restraint to make sure that you are using it
properly.
6. All occupants should always wear their lap and shoul- der belts properly.
7. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved back as far as practical to allow the front air bags room
to inflate.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

8. Do not lean against the door or window. If your vehiclehas side air bags, and deployment occurs, the side air
bags will inflate forcefully into the space between occu-
pants and the door and occupants could be injured.
9. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified to accommodate a disabled person, refer to the “If You
Need Assistance” section for customer service contact
information.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of an
air bag. A deploying passenger 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.
Seat Belt Systems
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even on
short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver and
could cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street. Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they can
reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some of the
worst injuries happen when people are thrown from the
vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of ejection and the
risk of injury caused by striking the inside of the vehicle.
Everyone in a motor vehicle should be belted at all times.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System (BeltAlert)
Driver And Passenger BeltAlert (If Equipped)
BeltAlert is a feature intended to remind the driver
and outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with
outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert) to buckle their
seat belts. The Belt Alert feature is active whenever the
ignition switch is in the START or ON/RUN position.
Initial Indication
If the driver is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first
in the START or ON/RUN position, a chime will signal for
a few seconds. If the driver or outboard front seat passen-
ger (if equipped with outboard front passenger seat
BeltAlert) is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first in
the START or ON/RUN position the Seat Belt Reminder
Light will turn on and remain on until both outboard front
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43

Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR) —
If Equipped
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions may be
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) which is used to secure a child restraint system. For
additional information, refer to “Installing Child Restraints
Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child Restraints”
section of this manual. The figure below illustrates the
locking feature for each seating position.
Regular Cab Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew Cab
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
• ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

If the passenger seating position is equipped with an ALR
and is being used for normal usage, only pull the seat belt
webbing out far enough to comfortably wrap around the
occupant’s mid-section so as to not activate the ALR. If the
ALR is activated, you will hear a clicking sound as the seat
belt retracts. Allow the webbing to retract completely in
this case and then carefully pull out only the amount of
webbing necessary to comfortably wrap around the occu-
pant’s mid-section. Slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear aclick. In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is automati-
cally pre-locked. The seat belt will still retract to remove
any slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking
Mode anytime a child restraint is installed in a seating
position that has a seat belt with this feature. Children 12
years old and under should always be properly restrained
in a vehicle with a rear seat.
WARNING!
•
Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of an
air bag. A deploying passenger 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.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until the entire seat belt is extracted.
Crew Cab Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

3. Allow the seat belt to retract. As the seat belt retracts,you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the seat
belt is now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking Mode
and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
WARNING!
• The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the
switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) fea-
ture or any other seat belt function is not working
properly when checked according to the procedures
in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the seat belt assembly could in-
crease the risk of injury in collisions.
• Do not use the Automatic Locking Mode to restrain
occupants who are wearing the seat belt or children
who are using booster seats. The locked mode is only
used to install rear-facing or forward-facing child
restraints that have a harness for restraining the
child.
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS)
Some of the safety features described in this section may be
standard equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask your autho-
rized dealer.
The air bag system must be ready to protect you in a
collision. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) moni-
tors the internal circuits and interconnecting wiring asso-
ciated with the electrical Air Bag System Components.
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following Air Bag
System Components:
Air Bag System Components
• Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
•Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags
• Supplemental Side Air Bags
• Front and Side Impact Sensors — If Equipped
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. Please refer to “Installing The
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint System” for typi-
cal installation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
If the selected seating position has a Switchable Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat belt,
following the instructions below. See the section “Installing
Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” to check what
type of seat belt each seating position has.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so that you can more easily
attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle anchor-
ages.
2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and / or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to
move it to its rear-most position to make room for the
child seat. You may also move the front seat forward to
allow more room for the child seat.
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seating
position.
4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using The Top Tether Anchorage” for direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack in
the straps according to the child restraint manufactur-
er ’s instructions.
6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt path. It
should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any
direction.
80 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both
types of seat belts are designed to keep the lap portion of
the seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can be
“switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back into
the retractor. Refer to the “Automatic Locking Mode”
description in “Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors
(ALR)” under “Occupant Restraint Systems” for additional
information on ALR. The cinching latch plate is designed to
hold the lap portion of the seat belt tight when webbing is
pulled tight and straight through a child restraint’s belt
path.
Please see the table below and the following sections for
more information.Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
Regular Cab Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
•
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
82 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE