warning RAM CHASSIS CAB 2011 Workshop Manual

WARNING!Do not adjust the steering column while driving.
Adjusting the steering column while driving or driv-
ing with the steering column unlocked, could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Be sure the
steering column is locked before driving your ve-
hicle. Failure to follow this warning may result in
serious injury or death.
DRIVER ADJUSTABLE PEDALS — IF EQUIPPED
The adjustable pedals system is designed to allow a
greater range of driver comfort for steering wheel tilt and
seat position. This feature allows the brake, accelerator,
and clutch pedals (if equipped) to move toward or away
from the driver to provide improved position with the
steering wheel.Tilt Steering Lever
3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 149

WARNING!Do not adjust the pedals while the vehicle is moving.
You could lose control and have an accident. Always
adjust the pedals while the vehicle is parked.
HEATED STEERING WHEEL — IF EQUIPPED
The steering wheel contains a heating element that helps
warm your hands in cold weather. The heated steering
wheel has only one temperature setting. Once the heated
steering wheel has been turned on it will operate for
approximately 58 to 70 minutes before automatically
shutting off. The heated steering wheel can shut off early
or may not turn on when the steering wheel is already
warm.
The heated steering wheel switch is located on the switch
bank below the climate controls. Press the switch to turn on the heated
steering wheel. The light on the switch
will illuminate to indicate the steering
wheel heater is on. Pressing the switch
a second time will turn off the heated
steering wheel and light indicator.
NOTE: The engine must be running for the heated
steering wheel to operate.
Vehicles Equipped with Remote Start
On models that are equipped with remote start, the
heated steering wheel seat can be programmed to come
on during a remote start. Refer to “Remote Starting
System — If Equipped” in “Things to Know Before
Starting Your Vehicle” for further information.
3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 151

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 conditions must exer-
cise care when using the steering wheel heater. It
may cause burns even at low temperatures, espe-
cially if used for long periods.
• Do not place anything on the steering wheel that
insulates against heat, such as a blanket or cush-
ion. This may cause the steering wheel heater to
overheat.
ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL — IF EQUIPPED
When engaged, Electronic Speed Control takes over the
accelerator operation at speeds greater than 25 mph
(40 km/h). The Electronic Speed Control lever is located
on the right side of the steering wheel. NOTE: In order to ensure proper operation, the Elec-
tronic Speed Control System has been designed to shut
down if multiple Speed Control functions are operated at
the same time. If this occurs, the Electronic Speed Control
System can be reactivated by pushing the Electronic
Speed Control ON/OFF button and resetting the desired
vehicle set speed. Electronic Speed Control Lever152 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To Activate
Push the ON/OFF button (located in the end of the lever)
once and the cruise indicator light (located in the mes-
sage window of the cluster) will illuminate showing that
the Electronic Speed Control system is on. To turn the
Electronic Speed Control system off, push the ON/OFF
button a second time and both the Electronic Speed
Control system and indicator will turn off.
WARNING!Leaving the Electronic Speed Control system on
when not in use is dangerous. You could accidently
set the system or cause it to go faster than you want.
You could lose control and have an accident. Always
leave the Electronic Speed Control system off when
you are not using it. To Set a Desired Speed
Turn the Electronic Speed Control ON. When the vehicle
has reached the desired speed, press the SET lever
downward and then release. Lift your foot off the accel-
erator and the vehicle will operate at the selected speed.
Deactivating Electronic Speed Control
A soft tap on the brake pedal or pulling the Electronic
Speed Control lever (CANCEL) toward you will deacti-
vate the Electronic Speed Control without erasing the set
speed memory. Pushing the ON/OFF button to the OFF
position or turning OFF the ignition erases the set speed
memory.
To Resume Speed
To resume a previously set speed, raise the Electronic
Speed Control lever (RESUME ACCEL) upwards and
release. Resume can be used at any speed above 30 mph
(50 km/h). 3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 153

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.
OVERHEAD CONSOLE — IF EQUIPPED
The overhead console is located on the headliner above
the review mirror. The overhead console contains the
following features:
• Courtesy/Reading Lights
• Power Sliding Rear Window Switch — If Equipped Courtesy/Reading Lights
Both lights in the overhead console and rear passenger
compartment will illuminate as courtesy lights when a
door is opened, when the dimmer control is rotated to the
courtesy light position (full right position), or when the
UNLOCK button is pressed on the Remote Keyless Entry Overhead Console
3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 155

WARNING!To avoid serious injury or death:
• Only devices designed for use in this type of
outlet should be inserted into any 12 Volt outlet.
• Do not touch with wet hands.
• Close the lid when not in use and while driving
the vehicle.
• If this outlet is mishandled, it may cause an
electric shock and failure. CAUTION!• Many accessories that can be plugged in draw
power from the vehicle’s battery, even when not in
use (i.e., cellular phones, etc.). Eventually, if
plugged in long enough, the vehicle’s battery will
discharge sufficiently to degrade battery life
and/or prevent the engine from starting.
• Accessories that draw higher power (i.e., coolers,
vacuum cleaners, lights, etc.), will discharge the
battery even more quickly. Only use these inter-
mittently and with greater caution.
• After the use of high power draw accessories, or
long periods of the vehicle not being started (with
accessories still plugged in), the vehicle must be
driven a sufficient length of time to allow the
generator to recharge the vehicle’s battery. 3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 159

WARNING!To avoid serious injury or death:
• Do not use a three-prong adapter.
• Do not insert any objects into the receptacles.
• Do not touch with wet hands.
• Close the lid when not in use.
• If this outlet is mishandled it may cause an electric
shock and failure.
CUPHOLDERS
Front Instrument Panel Cupholders —
(40–20–40 Seats)
The cupholders are located in the pull-out tray on the
center stack of the instrument panel. Front Cupholders162 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!• This armrest is not a seat. Anyone seated on the
armrest could be seriously injured during vehicle
operation, or an accident. Only use the center
seating position when the armrest is fully upright.
• In an accident, the latch may open if the total
weight of the items stored exceeds about 10 lbs
(4.5 kg). These items could be thrown about en-
dangering occupants of the vehicle. Items stored
should not exceed a total of 10 lbs (4.5 kg). Pull on the upper handle on the front of the armrest to
raise the cover. The upper storage area contains a 12 Volt
power outlet that can be used to power small electrical
devices, refer to “Electrical Power Outlets” for further
information.
Upper Storage Compartment
3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 167

CAUTION!Driving with a hot engine cooling system could
damage your vehicle. If temperature gauge reads “H”
pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with
the air conditioner turned off until the pointer drops
back into the normal range. If the pointer remains on
the “H” and you hear continuous chimes, turn the
engine off immediately, and call an authorized deal-
ership for service.
WARNING!A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call an authorized dealer-
ship for service if your vehicle overheats. If you
decide to look under the hood yourself, see “Main-
taining Your Vehicle”. Follow the warnings under the
Cooling System Pressure Cap paragraph. 5. Speedometer
The speedometer shows the vehicle speed in miles per
hour and/or kilometers per hour (mph/km/h).
6. 4 LOW
This light alerts the driver that the vehicle is in
the four-wheel drive LOW mode. The front and
rear driveshafts are mechanically locked to-
gether forcing the front and rear wheels to
rotate at the same speed. Low range provides a greater
gear reduction ratio to provide increased torque at the
wheels.
7. Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) Light
This light informs you of a problem with the
Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system. The
light will come on when the ignition is first
turned to ON/RUN and remain on briefly as a
bulb check. If the light does not come on during starting,
have the system checked by an authorized dealer.180 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

service, so that you can be sure that it is properly reset, or
that the door jamb sticker is accurate if the odometer
must be reset at zero.
The two trip odometers show individual trip mileage. To
switch from odometer to trip odometers, press and
release the TRIP ODOMETER button.
To reset a trip odometer, display the desired trip odom-
eter to be reset then push and hold the button for
approximately two seconds until the display resets.
Vehicle Odometer Messages
When the appropriate conditions exist, the following
messages will display in the odometer:
noFUSE .......................... Fuse Fault
CHAngE OIL ............... Oil Change Required
LoWASH .................... LowW asher Fluid
NOTE: There is also an engine hour function. This
indicates the total number of hours the engine has been running. To display the engine hours on the base cluster,
perform the following: Place the ignition in the ON/
RUN, but do not start the engine. With the odometer
value displayed, hold the TRIP button down for a period
of six seconds. The odometer will change to trip value
first, then it will display the engine hour value. The
engine hours will be displayed for a period of 30 seconds
until the ignition is turned OFF or the engine is started.
Some of the above warnings will be displayed in the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) Display
Area located in the instrument cluster. Refer to ”Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) — If Equipped”
for further information.
If the vehicle diagnostic system determines
that the fuel filler cap is loose, improperly
installed, or damaged, a loose gascap indi-
cator will display in the odometer display
area. Tighten the fuel filler cap properly and
pressLoose
Gascap
Indicator
4 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 183