Dodge RAM 2500 2022, Owner'S Manual

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STARTING AND OPERATING 177

If You Stall Or Begin To Lose Headway – If you
stall or begin to lose headway while climbing a
steep hill, allow your vehicle to come to a stop
and immediately apply the brake. Restart the
engine and shift into REVERSE. Back slowly
down the hill allowing the compression braking
of the engine and transmission to help regulate
your speed. If the brakes are required to control
vehicle speed, apply them lightly and avoid
locking or skidding the tires.
D
RIVING
T
HROUGH
W
ATER
Extreme care should be taken crossing any type of
water. Water crossings should be avoided if
possible and only be attempted when necessary, in
a safe responsible manner. You should only drive
through areas which are designated and approved.
You should tread lightly and avoid damage to the
environment. You should know your vehicle's
abilities and be able to recover it if something goes
wrong. You should never stop or shut a vehicle off
when crossing deep water unless you ingested
water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls
do not attempt to restart it. Determine if it has
ingested water first. The key to any crossing is low
and slow. You want to use FIRST gear in 4WD LOW
and proceed very slowly with a constant slow
speed (3-5 mph [5–8 km/h] maximum) and light
throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not try to
accelerate through the crossing. After crossing any
water higher than the bottom of the axle
differentials, you should inspect all of the vehicle
fluids for signs of water ingestion.

Before You Cross Any Type Of Water – As you
approach any type of water you need to deter
-
mine if you can cross it safely and responsibly. If
necessary, get out and walk through the water
or probe it with a stick. You need to be sure of its
depth, approach angle, current and bottom
condition. Be careful of murky or muddy waters,
check for hidden obstacles. Make sure you will
not be intruding on any wildlife and you can
recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a
safe crossing is the water depth, current and
bottom conditions. On soft bottoms the vehicle
will sink in, effectively increasing the water level
on the vehicle. Be sure to consider this when
determining the depth and the ability to safely
cross.
WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or
cannot make it to the top of a steep hill or grade,
never attempt to turn around. To do so may
result in tipping and rolling the vehicle, which
may result in severe injury. Always back carefully
straight down a hill in REVERSE. Never back
down a hill in NEUTRAL using only the vehicle
brakes. Never drive diagonally across a hill,
always drive straight up or down.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission,
transfer case, engine or vehicle interior can
occur if you drive too fast or through too deep of
water. Water can cause permanent damage to
engine, driveline or other vehicle components
and your brakes will be less effective once wet
and/or muddy.
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