Jeep RENEGADE 2017, User Manual, Page: 153 / 332

CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for
any other reason with the transmission in
NEUTRAL can cause severe transmission
damage. Refer to “Recreational Towing” in
“Starting And Operating” and “Towing A
Disabled Vehicle” in “In Case Of Emer-
gency” for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and
highway driving. It provides the smoothest
upshifts and downshifts, and the best fuel
economy. The transmission automatically up-
shifts through all forward gears. The DRIVE
position provides optimum driving character-
istics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs
(such as when operating the vehicle under
heavy loading conditions, in hilly terrain,
traveling into strong head winds or while
towing a heavy trailer), use the AutoStick
shift control (refer to “AutoStick” in this
section for further information) to select a
lower gear. Under these conditions, using a
lower gear will improve performance and ex-
tend transmission life by reducing excessive
shifting and heat buildup.
If the transmission temperature exceeds nor-
mal operating limits, the transmission con-
troller may modify the transmission shift
schedule, reduce engine torque, and/or ex-
pand the range of torque converter clutch
engagement. This is done to prevent trans-
mission damage due to overheating.
If the transmission becomes extremely hot,
the
“Transmission Temperature Warning
Light” may illuminate and the transmission
may operate differently until the transmis-
sion cools down.
During cold temperatures, transmission op-
eration may be modified depending on en-
gine and transmission temperature as well as
vehicle speed. This feature improves warm
up time of the engine and transmission to
achieve maximum efficiency. Engagement of
the torque converter clutch, and shifts into
8th or 9th gear, are inhibited until the trans-
mission fluid is warm. Normal operation will
resume once the transmission temperature
has risen to a suitable level.
AutoStick
AutoStick is a driver-interactive transmission
feature providing manual shift control, giving
you more control of the vehicle. AutoStick
allows you to maximize engine braking, elimi-
nate undesirable upshifts and downshifts,
and improve overall vehicle performance.
This system can also provide you with more
control during passing, city driving, cold slip-
pery conditions, mountain driving, trailer
towing and many other situations.
Operation
When the gear selector is in the AutoStick
position (beside the DRIVE position), it can
be moved forward and rearward. This allows
the driver to manually select the transmission
gear being used. Moving the gear selector
forward (-) triggers a downshift, and rearward
(+) an upshift. The current gear is displayed
in the instrument cluster.
NOTE:
In AutoStick mode, the transmission will only
shift up or down when the driver moves the
gear selector rearward (+) or forward (-), ex-
cept as described below.
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