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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.
Driving Through Water
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. Only drive through areas which are
designated and approved. Tread lightly and avoid dam-
age to the environment. Know your vehicle's abilities
and be able to recover it if something goes wrong.
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. Shift into FIRST gear (manual
transmission), or DRIVE (automatic transmission), with
the transfer case in the 4L position and proceed very
slowly with a constant slow speed of {3 to 5 mph (5 to
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, inspect all of the vehicle fluids for
signs of water ingestion.
CAUTION!
•
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, trans-
fer 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.
•
When driving through water, do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h). Always check water depth before enter-
ing as a precaution, and check all fluids afterward.
Driving through water may cause damage that may
not be covered by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
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 neces-
sary, 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.
STARTING AND OPERATING
CROSSING PUDDLES, POOLS, FLOODED
AREAS OR OTHER STANDING WATER
Puddles, pools, flooded or other standing water areas
normally contain murky or muddy waters. These water
types normally contain hidden obstacles and make it
difficult to determine an accurate water depth,
approach angle, and bottom condition. Murky or muddy
water holes are where you want to hook up tow straps
prior to entering. This makes for a faster, cleaner and
easier vehicle recovery. If you are able to determine you
can safely cross, than proceed using the low and slow
method.
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system effec-
tiveness by depositing debris onto the radiator.
CROSSING DITCHES, STREAMS, SHALLOW
RIVERS OR OTHER FLOWING WATER
Flowing water can be extremely dangerous. Never
attempt to cross a fast running stream or river even in
shallow water. Fast moving water can easily push your
vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of control. Even in
very shallow water, a high current can still wash the dirt
out from around your tires putting you and your vehicle
in jeopardy. There is still a high risk of personal injury
and vehicle damage with slower water currents in
depths greater than the vehicle's running ground clear-
ance. You should never attempt to cross flowing water
which is deeper than the vehicle's running ground clear-
ance. Even the slowest current can push the heaviest
vehicle downstream and out of control if the water is
deep enough to push on the large surface area of the
vehicle's body. Before you proceed, determine the
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