Freeing A Stuck Vehicle; Towing A Disabled Vehicle - RAM 1500 2025 Owner's Manual

296 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
5. Confirm that the tether has retracted fully and
reinstall the access cover. If the access cover
cannot be reinstalled, repeat steps 1 through 4.
NOTE:
When the lever is locked in the released position the
access cover cannot be reinstalled.

FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE

If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand, or snow,
it can often be moved using a rocking motion. Turn the
steering wheel right and left to clear the area around
the front wheels. Then shift back and forth between
DRIVE (D) and REVERSE (R), while gently pressing the
accelerator. Use the least amount of accelerator pedal
pressure that will maintain the rocking motion, without
spinning the wheels or racing the engine.
CAUTION!
●
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead
to transmission overheating and failure. Allow the
engine to idle with the transmission in NEUTRAL
for at least one minute after every five rocking-
motion cycles. This will minimize overheating and
reduce the risk of transmission failure during
prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
●
When "rocking" a stuck vehicle by shifting
between DRIVE and REVERSE, do not spin the
wheels faster than 15 mph (24 km/h), or
drivetrain damage may result.
●
Revving the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transmission overheating and failure.
It can also damage the tires. Do not spin the
wheels above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear (no
transmission shifting occurring).
NOTE:
Shifts between DRIVE and REVERSE can only be
achieved at wheel speeds of 5 mph (8 km/h) or less.
Whenever the transmission remains in NEUTRAL (N)
for more than two seconds, you must press the brake
pedal to engage DRIVE or REVERSE.
Push the ESC OFF button to place the Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) system in "Partial OFF" mode,
before rocking the vehicle
vehicle has been freed, push the ESC OFF button to
restore "ESC On" mode.
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces
generated by excessive wheel speeds may cause
(Continued)
CAUTION!
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page 237. Once the
WARNING!
(Continued)
WARNING!
damage, or even failure, of the axle and tires. A
tire could explode and injure someone. Do not spin
your vehicle's wheels faster than 30 mph (48 km/h)
or for longer than 30 seconds continuously without
stopping when you are stuck and do not let anyone
near a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.

TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE

This section describes procedures for towing a disabled
vehicle using a commercial towing service.
If the transmission and drivetrain are operable,
disabled vehicles may also be towed as described on
ð
page 198.
NOTE:
Vehicles equipped with the Active-Level Four Corner Air
Suspension System must be placed in Transport mode,
before tying them down (from the body) on a trailer
ð
or flatbed truck page 136. If the vehicle cannot
be placed in Transport mode (for example, engine will
not run), tie-downs must be fastened to the axles (not
to the body). Failure to follow these instructions may
cause fault codes to be set and/or cause loss of proper
tie-down tension.