Jeep Compass - Freeing a Stuck Vehicle

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. For
vehicles with automatic transmission, push
and hold the lock button on the gear selector.
Then shift back and forth between DRIVE and
REVERSE (for automatic transmission) or
SECOND GEAR and REVERSE (for manual
transmission) while gently pressing the ac-
celerator.
NOTE:
For vehicles with automatic transmission,
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 for more than two sec-
onds, you must press the brake pedal to
engage DRIVE or REVERSE.
Use the least amount of accelerator pedal
pressure that will maintain the rocking mo-
tion without spinning the wheels or racing the
engine.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous.
Forces generated by excessive wheel
speeds may cause damage, or even failure,
of the axle and tires. A tire could explode
and injure someone. Do not spin your ve-
hicle'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.
NOTE:
Push the “ESC Off” switch (if necessary), to
place the Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system in “Partial Off” mode, before rocking
the vehicle. Refer to “Electronic Brake Con-
trol System” in “Safety” in the Owner’s
Manual for further information. Once the ve-
hicle has been freed, push the "ESC Off"
switch again to restore “ESC On” mode.
CAUTION!
• Racing the engine or spinning the
wheels may lead to transmission over-
heating 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 mini-
mize overheating and reduce the risk of
clutch or transmission failure during
prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by shift-
ing between DRIVE/SECOND gear 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 dam-
age the tires. Do not spin the wheels
above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear
(no transmission shifting occurring).
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