Freeing A Stuck Vehicle

If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it can often be moved by a rocking motion. Turn your steering wheel right and left to clear the area around the front wheels. Then move the shift lever back and forth between DRIVE and REVERSE. Using minimal accelerator pedal pressure to maintain the rocking motion, without spinning the wheels, is most effective.

CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead to transmission overheating and failure. Allow the engine to idle with the shift lever 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.

NOTE:
To improve the vehicle’s traction when starting off in deep snow, sand or gravel, it may be desirable to switch the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to “Partial Off” mode. Refer to “Electronic Brake Control System” in “Starting and Operating” for further information.

CAUTION!
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving 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).

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 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.

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