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 shift 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:
If your vehicle is equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), turn the system to Partial OFF before attempting to “rock” the vehicle. Refer to “Electronic Brake Control” 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.

    See also:

    Disposing Of Used Engine Oil And Oil Filters
    Care should be taken in disposing of used engine oil and oil filters from your vehicle. Used oil and oil filters, indiscriminately discarded, can present a problem to the environment. Contact yo ...

    Service Contract
    You may have purchased a service contract for a vehicle to help protect you from the high cost of unexpected repairs after the manufacturer’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty expires. The manufact ...

    Headlamps with Wipers (Available with Auto Headlights Only)
    When ON is selected, and the headlight switch is in the AUTO position, the headlights will turn on approximately 10 seconds after the wipers are turned on. The headlights will also turn off when ...