Owner's Manual

Here are some things you must not do if you stall, or
are about
to stall, when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL
(N) to “rev-up” the engine and regain
forward momentum. This won’t work. Your vehicle
will roll backwards very quickly and you could
go out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to
stop the vehicle.
Then apply the parking brake. Shift
to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back straight down.
Never attempt
to turn around if you are about to
stall when going up a hill. If the hill is steep
enough
to stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to
cause you to roll over if you turn around. If you can’t
make it up the hill, you must back straight down
the hill.
Q: Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the hill
and decide I just can’t do it. What should I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK
(P) and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and go get some help.
Exit on the uphill
side and stay clear
of the path the vehicle would
take
if it rolled downhill.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider a number of things:
How steep is the downhill? Will
I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles?
Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill?
Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom with large
rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try
to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes
and they won’t have
to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
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