Vehicles with four-wheel drive can be used for off-road driving. Vehicles without four-wheel drive should not be driven off-road except on a level, solid surface.
The airbag system is designed to work properly under a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage. Always wear your safety belt and observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any road and this is certainly true for off-road driving. At the very time you need special alertness and driving skills, your reflexes, perceptions, and judgment can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You could have a serious -- or even fatal -- accident if you drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
Off-roading can be great fun but has some definite hazards. The greatest of these is the terrain itself. When off-road driving, traffic lanes are not marked, curves are not banked, and there are no road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill, or downhill.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers. Failure to operate the vehicle correctly off-road could result in loss of vehicle control or vehicle rollover.
Off-roading involves some new skills. That is why it is very important that you read these driving tips and suggestions to help make off-road driving safer and more enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
| • | Have all necessary maintenance and service work done. |
| • | Make sure there is enough fuel, that fluid levels are where they should be, and that the spare tire is fully inflated. |
| • | Be sure to read all the information about four-wheel-drive vehicles in this manual. |
| • | Make sure all underbody shields, if the vehicle has them, are properly attached. |
| • | Know the local laws that apply to off-roading where you will be driving or check with law enforcement people in the area. |
| • | Be sure to get the necessary permission if you will be on private land. |
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road Driving
Caution:
• Cargo on the load floor piled higher than the seatbacks can be thrown forward during a sudden stop. You or your passengers could be injured. Keep cargo below the top of the seatbacks. • Unsecured cargo on the load floor can be tossed about when driving over rough terrain. You or your passengers can be struck by flying objects. Secure the cargo properly. • Heavy loads on the roof raise the vehicle's center of gravity, making it more likely to roll over. You can be seriously or fatally injured if the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy loads inside the cargo area, not on the roof. Keep cargo in the cargo area as far forward and low as possible.
There are some important things to remember about how to load your vehicle.
| • | The heaviest things should be on the floor, forward of the rear axle. Put heavier items as far forward as you can. |
| • | Be sure the load is properly secured, so things are not tossed around. |
You will find other important information under Loading the Vehicle and Tires .
Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying recreation. However, it also raises environmental concerns. We recognize these concerns and urge every off-roader to follow these basic rules for protecting the environment:
| • | Always use established trails, roads, and areas that have been specially set aside for public off-road recreational driving and obey all posted regulations. |
| • | Avoid any driving practice that could damage shrubs, flowers, trees, or grasses or disturb wildlife. This includes wheel-spinning, breaking down trees, or unnecessary driving through streams or over soft ground. |
| • | Always carry a litter bag and make sure all refuse is removed from any campsite before leaving. |
| • | Take extreme care with open fires (where permitted), camp stoves, and lanterns. |
| • | Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other combustible materials that could catch fire from the heat of the vehicle's exhaust system. |
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your route. Get accurate maps of trails and terrain. Check to see if there are any blocked or closed roads.
It is also a good idea to travel with at least one other vehicle in case something happens to one of them.
For vehicles with a winch, be sure to read the winch instructions. In a remote area, a winch can be handy if you get stuck but you will want to know how to use it properly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It is a good idea to practice in an area that is safe and close to home before you go into the wilderness. Off-roading requires some new and different skills.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your eyes need to constantly sweep the terrain for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen for unusual tire or engine sounds. Use your arms, hands, feet, and body to respond to vibrations and vehicle bounce.
Controlling the vehicle is the key to successful off-road driving. One of the best ways to control the vehicle is to control the speed. At higher speeds:
| • | You approach things faster and have less time to react. |
| • | There is less time to scan the terrain for obstacles. |
| • | The vehicle has more bounce when driving over obstacles. |
| • | More braking distance is needed, especially on an unpaved surface. |
Caution: When you are driving off-road, bouncing and quick changes in direction can easily throw you out of position. This could cause you to lose control and crash. So, whether you are driving on or off the road, you and your passengers should wear safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds of terrain. Be familiar with the terrain and its many different features.
Surface Conditions: Off-roading surfaces can be hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow, or ice. Each of these surfaces affects the vehicle's steering, acceleration, and braking in different ways. Depending on the surface, slipping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceleration, poor traction, and longer braking distances can occur.Surface Obstacles: Unseen or hidden obstacles can be hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump can startle you if you are not prepared for them. Often these obstacles are hidden by grass, bushes, snow, or even the rise and fall of the terrain itself. Some things to consider:
| • | Is the path ahead clear? |
| • | Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead? |
| • | Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? |
| • | Will you have to stop suddenly or change direction quickly? |
When driving over obstacles or rough terrain, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other surface features can jerk the wheel out of your hands.
When driving over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles, the wheels can leave the ground. If this happens, even with one or two wheels, you cannot control the vehicle as well or at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it is especially important to avoid sudden acceleration, sudden turns, or sudden braking.
Off-roading requires a different kind of alertness from driving on paved roads and highways. There are no road signs, posted speed limits, or signal lights. Use good judgment about what is safe and what is not.
Driving on Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across a hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and an understanding of what the vehicle can and cannot do. There are some hills that simply cannot be driven, no matter how well built the vehicle.
Caution: Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive down them, you cannot control your speed. If you drive across them, you will roll over. You could be seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt about the steepness, do not drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, decide if it is too steep to climb, descend, or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very small hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant incline with only a small change in elevation where you can easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill, the incline may get steeper as you near the top, but you might not see this because the crest of the hill is hidden by bushes, grass, or shrubs.
Consider this as you approach a hill:
| • | Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply steeper in places? |
| • | Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the surface cause tire slipping? |
| • | Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you will not have to make turning maneuvers? |
| • | Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your path, such as boulders, trees, logs, or ruts? |
| • | What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk the hill if you do not know. It is the smart way to find out. |
| • | Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have ruts, gullies, troughs, and exposed rocks because they are more susceptible to the effects of erosion. |
Driving Uphill
Once you decide it is safe to drive up the hill:
| • | Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the steering wheel. |
| • | Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain speed. Not using more power than needed can avoid spinning the wheels or sliding. |
| Caution: Turning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You could lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills, always try to go straight up. |
| • | Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If the path twists and turns, you might want to find another route. |
| • | Ease up on the speed as you approach the top of the hill. |
| • | Attach a flag to the vehicle to be more visible to approaching traffic on trails or hills. |
| • | Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to let opposing traffic know you are there. |
| • | Use headlamps even during the day to make the vehicle more visible to oncoming traffic. |
Caution: Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can cause an accident. There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle. You could be seriously injured or killed. As you near the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
If the vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and you cannot make it up the hill:
| • | Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it from rolling backwards and apply the parking brake. |
| • | If the engine is still running, shift the transmission to R (Reverse), release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in R (Reverse). |
| • | If the engine has stopped running, you need to restart it. With the brake pedal pressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the automatic transmission to P (Park) or the manual transmission to Neutral and restart the engine. Then, shift to R (Reverse), release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as straight as possible in R (Reverse). |
| • | While backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position so you can tell if the wheels are straight and can maneuver as you back down. It is best to back down the hill with the wheels straight rather than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel too far to the left or right will increase the possibility of a rollover. |
Things not to do if the vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, when going up a hill:
| • | Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into N (Neutral), or pressing the clutch pedal if the vehicle has a manual transmission, to rev-up the engine and regain forward momentum. This will not work. The vehicle can roll backward very quickly and could go out of control. |
| • | Never try to turn around if about to stall when going up a hill. If the hill is steep enough to stall the vehicle, it is steep enough to cause it to roll over. If you cannot make it up the hill, back straight down the hill. |
If, after stalling, you try to back down the hill and decide you just cannot do it, set the parking brake, shift to P (Park) or 1 (First) with a manual transmission, 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. Do not shift the transfer case to Neutral when you leave the vehicle. Leave it in some gear.
Caution: Shifting the transfer case to Neutral can cause your vehicle to roll even if the transmission is in P (Park). This is because the Neutral position on the transfer case overrides the transmission. You or someone else could be injured. If you are going to leave your vehicle, set the parking brake and shift the transmission to P (Park). But do not shift the transfer case to Neutral.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, consider:
| • | How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain vehicle control? |
| • | What is the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt? Gravel? |
| • | Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders? |
| • | What is 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, try to keep the vehicle headed straight down. Use a low gear so engine drag can help the brakes so they do not have to do all the work. Descend slowly, keeping the vehicle under control at all times.
Caution: Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This could cause loss of control and a serious accident. Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed under control.
Things not to do when driving down a hill:
| • | When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline of the hill. A hill that is not too steep to drive down might be too steep to drive across. The vehicle could roll over. |
| • | Never go downhill with the transmission in N (Neutral), called free-wheeling. The brakes will have to do all the work and could overheat and fade. |
Vehicles are much more likely to stall when going uphill, but if it happens when going downhill:
- Stop the vehicle by applying the regular brakes and apply the parking brake.
- Shift to P (Park) and, while still braking, restart the engine.
- Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight down.
- If the engine will not start, get out and get help.
Driving Across an Incline
An off-road trail will probably go across the incline of a hill. To decide whether to try to drive across the incline, consider the following:
Caution: Driving across an incline that is too steep will make your vehicle roll over. You could be seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt about the steepness of the incline, do not drive across it. Find another route instead.
| • | A hill that can be driven straight up or down might be too steep to drive across. When going straight up or down a hill, the length of the wheel base -- the distance from the front wheels to the rear wheels -- reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumble end over end. But when driving across an incline, the narrower track width -- the distance between the left and right wheels -- might not prevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over. Driving across an incline puts more weight on the downhill wheels which could cause a downhill slide or a rollover. |
| • | Surface conditions can be a problem. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass can cause the tires to slip sideways, downhill. If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit something that will trip it -- a rock, a rut, etc. -- and roll over. |
| • | Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the incline even worse. If you drive across a rock with the uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop into a rut or depression, the vehicle can tilt even more. |
For these reasons, carefully consider whether to try to drive across an incline. Just because the trail goes across the incline does not mean you have to drive it. The last vehicle to try it might have rolled over.
If you feel the vehicle starting to slide sideways, turn downhill. This should help straighten out the vehicle and prevent the side slipping. The best way to prevent this is to "walk the course" first, so you know what the surface is like before driving it.
Stalling on an Incline
Caution: Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle stopped across an incline is dangerous. If the vehicle rolls over, you could be crushed or killed. Always get out on the uphill (high) side of the vehicle and stay well clear of the rollover path.
If the vehicle stalls when crossing an incline, be sure you, and any passengers, get out on the uphill side, even if the door there is harder to open. If you get out on the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll over, you will be right in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the path the vehicle will take if it does roll over.
Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow, or sand, the wheels do not get good traction. Acceleration is not as quick, turning is more difficult, and braking distances are longer.
It is best to use a low gear when in mud -- the deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud, keep the vehicle moving so it does not get stuck.
When driving on sand, wheel traction changes. On loosely packed sand, such as on beaches or sand dunes, the tires will tend to sink into the sand. This affects steering, accelerating, and braking. Drive at a reduced speed and avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction. On these surfaces, it is very easy to lose control. On wet ice, for example, the traction is so poor that you will have difficulty accelerating. And, if the vehicle does get moving, poor steering and difficult braking can cause it to slide out of control.
Caution: Driving on frozen lakes, ponds, or rivers can be dangerous. Underwater springs, currents under the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your vehicle could fall through the ice and you and your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle on safe surfaces only.
Driving in Water
Caution: Driving through rushing water can be dangerous. Deep water can sweep your vehicle downstream and you and your passengers could drown. If it is only shallow water, it can still wash away the ground from under your tires, and you could lose traction and roll the vehicle over. Do not drive through rushing water.
Heavy rain can mean flash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before driving through it. Do not try it if it is deep enough to cover the wheel hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe -- you probably will not get through. Deep water can damage the axle and other vehicle parts.
If the water is not too deep, drive slowly through it. At faster speeds, water splashes on the ignition system and the vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if you get the tailpipe under water. If the tailpipe is under water, you will never be able to start the engine. When going through water, remember that when the brakes get wet, it might take longer to stop. See Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads .
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the underbody, chassis, or under the hood. These accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings cleaned and checked. These substances can cause glazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure, steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust system for damage and check the fuel lines and cooling system for any leakage.
The vehicle requires more frequent service due to off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule for additional information.
