2008 Jeep Patriot Owner's Manual - Page 270

268 STARTING AND OPERATING Driving Through Water Extreme care should be taken crossing any type of water. Water crossings should be avoided if possible, and only be attempted when necessary in a safe responsible manner. You should only drive through areas which are designated and approved. You should tread lightly and avoid damage to the environment. You should know your vehicles abilities and be able to recover it if something goes wrong. You should never stop or shut a vehicle off when crossing deep water unless you ingested water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls, do not attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested water first. The key to any crossing is low and slow. You want to use low (L Off-Road) with the 4WD LOCK engaged and proceed very slowly with a constant slow speed {3-5 mph (5-8 km/h) maximum} and light throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not try to accelerate through the crossing. After crossing any water higher than the bottom of the axle differentials, you should inspect all of the vehicle fluids for signs of water ingestion. CAUTION! Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you drive too fast or through too deep of water. Water can cause permanent damage to engine, driveline or other vehicle components and your brakes will be less effective once wet and/or muddy.