2007 Jeep Patriot Owner Manual - Page 141

140 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE WARNING! Many factors, such as vehicle loading, road conditions and driving conditions, influence the chance that wheel lift or rollover may occur. ERM can not prevent all wheel lift or rollovers, especially those that involve leaving the roadway or striking objects or other vehicles. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can prevent accidents. The capabilities of an ERM equipped vehicle must never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner which could jeopardize the user's safety or the safety of others. HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC) - IF EQUIPPED This system maintains vehicle speed while descending hills during off-road driving situations. HDC will automatically apply the brakes to control downhill speed to between 4 mph (7 km/h) and 6 mph (9 km/h) depending on terrain. The system is activated by placing the vehicle in "Off-Road" mode and placing the gear selector in "Low" or "Reverse." When the system is available, the HDC indicator lamp will be illuminated solid. HDC has the capability to sense terrain and will only activate when the vehicle is descending a hill. It will not activate on level ground. If desired, HDC can be fully deactivated in by putting the vehicle into ESP "full off" mode (refer to the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) located in the "Electronic Brake Control" section of this manual). This is done by pressing and holding the ESP OFF button for 5 seconds. HDC operation can be overridden with brake application to slow the vehicle down below the HDC control speed. Conversely, if more speed is desired during HDC control,