1998 Mercury Mountaineer wheel

contents without notice and
without incurring obligation.
SPECIAL NOTICES
Notice to owners of utility type
vehicles
Before you drive your vehicle,
please read this Owner's Guide
carefully. Your vehicle is not a
passenger car. As with other
vehicles of this type, failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control or an
accident.
Be sure to readDriving off road
in theDrivingchapter as well as
the ªFour Wheelingº supplement
included with 4WD and utility type
vehicles.
Using your vehicle as a
snowplow
Do not use this vehicle for
snowplowing.
Using your vehicle as an
ambulance
Do not use this vehicle as
an ambulance.
Your vehicle is not equipped with
the Ford Ambulance Preparation
package.
Introduction
3

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UNLEADED
FUEL ONLY
RSM
SET
ACC
COAST OFF ON
SRS
H
H
Instrument cluster
(pg. 6)Speed control
(pg. 26)
Driver side air
bag
(pg. 73) Headlamp
control
(pg. 16)
Instrument panel
dimmer switch
(pg. 17)Tilt steering
wheel lever
(pg. 31)
Turn signal and
wiper/washer
control
(pg. 25)
Instrumentation
4

4WD CONTROL (IF EQUIPPED)
This control operates the 4WD.
Refer toFour-wheel drive (4WD)
operationin theDrivingchapter
for more information.
AUDIO SYSTEM
Refer to the ªAudio Guideº in your
owner portfolio.
TURN SIGNAL CONTROL
²Push down to activate the left
turn signal.
²Push up to activate the right
turn signal.
HIGH
LOW AUTO
Controls and features
25

TILT STEERING
Pull the steering control toward
you to move the steering wheel up
or down. Hold the control while
adjusting the wheel to the desired
position, then release the control
to lock the steering wheel in
position.
Never adjust the steering
wheel when the vehicle is
moving.
HAZARD FLASHER
For information on the hazard
flasher control, refer toHazard
lights controlin theRoadside
emergencieschapter.
Controls and features
31

Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the air bag cover on the
steering wheel or in front seat
areas that may come into contact
with a deploying air bag. Failure
to follow this instruction may
increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
Do not attempt to service,
repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint
System or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Children and air bags
For additional important safety
information, read all information
on safety restraints in this guide.
Children should always wear their
safety belts. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
Air bag can kill or injure a
child in a child seat. If you
must use a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat, move seat
all the way back.
Seating and safety restraints
75

shudder while braking, felt mainly
in the steering wheel, the vehicle
most likely needs service.
The ABS operates by detecting the
onset of wheel lock up during
brake applications and
compensating for this tendency.
The front wheels are prevented
from locking even when the brakes
are firmly applied. The
accompanying illustration depicts
the advantage of an ABS equipped
vehicle (on bottom) to a non-ABS
equipped vehicle (on top) during
hard braking.
ABS warning lamp
The
ABSwarning lamp in the
instrument cluster illuminates for
about five seconds when starting
the vehicle. If an ABS fault is
detected, the light will remain on
and your vehicle should be
serviced as soon as possible.
Normal braking is still effective
unless the BRAKE warning lamp is
also illuminated.
Using ABS
²In an emergency or when
maximum efficiency from the
ABS is required, apply
continuous full force on the
brake. The ABS will be activated
immediately, thus allowing you
to retain full steering control of
your vehicle and, providing
!
BRAKE
Driving
101

the vehicle decelerates to the
proper vehicle speed.
CONTROL-TRAC AUTOMATIC
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM
(IF EQUIPPED)
The 4WD system uses all four
wheels to power the vehicle. This
increases traction, enabling you to
drive your 4x4 over terrain and
road conditions not normally
traveled by two-wheel drive
vehicles.
Power is supplied to all four
wheels through a transfer case that
allows you to select a four-wheel
drive mode best suited for your
current driving conditions.
Positions of the Control-Trac
system
The Control-Trac system functions
in three modes:
²The 4WD AUTO mode provides
four-wheel drive with full power
delivered to the rear axle, and
to the front axle as required for
increased traction. This is
appropriate for normal on-road
operating conditions, such as
dry road surfaces, wet
pavement, snow and gravel.
HIGH
LOW AUTO
Driving
111

²The 4WD HIGH mode provides
four-wheel drive with full power
to both axles. It is only intended
for severe winter or off-road
conditions, such as deep snow
and ice (where no dry or wet
pavement remains uncovered),
and shallow sand.
²The 4WD LOW mode supplies
four-wheel drive with full power
to both axles and includes a
lower gear ratio for low-speed. It
is only intended for off-road
applications that require extra
power including deep sand,
steep grades and pulling a boat
and trailer out of the water.
The vehicle should not be
operated in 4WD HIGH and
4WD LOW on dry or merely wet
pavement. Doing so will
produce excessive noise,
increase tire wear and may
damage driveline components.
These modes are intended for
use only on consistently
slippery or loose surfaces.
If your vehicle is equipped with
4WD or AWD, a spare tire of a
different size than the road
tires should never be used.
Such a tire could result in
damage to driveline
components and make the
vehicle difficult to control.HIGH
LOW AUTO
HIGH
LOW AUTO
Driving
112