1999 FORD TAURUS tow

ICONS
Indicates a safety alert.
Read the following
section onWarnings.
Indicates vehicle
information related to
recycling and other
environmental
concerns will follow.
Correct vehicle usage and the authorized disposal of
waste cleaning and lubrication materials are
significant steps towards protecting the
environment.
Indicates a message
regarding child safety
restraints. Refer to
Seating and safety
restraintsfor more information.
Indicates that this
Owner Guide contains
information on this
subject. Please refer to
the Index to locate the appropriate section which
will provide you more information.
WARNINGS
Warnings provide information which may reduce the
risk of personal injury and prevent possible damage
to others, your vehicle and its equipment.
BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
There are no particular breaking-in rules for your
vehicle. During the first 1 600 km (1 000 miles) of
driving, vary speeds frequently. This is necessary to
give the moving parts a chance to break in.
Introduction
2

Safety belt
Momentarily illuminates
when the ignition is
turned to the ON
position to remind you
to fasten your safety belts. For more information,
refer to theSeating and safety restraintschapter.
Door ajar
Illuminates when the
ignition is in the ON or
START position and
any door is open.
Service engine soon
Your vehicle is
equipped with a
computer that monitors
the engine's emission
control system. This
system is commonly known as the On Board
Diagnostics System (OBD II). The OBD II system
protects the environment by ensuring that your
vehicle continues to meet government emission
standards. The OBD II system also assists the
service technician in properly servicing your vehicle.
TheService Engine Soonindicator light illuminates
when the ignition is first turned to the ON position
to check the bulb. If it comes on after the engine is
started, one of the engine's emission control systems
may be malfunctioning. The light may illuminate
without a driveability concern being noted. The
vehicle will usually be drivable and will not require
towing.
What you should do if the Service Engine Soon
light illuminates
Light turns on solid:
This means that the OBD II system has detected a
malfunction.
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
Instrumentation
7

Flash to pass
Pull toward you to
activate and release to
deactivate.
PANEL DIMMER CONTROL
Use to adjust the
brightness of the
instrument panel
during headlamp and
parklamp operation.
²Rotate up to
brighten.
²Rotate down to dim.
²Rotate to full up position (past detent) to turn on
interior lamps.
AUTOLAMP CONTROL
The autolamp system
provides light sensitive
automatic on-off
control of the exterior
lights normally
controlled by the
headlamp control.
The autolamp system also keeps the lights on for a
preselected period of time after the ignition switch
is turned to OFF.
PPANEL
DIMAUTO
LAMP
PPANEL
DIMAUTO
LAMP
Controls and features
17

²Do not leave tapes in the cassette player for a
long time when not being played.
Radio frequency information
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
and the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications
Commission(CRTC) establish the frequencies AM
and FM stations may use for their broadcasts.
Allowable frequencies are:
AM 530, 540±1600, 1610 kHz
FM 87.9, 88.1±107.1, 107.9 MHz
Not all frequencies are used in a given area.
Radio reception factors
Three factors can affect radio reception:
²Distance/strength.The further an FM signal
travels, the weaker it is. The listenable range of
the average FM station is approximately 40 km
(24 miles). This range can be affected by ªsignal
modulationº. Signal modulation is a process radio
stations use to increase their strength/volume
relative to other stations.
²Terrain.Hills, mountains and tall buildings
between your vehicle's antenna and the radio
station signal can cause FM reception problems.
Static can be caused on AM stations by power
lines, electric fences, traffic lights and
thunderstorms. Moving away from an interfering
structure (out of its ªshadowº) returns your
reception to normal.
²Station overload.Weak signals are sometimes
captured by stronger signals when you pass a
broadcast tower. A stronger signal may
temporarily overtake a weaker signal and play
while the weak station frequency is displayed.
The audio system automatically switches to single
channel reception if it will improve the reception of
a station normally received in stereo.
Controls and features
44

TILT STEERING
Pull the tilt 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.
Never adjust the steering wheel when the
vehicle is moving.
DOME LAMPS AND MAP LAMPS
The front dome lamp is located overhead between
the driver and passenger seats. If the vehicle is
equipped with a moon roof, the dome lamp is
located behind the moon roof.
The dome lamp will
stay on if the control is
moved to the ON
position. When the
control is in the DOOR
position, the lamp will
only come on when a
door is opened. If the
control is moved to the
OFF position, the lamp will not come on at all.
The dome lamp will illuminate whenever a front
door is opened. If either front door has been opened
from the outside, the lamp will remain on for 25
seconds after the door is shut. If any other door has
been opened from the inside, the lamp will shut off
immediately after the door is closed.
DOOR OFF ON
Controls and features
51

Accessory delay (if equipped)
With accessory delay, the window switches may be
used for up to ten minutes after the ignition switch
is turned to the OFF position or until any door is
opened.
POWER DOOR LOCKS (IF EQUIPPED)
Press U to unlock all
doors and L to lock all
doors.
Central locking/Two step unlocking (if equipped)
When unlocking the driver or front passenger door
with the key, turn it once toward the front of the
vehicle to unlock that door only. Turn the key a
second time to unlock all doors. When locking, turn
the key toward the back of the vehicle to lock all
doors.
POWER SIDE VIEW MIRRORS
To adjust your mirrors:
1. Select
to adjust the left mirror orto adjust
the right mirror.
2. Move the control in
the direction you wish
to tilt the mirror.
3. Return to the center position to lock mirrors in
place.
UL
Controls and features
54

CENTER CONSOLE
Your vehicle may be equipped with a variety of
console features. These include:
²utility compartment
²cupholders
²coin holder slots
²cellular phone (if equipped)
Use only soft cups in the cupholder. Hard
objects can injure you in a collision.
If your vehicle is equipped with the column shift and
a bench seat, it has a center console in the center
front seating position.
The center console has the same features as the full
console. To open the storage compartment, raise the
armrest and pull the strap on the seat up and
toward the front of the vehicle. The cupholders in
the center console can be removed for cleaning.
Cellular phone
Refer to the ªCellular phone guideº for instructions
on operation.
POSITIVE RETENTION FLOOR MAT
Position the floor mat so
that the eyelet is over the
pointed end of the
retention post and rotate
forward to lock in. Make
sure that the mat does not
interfere with the operation
of the accelerator or the
brake pedal. To remove the
floor mat, reverse the installation procedure.
Controls and features
56

Cargo cover (if equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a cargo area
shade that covers the luggage compartment of your
vehicle.
To install the shade:
1. Fasten the cover
into the mounting
brackets (make sure
the cover is right side
up).
2. Pull the end of the
shade toward you and
hook the sides into the notches in the rear trim
panels.
To prevent the possibility of injuries, the
fasteners for the cargo area cover must be
properly attached to the mounting clips on the
rear trim panels.
Do not place any objects on the cargo area
cover. They may obstruct your vision or
strike occupants of the vehicle in the case of a
sudden stop or collision.
Rewinding the shade
With extended use, the cargo shade may lose its
spring tension. If this occurs, the shade must be
manually rewound. This is a two-person operation.
1. Remove the shade from the vehicle and extend it
with the smooth grain facing you.
Controls and features
59