2001 Mercury Sable tires

Follow these guidelines when using snow tires and chains:
²Use only cable type chains offered by Ford as an accessory or
equivalent. SAE class ªSº or other conventional link type chains may
cause damage to the vehicle's wheel house and/or body.
²Install cable chains securely, verifying that the cables do not touch any
wiring, brake lines or fuel lines.
²Drive cautiously. If you hear the cables rub or bang against your
vehicle, stop and re-tighten the cables. If this does not work, remove
the cables to prevent damage to your vehicle.
²If possible, avoid fully loading your vehicle.
²Remove the tire cables when they are no longer needed. Do not use
tire cables on dry roads.
²The suspension insulation and bumpers will help prevent vehicle
damage. Do not remove these components from your vehicle when
using snow tires and cables.
²Do not exceed 48 km/h (30 mph) with tire cables on your vehicle.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUTOMOTIVE FUELS
Important safety precautions
Do not overfill the fuel tank. The pressure in an overfilled tank
may cause leakage and lead to fuel spray and fire.
The fuel system may be under pressure. If the fuel filler cap is
venting vapor or if you hear a hissing sound, wait until it stops
before completely removing the fuel filler cap. Otherwise, fuel may
spray out and injure you or others.
If you do not use the proper fuel filler cap, excessive pressure or
vacuum in the fuel tank may damage the fuel system or cause
the fuel cap to disengage in a collision, which may result in possible
personal injury.
Automotive fuels can cause serious injury or death if misused or
mishandled.
Maintenance and care
182

²Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
²Slow down gradually.
²Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 88 km/h [55 mph] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 105 km/h [65 mph]).
²Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
²Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
²You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between third and fourth gear occurs.
Unnecessary shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel
economy.
²Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
²Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
²Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
²Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
²Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
²Use recommended engine oil. Refer toLubricant Specifications.
²Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in your vehicle scheduled maintenance guide.
Conditions
²Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
²Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
0.4 km/L [1 mpg] is lost for every 180 kg [400 lb] of weight carried).
²Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
²Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
²Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
12±16 km (8±10 miles) of driving.
Maintenance and care
189

child safety seats ....................105
cleaning ...........................208±209
SecuriLock passive
anti-theft system ...................73, 75
Servicing your vehicle ..............153
Spark plugs,
specifications .....................210, 213
Specification chart,
lubricants ...........................212±213
Speed control ..............................47
Speedometer ...............................14
Starting your vehicle ........113, 115
jump starting ..........................147
Steering wheel
tilting .........................................52
T
Tachometer .................................14
Tires ...........................143, 178±180
changing ..........................143±144
checking the pressure ............180
replacing ..................................181
rotating ....................................180
snow tires and chains ............181
tire grades ...............................179
treadwear ................................179
Towing .......................................130
recreational towing .................133
trailer towing ..........................130
wrecker ....................................152
Traction control ..................46, 121
active light ..................................8
Transaxle
automatic operation ...............123
fluid, refill capacities ..............211lubricant specifications ..........213
Transmission
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................168
lubricant specifications ..........212
Trip odometer .............................15
Trunk .........................61, 63±64, 76
remote release ..........................60
Turn signal ..............................8, 50
V
Vehicle dimensions ...................213
Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN) ...........................216
Vehicle loading ..........................128
Ventilating your vehicle ...........117
W
Warning chimes ...........................13
Warning lights (see Lights) .........8
Washer fluid ..............................161
Water, Driving through .............129
Windows
power .........................................56
rear wiper/washer .....................51
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers
checking and adding fluid .....161
checking and cleaning ....177±178
liftgate reservoir .....................162
operation ...................................50
replacing wiper blades ...........178
Wrecker towing .........................152
Index
236