2002 FORD RANGER brakes

Seating and Safety Restraints 109
Seating 109
Safety restraints 111
Air bags 123
Child restraints 133
Driving 144
Starting 144
Brakes 148
Transmission operation 153
Vehicle loading 173
Trailer towing 175
Recreational towing 185
Roadside Emergencies 187
Hazard flasher switch 188
Fuses and relays 190
Changing tires 200
Jump starting 206
Wrecker towing 211
Customer Assistance 212
The dispute settlement board 215
Utilizing the mediation/arbitration 218
Getting assistance outside the U.S. and Canada 218
Ordering additional owner's literature 219
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 221
Cleaning 222
Cleaning your vehicle 222
Underbody preservation 228
Table of Contents
2

These temporary malfunctions can be corrected by filling the fuel tank
with high quality fuel of the recommended octane and/or properly
installing and securely tightening the fuel cap. After three driving cycles
without these or any other temporary malfunctions present, the light
should turn off. (A driving cycle consists of a cold engine startup
followed by mixed city/highway driving.) No additional vehicle service is
required.
If the light remains on, have your vehicle serviced at the first available
opportunity.
Light is blinking:
Engine misfire is occurring which could damage your catalytic converter.
You should drive in a moderate fashion (avoid heavy acceleration and
deceleration) and have your vehicle serviced at the first available
opportunity.
Under engine misfire conditions, excessive exhaust temperatures
could damage the catalytic converter, the fuel system, interior
floor coverings or other vehicle components, possibly causing a fire.
Check gage
Illuminates when the engine coolant
temperature is high, the engine oil
pressure is low or the fuel gauge is
at or near empty. Refer toEngine
coolant temperature gauge, Engine oil pressure gaugeorFuel gauge
in this chapter for more information.
Brake system warning
Illuminates if the parking brake is
engaged. Also momentarily
illuminates at start up to ensure the
circuit is functional. If the brake
warning lamp does not illuminate at
these times, or illuminates after releasing the parking brake, seek service
immediately. Refer toBrakesin theDrivingchapter for more
information.
CHECK
GAGE
!
BRAKE
Instrument Cluster
11

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
Momentarily illuminates at start up
to ensure the circuit is functional. If
the light does not illuminate,
remains on or continues to flash, the
ABS needs to be serviced (refer to
Brakesin theDrivingchapter for more information). With the ABS light
on, the ABS is disabled and normal braking is still functional.
Safety belt
Illuminates to remind you to fasten
your safety belts. For more
information, refer to theSeating
and safety restraintschapter.
Air bag readiness
Illuminates to confirm that the air
bags (front or side) are operational.
If the light fails to illuminate,
continues to flash or remains on,
have the system serviced
immediately.
Charging system
Illuminates when the battery is not
charging properly.
Check fuel cap
Illuminates when the fuel cap is not
installed correctly. Check the fuel
cap for proper installation. When
the fuel filler cap is properly
re-installed, the light(s) will turn off
after a period of normal driving. Continuing to operate the vehicle with
the check fuel cap light on, can activate theService Engine Soon/Check
Enginewarning light.
ABS
CHECK
FUEL
CAP
Instrument Cluster
12

To turn speed control off
²Press OFF or
²Turn off the vehicle ignition.
Once speed control is switched off,
the previously programmed set
speed will be erased.
To set a speed
²Press SET ACC. For speed
control to operate, the speed
control must be ON and the
vehicle speed must be greater
than 48 km/h (30 mph).
If you drive up or down a steep hill, your vehicle speed may vary
momentarily slower or faster than the set speed. This is normal.
Speed control cannot reduce the vehicle speed if it increases above the
set speed on a downhill. If your vehicle speed is faster than the set
speed while driving on a downhill, you may want to shift to the next
lower gear or apply the brakes to reduce your vehicle speed.
If your vehicle slows down more than 16 km/h (10 mph) below your set
speed on an uphill, your speed control will disengage. This is normal.
Pressing RSM will re-engage it.
Do not use the speed control in heavy traffic or on roads that
are winding, slippery, or unpaved.
OFF ON
RSM
SET
ACC
COAST
Driver Controls
88

The front outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap
and shoulder belts. The front passenger outboard safety belt has two
types of locking modes described below:
Energy Management Feature
²This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management
feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
²This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay
out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant's chest.
Vehicle sensitive mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will
lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
²Any timea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front seat.
Refer toSafety Restraints for Children,Safety Seats for Children,
orPassenger air bag On/Off switchlater in this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
113

Guarding against exhaust fumes
Although odorless and colorless, carbon monoxide is present in exhaust
fumes. Take precautions to avoid its dangerous effects.
If you ever smell exhaust fumes of any kind inside your vehicle,
have your dealer inspect and fix your vehicle immediately. Do
not drive if you smell exhaust fumes. These fumes are harmful and
could kill you.
Have the exhaust and body ventilation systems checked whenever:
²the vehicle is raised for service
²the sound of the exhaust system changes
²the vehicle has been damaged in a collision
WARNING:Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and
certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to
the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm. In addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear contain or emit chemicals known
to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
Important ventilating information
If the engine is idling while the vehicle is stopped in an open area for
long periods of time, open the windows at least 2.5 cm (one inch).
Adjust the heating or air conditioning (if equipped) to bring in fresh air.
Improve vehicle ventilation by keeping all air inlet vents clear of snow,
leaves and other debris.
BRAKES
Your service brakes are self-adjusting. Refer to the scheduled
maintenance guide for scheduled maintenance.
Occasional brake noise is normal and often does not indicate a
performance concern with the vehicle's brake system. In normal
operation, automotive brake systems may emit occasional or intermittent
squeal or groan noises when the brakes are applied. Such noises are
usually heard during the first few brake applications in the morning;
however, they may be heard at any time while braking and can be
Driving
148

aggravated by environmental conditions such as cold, heat, moisture,
road dust, salt or mud. If a ªmetal-to-metal,º ªcontinuous grindingº or
ªcontinuous squealº sound is present while braking, the brake linings
may be worn-out and should be inspected by a qualified service
technician.
Four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS)
This vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS). A noise
from the hydraulic pump motor and pulsation in the pedal may be
observed during ABS braking events. Pedal pulsation coupled with noise
while braking under panic conditions or on loose gravel, bumps, wet or
snowy roads is normal and indicates proper functioning of the vehicle's
anti-lock brake system. If the vehicle has continuous vibration or shudder
in the steering wheel while braking, the vehicle should be inspected by a
qualified service technician.
The ABS operates by detecting the
onset of wheel lockup during brake
applications and compensates for
this tendency. The 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 with loss of front braking
traction.
Using four wheel ABS
²In an emergency or when maximum efficiency from the four wheel
ABS is required, apply continuous force on the brake. The four wheel
ABS will be activated immediately, thus allowing you to retain full
steering control of your vehicle and, providing there is sufficient
space, will enable you to avoid obstacles and bring the vehicle to a
controlled stop.
²The anti-lock system does not decrease the time necessary to apply
the brakes or always reduce stopping distance. Always leave enough
room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to stop.
²We recommend that you familiarize yourself with this braking
technique. However, avoid taking any unnecessary risks.
Driving
149

ABS warning lampABS
TheABSwarning lamp in the instrument cluster momentarily illuminates
when the ignition is turned to the ON position. If the light does not
illuminate momentarily at start up, remains on or continues to flash, the
ABS needs to be serviced.
With the ABS light on, the anti-lock
brake system is disabled and normal
braking is still effective unless the
brake warning light also remains
illuminated with parking brake
released. (If your brake warning lamp illuminates, have your vehicle
serviced immediately.)
Parking brake
Apply the parking brake whenever
the vehicle is parked. To set the
parking brake, press the parking
brake pedal down until the pedal
stops.
The BRAKE warning lamp in the
instrument cluster illuminates and
remains illuminated (when the
ignition is turned ON) until the
parking brake is released.
Always set the parking brake fully and make sure that the
gearshift is securely latched in P (Park) (automatic
transmission) or in 1 (First) (manual transmission).
The parking brake is not recommended to stop a moving vehicle.
However, if the normal brakes fail, the parking brake can be used to stop
your vehicle in an emergency. Since the parking brake applies only the
rear brakes, the vehicle's stopping distance will increase greatly and the
handling of your vehicle will be adversely affected.
!
BRAKE
BRAKE
RELEASE
!
BRAKE
Driving
150