2003 FORD TAURUS Owners Manual

OPERATING TIPS
•To reduce fog build up on the windshield during humid weather, place
the air flow selector in the
position.
•To reduce humidity build up inside the vehicle: do not drive with the
air flow selector in the OFF or MAX A/C position.
•Under normal weather conditions, do not leave the air flow selector in
MAX A/C or OFF when the vehicle is parked. This allows the vehicle
to“breathe”using the outside air inlet vents.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the
airflow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:
1. Select
2. Select A/C
3. Modulate the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to HI
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents towards the side windows
To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents
located in the middle of the instrument panel.
Do not place objects on top of the instrument panel as these
objects may become projectiles in a collision or sudden stop.
Climate Controls
25

ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL (EATC)
SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
1.OFF:Outside air is shut out and
the fan will not operate.
2.Outside temp control:Press to
display the outside air temperature.
Press again to return to interior
temperature. Exterior readings are most accurate when the vehicle is
moving.
3.MAX A/C control:Press to turn
on and manually control the air
conditioning in all modes
except
(Defrost). Press again to disengage. Press AUTO for the
system to automatically control the temperature.
4.Temperature control:Press this
control to select the temperature.
The display window indicates the
selected temperature.
5.Auto:To engage automatic
temperature control, press AUTO to
select the desired temperature using
the temperature control. The system will automatically determine fan
speed, airflow location, outside or recirculated air to heat or cool the
vehicle to reach the desired temperature.
Climate Controls
26

6.Fan Speed:Press to manually
increase/decrease fan speed. In
manual mode, the display will
show
with a bar graph to indicate fan speed. When in AUTO mode,
the system will automatically control fan speed to achieve the desired
temperature.
7.Manual override controls:
Allows you to manually determine
where airflow is directed. To return
to full automatic control, press AUTO.
8.F
:Distributes outside air
through the windshield defroster
ducts. Can be used to clear ice or
fog from the windshield.
9.Rear defrost control:Press to
defrost the rear window.
10.
:Distributes air through the windshield defroster ducts and floor
ducts. The system will automatically provide outside air to reduce
window fogging.
11.
:Distributes air through the floor and rear seat floor ducts (if
equipped).
12.
:Distributes air through the instrument panel and center console
registers (if equipped), the front and rear seat floor ducts.
13.
:Distributes air through the instrument panel and center console
registers (if equipped).
Fahrenheit/Celsius temperature:Press MAX A/C and F
to toggle
between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature. The set point
temperatures in Celsius will be displayed in half-degree increments.
Climate Controls
27

OPERATING TIPS
•To reduce fog build up on the windshield during humid weather, place
the air flow selector in the
position.
•To reduce humidity build up inside the vehicle: do not drive with the
air flow selector in the OFF or MAX A/C position.
•Under normal weather conditions, do not leave the air flow selector in
MAX A/C or OFF when the vehicle is parked. This allows the vehicle
to“breathe”using the outside air inlet vents.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the
airflow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:
1. Select
2. Select A/C
3. Modulate the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to HI
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents towards the side windows
To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents
located in the middle of the instrument panel.
Do not place objects on top of the instrument panel as these
objects may become projectiles in a collision or sudden stop.
REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER
The rear defroster control is located
on the instrument panel.
Press the rear defroster control to
clear the rear window of thin ice
and fog.
•A small LED will illuminate when
the rear defroster is activated.
R
Climate Controls
28

The ignition must be in the ON position to operate the rear window
defroster.
The defroster turns off automatically after 10 minutes or when the
ignition is turned to the OFF position. To manually turn off the defroster
before 10 minutes have passed, push the control again.
Activating the rear window defroster will also activate the heated mirrors
(if equipped). For more information refer toHeated outside mirrorsin
theDriver controls chapter.
CABIN AIR FILTER (IF EQUIPPED)
Your vehicle is equipped with a Cabin air filter. The particulate air
filtration system is designed to reduce the concentration of airborne
particles such as dust, spores and pollen in the air being supplied to the
interior of the vehicle. The particulate filtration system gives the
following benefits to customers:
•Improves the customer’s driving comfort by reducing particle
concentration
•Improves the interior compartment cleanliness
•Protects the climate control components from particle deposits
The filter is located just in front of the windshield under the cowl grille
on the passenger side of the vehicle.
For more information, or to replace the filter, see your Ford, Lincoln or
Mercury Dealer.
Climate Controls
29

HEADLAMP CONTROL
Turns the lamps off.
Turns on the parking
lamps, instrument panel lamps,
license plate lamps and tail lamps.
Turns the headlamps on.
Autolamp control (if equipped)
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 fixed period of time
after the ignition switch is turned to
OFF.
•To turn autolamps on, rotate the control counterclockwise.
•To turn autolamps off, rotate the control clockwise to OFF.
Daytime running lamps (DRL) (if equipped)
Turns the headlamps on with a reduced output.
To activate:
•the ignition must be in the ON position and
•the headlamp control is in the OFF, parking lamp or autolamp
position.
Always remember to turn on your headlamps at dusk or during
inclement weather. The Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) system
does not activate with your tail lamps and generally may not provide
adequate lighting during these conditions. Failure to activate your
headlamps under these conditions may result in a collision.
A
A
Lights
30

High beams
Push the lever toward the
instrument panel to activate. Pull
the lever towards you to deactivate.
Flash to pass
Pull toward you slightly to activate
and release to deactivate.
PANEL DIMMER CONTROL
Use to adjust the brightness of the
instrument panel and all applicable
switches in the vehicle during
headlamp and parklamp operation.
Move the control to the full upright
position, past detent, to turn on the
interior lamps.
Move the control to the full down
position, past detent, to prevent the interior lights from illuminating
when the doors are opened.
The dome lamp will not illuminate if the control switch is in the OFF
position.
A
Lights
31

AIMING THE HEADLAMPS
The headlamps on your vehicle are properly aimed at the assembly plant.
If your vehicle has been in an accident the alignment of your headlamps
should be checked by a qualified service technician.
Vertical aim adjustment
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface approximately 7.6 meters (25 feet)
from a vertical wall or screen directly in front of it.
•(1) Eight feet
•(2) Center height of lamp to
ground
•(3) Twenty five feet
•(4) Horizontal reference line
2. Measure the height of the headlamp bulb center from the ground and
mark a 2.5 meter (8 foot) horizontal reference line on the vertical wall or
screen at this height (a piece of masking tape works well).
3. Turn on the low beam headlamps to illuminate the wall or screen and
open the hood.
4. On the wall or screen you will
observe an area of high intensity
light. The top of the high intensity
area should touch the horizontal
reference line, if not, the beam will
need to be adjusted.
Lights
32