
Many lights will illuminate when you start your vehicle to make sure the
bulbs work. If any light remains on after starting the vehicle, have the
respective system inspected immediately.
If your vehicle is equipped with a diesel engine, it has a unique cluster,
refer toStarting the enginein your6.0 Liter Power Stroke Direct
Injection Turbo Diesel Owner’s Guide Supplement.
Service engine soon:TheService
engine soonindicator light
illuminates when the ignition is first
turned to the ON position to check
the bulb. Solid illumination after the engine is started indicates the On
Board Diagnostics System (OBD-II) has detected a malfunction. Refer to
On board diagnostics (OBD-II)in theMaintenance and Specifications
chapter. If the light is blinking, engine misfire is occurring which could
damage your catalytic converter. Drive in a moderate fashion (avoid
heavy acceleration and deceleration) and have your vehicle serviced
immediately.
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.
Electronic throttle control:
Illuminates when the engine has
defaulted to a ’limp-home’ operation.
Report the fault to an authorized
dealer at the earliest opportunity.
On vehicles equipped with a message center, “ENGINE FAILSAFE
MODE” will be displayed, refer toMessage Centerin theDriver
Controlschapter.
Brake system warning light:To
confirm the brake system warning
light is functional, it will
momentarily illuminate when the
ignition is turned to the ON position
when the engine is not running, or in a position between ON and START,
or by applying the parking brake when the ignition is turned to the ON
position. If the brake system warning light does not illuminate at this
time, seek service immediately from your authorized dealer. Illumination
P!
BRAKE
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
13

after releasing the parking brake indicates low brake fluid level and the
brake system should be inspected immediately by your servicing
authorized dealer.
Driving a vehicle with the brake system warning light on is
dangerous. A significant decrease in braking performance may
occur. It will take you longer to stop the vehicle. Have the vehicle
checked by your authorized dealer immediately.
Anti-lock brake system:If the
ABS light stays illuminated or
continues to flash, a malfunction has
been detected, have the system
serviced immediately. Normal
braking is still functional unless the brake warning light also is
illuminated.
Airbag readiness:If this light fails
to illuminate when ignition is turned
to ON, continues to flash or remains
on, have the system serviced
immediately. A chime will also sound when a malfunction in the
supplemental restraint system has been detected.
Safety belt:Reminds you to fasten
your safety belt. A chime will also
sound to remind you to fasten your
safety belt.
Charging system:Illuminates when
the battery is not charging properly.
Transmission Tow/Haul Feature
(automatic transmission):
Illuminates when the Tow/Haul
feature has been activated. Refer to
theDrivingchapter for transmission function and operation. If the light
flashes steadily, have the system serviced immediately, damage to the
transmission could occur.
ABS
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
14

Four wheel drive low:Illuminates
when four-wheel drive low is
engaged.
Four wheel drive indicator:
Illuminates when four-wheel drive is
engaged.
Speed control:Illuminates when
the speed control is activated. Turns
off when the speed control system
is deactivated.
Turn signal:Illuminates when the
left or right turn signal or the
hazard lights are turned on. If the
indicators stay on or flash faster, check for a burned out bulb.
High beams:Illuminates when the
high beam headlamps are turned on.
Key-in-ignition warning chime:Sounds when the key is left in the
ignition in the OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY position and the driver’s door
is opened.
Headlamps on warning chime:Sounds when the headlamps or parking
lamps are on, the ignition is off (the key is not in the ignition) and the
driver’s door is opened.
Parking brake ON warning chime:Sounds when the parking brake is
set, the engine is running and the vehicle is driven more than 3 mph
(5 km).LOW
RANGE
4x4
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
15

Battery voltage gauge (manual
transmission only):Indicates the
battery voltage when the ignition is
in the ON position. If the pointer
moves and stays outside the normal
operating range, have the vehicle’s
electrical system checked as soon as
possible.
Transmission fluid temperature gauge (automatic transmission
only):If the gauge is in the:
Normal area(normal) - the
transmission fluid is within the
normal operating temperature
(between “H” and “C”).
Yellow area(warning) —
the
transmission fluid is higher than
normal operating temperature. This
can be caused by special operation
conditions (i.e. snowplowing, towing
or off road use). Refer toSpecial
Operating Conditionsin the
scheduled maintenance information
for instructions. Operating the transmission for extended periods of time
with the gauge in the yellow area may cause internal transmission damage.
Altering the severity of the driving conditions is recommended to lower
the transmission temperature into the normal range.
Red area(over temperature) —
the transmission fluid is overheating.
Stop the vehicle to allow the
temperature to return to normal
range.
If the gauge is operating in the Yellow or Red area, stop the vehicle and
verify the airflow is not restricted such as snow or debris blocking airflow
through the grill. If the gauge continues to show high temperatures, see
your authorized dealer.
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
19

Note:The following warning messages will reappear after an ignition
OFF-ON cycle has been completed.
Door ajar:Displays when the
ignition is in the ON position and
any door is open.
Check fuel cap:Displays when the
fuel cap may not be properly
installed. Continued driving with
this display on may cause the
Service engine soon warning light to
come on. Refer toFuel filler capunder theFuel Information sectionin
theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
Trailer fault (if equipped):
Displayed if there is a short circuit
on the electric brake output wire or
the trailer brakes are drawing too
much current. Refer toIntegrated
trailer brake controllerin theTires, Wheels and Loadingchapter for
more information.
TBC fault (if equipped):Displays
in response to faults sensed by the
TBC. In the event this message is
seen, please take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer for diagnosis and
repair. Refer toIntegrated trailer brake controllerin theTires, Wheels
and Loadingchapter for more information.
Note:The following warning messages will reappear on the display every
ten minutes.
Low fuel:Displays when the fuel
level in the fuel tank is at or near
empty (refer toFuel gaugein this
chapter).
Check gauge:Displays when any of
the following conditions has
occurred:
•The engine coolant temperature
is high.
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
68

•The engine oil pressure is low.
•The fuel gauge is at or near empty.
Check trailer (if equipped):
Displayed when a trailer connection
becomes disconnected, either
intentionally or unintentionally, and
has been sensed during a given
ignition cycle. Refer toIntegrated trailer brake controllerin theTires,
Wheels and Loadingchapter for more information.
Language
The language options are English and French. The feature works as
follows:
1. If present language is English,
press and hold the SELECT/RESET
button for 15 seconds or greater to
convert the language selection to
French. The wordFRENCHwill be
displayed for 4 seconds as a confirmation that language has been
changed.
2. If present language is French,
press and hold the SELECT/RESET
button for 15 seconds or greater to
convert the language selection to
English. The wordENGLISHwill
be displayed for 4 seconds as a confirmation that language has been
changed.
MESSAGE CENTER (IF EQUIPPED)
With the ignition in the ON position,
the message center, located on your
instrument cluster, displays
important vehicle information
through a constant monitor of
vehicle systems.You may select
display features on the message center for a display of status preceded
by a brief indicator chime. The system will also notify you of potential
vehicle problems with a display of system warnings followed by a long
indicator chime.
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
69
![FORD SUPER DUTY 2006 1.G Owners Manual 7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRA FORD SUPER DUTY 2006 1.G Owners Manual 7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRA](/manual-img/11/5267/w960_5267-71.png)
7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRATION COMPLETED. It will take
up to five circles to complete calibration.
9. The compass is now calibrated.
Distance to empty (DTE)
Selecting this function from the
INFO menu estimates approximately
how far you can drive with the fuel
remaining in your tank under
normal driving conditions.
Remember to turn the ignition OFF
when refueling to allow this feature to correctly detect the added fuel.
The DTE function will display LOW FUEL LEVEL and sound a tone for
one second when you have approximately 50 miles (80 km) to empty. If
you RESET this warning message, this display and tone will return
within 10 minutes.
DTE is calculated using a running average fuel economy, which is based
on your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km). This value is not
the same as the average fuel economy display. The running average fuel
economy is reinitialized to a factory default value if the battery is
disconnected.
Average fuel economy (AFE)
Select this function from the INFO
menu to display your average fuel
economy in miles/gallon or liters/
100 km.
If you calculate your average fuel
economy by dividing miles traveled
since last fill-up by gallons of fuel used (multiply liters used by 100, then
divide by kilometers traveled), your figure may be different than
displayed for the following reasons:
•Your vehicle was not perfectly level during fill-up
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
72

•Differences in the automatic shut-off points on the fuel pumps at
service stations
•Variations in top-off procedure from one fill-up to another
•Rounding of the displayed values to the nearest 0.1 gallon (liter)
1. Drive the vehicle at least 5 miles (8 km) with the speed control
system engaged to display a stabilized average.
2. Record the highway fuel economy for future reference.
It is important to press the RESET control after setting the speed
control to get accurate highway fuel economy readings.
Engine hour meter
Select this function from the INFO
menu to display the accumulated
running time of the engine.
Setup menu
Press this control for the following
displays:
•System Check
•Units (English/Metric)
•Autolock
•Autolamp Delay
•Language
System check
Selecting this function from the
SETUP menu causes the message
center to cycle through each of the
systems being monitored. For each
of the monitored systems, the
message center will indicate either an OK message or a warning message
for three seconds.
Pressing the RESET control cycles the message center through each of
the systems being monitored.
The sequence of the system check report and how it appears in the
message center is as follows:
2006 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
73