Page 2 of 368
Locks and Security 136
Keys 136
Locks 136
Anti-theft system 148
Seating and Safety Restraints 151
Seating 151
Safety restraints 158
Airbags 171
Child restraints 180
Tires, Wheels and Loading 192
Tire information 195
Tire inflation 196
Vehicle loading 212
Trailer towing 219
Trailer brake controller-integrated 223
Recreational towing 230
Driving 231
Starting 231
Brakes 235
Traction Control™ 237
Transmission operation 240
Roadside Emergencies 265
Getting roadside assistance 265
Hazard flasher switch 267
Fuel pump shut-off switch 267
Fuses and relays 268
Changing tires 277
Lug nut torque 289
Jump starting 290
Wrecker towing 296
Table of Contents
2
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Page 17 of 368

Diesel warning lights:
•Glow plug pre-heat
•Waterinfuel
•Low oil pressure
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). If the warning remains on after the parking brake is off, contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
Turn signal chime:Sounds when the turn signal lever has been
activated to signal a turn and not turned off after the vehicle is driven
more than 2 miles (3.2 km).
Message center activation chime:Sounds when some warning
messages appears in the message center display for the first time.
Overspeed chime (if equipped):Sounds when the vehicle speed
reaches 120 km/h (75 mph) or higher.
Airbag secondary warning chime:Sounds to inform the driver, in the
event that the airbag readiness warning lamp is inoperable, that there is
a fault in the supplemental restraint system
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
17
Page 42 of 368

Radio Display Condition Action Required
ACQUIRING Radio requires more
than two seconds to
produce audio for the
selected channel.No action required.
This message should
disappear shortly.
SAT FAULT Internal module or
system failure
present.If this message does
not clear within a short
period of time, or with
an ignition key cycle,
your receiver may have
a fault. See your
authorized dealer for
service.
INVALID CHNL Channel no longer
available.This previously
available channel is no
longer available. Tune
to another channel. If
the channel was one of
your presets, you may
choose another channel
for that preset button.
UNSUBSCRIBED Subscription not
available for this
channel.Contact SIRIUS at
1–888–539–7474 to
subscribe to the
channel, or tune to
another channel.
NO TEXT Artist information not
available.Artist information not
available at this time on
this channel. The
system is working
properly.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
42
Page 52 of 368

(Wireless headphone volume is controlled with the rotary dial on the
right ear piece.)
8.Fast Forward/Next:In DVD mode, press and hold for a quick
advance within the DVD. Press and release to advance to the next
chapter. In CD/MP3 mode, press to access the next track.
9.Play/Pause:Press to play or pause a DVD.
10.SHUFFLE:Press to play all tracks on the current CD/MP3 disc in
random order.
11.STOP:Press to stop the current DVD or CD/MP3.
12.
/Speaker/Headphone(Single/Dual Play): Press to toggle
between Single Play (same media playing through all speakers) and Dual
Play (headphone mode — the rear speakers are muted).
13.Keypad:Use the numeric controls to enter in a specific CD/MP3
track or DVD chapter to be played.
14.C (Cancel):Press to cancel/clear the numeric input (i.e. chapter
number).
15.MEDIA:Press to cycle through the possible media sources: AM,
FM1, FM2, SAT (if equipped), CD, DVD, LINE IN (if equipped),
DVD-AUX.
Channel B can only access DVD and AUX sources.
16.VIDEO:Press to cycle through video states: DVD-DISC, DVD-AUX,
NON-DVD, Off.
17.EJECT:Press to eject a disc from the FES.
18.Fast reverse/Previous:When a DVD is playing, press and hold for a
quick reverse within the DVD. Press and release for the previous
chapter. Press PLAY to resume normal playback speed and volume.
In CD/MP3 mode, press to access the previous track.
19.MENU:Press to access the DVD disc menu for selections. Press
MENU again when in the DVD disc menu to access the system set-up
menu.
20.SUBTITLE(DVD dependent): Press to turn the subtitle feature ON
or OFF.
21.LANGUAGE(DVD dependent): Press to select the desired
language.
22.ENTER:Press to select the highlighted menu option.
23.ILLUMINATION: Press to illuminate the remote control and
backlight all of the buttons.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
52
Page 104 of 368

POWER ADJUSTABLE FOOT PEDALS (IF EQUIPPED)
The accelerator and brake pedal
should only be adjusted when the
vehicle is stopped and the gearshift
lever is in the P (Park) position.
Press and hold the rocker control to
adjust accelerator and brake pedal
toward you or away from you.
The adjustment allows for approximately 2.75 inches (70 mm) of
maximum travel.
Never adjust the accelerator and brake pedal with feet on the
pedals while the vehicle is moving.
The accelerator and brake pedal positions are saved when doing a
memory set function and can be recalled along with the vehicle
personality features when a memory position is selected through the
remote entry transmitter, keyless entry keypad or memory switch on the
driver’s door (if equipped with memory feature). Refer toMemory
seats/mirrors/adjustable pedalsin theSeating and Safety Restraints
chapter.
SPEED CONTROL (IF EQUIPPED)
With speed control set, you can maintain a set speed without keeping
your foot on the accelerator pedal.
Do not use the speed control in heavy traffic or on roads that
are winding, slippery or unpaved.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
104
Page 109 of 368

Press FAN + or - to adjust fan
speed.
UPFITTER CONTROLS (IF EQUIPPED)
Your vehicle may be equipped with
the Upfitter option package which
will provide four switches, mounted
in the center of the instrument
panel, labeled AUX 1, AUX 2, AUX 3
and AUX 4. These switches will only
operate while the ignition is in the
3 (ON) position, whether the engine
is running or not. It is, however, recommended that the engine remain
running to maintain battery charge when using the Upfitter switches for
extended duration or higher current draws. (This is even more important
for vehicles with diesel engines since the glow plugs are also draining
battery power when the ignition key is in the 3 [ON] position.)
When switched on by the operator they provide 10 amps, 15 amps or
30 amps of electrical battery power for a variety of personal or
commercial uses.
If your vehicle is equipped with this option, there will also be a relay box
located on the driver side end of the instrument panel. See your
authorized dealer for service.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
109
Page 120 of 368

The message center will display the last selected feature if there are no
more warning messages. This allows you to use the full functionality of
the message center after you acknowledge the warning by pressing the
SELECT/RESET control and clearing the warning message.
Warning messages that have been reset are divided into two categories:
•They will reappear on the display ten minutes from the reset.
•They will not reappear until an ignition OFF-RUN cycle has been
completed.
This acts as a reminder that these warning conditions still exist within
the vehicle.
Warning display Status
Park brake engaged Warning returns after
10 minutes if condition
still exists. Check brake system
Driver door ajar Warning returns after
the ignition key is
turned from OFF to
RUN. Passenger door ajar
Rear left door ajar
Rear right door ajar
Low fuel level
Trailer fault (if equipped)
TBC fault (if equipped)
Trailer disconnected (if equipped)
Check air filter (Diesel engine only)
Low brake fluid level
Drain water separator (Diesel engine only)
DRIVER DOOR AJARDisplayed when the driver’s door is not
completely closed.
PASSENGER DOOR AJARDisplayed when the passenger’s door is not
completely closed.
REAR LEFT DOOR AJARDisplayed when the rear left door is not
completely closed.
REAR RIGHT DOOR AJARDisplayed when the rear right door is not
completely closed.
LOW FUEL LEVEL
Displayed as an early reminder of a low fuel condition.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
120
Page 129 of 368

Warning messages that have been reset are divided into two categories:
•They will reappear on the display ten minutes from the reset.
•They will not reappear until an ignition OFF-RUN cycle has been
completed.
This acts as a reminder that these warning conditions still exist within
the vehicle.
Warning display Status
Park brake engaged Warning returns after
10 minutes if condition
still exists. Check brake system
Driver door ajar Warning returns after
the ignition key is
turned from OFF to
RUN. Passenger door ajar
Rear left door ajar
Rear right door ajar
Low fuel level
Trailer fault (if equipped)
TBC fault (if equipped)
Trailer disconnected (if equipped)
Check air filter (Diesel engine only)
Low brake fluid level
Drain water separator (Diesel engine only)
DRIVER DOOR AJARDisplayed when the driver’s door is not
completely closed.
PASSENGER DOOR AJARDisplayed when the passenger’s door is not
completely closed.
REAR LEFT DOOR AJARDisplayed when the rear left door is not
completely closed.
REAR RIGHT DOOR AJARDisplayed when the rear right door is not
completely closed.
LOW FUEL LEVEL
Displayed as an early reminder of a low fuel condition.
PARK BRAKE ENGAGEDDisplayed when the parking brake is applied
(or not fully released).
CHECK BRAKE SYSTEMDisplayed when a fault has been detected by
the ABS module.
2008 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driver Controls
129