
Locks and Security 154
Keys 154
Locks 154
Anti-theft system 160
Seating and Safety Restraints 170
Seating 170
Safety restraints 188
Airbags 204
Child restraints 219
Tires, Wheels and Loading 238
Tire information 240
Tire inflation 242
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) 255
Vehicle loading 260
Trailer towing 267
Recreational towing 273
Driving 274
Starting 274
Brakes 279
Traction Control™/AdvanceTrac282
Transmission operation 289
Reverse sensing system 296
Roadside Emergencies 310
Getting roadside assistance 310
Hazard flasher switch 311
Fuel pump shut-off switch 312
Fuses and relays 313
Changing tires 321
Wheel lug nut torque 330
Jump starting 331
Wrecker towing 337
Table of Contents
2
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Vehicle Symbol Glossary
Safety Alert
See Owner’s Guide
Fasten Safety BeltAirbag - Front
Airbag - SideChild Seat Lower
Anchor
Child Seat Tether
AnchorBrake System
Anti-Lock Brake SystemParking Brake System
Brake Fluid -
Non-Petroleum BasedParking Aid System
Stability Control SystemSpeed Control
Master Lighting SwitchHazard Warning Flasher
Fog Lamps-FrontFuse Compartment
Fuel Pump ResetWindshield Wash/Wipe
Windshield
Defrost/DemistRear Window
Defrost/Demist
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Introduction
10

Vehicle Symbol Glossary
Power Windows
Front/Rear
Power Window Lockout
Child Safety Door
Lock/UnlockInterior Luggage
Compartment Release
Panic AlarmEngine Oil
Engine CoolantEngine Coolant
Temperature
Do Not Open When HotBattery
Avoid Smoking, Flames,
or SparksBattery Acid
Explosive GasFan Warning
Power Steering FluidMaintain Correct Fluid
LevelMAX
MIN
Service Engine SoonEngine Air Filter
Passenger Compartment
Air FilterJack
Check Fuel CapLow Tire Pressure
Warning
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Introduction
11

•Optional instrument cluster
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, contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Illumination
after releasing the parking brake indicates low brake fluid level. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING: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.
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Driving extended
distances with the parking brake engaged can cause brake failure and
the risk of personal injury.
Anti-lock brake system:If the
ABS light stays illuminated or
continues to flash, a malfunction has
been detected. Contact your
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Normal braking is still functional unless the brake warning light
also is illuminated.
Airbag readiness:If this light fails
to illuminate when the ignition is
turned to on, continues to flash or
remains on, contact your authorized
dealer as soon as possible. A chime will sound if there is a malfunction in
the indicator light.
P!
BRAKE
ABS
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Instrument Cluster
14

•DELETE SONG:Press OK to delete a song from the system’s
memory. Press
/to cycle through the saved songs. When the
song appears in the display that you would like to delete, press OK.
The song will appear in the display for confirmation. Press OK again
and the display will read SONG DELETED. If you do not want to
delete the currently listed song, press
/to select either
RETURN or CANCEL.
Note:If there are no songs presently saved, the display will read NO
SONGS.
•DELETE ALL SONGS:Press OK to delete all songs from the
system’s memory. The display will read ARE YOU SURE ? Press OK to
confirm deletion of all saved songs and the display will read ALL
DELETED.
Note:If there are no songs presently saved, the display will read NO
SONGS.
•ENABLE ALERTS / DISABLE ALERTS:Press OK to enable/disable
the satellite alert status which alerts you when your selected songs are
playing on a satellite radio channel. (The system default is disabled.)
SONG ALERTS ENABLED/DISABLED will appear in the display. The
menu listing will display the opposite state. For example, if you have
chosen to enable the song alerts, the menu listing will read DISABLE
as the alerts are currently on, so your other option is to turn them off.
Satellite radio is available only with a valid SIRIUS radio
subscription. Check with your authorized dealer for availability.
Setting the clock:Press MENU until SET HOURS or SET MINUTES is
displayed. Use
/to manually increase/decrease. Press MENU
again to disengage clock mode. Press OK to close and return to the main
menu.
AUTOSET:Press MENU until the display reads AUTOSET. Autoset
allows you to set the strongest local radio stations without losing your
original manually set preset stations for AM/FM1/FM2. Use
/to
turn on/off.
When the six strongest stations are filled, the station stored in preset 1
will begin playing. If there are less than six strong stations, the system
will store the last one in the remaining presets. Press OK to close and
return to the main menu.
RBDS: Available only in FM mode. This feature allows you to search
RBDS-equipped stations for a certain category of music format:
CLASSIC, COUNTRY, INFORM, JAZZ/RB, ROCK, etc.
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
27

•DELETE SONG:Press OK to delete a song from the system’s
memory. Press
/to cycle through the saved songs. When the
song appears in the display that you would like to delete, press OK.
The song will appear in the display for confirmation. Press OK again
and the display will read SONG DELETED. If you do not want to
delete the currently listed song, press
/to select either
RETURN or CANCEL.
Note:If there are no songs presently saved, the display will read NO
SONGS.
•DELETE ALL SONGS:Press OK to delete all songs from the
system’s memory. The display will read ARE YOU SURE ? Press OK to
confirm deletion of all saved songs and the display will read ALL
DELETED.
Note:If there are no songs presently saved, the display will read NO
SONGS.
•ENABLE ALERTS / DISABLE ALERTS:Press OK to enable/disable
the satellite alert status which alerts you when your selected songs are
playing on a satellite radio channel. (The system default is disabled.)
SONG ALERTS ENABLED/DISABLED will appear in the display. The
menu listing will display the opposite state. For example, if you have
chosen to enable the song alerts, the menu listing will read DISABLE
as the alerts are currently on, so your other option is to turn them off.
Satellite radio is available only with a valid SIRIUS radio
subscription. Check with your authorized dealer for availability.
Setting the clock:Press MENU until SET HOURS or SET MINUTES is
displayed. Use
/to manually increase/decrease. Press MENU
again to disengage clock mode. Press OK to close and return to the main
menu.
AUTOSET:Press MENU until the display reads AUTOSET. Autoset
allows you to set the strongest local radio stations without losing your
original manually set preset stations for AM/FM1/FM2.
Use
//SEEK, SEEKto turn on/off.
When the six strongest stations are filled, the station stored in preset 1
will begin playing. If there are less than six strong stations, the system
will store the last one in the remaining presets. Press OK to close and
return to the main menu.
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
35

Radio Display Condition Action Required
NO TEXT Song title information
not available.Song title information
not available at this
time on this channel.
The system is working
properly.
NO TEXT Category information
not available.Category information
not available at this
time on this channel.
The system is working
properly.
NO SIGNAL Loss of signal from
the SIRIUS satellite or
SIRIUS tower to the
vehicle antenna.You are in a location
that is blocking the
SIRIUS signal (i.e.,
tunnel, under an
overpass, dense foliage,
etc). The system is
working properly. When
you move into an open
area, the signal should
return.
UPDATING Update of channel
programming in
progress.No action required. The
process may take up to
three minutes.
CALL SIRIUS
1–888–539–7474Satellite service has
been deactivated by
SIRIUS Satellite
Radio.Call SIRIUS at
1–888–539–7474 to
re-activate or resolve
subscription issues.
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT DVD SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:Driving while distracted can result in loss of vehicle
control, accident and injury. Ford strongly recommends that
drivers use extreme caution when using any device that may take their
focus off the road. The driver’s primary responsibility is the safe
operation of their vehicle. Only use cell phones and other devices not
essential to the driving task when it is safe to do so.
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
49

Audio displays
Your DVD system interacts closely with the front audio system. Status
messages will appear in the radio display showing the DVD status. Some
possible radio display messages:
•SINGLE PLAY or DUAL PLAY
•DVD LOAD
•DVD MENU
•DVD STOP
Audio interaction
You can then also use the front audio controls to advance, reverse, play
and pause a DVD. While a DVD is playing you may use the following
controls on the front radio:
•SEEK:Press to advance to the previous (
) or next () DVD
chapters.
•
: Press to play a DVD or to pause the DVD.
When the radio displays “DVD MENU”, press PLAY on the radio
(memory preset #6), to play the disc.
Parental control for the DVD system
Your Family Entertainment System (FES) allows you to have control
over the rear seat controls in a few different ways. The DVD system is
automatically activated when the vehicle ignition is ON, which allows the
rear seat passengers to use the DVD system.
There are three levels of control of
the FES buttons. The states are
FULL (enabled), LOCAL or
LOCKED (disabled). To change the level of control, press the memory
preset controls 3 and 5 simultaneously on the front audio controls. The
control level will cycle each time the buttons are pressed simultaneously.
The three states are described as:
FULL(enabled): The FES has control over the primary (speaker) and
secondary (headphone) audio sources.
LOCAL: The FES has control over the secondary source (headphones)
only. The radio will ignore button presses that affect the primary
(speaker) audio source.
LOCKED(disabled): The FES buttons are locked and all FES button
presses are ignored by the radio and the FES except for load and eject.
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Entertainment Systems
76