2010 Mercury Mariner wheel alignment

Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.
The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
scheduled maintenance informationthat comes with your vehicle) will
help your tires wear more evenly, providing better tire performance and
longer tire life.
•Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles
(front tires at top of diagram)
Tires, Wheels and Loading
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•Rear-wheel drive (RWD)
vehicles/Four-wheel drive
(4WD)/All-wheel drive (AWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
Tires, Wheels and Loading
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Keep a record for at least one month and record the type of driving (city
or highway). This will provide an accurate estimate of the vehicle’s fuel
economy under current driving conditions. Additionally, keeping records
during summer and winter will show how temperature impacts fuel
economy. In general, lower temperatures give lower fuel economy.
Driving style — good driving and fuel economy habits
Give consideration to the lists that follow and you may be able to change
a number of variables and improve your fuel economy.
Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
Maintenance and Specifications
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utility-type vehicles ....................6
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................323
Speed control ..............................74
Starting a flex fuel vehicle .......210
Starting your
vehicle ........................207–208, 210
jump starting ..........................265
Steering wheel
controls ......................................77
tilting .........................................65
Stereo
CD-MP3 .....................................27
SYNC
..........................................44
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................65
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....189
Tires ...................................173–175
alignment ................................182
care ..........................................178
changing ..........................256, 258
checking the pressure ............178
inflating ...................................176
label .........................................188
replacing ..................................179
rotating ....................................182
safety practices .......................181
sidewall information ...............183
snow tires and chains ............193
spare tire .........................254, 256
terminology .............................175
tire grades ...............................174
treadwear ........................174, 178
Towing .......................................200recreational towing .................205
trailer towing ..........................200
wrecker ....................................270
Transmission .............................224
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....222
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................317
fluid, refill capacities ..............323
lubricant specifications ..........323
Trunk ...........................................88
Turn signal ..................................56
U
Universal garage door opener ....80
USB port ......................................37
V
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................327
Vehicle loading ..........................194
Ventilating your vehicle ...........211
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......12
Washer fluid ..............................290
Water, Driving through .............243
Windows
power .........................................71
rear wiper/washer .....................65
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ..........................................64
checking and adding fluid .....290
liftgate reservoir .....................290
replacing wiper blades ...291–292
Wrecker towing .........................270
Index
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Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA(fus)