•Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking
WARNING:If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,do
notrapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire and
cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three to five
seconds.
WARNING:Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.
Highway hazards
No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
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.
Tires, Wheels and Loading
188
2011 Fusion(fsn)
Owners Guide, 3rd Printing
USA(fus)
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled Maintenancechapter) will help your tires wear more evenly,
providing better tire performance and longer tire life.
•Front-wheel drive
(FWD)/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
189
2011 Fusion(fsn)
Owners Guide, 3rd Printing
USA(fus)
•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.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inscheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle may reduce fuel economy at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
•Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example; bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
•Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top
cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
Maintenance and Specifications
317
2011 Fusion(fsn)
Owners Guide, 3rd Printing
USA(fus)
Satellite Radio Information ........40
Scheduled Maintenance Guide
Normal Scheduled
Maintenance and Log .............354
Seats ..........................................119
child safety seats ....................166
cleaning ...................................285
front seats ...............................121
heated ......................................125
SecuriCode keyless entry
system ........................................112
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ........................................113
Servicing your vehicle ..............288
Side air curtain .........................158
SOS Post Crash Alert ...............161
Spark plugs,
specifications .....................333, 338
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................334
Speed control ..............................82
Starting your
vehicle ........................209–210, 212
jump starting ..........................266
Steering
speed sensitive .......................221
Steering wheel
controls ......................................85
tilting .........................................73
Stereo
CD-MP3 .....................................28
SYNC..........................................43
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................73Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....195
Tires ...........................180–181, 258
alignment ................................188
care ..........................................184
changing ..................................258
checking the pressure ............184
inflating ...................................182
label .........................................194
replacing ..................................186
rotating ....................................189
safety practices .......................187
sidewall information ...............189
snow tires and chains ............200
spare tire .................................259
terminology .............................181
tire grades ...............................181
treadwear ........................180, 185
Towing .......................................206
recreational towing .................206
trailer towing ..........................206
wrecker ....................................269
Transmission .............................223
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....221
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................325
fluid, checking and adding
(manual) .........................325, 327
fluid, refill capacities ..............334
lubricant specifications ..........334
manual operation ....................229
Trunk .........................................105
remote release ..................94, 109
Turn signal ..................................58
U
Universal garage door opener ....88
USB port ......................................37
Index
373
2011 Fusion(fsn)
Owners Guide, 3rd Printing
USA(fus)