
Seating and Safety Restraints 154
Seating 154
Personal Safety System™ 176
Safety belt system 179
Front safety belt height adjustment 187
Airbags 193
Child restraints 207
Tires, Wheels and Loading 229
Tire information 231
Tire inflation 234
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) 246
Vehicle loading 251
Trailer towing 258
Recreational towing 262
Driving 264
Starting 264
Brakes 272
AdvanceTrac275
Hill descent control 280
Transmission operation 285
Reverse sensing system 291
Rear-view camera system 293
Roadside Emergencies 322
Getting roadside assistance 322
Hazard flasher control 323
Fuel pump shut-off 324
Fuses and relays 324
Changing tires 334
Wheel lug nut torque 342
Jump starting 343
Wrecker towing 346
Table of Contents
2
2012 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations on acquiring your new Ford. Please take the time to get
well acquainted with your vehicle by reading this handbook. The more
you know and understand about your vehicle, the greater the safety and
pleasure you will derive from driving it.
For more information on Ford Motor Company and its products visit the
following website:
•In the United States: www.ford.com
•In Canada: www.ford.ca
•In Australia: www.ford.com.au
•In Mexico: www.ford.com.mx
Additional owner information is given in separate publications.
This Owner’s Guide describes every option and model variant available
and therefore some of the items covered may not apply to your
particular vehicle. Furthermore, due to printing cycles it may describe
options before they are generally available.
Remember to pass on this Owner’s Guide when reselling the vehicle. It is
an integral part of the vehicle.
WARNING: Fuel pump shut-off:In the event of an accident
this feature will automatically cut off the fuel supply to the
engine. It can also be activated through sudden vibration (e.g. collision
when parking). To restart your vehicle, refer toFuel pump shut-offin
theRoadside Emergencieschapter.
SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
Warning symbols in this guide
How can you reduce the risk of personal injury to yourself or others? In
this guide, answers to such questions are contained in comments
highlighted by the warning triangle symbol. These comments should be
read and observed.
Introduction
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2012 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Note: EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data is recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no personal data or information
(e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) is recorded (see
limitations regarding 911 Assist and Traffic, directions and
Information privacy below). However, parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely acquired during a crash
investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required,
and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the
vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have such special equipment, can read the information if
they have access to the vehicle or the EDR. Ford Motor Company
and Ford of Canada do not access event data recorder
information without obtaining consent, unless pursuant to court
order or where required by law enforcement, other government
authorities or other third parties acting with lawful authority.
Other parties may seek to access the information independently
of Ford Motor Company and Ford of Canada.
Note: Including to the extent that any law pertaining to Event
Data Recorders applies to SYNCor its features, please note the
following: Once 911 Assist (if equipped) is enabled (set ON), 911
Assist may, through any paired and connected cell phone, disclose
to emergency services that the vehicle has been in a crash
involving the deployment of an airbag or, in certain vehicles, the
activation of the fuel pump shut-off. Certain versions or updates
to 911 Assist may also be capable of being used to electronically
or verbally provide to 911 operators the vehicle location (such as
latitude and longitude), and/or other details about the vehicle or
crash or personal information about the occupants to assist 911
operators to provide the most appropriate emergency services. If
you do not want to disclose this information, do not activate the
911 Assist feature. See your SYNCsupplement for more
information.
Additionally, when you connect to Traffic, Directions and
Information (if equipped, U.S. only), the service uses GPS
technology and advanced vehicle sensors to collect the vehicle’s
current location, travel direction, and speed (“vehicle travel
information”), only to help provide you with the directions,
traffic reports, or business searches that you request. If you do
Introduction
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2012 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
Introduction
10
2012 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Inst. Fuel Economy
Shown with vertical bar tachometer
enabled
•This display shows a visual graph
of your instantaneous fuel
economy. Press the right arrow to
reach the other fuel displays and
press the left arrow once to
return to the previous display.
Press and hold OK to reset the
currently displayed fuel information.
XX Min Fuel History
Shown with vertical bar tachometer
enabled
•This display shows a bar chart of
your fuel history, configurable to
5, 10 or 30 minutes. To configure
the fuel history, press the right
arrow button when in this screen.
Press and hold OK to reset the
currently displayed fuel
information.
When the fuel level becomes low (50 miles [80 km] to empty), the level
indicator will change to amber. When the fuel level becomes critically low
(0 miles [0 km] to empty), the level indicator will change to red.
If you calculate your average fuel economy by dividing miles traveled by
gallons of fuel used (liters of fuel used by 100 kilometers traveled), your
figure may be different than displayed for the following reasons:
•Your vehicle was not perfectly level during fill-up.
•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).
To determine your average highway fuel economy, do the following:
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.
F6
4
RPM
1000+
2
0
01234.5mi Inst. Fuel Economy
E
Inst
F6
4
RPM
1000+
2
0
01234.5mi
XX Min Fuel History
EM3
Instrument Cluster
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2012 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

MyFord Touch™ (if equipped)
•Press and hold the flasher control and all front and rear direction
signals will flash.
•Press and hold the flasher control again to turn them off.
Note:With extended use, the flasher may run down your battery.
FUEL PUMP SHUT-OFF
In the event of a moderate to severe collision, this vehicle is equipped
with a fuel pump shut-off feature that stops the flow of fuel to the
engine. Not every impact will cause a shut-off.
Should your vehicle shut off after a collision due to this feature, you may
restart your vehicle by doing the following:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the off position.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the on position.
In some instances the vehicle may not restart the first time you try to
restart and may take one additional attempt.
WARNING:Failure to inspect and if necessary repair fuel leaks
after a collision may increase the risk of fire and serious injury.
Ford Motor Company recommends that the fuel system be inspected
by an authorized dealer after any collision.
FUSES AND RELAYS
Fuses
If electrical components in the
vehicle are not working, a fuse may
have blown. Blown fuses are
identified by a broken wire within
the fuse. Check the appropriate
fuses before replacing any electrical
components.
Note:Always replace a fuse with one that has the specified amperage
rating. Using a fuse with a higher amperage rating can cause severe wire
damage and could start a fire.
15
Roadside Emergencies
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The high-current fuses are coded as follows:
Fuse/Relay
LocationFuse Amp
RatingPower Distribution Box
Description
1 — Not used
2 — Not used
3 30A** Trailer brake control module
4 30A** Wipers, Front washer
5 50A** Anti-lock brake system (ABS) pump
6 — Not used
7 30A** Power liftgate
8 20A** Moon roof
9 20A** Power point #2 (console rear)
10 — 3rd row rear seat release relay
11 — Rear window defroster relay
12 — Trailer tow battery charge relay
13 — Starter motor relay
14 — Not used
15 — Fuel pump relay
16 — Not used
17 40A** 110V AC power point
97
98
77969594
93 92 91 90 89
88
66
4478
56
39
26
18 1617
312 4 5 6 7 8 919 20 21 22 23 2427 28 29 30 3140 41 42 4355
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 6579 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87
67
45
32
10 11 12 1333 34 3546 47 48 49 50 5168 69 70 71 72 74
73 76
75
53
37 36 54
38
25
151452
Roadside Emergencies
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Fuse/Relay
LocationFuse Amp
RatingPower Distribution Box
Description
48 — Not used
49 — Not used
50 15A* Heated mirrors
51 — Not used
52 — Not used
53 — TT left stop/turn lamps relay
54 — Not used
55 — Wiper relay
56 15A* Transmission control module
57 20A* Left high-intensity discharge (HID)
headlamps
58 10A* Alternator sensor
59 10A* Brake on/off (BOO) switch
60 10A* TT back-up lamps
61 20A* 2nd row seat release
62 10A* A/C clutch
63 15A* TT stop/turn lamps
64 15A* Rear wipers
65 30A* Fuel pump
66 — Powertrain control module (PCM)
relay
67 20A* Vehicle power (VPWR) #2 (emission
related powertrain components)
68 15A* VPWR #4 (ignition coils)
69 15A* VPWR #1 (PCM)
70 10A* VPWR #3 (coil), All-wheel drive
module, A/C clutch
71 — Not used
72 — Not used
73 — Not used
74 — Not used
75 — Not used
Roadside Emergencies
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