Tires, Wheels and Loading225
Tire information ......................................225
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ...................240
Vehicle loading .......................................245
Trailer towing ........................................250
Recreational towing ...................................251
Driving 252
Starting ........................................... .252
Brakes ............................................ .255
AdvanceTrac .......................................258
Automatic transmission .................................264
Hill start assist .......................................265
Reverse sensing system .................................266
Rear-view camera system ...............................268
Roadside Emergencies 275
Getting roadside assistance ..............................275
Hazard warning flashers ................................276
High-voltage shut-off ...................................277
Fuses and relays ......................................278
Changing tires .......................................287
Temporary mobility kit .................................289
Wheel lug nut torque ..................................298
Jump starting ........................................299
Wrecker towing ......................................302
Customer Assistance 304
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) .......................311
Reporting safety defects (Canada only) .....................311
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Tire Pressure Monitoring System(TPMS) Message Action / Description
Low Tire Pressure Displays when one or more tires on your vehicle have low tire
pressure. Refer toInflating Your
Tires in the Tires, Wheels and
Loading chapter.
Tire Pressure Monitor Fault Displays when the tire pressure monitoring system is
malfunctioning. If the warning
stays on or continues to come on,
contact your authorized dealer.
Tire Pressure Sensor Fault Displays when a tire pressure sensor is malfunctioning, or your
spare tire is in use. For more
information on how the system
operates under these conditions,
refer toUnderstanding Your Tire
Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) in theTires, Wheels and
Loading chapter. If the warning
stays on or continues to come on,
contact your authorized dealer.
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Important:Remember to replace the wheel valve stems when the road
tires are replaced on your vehicle.
It is recommended that the two front tires or two rear tires generally be
replaced as a pair.
The tire pressure sensors mounted in the wheels (originally installed on
your vehicle) are not designed to be used in aftermarket wheels.
The use of wheels or tires not recommended by Ford Motor Company
may affect the operation of your tire pressure monitoring system.
If the TPMS indicator is flashing, your TPMS is malfunctioning. Your
replacement tire might be incompatible with your TPMS, or some
component of the TPMS may be damaged.
Safety Practices
WARNING: If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., do
not rapidly 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.
Driving habits have a great deal to do with your tire mileage and safety.
• Observe posted speed limits
• Avoid fast starts, stops and turns
• Avoid potholes and objects on the road
• Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking
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.
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TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)
WARNING:The tire pressure monitoring system is NOT a
substitute for manually checking tire pressure. The tire pressure
should be checked periodically (at least monthly) using a tire gauge,
see Inflating your tires in this chapter. Failure to properly maintain
your tire pressure could increase the risk of tire failure, loss of control,
vehicle rollover and personal injury.
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to
the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires
of a different size than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label, you should determine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale when one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s handling
and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS malfunction indicator
to indicate when the system is not operating properly. The TPMS
malfunction indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as
the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the installation of
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replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to function properly.
The tire pressure monitoring system complies with part 15 of the FCC
rules and with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Changing Tires with a TPMSNote:Each road tire is equipped
with a tire pressure sensor located
inside the tire and wheel assembly
cavity. The pressure sensor is
attached to the valve stem. The
pressure sensor is covered by the
tire and is not visible unless the tire
is removed. Care must be taken
when changing the tire to avoid
damaging the sensor.
It is recommended that you always have your tires serviced by an
authorized dealer.
The tire pressure should be checked periodically (at least monthly) using
an accurate tire gauge, refer to Inflating your tiresin this chapter.
Understanding Your Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
The tire pressure monitoring system measures pressure in your four road
tires and sends the tire pressure readings to your vehicle. The low tire
pressure warning light will turn on if the tire pressure is significantly low.
Once the light is illuminated, your tires are under-inflated and need to be
inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. Even if the light
turns on and a short time later turns off, your tire pressure still needs to
be checked. Visit www.checkmytires.org for additional information.
When your temporary spare tire is installed
When one of your road tires needs to be replaced with the temporary spare,
the TPMS will continue to identify an issue to remind you that the damaged
road wheel/tire needs to be repaired and put back on your vehicle.
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To restore the full functionality of the tire pressure monitoring system,
have the damaged road wheel/tire repaired and remounted on your
vehicle. For additional information, refer toChanging tires with a
TPMS in this section.
When you believe your system is not operating properly
The main function of the tire pressure monitoring system is to warn you
when your tires need air. It can also warn you in the event the system is no
longer capable of functioning as intended. Please refer to the following
chart for information concerning your tire pressure monitoring system:
Low tire
pressure
warning light Possible cause Customer action required
Solid warning
light Tire(s)
under-inflated1. Make sure tires are at the proper
pressure. See
Inflating your tires
in this chapter.
2. After inflating your tires to the
manufacturer’s recommended
pressure as shown on the Tire
Label (located on the edge of
driver’s door or the B-Pillar), the
vehicle must be driven for at least
two minutes over 20 mph
(32 km/h) before the light turns
off.
Spare tire in use Repair the damaged road wheel/tire and reinstall it on the vehicle to
restore system functionality. For a
description on how the system
functions, refer to When your
temporary spare tire is installed
in this section.
TPMS
malfunction If the tires are properly inflated
and the spare tire is not in use but
the light remains on, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
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Low tire
pressure
warning lightPossible cause Customer action required
Flashing
warning light Spare tire in use Repair the damaged road wheel/tire
and reinstall it on the vehicle to
restore system functionality. For a
description on how the system
functions, refer to When your
temporary spare tire is installed
in this section.
TPMS
malfunction If the tires are properly inflated
and the spare tire is not in use but
the light remains on, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
When inflating your tires
When putting air into your tires (such as at a gas station or in your
garage), the tire pressure monitoring system may not respond
immediately to the air added to your tires.
It may take up to two minutes of driving over 20 mph (32 km/h) for the
light to turn off after you have filled your tires to the recommended
inflation pressure.
How temperature affects your tire pressure
The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitors tire pressure in
each pneumatic tire. While driving in a normal manner, a typical
passenger tire inflation pressure may increase approximately 2 to 4 psi
(14 to 28 kPa) from a cold start situation. If the vehicle is stationary
overnight with the outside temperature significantly lower than the
daytime temperature, the tire pressure may decrease approximately 3 psi
(21 kPa) for a drop of 30°F (17°C) in ambient temperature. This lower
pressure value may be detected by the TPMS as being significantly lower
than the recommended inflation pressure and activate the TPMS warning
light for low tire pressure. If the low tire pressure warning light is on,
visually check each tire to verify that no tire is flat. (If one or more tires
are flat, repair as necessary.) Check air pressure in the road tires. If any
tire is under-inflated, carefully drive the vehicle to the nearest location
where air can be added to the tires. Inflate all the tires to the
recommended inflation pressure.
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CHANGING THE TIRES
If you get a flat tire while driving, do not apply the brake heavily.
Instead, gradually decrease your speed. Hold the steering wheel firmly
and slowly move to a safe place on the side of the road.
Note:The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) indicator light will
illuminate when the spare tire is in use. To restore the full functionality
of the monitoring system, all road wheels equipped with tire pressure
monitoring sensors must be mounted on the vehicle.
Have a flat serviced by an authorized dealer in order to prevent damage to
the TPMS sensors, refer to Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in
the Tires, Wheels and Loading chapter. Replace the spare tire with a road
tire as soon as possible. During repairing or replacing of the flat tire, have
the authorized dealer inspect the TPMS sensor for damage.
WARNING: The use of tire sealants may damage your tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and should not be used.
However, if you must use a sealant, the TPMS sensor and valve stem on
the wheel must be replaced by an authorized Ford dealer.
WARNING: Refer toTire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
in the Tires, Wheels and Loading chapter for important
information. If the tire pressure monitor sensor becomes damaged, it
will no longer function.
Dissimilar Spare Tire and Wheel Assembly Information
WARNING: Failure to follow these guidelines could result in an
increased risk of loss of vehicle control, injury or death.
If you have a dissimilar spare tire and wheel assembly , then it is
intended for temporary use only. This means that if you need to use it,
you should replace it as soon as possible with a road tire and wheel
assembly that is the same size and type as the road tires and wheels that
were originally provided by Ford. If the dissimilar spare tire or wheel is
damaged, it should be replaced rather than repaired.
A dissimilar spare tire and wheel assembly is defined as a spare tire or
wheel that is different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires
and wheels and can be one of three types:
1. T-type mini-spare: This spare tire begins with the letter “T” for tire
size and may have “Temporary Use Only” molded in the sidewall
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