•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.
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
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
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 wheel and tire assembly.
A dissimilar spare wheel and tire assembly
is defined as a spare wheel and tire
assembly that is different in brand, size or
appearance from the road tires and wheels.
If you have a dissimilar spare wheel and tire
assembly 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.
Rotating your tires at the recommended
interval (as indicated in the Scheduled
Maintenance chapter) will help your tires
wear more evenly, providing better tire
performance and longer tire life.
Front-wheel drive vehicles (front tires on
the left side of the diagram)
Four-wheel drive vehicles (front tires on
the left side of the diagram)
255
Wheels and Tires
E142547
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM
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 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 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.
257
Wheels and Tires
Customer action required
Possible cause
Low tire pressure
warning light
1. Make sure tires are at the proper pres-
sure. 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.
Tire(s) under-inflated
Solid warning light
Repair the damaged road wheel and tire
assembly 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.
Spare tire in use
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.
TPMS malfunction
Repair the damaged road wheel and tire
assembly 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.
Spare tire in use
Flashing warning
light
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.
TPMS malfunction
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
259
Wheels and Tires
How Temperature Affects your Tire
Pressure
The tire pressure monitoring system
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.
CHANGING A ROAD WHEEL
WARNINGS
The use of tire sealants may damage
your tire pressure monitoring system
and should not be used. However, if
you must use a sealant, the tire pressure
monitoring system sensor and valve stem
on the wheel must be replaced by an
authorized Ford dealer.
See Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (page 257). for important
information. If the tire pressure
monitor sensor becomes damaged, it will
no longer function.
Note: The tire pressure monitoring system
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.
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.
Have a flat serviced by an authorized
dealer in order to prevent damage to the
tire pressure monitoring system sensors.
See Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(page 257). 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 tire
pressure monitoring system sensor for
damage.
Dissimilar Spare Wheel and Tire
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 wheel and
tire, 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 wheel and tire 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 wheel and tire assembly
is defined as a spare wheel and tire
assembly that is different in brand, size or
appearance from the road tires and wheels
and can be one of three types:
260
Wheels and Tires