2013 FORD F150 brake

Brakes 226
Brakes.............................................226
Hints on driving with anti-lock brakes......................227
Parking brake........................................227
Traction Control 228
TractionControl™ ....................................228
Stability Control 229
AdvanceTrac.......................................230
Terrain Response 232
Hill descent control...................................232
Parking Aids 234
Sensing system.......................................234
Rear-view camera system...............................236
Cruise Control 240
Driving Aids 242
Steering............................................242
Load Carrying 244
Vehicle loading.......................................244
Tailgate............................................251
Towing 259
Trailertowing........................................259
Trailer brake controller-integrated.........................268
Wrecker towing......................................274
Recreational towing...................................275
Driving Hints 278
Economical driving....................................278
Floormats..........................................280
Snowplowing........................................281
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2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Roadside Emergencies 285
Getting roadside assistance..............................285
Hazard warning flashers................................286
Fuel cut-off switch....................................286
Jump-starting the vehicle...............................287
Customer Assistance 290
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only).......................297
Reporting safety defects (Canada only).....................297
Fuses 298
Changing a fuse......................................298
Fuse specification chart................................299
Maintenance 309
General information...................................309
Opening and closing the hood............................310
Under hood overview..................................311
Engine oil dipstick....................................315
Engine oil check......................................315
Engine coolant check..................................316
Automatic transmission fluid check........................322
Brake fluid check.....................................323
Power steering fluid check..............................323
Fuel filter...........................................323
Washer fluid check....................................324
Battery ............................................324
Checking the wiper blades..............................327
Air filter(s).........................................328
Adjusting the headlamps................................331
Changing a bulb......................................333
6Table of Contents
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

SYMBOL GLOSSARY
WARNING:You risk death or serious injury to yourself and
others if you do not follow the instruction highlighted by the
warning symbol.
These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Symbol Description Symbol Description Symbol Description
Safety alertSee Owner’s
ManualAnti-lock
braking
system
Avoid
smoking,
flames, or
sparksBatteryBattery acid
Brake fluid –
non
petroleum
baseBrake systemCabin air
filter
Check fuel
capChild Safety
Door Lock
and UnlockChild seat
lower anchor
C hild seat
tether anchorCruise
controlDo not open
when hot
Engine air
filterEngine
coolantEngine
coolant
temperature
Engine oilExplosive gasFan warning
Fasten safety
beltFront airbagFront fog
lamps
10Introduction
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Symbol Description Symbol Description Symbol Description
Fuel pump
resetFuse
compartmentHazard
warning
flasher
Heated rear
windowInterior
luggage
compartment
releaseJack
Lighting
controlLow tire
pressure
warningMaintain
correct fluid
level
Panic alarmParking aid
systemParking
brake system
Power
steering fluidPower
windows
front and
rearPower
window
lockout
Service
engine soonSide airbagStability
control
Windshield
defrost and
demistWindshield
washer and
wiper
DATA RECORDING
Service Data Recording
Service data recorders in your vehicle are capable of collecting and
storing diagnostic information about your vehicle. This potentially
includes information about the performance or status of various systems
and modules in the vehicle, such as engine, throttle, steering or brake
systems. In order to properly diagnose and service your vehicle, Ford
Motor Company, Ford of Canada, and service and repair facilities may
access or share among them vehicle diagnostic information received
through a direct connection to your vehicle when diagnosing or servicing
your vehicle. Additionally, when your vehicle is in for service or repair,
Introduction11
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Ford Motor Company, Ford of Canada, and service and repair facilities
may access or share among them data for vehicle improvement purposes.
For U.S. only (if equipped), if you choose to use the SYNCVehicle
Health Report, you consent that certain diagnostic information may also
be accessed electronically by Ford Motor Company and Ford authorized
service facilities, and that the diagnostic information may be used for any
purpose. See theSYNCchapter for more information.
Event Data Recording
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The
main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle; this data will assist in understanding how a
vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period
of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
•How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
•Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened;
•How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator
and/or the brake pedal;
•How fast the vehicle was travelling;
•Where the driver was positioning the steering wheel.
This data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
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
12Introduction
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

1. To lengthen the lap belt, pull
some webbing out of the shoulder
belt retractor.
2. While holding the webbing below
the tongue, grasp the tip (metal
portion) of the tongue so that it is
parallel to the webbing and slide the
tongue upward.
3. Provide enough lap belt length so that the tongue can reach the
buckle.
Fastening the Cinch Tongue
WARNING:The lap belt should fit snugly and as low as possible
around the hips, not across the waist.
1. Pull the lap and shoulder belt from the retractor so that the shoulder
belt portion of the safety belt crosses your shoulder and chest.
2. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If the belt is twisted, remove the twist.
3. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for your seating position
until you hear a snap and feel it latch.
4. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on
the tongue.
While you are fastened in the safety belt, the lap and shoulder belt with
a cinch tongue adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake hard,
turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact of 5 mph (8 km/h) or
more, the safety belt will become locked and help reduce your forward
movement.
40Safety Belts
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The driver safety belt has the first type of locking mode, and the
front outboard passenger and rear seat safety belts have both types of
locking modes described as follows:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled out
too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull webbing
out again in a slow and controlled manner.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
This mode should be used any time a child safety seat is installed in a
front outboard passenger seating position in a Regular Cab / SuperCab /
SuperCrew or any rear seating position of a SuperCab or SuperCrew. The
optional front seat’s center safety belt has a cinch mechanism. SeeUsing
the Safety Belt With Cinch Tongue (Front Center Seat)in this chapter.
Children 12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear
seat whenever possible. See theChild Safetychapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull
downward until the entire belt is pulled out.
Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts,
you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates
the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
42Safety Belts
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Deactivating and Activating the Belt-MinderFeature
WARNING:While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave
the Belt-Mindersystem activated for yourself and others who may use
the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
Belt-Minderfeature while driving the vehicle.
Note:The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderare deactivated and
activated independently. When deactivating or activating one seating
position, do not buckle the other position as this will terminate the
process.
Note:If you are using MyKey, the Belt-Mindercannot be disabled.
Also, if the Belt-Minderhas been previously disabled, it will be
re-enabled after the use of MyKey. Refer to theMyKeychapter.
Read Steps1-4thoroughly before proceeding with the deactivation
or activation programming procedure.
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the transmission selector lever is in positionP
•the ignition is off
•the driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
1. Turn the ignition on. DO NOT START THE ENGINE.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately one
minute)
•Step 3 must be completed within 30 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt three times, ending in the unbuckled state.
•After Step 3, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
4. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled.
•This will enable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled.
46Safety Belts
2013 F-150(f12)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)