2013 FORD F250 ignition

Auxiliary Power Points 178
Storage Compartments 181
Overhead console.....................................181
Starting and Stopping the Engine 182
Ignition switch.......................................183
Engine block heater...................................186
Fuel and Refueling 188
Fuel quality.........................................190
Refueling...........................................193
Fuel consumption.....................................194
Transmission 199
Transmission operation.................................199
Hill start assist.......................................208
Four-Wheel Drive (If Equipped) 209
Four wheel drive.....................................209
Brakes 223
Brakes.............................................223
Hints on driving with anti-lock brakes......................224
Parking brake........................................224
Traction Control 225
TractionControl™ ....................................225
Stability Control 227
AdvanceTrac®.......................................228
Terrain Response 230
Hill descent control...................................230
Parking Aids 232
Sensing system.......................................232
Rear-view camera system...............................234
4Table of Contents
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

SAFETY BELT WARNING LIGHT AND INDICATOR CHIME
This lamp illuminates and an audible warning will sound if the
driver’s safety belt has not been fastened when the vehicle’s
ignition is turned on.
Conditions of Operation
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light illuminates
1-2 minutes and the warning chime
sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the indicator light
is illuminated and the warning
chime is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
SAFETY BELT-MINDER®
This feature supplements the safety belt warning function by providing
additional reminders by intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating
the safety belt warning light when the driver’s seat is occupied and the
safety belt is unbuckled.
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position or less than 1-2 minutes
have elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature will not
activate.
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled when the vehicle
has reached at least 6 mph
(9.7 km/h) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition switch
has been turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light illuminates
and the warning chime sounds for six
seconds every 25 seconds, repeating for
about five minutes or until the safety
belts are buckled.
Safety Belts43
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt becomes
unbuckled for about one minute
while the vehicle is traveling at
least 6 mph (9.7 km/h) and more
than 1-2 minutes have elapsed
since the ignition switch has
been turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light illuminates
and the warning chime sounds for six
seconds every 25 seconds, repeating for
about five minutes or until the safety
belts are buckled.
Deactivating and Activating the Belt-Minder® Feature (Driver Only)
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-Minder system activated for yourself and others who may use
the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate or activate
the Belt-Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
Note:If you are using MyKey®, the Belt-Minder cannot be disabled.
Also, if the Belt-Minder has been previously disabled, it will be
re-enabled during the use of MyKey®. See theMyKey®chapter.
Read Steps1-4thoroughly before proceeding with the 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
•all vehicle doors are closed
•the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled
•the parking lamps and headlamps are off.
1. Turn the ignition on. DO NOT START THE ENGINE.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (about one minute).
•Step 3 must be completed within 30 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
44Safety Belts
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

If two adults and a child occupy a Regular Cab, properly restrain the
child in the center front unless doing so would interfere with driving
your vehicle. This provides lap and shoulder belt protection for all
occupants, and airbag protection for the adults. A child or infant
properly restrained in the center front seat should not incur risk of
serious injury from the airbags.
FRONT PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM
WARNING:Even with Advanced Restraints Systems, children 12
and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
WARNING:The front passenger airbag is not designed to offer
protection to an occupant in the center seating position.
High-series vehicles (if equipped)
The front passenger sensing system
uses a passenger airbag status
indicator that will illuminate,
indicating that the front passenger
frontal airbag is eitherON(enabled)
orOFF(disabled). The indicator
lamp is located by the radio.
Note:The passenger airbag status indicatorOFFandONlamps will
illuminate for a short period of time when the ignition is first turned on
to confirm it is functional.
Switch positionPassenger Airbag
Status IndicatorPassenger Airbag
OffOFF: Lit
Disabled
ON: Unlit
OnOFF: Unlit
Enabled
ON: Lit
50Supplementary Restraints System
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

Low-series vehicles (if equipped)
The front passenger sensing system
uses a pass airbag off indicator which
will illuminate and stay lit to remind
you that the front passenger frontal
airbag is disabled. The indicator lamp
is located by the radio.
Note:The indicator lamp will illuminate for a short period of time when
the ignition is first turned on to confirm it is functional.
Passenger Airbag ON/OFF Switch (if equipped)
WARNING:An airbag ON/OFF switch may be installed in this
vehicle. Before driving, always look at the face of the switch to
be sure the switch is in the proper position in accordance with these
instructions and warnings. Failure to put the switch in a proper position
can increase the risk of serious injury or death in a collision.
Turning the Passenger Airbag Off
WARNING:If the light fails to illuminate when the passenger air
bag switch is off and the ignition is on, have the passenger air
bag switch serviced at your authorized dealer immediately.
WARNING:In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the
switch, always remove the ignition key from the passenger air
bag ON/OFF switch.
WARNING:An infant in a rear-facing seat faces a high risk of
serious or fatal injuries from a deploying passenger airbag. Rear
facing infant seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless
the passenger airbag is turned off.
PASS AIRBAG
Supplementary Restraints System51
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

1. Insert the ignition key, turn the
switch off and hold in off while
removing the key.
2.
When the ignition is turned on, the
pass airbag off light illuminates briefly,
momentarily shuts off and then turns
back on. This indicates that the
passenger airbag is deactivated.
Turning the Passenger Airbag Back On
WARNING:The safety belts for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions have been specifically designed to
function together with the airbags in certain types of crashes. When
you turn OFF your airbag, you not only lose the protection of the
airbag, you also may reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt
system, which was designed to work with the airbag. If you are not a
person who meets the requirements stated in the NHTSA/Transport
Canada deactivation criteria turning OFF the airbag can increase the
risk of serious injury or death in a collision.
WARNING:If your vehicle has rear seats, always transport
children who are 12 and younger in the rear seat. Always use
safety belts and child restraints properly. DO NOT place a child in a
rear facing infant seat in the front seat unless your vehicle is equipped
with an airbag ON/OFF switch and the passenger airbag is turned OFF.
This is because the back of the infant seat is too close to the inflating
airbag and the risk of a fatal injury to the infant when the airbag
inflates is substantial.
WARNING:If the pass airbag off light is illuminated when the
passenger airbag switch is on and the ignition is on, have the
passenger airbag switch serviced at your authorized dealer immediately.
52Supplementary Restraints System
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

The passenger airbag remains off until you turn it back on.
1. Insert the ignition key and turn
the ignition on.
2. The pass airbag off light will
briefly illuminate when the ignition
is turned to on. This indicates that
the passenger airbag is operational.
The passenger side airbag should always be ON (the pass airbag off light
should not be illuminated) unless the passenger is a person who meets the
requirements stated either in Category 1, 2 or 3 of the NHTSA/Transport
Canada deactivation criteria which follows.
The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an airbag
than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life threatening
injuries, airbags must open with great force, and this force can pose a
potentially deadly risk in some situations, particularly when a front seat
occupant is not properly buckled up. The most effective way to reduce the
risk of unnecessary airbag injuries without reducing the overall safety of
the vehicle is to make sure all occupants are properly restrained in the
vehicle, especially in the front seat. This provides the protection of safety
belts and permits the airbags to provide the additional protection they
were designed to provide. If you choose to deactivate your airbag, you are
losing the very significant risk reducing benefits of the airbag and you are
also reducing the effectiveness of the safety belts, because safety belts in
modern vehicles are designed to work as a safety system with the airbags.
Supplementary Restraints System53
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained
in the rear seats. The Safety Canopy will not interfere with children
restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat because it is
designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the doors along
the side window opening.
The design and development of the Safety Canopy included
recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side airbags (including the Safety
Canopy).
CRASH SENSORS AND AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING:Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
your vehicle (including frame, bumper, front end body structure
and tow hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of your vehicle.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash and occupant sensors which
provide information to the restraints control module which deploys
(activates) the front safety belt pretensioners, driver airbag, passenger
airbag, seat mounted side airbags, and the Safety Canopy. Based on the
type of accident (frontal impact, side impact or rollover) the restraints
control module will deploy the appropriate safety devices.
The restraints control module also monitors the readiness of the above
safety devices plus the crash and occupant sensors. The readiness of the
safety system is indicated by a warning indicator light in the instrument
cluster or by a backup tone if the warning light is not working. See the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness light will either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem or light are repaired.
Supplementary Restraints System59
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)