Page 124 of 458

SITTING IN THE CORRECT
POSITION
WARNINGS
Sitting improperly, out of position orwith the seat back reclined too farcan take weight off the seat cushionand affect the decision of the passengersensing system, resulting in serious injuryor death in the event of a crash. Always situpright against your seat back, with yourfeet on the floor.
Do not recline the seat back as thiscan cause the occupant to slideunder the safety belt, resulting inserious injury in the event of a crash.
Do not place objects higher than theseat back to reduce the risk ofserious injury in the event of a crashor during heavy braking.
When you use them properly, the seat,head restraint, safety belt and air bags willprovide optimum protection in the eventof a crash.
We recommend that you follow theseguidelines:
•Sit in an upright position with the baseof your spine as far back as possible.
•Do not recline the seat back more than30 degrees.
•Adjust the head restraint so that thetop of it is level with the top of yourhead and as far forward as possible.Make sure that you remaincomfortable.
•Keep sufficient distance betweenyourself and the steering wheel. Werecommend a minimum of 10 inches(25 centimeters) between yourbreastbone and the air bag cover.
•Hold the steering wheel with your armsslightly bent.
•Bend your legs slightly so that you canpress the pedals fully.
•Position the shoulder strap of thesafety belt over the center of yourshoulder and position the lap straptightly across your hips.
Make sure that your driving position iscomfortable and that you can maintain fullcontrol of your vehicle.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
WARNINGS
Fully adjust the head restraint beforeyou sit in or operate your vehicle. Thiswill help minimize the risk of neckinjury in the event of a collision. Do notadjust the head restraint when your vehicleis moving.
The head restraint is a safety device.Whenever possible it should beinstalled and properly adjusted whenthe seat is occupied.
121Fusion (CC7) , enUSASeatsE68595
Page 168 of 458

WARNINGS
With the exception of emergencyconditions (for example, the brakepedal does not work or is blocked),do not apply the electric parking brakewhile the vehicle is moving. On bends, orpoor road surfaces or weather conditions,emergency braking can cause the vehicleto skid out of control or off the road.
If you apply the electric parking brake whenyour vehicle is moving, the brake systemwarning lamp will illuminate and a warningchime will sound. See InformationDisplays (page 87).
If your vehicle speed is above 4 mph (6km/h), the braking force is applied as longas the switch is pulled. Releasing orpressing the switch or pressing theaccelerator pedal will stop the brakingforce.
Releasing the electric parkingbrake
You can release the electric parking brakeeither manually by pressing the switch orautomatically.
Manual release
WARNING
If the brake system warning lightremains illuminated or flashes afteryou have released the parking brake,there could be a problem with you brakingsystem. Have the system checked by anauthorized dealer as soon as possible.
You can manually release the electricparking brake by:
1.Turning the ignition on.
2.Pressing the brake pedal.
3.Pressing the electric parking brakeswitch.
When the electric parking brake is released,the brake system warning lamp will turnoff.
Driving with a Trailer
Depending on the grade and the weight ofthe trailer, your vehicle and trailer may rollbackwards slightly when you start on aslope. To prevent this from happening, dothe following:
1.Pull the switch up and hold it in thisposition.
2.Drive your vehicle, then release theswitch when you notice that the enginehas developed sufficient driving force.
Automatic release - drive away release
Your vehicle will automatically release theparking brake if:
•The driver door is closed.
•The driver safety belt is fastened.
•The vehicle is accelerated.
•There are no faults detected in theparking brake system.
165Fusion (CC7) , enUSABrakesE147231
Page 202 of 458

LOAD LIMIT
Vehicle Loading - with andwithout a Trailer
This section will guide you in theproper loading of your vehicle,trailer or both, to keep your loadedvehicle weight within its designrating capability, with or withouta trailer. Properly loading yourvehicle will provide maximumreturn of vehicle designperformance. Before loading yourvehicle, familiarize yourself with
the following terms fordetermining your vehicle’s weightratings, with or without a trailer,from the vehicle’s Tire Label orSafety Compliance CertificationLabel:
Base Curb Weight - is the weightof the vehicle including a full tankof fuel and all standardequipment. It does not includepassengers, cargo, or optionalequipment.
Vehicle Curb Weight - is theweight of your new vehicle whenyou picked it up from yourauthorized dealer plus anyaftermarket equipment.
Payload - is the combined weightof cargo and passengers that thevehicle is carrying. The maximumpayload for your vehicle can befound on the Tire Label on theB-Pillar or the edge of the driverdoor (vehicles exported outsidethe US and Canada may not havea Tire Label). Look for “THECOMBINED WEIGHT OFOCCUPANTS AND CARGOSHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXXkg OR XXX lb.” for maximum
payload. The payload listed on theTire Label is the maximumpayload for the vehicle as built bythe assembly plant. If you installany aftermarket orauthorized-dealer installedequipment on the vehicle, youmust subtract the weight of theequipment from the payload listedon the Tire Label in order todetermine the new payload.
199Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad CarryingE143816PAYLOAD
Page 203 of 458
WARNING
The appropriate loadingcapacity of your vehicle canbe limited either by volumecapacity (how much space isavailable) or by payload capacity(how much weight the vehicleshould carry). Once you havereached the maximum payload ofyour vehicle, do not add morecargo, even if there is spaceavailable. Overloading orimproperly loading your vehiclecan contribute to loss of vehiclecontrol and vehicle rollover.
Example only:
200Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad CarryingE142516
Page 204 of 458
Cargo Weight - includes allweight added to the Base CurbWeight, including cargo andoptional equipment. When towing,trailer tongue load or king pinweight is also part of cargo weight.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight) - isthe total weight placed on eachaxle (front and rear) includingvehicle curb weight and allpayload.
GAWR (Gross Axle WeightRating) - is the maximumallowable weight that can becarried by a single axle (front orrear). These numbers are shownon the Safety ComplianceCertification Label. The label shallbe affixed to either the door hingepillar, door-latch post, or the dooredge that meets the door-latchpost, next to the driver's seatingposition.The total load on eachaxle must never exceed itsGross Axle Weight Rating.
201Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad CarryingE142517 E143817CARGO
Page 205 of 458
Note: For trailer towinginformation refer to the RV andTrailer Towing Guide available atan authorized dealer.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) -is the Vehicle Curb Weight, pluscargo, plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle WeightRating) - is the maximumallowable weight of the fullyloaded vehicle (including alloptions, equipment, passengersand cargo). It is shown on the
Safety Compliance CertificationLabel. The label shall be affixedto either the door hinge pillar,door-latch post, or the door edgethat meets the door-latch post,next to the driver's seatingposition.The Gross VehicleWeight must never exceed theGross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Example only:
202Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad CarryingE143818GVW E142523
Page 206 of 458
WARNING
Exceeding the SafetyCompliance CertificationLabel vehicle weight rating limitscould result in substandardvehicle handling or performance,engine, transmission and/orstructural damage, seriousdamage to the vehicle, loss ofcontrol and personal injury.
GCW (Gross Combined Weight)- is the Gross Vehicle Weight plusthe weight of the fully loadedtrailer.
GCWR (Gross CombinedWeight Rating) - is the maximumallowable weight of the vehicleand the loaded trailer, includingall cargo and passengers, that thevehicle can handle without riskingdamage. (Important: The towingvehicle’s braking system is rated
203Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad CarryingE142524 E143819GCWGVW
Page 207 of 458

for operation at Gross VehicleWeight Rating, not at GrossCombined Weight Rating.)Separate functional brakes shouldbe used for safe control of towedvehicles and for trailers where theGross Combined Weight of thetowing vehicle plus the trailerexceed the Gross Vehicle WeightRating of the towing vehicle.TheGross Combined Weight mustnever exceed the GrossCombined Weight Rating.
Maximum Loaded TrailerWeight - is the highest possibleweight of a fully loaded trailer thevehicle can tow. It assumes avehicle with mandatory options,driver and front passenger weight(150 pounds [68 kilograms]each), no cargo weight (internalor external) and a tongue load of10–15% (conventional trailer) orking pin weight of 15–25% (fifthwheel trailer). Consult anauthorized dealer (or the RV andTrailer Towing Guide available atan authorized dealer) for moredetailed information.
Tongue Load or Fifth WheelKing Pin Weight - refers to theamount of the weight that a trailerpushes down on a trailer hitch.
Examples: For a 5000 pound(2268 kilogram) conventionaltrailer, multiply 5000 by 0.10 and0.15 to obtain a proper tongueload range of 500 to 750 pounds(227 to 340 kilograms). For an11500 pound (5216 kilogram) fifthwheel trailer, multiply by 0.15 and0.25 to obtain a proper king pinload range of 1725 to 2875 pounds(782 to 1304 kilograms).
WARNINGS
Do not exceed the GVWR orthe GAWR specified on theSafety Compliance CertificationLabel.
Do not use replacement tireswith lower load carryingcapacities than the original tiresbecause they may lower thevehicle’s GVWR and GAWRlimitations. Replacement tireswith a higher limit than the originaltires do not increase the GVWRand GAWR limitations.
Exceeding any vehicle weightrating limitation could resultin serious damage to the vehicleand/or personal injury.
Steps for determining thecorrect load limit:
1.Locate the statement "Thecombined weight of occupantsand cargo should never exceedXXX kg or XXX lb." on yourvehicle’s placard.
204Fusion (CC7) , enUSALoad Carrying