WARNINGS
If the parking brake is fully
released, but the brake warning
lamp remains illuminated, the brakes
may not be working properly. See your
authorized dealer.
Do not spin the wheels at over
35 mph (56 km/h). The tires may
fail and injure a passenger or
bystander.
Note: Do not rock the vehicle if the
engine is not at normal operating
temperature or damage to the
transmission may occur.
Note: Do not rock the vehicle for more
than a few minutes or damage to the
transmission and tires may occur or the
engine may overheat.
If your vehicle gets stuck in mud or
snow it may be rocked out by shifting
between forward and reverse gears,
stopping between shifts, in a steady
pattern. Press lightly on the
accelerator in each gear.
If your vehicle is equipped with
AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability
Control™, it may be beneficial to
disengage the AdvanceTrac® with
Roll Stability Control™ system while
attempting to rock the vehicle.
Emergency Maneuvers
• In an unavoidable emergency situation where a sudden sharp
turn must be made, remember to
avoid "over-driving" your vehicle
(i.e., turn the steering wheel only
as rapidly and as far as required to
avoid the emergency). Excessive steering will result in less vehicle
control, not more. Additionally,
smooth variations of the
accelerator and/or brake pedal
pressure should be utilized if
changes in vehicle speed are called
for. Avoid abrupt steering,
acceleration or braking which
could result in an increased risk of
loss of vehicle control, vehicle
rollover and/or personal injury. Use
all available road surface to return
the vehicle to a safe direction of
travel.
• In the event of an emergency stop, avoid skidding the tires and do not
attempt any sharp steering wheel
movements.
• If the vehicle goes from one type of surface to another (i.e., from
concrete to gravel) there will be a
change in the way the vehicle
responds to a maneuver (steering,
acceleration or braking). Again,
avoid these abrupt inputs.
Sand
When driving over sand, try to keep all
four wheels on the most solid area of
the trail. Avoid reducing the tire
pressures but shift to a lower gear and
drive steadily through the terrain.
Apply the accelerator slowly and
avoid spinning the wheels.
Do not drive your AWD vehicle in deep
sand. This will cause the AWD system
to overheat. After the system has
cooled down, normal AWD function
will return.
175
All-Wheel Drive (If Equipped)
ESSENTIAL TOWING
CHECKS
Follow these guidelines for safe
towing:
• Do not tow a trailer until you driveyour vehicle at least 1000 miles
(1600 kilometers).
• Consult your local motor vehicle laws for towing a trailer.
• See the instructions included with towing accessories for the proper
installation and adjustment
specifications.
• Service your vehicle more frequently if you tow a trailer. See
your scheduled maintenance
information.
• If you use a rental trailer, follow the instructions the rental agency gives
you.
You can find information on load
specification terms found on the tire
label and Safety Compliance label as
well as instructions on calculating
your vehicle's load in the Load
Carrying chapter. See Load Limit
(page 224).
Remember to account for the trailer
tongue weight as part of your vehicle
load when calculating the total
vehicle weight.
Hitches
Do not use a hitch that either clamps
onto the bumper or attaches to the
axle. Distribute the trailer load so 10-15%
of the total trailer weight is on the
tongue.
Safety Chains
Note:
Never attach safety chains to
the bumper.
Always connect the safety chains to
the hook retainers of your vehicle
hitch.
To connect the safety chains, cross
them under the trailer tongue and
allow enough slack for turning tight
corners. Do not allow the chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
WARNING
Do not connect a trailer's
hydraulic brake system directly
to your vehicle's brake system. Your
vehicle may not have enough braking
power and your chances of having a
collision greatly increase.
Electric brakes and manual,
automatic or surge-type trailer brakes
are safe if you install them properly
and adjust them to the
manufacturer's specifications. The
trailer brakes must meet local and
federal regulations.
The rating for the tow vehicle's
braking system operation is at the
gross vehicle weight rating, not the
gross combined weight rating.
234
Towing
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
monitors tire pressure in each
pneumatic tire. While driving in a
normal manner, a typical passenger
tire inflation pressure may increase
about 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 about 3 psi (21
kPa) for a drop of 30°F (17°C) in
ambient temperature. This lower
pressure value may be detected by
the tire pressure monitoring system
as being significantly lower than the
recommended inflation pressure and
activate the system 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 the air pressurein 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.
TIRE CARE
Important information for
245/40R19 low-profile tires
and wheels If your vehicle is
equipped with 245/40R19 tires,
they are low-profile tires. These
tires and wheels are designed to
give your vehicle a sport
appearance. With low-profile tires,
you may notice an increase in road
noise and faster tire wear,
depending on road conditions and
driving styles. Due to their design,
low-profile tires and wheels are
more prone to road damage from
potholes, rough or unpaved roads,
car wash rails and curb contact
than standard tires and wheels.
Note:
Your vehicle’s warranty does
not cover these types of damage.
Tires should always be kept at the
correct inflation pressures and
extra caution should be taken when
operating on rough roads to avoid
impacts that could cause wheel
and tire damage.
307
Wheels and Tires
Information About Uniform
Tire Quality Grading
E142542
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires.
The Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear 200
Traction AA Temperature A.
These Tire Quality Grades are
determined by standards that the
United States Department of
Transportation has set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires.
They do not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use
spare tires, light truck or LT type
tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or
limited production tires as defined
in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104 (c)(2). U.S. Department of
Transportation Tire quality
grades:
The U.S. Department of
Transportation requires Ford
Motor Company to give you the
following information about tire
grades exactly as the government
has written it.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear 1 ½ times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their
use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service
practices, and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction AA A B C
WARNING
The traction grade assigned
to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.
308
Wheels and Tires
•PSI: Pounds per square inch, a
standard unit of air pressure.
• Cold tire pressure: The tire
pressure when the vehicle has
been stationary and out of
direct sunlight for an hour or
more and prior to the vehicle
being driven for 1 mile (1.6 km).
• Recommended inflation
pressure: The cold inflation
pressure found on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label
(affixed to either the door hinge
pillar, door-latch post, or the
door edge that meets the
door-latch post, next to the
driver's seating position), or
Tire Label located on the
B-Pillar or the edge of the
driver’s door.
• B-pillar: The structural
member at the side of the
vehicle behind the front door
• Bead area of the tire: Area of
the tire next to the rim.
• Sidewall of the tire: Area
between the bead area and the
tread.
• Tread area of the tire: Area of
the perimeter of the tire that
contacts the road when
mounted on the vehicle.
• Rim: The metal support
(wheel) for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the
tire beads are seated. Information Contained on the
Tire Sidewall
Both United States and Canada
Federal regulations require tire
manufacturers to place
standardized information on the
sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and
describes the fundamental
characteristics of the tire and also
provides a U.S. DOT Tire
Identification Number for safety
standard certification and in case
of a recall.
Information on P Type Tires
H
I
J
KL
M
A
B
CDEFG
E142543
P215/65R15 95H is an example of
a tire size, load index and speed
rating. The definitions of these
items are listed below. (Note that
the tire size, load index and speed
rating for your vehicle may be
different from this example.)
310
Wheels and Tires
A.P: Indicates a tire, designated
by the Tire and Rim Association,
that may be used for service on
cars, sport utility vehicles,
minivans and light trucks. Note: If
your tire size does not begin with
a letter this may mean it is
designated by either the European
Tire and Rim Technical
Organization or the Japan Tire
Manufacturing Association.
B. 215: Indicates the nominal
width of the tire in millimeters
from sidewall edge to sidewall
edge. In general, the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
C. 65: Indicates the aspect ratio
which gives the tire's ratio of
height to width.
D. R: Indicates a radial type tire.
E. 15: Indicates the wheel or rim
diameter in inches. If you change
your wheel size, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the
new wheel diameter.
F. 95: Indicates the tire's load
index. It is an index that relates to
how much weight a tire can carry.
You may find this information in
your owner’s manual. If not,
contact a local tire dealer.
Note: You may not find this
information on all tires because it
is not required by federal law. G.
H: Indicates the tire's speed
rating. The speed rating denotes
the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extended
periods of time under a standard
condition of load and inflation
pressure. The tires on your vehicle
may operate at different
conditions for load and inflation
pressure. These speed ratings may
need to be adjusted for the
difference in conditions. The
ratings range from 81 mph (130
km/h) to 186 mph (299 km/h).
These ratings are listed in the
following chart.
Note: You may not find this
information on all tires because it
is not required by federal law.
mph ( km/h)
Letter
rating
81 mph (130 km/h)
M
87 mph (140 km/h)
N
99 mph (159 km/h)
Q
106 mph (171 km/h)
R
112 mph (180 km/h)
S
118 mph (190 km/h)
T
124 mph (200 km/h)
U
130 mph (210 km/h)
H
149 mph (240 km/h)
V
311
Wheels and Tires
•Treadwear The treadwear
grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one
and one-half times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100.
• Traction: The traction grades,
from highest to lowest are AA,
A, B, and C. The grades
represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled
conditions on specified
government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor
traction performance.
• Temperature: The
temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C, representing
the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel.
M. Maximum Inflation
Pressure: Indicates the tire
manufacturers' maximum
permissible pressure or the
pressure at which the maximum
load can be carried by the tire. This
pressure is normally higher than
the vehicle manufacturer's
recommended cold inflation
pressure which can be found on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label (affixed to
either the door hinge pillar,
door-latch post, or the door edge
that meets the door-latch post,
next to the driver's seating
position), or Tire Label which is
located on the B-Pillar or the edge
of the driver’s door. The cold
inflation pressure should never be
set lower than the recommended
pressure on the vehicle label.
The tire suppliers may have
additional markings, notes or
warnings such as standard load
or radial tubeless.
Additional Information
Contained on the Tire Sidewall
for LT Type Tires
Note:
Tire Quality Grades do not
apply to this type of tire.
A
BC
BDE142544
313
Wheels and Tires
LT type tires have some additional
information beyond those of P
type tires; these differences are
described below.
A.LT : Indicates a tire, designated
by the Tire and Rim Association,
that is intended for service on light
trucks.
B. Load Range and Load
Inflation Limits: Indicates the
tire's load-carrying capabilities
and its inflation limits.
C. Maximum Load Dual lb (kg)
at psi (kPa) cold: Indicates the
maximum load and tire pressure
when the tire is used as a dual;
defined as four tires on the rear
axle (a total of six or more tires on
the vehicle).
D. Maximum Load Single lb
(kg) at psi (kPa) cold: Indicates
the maximum load and tire
pressure when the tire is used as
a single; defined as two tires
(total) on the rear axle.
Information on T Type Tires
T145/80D16 is an example of a
tire size.
Note: The temporary tire size for
your vehicle may be different from
this example. Tire Quality Grades
do not apply to this type of tire.
A
BCDE
E142545
T type tires have some additional
information beyond those of P
type tires; these differences are
described below:
A. T: Indicates a type of tire,
designated by the Tire and Rim
Association, that is intended for
temporary service on cars, sport
utility vehicles, minivans and light
trucks.
B. 145: Indicates the nominal
width of the tire in millimeters
from sidewall edge to sidewall
edge. In general, the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
314
Wheels and Tires