•Keep sufficient distance between yourself and the steering wheel. We
recommend a minimum of 10 inches (25 centimeters) between your
breastbone and the airbag cover.
• Hold the steering wheel with your arms slightly bent.
• Bend your legs slightly so that you can press the pedals fully.
• Position the shoulder strap of the safety belt over the center of your
shoulder and position the lap strap tightly across your hips.
Make sure that your driving position is comfortable and that you can
maintain full control of your vehicle.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
WARNING: To minimize the risk of neck injury in the event of a
crash, the driver and passenger occupants should not sit in or
operate the vehicle, until the head restraint is placed in its proper
position. The driver should never adjust the head restraint while the
vehicle is in motion.
WARNING: The adjustable head restraint is a safety device.
Whenever possible it should be installed and properly adjusted
when the seat is occupied. An improperly adjusted head restraint may
provide reduced protection to an occupant during certain rear impacts.
WARNING: Install the head restraint properly to minimize the
risk of neck injury in the event of a crash.
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Recalling a memory position with the remote control
The memory positions are also recalled when you press unlock on your
remote control (if the transmitter is programmed to a memory position)
or, when you enter a valid personal entry code that is programmed to a
memory position.
To program the memory feature to a remote control, see theKeys and
remote control chapter.
Easy Entry and Exit Feature (If Equipped)
This feature moves the seat rearward and the optional power steering
column up and forward to allow extra room to exit the vehicle.
This occurs when:
• You place the transmission in neutral (N) or park (P).
• You switch the keyless ignition off or take the key out of the ignition
switch.
The seat and steering wheel will move to their original positions when:
• You place the transmission in neutral (N) or park (P).
• You switch the keyless ignition off or take the key out of the ignition
switch.
Turn the Easy Entry/Exit feature on or off through the information
display settings menu. See the Information Displayschapter.
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WARNING:Always set the parking brake fully and make sure
the gearshift is latched in P (Park). Turn the ignition to the off
position and remove the key whenever you leave your vehicle.
Your vehicle has been designed to improve fuel economy by reducing
fuel usage while coasting or decelerating. When you take your foot off
the accelerator pedal and the vehicle begins to slow down, the torque
converter clutch locks up and aggressively shuts off fuel flow to the
engine while decelerating. This fuel economy benefit may be perceived
as a light to medium braking sensation when removing your foot from
the accelerator pedal. P (Park)
This position locks the transmission
and prevents the front wheels from
turning.
To put your vehicle in gear:
•Press the brake pedal
• Move the gearshift lever into the
desired gear
To put your vehicle in P (Park):
• Come to a complete stop
• Move the gearshift lever and securely latch it in P (Park)
R (Reverse)
With the gearshift lever in R (Reverse), the vehicle will move backward.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into and out of R
(Reverse).
N (Neutral)
With the gearshift lever in N (Neutral), the vehicle can be started and is
free to roll. Hold the brake pedal down while in this position.
D (Drive) with overdrive
The normal driving position for the best fuel economy. Transmission
operates in gears one through six. The automatic transmission shift
strategy has the ability to detect hilly terrain or mountainous areas and
will provide a limited amount of grade assist features automatically.
PRNDS
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S (Sport)
Moving the gearshift lever to S (Sport):
•Provides additional grade (engine) braking and extends lower gear
operation to enhance performance for uphill climbs, hilly terrain or
mountainous areas. This will increase engine RPM during engine
braking.
• Provides additional lower gear operation through the automatic
transmission shift strategy which reacts to vehicle inputs (vehicle
acceleration, accelerator pedal, brake pedal and vehicle speed).
• Gears are selected more quickly and at higher engine speeds.
SelectShift Automatic® Transmission (If Equipped)
Your SelectShift automatic transmission gives you the ability to manually
change gears if you’d like. To use SelectShift, move the gearshift lever
into S (Sport). Now you can use select shift to manually change gears.
If your vehicle is equipped with (+)/(–) buttons on the side of your
gearshift lever: •Press (–) on the gearshift lever
button to manually downshift the
transmission.
• Press (+) on the gearshift lever
button to manually upshift the
transmission.
Paddle Shifters (if equipped)
The paddle shifters allow you to shift gears quickly, without taking your
hands off the steering wheel. Temporary manual control is provided
when pulling the paddles with the gearshift in the D (Drive) position.
The system will determine when temporary manual control is no longer
desired and reverts back to automatic control. Extensive manual control
can be achieved by moving the shifter to the S (Sport) position. The
system will stay in manual control until the shifter is moved out of the
manual position.
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If your vehicle is equipped with paddles on the steering wheel:•Pull the left paddle (–) to
downshift the transmission.
• Pull the right paddle (+) to upshift
the transmission.
Upshift to the recommended shift speeds according to the following
chart:
Upshifts when accelerating (recommended for best fuel economy)
Shift from:
1 - 2 15 mph (24 km/h)
2 - 3 25 mph (40 km/h)
3 - 4 40 mph (64 km/h)
4 - 5 45 mph (72 km/h)
5 - 6 50 mph (80 km/h)
The instrument cluster will show the selected gear you are currently in.
In order to prevent the engine from running at too low an RPM, which
may cause it to stall, SelectShift will automatically make some downshifts
if it has determined that you have not downshifted in time. It will still
allow you to downshift at any time as long as SelectShift determines that
the engine will not be damaged from over-revving.
Note: Return the gear shift lever from S (Sport) to D (Drive) when
manual control is no longer desired.
Note: Engine damage may occur if excessive engine revving is held
without shifting.
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Brake-Shift Interlock
WARNING:Do not drive your vehicle until you verify that the
brake lamps are working.
WARNING: When doing this procedure, you will be taking the
vehicle out of park which means the vehicle can roll freely. To
avoid unwanted vehicle movement, always fully set the parking brake
prior to doing this procedure. Use wheel chocks if appropriate.
WARNING: 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 as soon as possible.
Note: See your authorized dealer as soon as possible if this procedure is
used.
Use the brake-shift interlock lever to move the gearshift lever from the P
(Park) position in the event of an electrical malfunction or if your vehicle
has a dead battery.
Note: For some markets, this feature will be disabled.
Apply the parking brake and turn the ignition off before performing this
procedure. 1. Using a screwdriver (or similar
tool), remove the insert next to the
gearshift lever.
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Using your All Wheel Drive (AWD) system
AWD uses all four wheels to power the vehicle. This increases traction,
enabling you to drive over terrain and road conditions that a
conventional two-wheel drive vehicles cannot. The AWD system is active
all the time and requires no input from the operator.
Note:Your AWD vehicle is not intended for off-road use. The AWD feature
gives your vehicle some limited off-road capabilities in which driving
surfaces are relatively level, obstruction-free and otherwise similar to
normal on-road driving conditions. Operating your vehicle under other than
those conditions could subject the vehicle to excessive stress which might
result in damage which is not covered under your warranty.
Note: When an AWD system fault is present, the warning Check AWD
will display in the information display. The AWD system is not
functioning correctly and defaulted to front-wheel drive. When this
warning is displayed, have your vehicle serviced at an authorized dealer.
Note: The AWD Off message may also be displayed in the information
display if the AWD system has overheated and defaulted to front-wheel
drive. This condition may occur if the vehicle was operated in extreme
conditions with excessive wheel slip, such as deep sand. To resume
normal AWD function as soon as possible, stop the vehicle in a safe
location and stop the engine for at least 10 minutes. After the engine has
been restarted and the AWD system has adequately cooled, the AWD Off
message will turn off and normal AWD function will return. In the event
the engine is not stopped, the AWD Off message will turn off when the
system cools and normal AWD function returns.
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) does not require any normal scheduled
maintenance. Do not check or change the PTU lubricant unless the unit
has been submerged in water or shows signs of leakage
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) in Taurus SHO™ performance package
vehicles is electronically monitored and notifies the driver of required
service by displaying the message Change AWD Power Transfer Unit
Lube in the information display. The PTU lube will be more likely to
require a fluid change if the vehicle has experienced extended periods of
extreme/severe duty cycle driving. Do not check or change the PTU
lubricant unless the unit has been submerged in water, shows signs of
leakage or a message indicating required service is displayed. Contact
your authorized dealer for service and to reset the PTU lube life monitor.
Do not use a spare tire of a different size other than the tire provided. If
the mini-spare tire is installed, the AWD system may disable
automatically and enter front-wheel drive only mode to protect driveline
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components. This condition may be indicated by an AWD Off message in
the information display. If there is an AWD Off message in the
information display from using the spare tire, this indicator should turn
off after reinstalling the repaired or replaced normal road tire and cycling
the ignition off and on. It is recommended to reinstall the repaired or
replaced road tire as soon as possible. Major dissimilar tire sizes between
the front and rear axles could cause the AWD system to stop functioning
and default to front-wheel drive or damage the AWD system.
Driving In Special Conditions With All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
AWD vehicles are equipped for driving on sand, snow, mud and rough
roads and have operating characteristics that are somewhat different
from conventional vehicles, both on and off the highway.
When driving at slow speeds in deep sand under high outside
temperatures, use a low gear when possible. Lower gear operation will
maximize the engine and transmission cooling capability.
Under severe operating conditions, the A/C may cycle on and off to
protect overheating of the engine.
Basic operating principles in special conditions
•Drive slower in strong crosswinds which can affect the normal steering
characteristics of your vehicle.
• Be extremely careful when driving on pavement made slippery by
loose sand, water, gravel, snow or ice.
If Your Vehicle Goes Off the Edge of the Pavement
• If your vehicle goes off the edge of the pavement, slow down, but
avoid severe brake application, ease the vehicle back onto the
pavement only after reducing your speed. Do not turn the steering
wheel too sharply while returning to the road surface.
• It may be safer to stay on the apron or shoulder of the road and slow
down gradually before returning to the pavement. You may lose
control if you do not slow down or if you turn the steering wheel too
sharply or abruptly.
• It often may be less risky to strike small objects, such as highway
reflectors, with minor damage to your vehicle rather than attempt a
sudden return to the pavement which could cause the vehicle to slide
sideways out of control or rollover. Remember, your safety and the
safety of others should be your primary concern.
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