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WARNING
Exceeding the Safety Compliance
Certification Label vehicle weight
rating limits could result in substandard
vehicle handling or performance, engine,
transmission and/or structural damage,
serious damage to the vehicle, loss of
control and personal injury. 235
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TOWING A TRAILER
WARNINGS
Do not exceed the GVWR or the
GAWR specified on the certification
label. Towing trailers beyond the
maximum recommended gross
trailer weight exceeds the limit of the
vehicle and could result in engine
damage, transmission damage,
structural damage, loss of vehicle
control, vehicle rollover and personal
injury. Your vehicle may have electrical items,
such as fuses or relays, related to
towing. See the Fuses chapter.
Your vehicle's load capacity designation
is by weight, not by volume, so you
cannot necessarily use all available
space when loading a vehicle. Towing a trailer places an extra load on
your vehicle's engine, transmission, axle,
brakes, tires and suspension. Inspect
these components periodically during,
and after, any towing operation.
Load Placement
To help minimize how trailer movement
affects your vehicle when driving:
•
Load the heaviest items closest to
the trailer floor.
• Load the heaviest items centered
between the left and right side trailer
tires.
• Load the heaviest items above the
trailer axles or just slightly forward
toward the trailer tongue. Do not
allow the final trailer tongue weight
to go above or below 10-15% of the
loaded trailer weight.
• Select a tow bar with the correct rise
or drop. When both the loaded
vehicle and trailer are connected, the
trailer frame should be level, or
slightly angled down toward your
vehicle, when viewed from the side. When driving with a trailer or payload, a
slight takeoff vibration or shudder may
be present due to the increased payload
weight. Additional information regarding
proper trailer loading and setting your
vehicle up for towing is located in
another chapter of this manual.
See
Load Limit (page 230). You can also find
the information in the
RV & Trailer
Towing Guide, available at an
authorized dealer.
TRAILER SWAY CONTROL (If Equipped) WARNING
Turning off trailer sway control
increases the risk of loss of vehicle
control, serious injury or death. Ford does
not recommend disabling this feature except
in situations where speed reduction may be
detrimental (such as hill climbing), the driver
has significant trailer towing experience, and
can control trailer sway and maintain safe
operation. 239
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Trailer Lamps
WARNING
Never connect any trailer lamp
wiring to the vehicle's tail lamp
wiring; this may damage the electrical
system resulting in fire. Contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible
for assistance in proper trailer tow wiring
installation. Additional electrical
equipment may be required. Trailer lamps are required on most
towed vehicles. Make sure all running
lights, brake lights, turn signals and
hazard lights are working.
Before Towing a Trailer
Practice turning, stopping and backing
up to get the feel of your vehicle-trailer
combination before starting on a trip.
When turning, make wider turns so the
trailer wheels clear curbs and other
obstacles. When Towing a Trailer
•
Do not drive faster than 70 mph (113
km/h) during the first 500 miles (800
kilometers).
• Do not make full-throttle starts.
• Check your hitch, electrical
connections and trailer wheel lug
nuts thoroughly after you have
traveled 50 miles (80 kilometers).
• When stopped in congested or heavy
traffic during hot weather, place the
gearshift in position P to aid engine
and transmission cooling and to help
A/C performance.
• Turn off the speed control with heavy
loads or in hilly terrain. The speed
control may turn off automatically
when you are towing on long, steep
grades.
• Shift to a lower gear when driving
down a long or steep hill. Do not
apply the brakes continuously, as
they may overheat and become less
effective. •
If your transmission is equipped with
a Grade Assist or Tow/Haul feature,
use this feature when towing. This
provides engine braking and helps
eliminate excessive transmission
shifting for optimum fuel economy
and transmission cooling.
• Allow more distance for stopping
with a trailer attached. Anticipate
stops and brake gradually.
• Avoid parking on a grade. However,
if you must park on a grade:
1. Turn the steering wheel to point your
vehicle tires away from traffic flow.
2. Set your vehicle parking brake.
3. Place the automatic transmission in position
P.
4. Place wheel chocks in front and back
of the trailer wheels. (Chocks not
included with vehicle.)
Launching or Retrieving a Boat or
Personal Watercraft (PWC)
Note: Disconnect the wiring to the trailer
before
backing the trailer into the water.
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Front-wheel drive vehicles must have the
front wheels placed on a tow dolly when
towing your vehicle from the rear using
wheel lift equipment. This prevents damage
to the transmission.
Towing an all-wheel drive vehicle requires
that all wheels be off the ground, such as
using a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed
equipment. This prevents damage to the
transmission, all-wheel drive system and
vehicle.
TOWING THE VEHICLE ON FOUR
WHEELS
Emergency Towing
If your vehicle becomes inoperable (without
access to wheel dollies, car-hauling trailer,
or flatbed transport vehicle), it can be
flat-towed (all wheels on the ground,
regardless of the powertrain and
transmission configuration) under the
following conditions:
•
Your vehicle is facing forward for towing
in a forward direction.
• You place the vehicle in Stay in Neutral
mode. See Placing Your Vehicle in Stay
in Neutral Mode. In addition, make sure
to read the brake-shift interlock override
procedure. See Automatic Transmission
(page 171).
• Maximum speed is 35 mph (56 km/h).
• Maximum distance is 50 miles (80
kilometers). Placing Your Vehicle in Stay in Neutral
Mode
1. Press the
N button on the shifter
assembly.
2. When
Press N again to Enter Stay in
Neutral Mode appears in the information
display, press the
N button again.
Note: The message
Stay in Neutral Mode
Engaged appears in the information display
when you successfully complete the
procedure.
Note: Keeping the vehicle in Stay in Neutral
mode eventually causes your vehicle battery
to lose charge. Exit the mode as soon as
safely possible.
Recreational Towing
Note: Put your climate control system in
recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust
fumes from entering the vehicle.
See
Climate Control (page 136).
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Follow these guidelines if you have a need
for recreational (RV) towing. An example of
recreational towing would be towing your
vehicle behind a motorhome. We designed
these guidelines to prevent damage to your
transmission.
Front-wheel drive vehicles CANNOT be
flat-towed (all wheels on the ground) as
vehicle or transmission damage may occur.
You must place the front wheels on a
two-wheel tow dolly. If you are using a tow
dolly, follow the instructions specified by the
equipment provider.
All-wheel drive vehicles
CANNOT be
flat-towed (all wheels on the ground), as
vehicle or transmission damage may occur.
It is recommended to tow your vehicle with
all four (4) wheels off the ground such as
when using a car-hauling trailer. Otherwise,
you cannot recreational tow your vehicle.
245
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•
Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel
economy as compared to driving on hilly
terrain.
• Transmissions give their best fuel
economy when operated in the top cruise
gear and with steady pressure on the gas
pedal.
• Four-wheel-drive operation (if equipped)
is less fuel efficient than two-wheel-drive
operation.
• Close the windows for high-speed
driving.
DRIVING THROUGH WATER
Note: Driving through deep water above the
recommended levels can cause vehicle
damage.
If driving through deep or standing water is
unavoidable, proceed very slowly. Never
drive through water that is higher than the
bottom of the wheel rims (for cars) or the
bottom of the hubs (for trucks). When driving through water, traction or brake
capability may be limited. Also, water may
enter your engine
’s air intake and severely
damage your engine or your vehicle may
stall.
Once through the water, always dry the
brakes by moving your vehicle slowly while
applying light pressure on the brake pedal.
Wet brakes do not stop the vehicle as quickly
as dry brakes. FLOOR MATS
WARNINGS
Always use floor mats that are
designed to fit the foot well of your
vehicle, leaving the pedal area unobstructed,
and which can be firmly secured to retention
posts so that they cannot slip out of position
and interfere with the pedals or impair safe
operation of your vehicle in other ways. Incorrectly fitted floor mats can cause
the accelerator pedal to become stuck
in the open position. This can cause loss of
vehicle control.
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Note:
When you try to restart your vehicle
after a fuel shutoff, the vehicle makes sure
that various systems are safe to restart.
Once your vehicle determines that the
systems are safe, then the vehicle will allow
you to restart.
Note: In the event that your vehicle does not
restart after your third attempt, contact an
authorized dealer.
JUMP STARTING THE VEHICLE WARNINGS
The gases around the battery can
explode if exposed to flames, sparks,
or lit cigarettes. An explosion could result in
personal injury or vehicle damage. Batteries contain sulfuric acid which
can burn skin, eyes and clothing, if
contacted. Use only an adequate-sized cable with
insulated clamps. Preparing Your Vehicle
Note:
Do not attempt to push-start your
automatic transmission vehicle. Automatic
transmissions do not have push-start
capability. Attempting to push-start a vehicle
with an automatic transmission may cause
transmission damage.
Note: Use only a 12-volt supply to start your
vehicle.
Note: Do not disconnect the battery of the
disabled vehicle as this could damage the
vehicle's electrical system.
Park the booster vehicle close to the hood
of the disabled vehicle, making sure the two
vehicles do not touch. Turn all accessories
off. Connecting the Jumper Cables WARNING
Do not attach the cables to fuel lines,
engine rocker covers, the intake
manifold or electrical components as
grounding points. Stay clear of moving parts.
To avoid reverse polarity connections, make
sure that you correctly identify the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on both the
disabled and booster vehicles before
connecting the cables. Note:
In the illustration, the bottom vehicle
represents the booster vehicle.
251
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Protected components
Fuse amp rating
Fuse
Cooling fan 1 (with trailer tow)
50A 2
Cooling fan 2 (without trailer tow)
40A 2
F18
Cooling fan 2 (with trailer tow)
50A 2
Anti-lock brake system module run/start
5A 1
F19
Horn relay
20A 1
F20
Brake pedal switch
10A 1
F21
Windshield wipers and washer
25A 1
F22
Run/start relay coil
5A 1
F23
Transmission range control module
20A 1
F24
Air conditioning clutch relay
10A 1
F25
Powertrain control module relay coil
5A 1
F26
Washer pump relay
10A 1
F27
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MKC (TME), enUSA Fuses