
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. Note:
To prevent your trailer from
accumulating distance, and the
trailer information status appearing
when you restart your vehicle after
disconnecting your trailer, you must
deactivate your trailer. Using the
information display, go to the
Towing menu and then the Select
Trailer option. Select the No active
trailer option. See Information
Displays (page 108).
Your vehicle may have electrical
items, such as fuses or relays,
related to towing. See
Fuses
(page 298).
Your vehicle may have ability to
modify trailer towing features.
See
General Information (page
108). Your vehicle's load capacity
designation is by weight, not by
volume, so you cannot necessarily
use all available space when
loading a vehicle or trailer.
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 ball mount 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.
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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
242).
You can also find information in
the
RV & Trailer Towing Guide
available at your authorized
dealer, or online. RV & Trailer Towing Guide Online
http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/
Website
PRO TRAILER BACKUP
ASSIST™ WARNING
Driving while distracted can result in
loss of vehicle control, crash and
injury. We strongly recommend that
you use extreme caution when using any
device that may take your focus off the
road. Your primary responsibility is the safe
operation of your vehicle. We recommend
against the use of any hand-held device
while driving and encourage the use of
voice-operated systems when possible.
Make sure you are aware of all applicable
local laws that may affect the use of
electronic devices while driving. Note:
The system is not a substitute for
safe driving practices.
Note: You must always be aware of the
vehicle and trailer combination and the
surrounding environment.
Note: The system does not detect or
prevent the vehicle or trailer from making
contact with obstacles in the surrounding
environment. Note:
Keep in mind that the front end of
the vehicle swings out when changing the
direction of the trailer.
Note: The system relies on user
measurements to determine sticker
placement and system limits. It is critical to
take the key measurements correctly.
Incorrect measurements can result in the
improper function of the system up to and
including contact between the vehicle and
trailer.
Note: The system limits vehicle speed when
backing up. The system is not a replacement
for proper use of the throttle and brake
pedals.
Principle of Operation
This feature helps you to steer your vehicle
when backing up with a trailer attached.
Turn and hold the control knob in the
direction you want the trailer to go and the
system takes over the steering. This allows
you to focus on checking the mirrors and
operating the brake and accelerator.
Each trailer you use with your vehicle has
to be setup once.
You must take care to follow the setup
process accurately, to make sure the
sticker is placed correctly.
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Setting Up Pro Trailer Backup
Assist
Note:
Once you have entered a trailer's
information into the system, it is stored for
easy recall. A maximum of 10 trailers can be
added to the system.
Step 1: Position your Vehicle and Trailer
Hitch your conventional trailer to your
vehicle. See Essential Towing Checks
(page 269).
Park your vehicle and hitched trailer on a
level surface. Make sure your vehicle and the trailer are
in line with each other. You can do this by
driving straight forward.
Step 2: Follow the Information Display
Prompts
Press the button to turn the system on. 1.
Select the option to add a trailer in the
instrument cluster menu, using the
steering wheel control. See
General
Information (page 108).
2. Add a personalized name for the trailer
using the screen prompts. Use the
down arrow to scroll to the desired
letter and then press the right arrow to
advance to the next letter. Press OK to
continue.
3. Select the type of trailer brake system for the trailer you are adding.
4. Select the brake effort level for the trailer.
Note: The default option is low. This is
recommended for most trailers. If the
trailer's brakes require more initial voltage,
or if you prefer more aggressive braking then
select the other options as required.
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Release the knob when the trailer is
moving in the direction you want. Control
the accelerator and brakes while the
system steers your vehicle automatically
to keep the trailer moving straight back.
Note:
Your vehicle speed is automatically
limited.
Note: When you release the knob or turn it
to the center position, your vehicle follows
the trailer's path.
Troubleshooting
Setup
The system is designed to be used with a
wide variety of trailers. However there are
some trailers that do not have a proper
surface and location to mount the sticker.
These trailers are not supported. Attempts
to place the sticker on a surface that does
not meet the sticker placement
requirement listed in Step 3 of the setup
instruction or entering inaccurate
measurements to proceed through setup
can result in improper system function.
Accurate measurements are critical to
correct system function. If you need to
check measurements entered or change
them you can access them through the
trailer menus in the instrument cluster.
Choose the option to change the sticker
from the change trailer settings menu. It is
not necessary to remove the sticker if you
are just reviewing or changing
measurements.
The following menu warnings or difficulties
may occur during setup. Tips to resolve
them are listed below. Measurement A has reached maximum or
minimum value:
•
The system is designed to work with
drawbars that have a license plate to
hitch ball center measurement of 9 in
(229 mm) to 16 in (406 mm) when
installed. Do not attempt to use
drawbars that have a length outside
this range as the system performance
will be degraded and could cause
improper system function.
• Make sure that the measurement being
made is the horizontal distance only
from license plate and the hitch ball
center. A straight line distance that
includes any vertical rise or drop will
increase the measurement and make
it inaccurate. Inaccurate
measurements will degrade system
performance and could cause improper
system function. See step 4 of the
setup instruction to review
measurement instructions.
Measurement B has reached maximum or
minimum value:
• Make sure that the sticker placement
instruction in step 3 of the setup has
been followed. Stickers placed outside
the allowed zone will adversely affect
the system performance and could
cause improper feature function.
• Make sure that the measurement being
made is the horizontal distance only
from center of sticker to the hitch ball
center. A straight line distance that
includes any veritical rise or drop will
increase the measurement and cause
an inaccurate value to be entered into
the system. See step 4 of the setup for
additional measurement instructions.
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System consistently shows Stop now take
control of steering warning:
•
The system displays this warning when
it can no longer steer the vehicle and
you must take over steering. There are
four reasons why this warning displays
and additional information regarding
the reason for the warning is available
on the center display.
•The steering wheel is touched while
the system is controlling it. Avoid
touching the wheel during system
operation.
• The maximum speed for feature
operation is exceeded. System
performance is optimized at slower
speeds. Backup slowly.
• The sticker was lost by the camera
system. Once your vehicle is
stopped additional warnings will
indicate the sticker was lost. Refer
to sticker lost trouble shooting tips.
• An internal condition for system
operation was not met which
requires your vehicle return to
manual control of the steering.
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. Note:
This feature does not prevent trailer
sway, but reduces it once it begins. Note:
This feature cannot stop all trailers
from swaying.
Note: In some cases, if vehicle speed is too
high, the system may activate multiple
times, gradually reducing vehicle speed.
This feature applies your vehicle brakes at
individual wheels and, if necessary, reduces
engine power. If the trailer begins to sway,
the stability control light flashes and the
message
TRAILER SWAY REDUCE
SPEED appears in the information display.
The first thing to do is slow your vehicle
down, then pull safely to the side of the
road and check for proper tongue load and
trailer load distribution. See
Load
Carrying (page 241).
RECOMMENDED TOWING
WEIGHTS
Note: Do not exceed a trailer weight of
5,100 lb (2,313 kg) when towing with, or by,
bumper only.
Note: Do not exceed a trailer weight of
5,100 lb (2,313 kg)
if your vehicle is not
equipped with a Heavy Duty Trailer Towing
Package.
Note: Make sure to take into consideration
trailer frontal area. Vehicles not equipped
with the Trailer Tow Package or the Heavy
Duty Payload Package should not exceed
36.6 feet 2
(3.4 meters 2
) trailer frontal area.
Vehicles equipped with the Trailer Tow
Package or the Heavy Duty Payload
Package should not exceed 60 feet 2
(5.6
meters 2
) trailer frontal area.
Note: Exceeding this limitation may
significantly reduce the performance of your
towing vehicle. Selecting a trailer with a low
aerodynamic drag and rounded front design
helps optimize performance and fuel
economy.
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Note:
For high altitude operation, reduce
the gross combined weight by 2% per
1,000 ft (305 m) starting at the 1,000 ft
(305 m) elevation point.
Note: Certain states require electric trailer
brakes for trailers over a specified weight.
Be sure to check state regulations for this
specified weight. The maximum trailer
weights listed may be limited to this
specified weight, as your vehicle's electrical
system may not include the wiring
connector needed to use electric trailer
brakes. Your vehicle may tow a trailer provided the
maximum trailer weight is less than or
equal to the maximum trailer weight listed
for your vehicle configuration on the
following charts.Driveline – 4x2
1
Maximum GCWR 2, 3
Axle ratio
Engine
Cab – wheelbase
(inches)
9400 lb (4264 kg)4
3.55
3.5L TiVCT
Regular cab – 122 12000 lb (5443 kg)
3.73
12200 lb (5533 kg)
3.31
2.7L GTDI 13100 lb (5942 kg)
3.73
13000 lb (5897 kg)
3.31
5.0L TiVCT 13800 lb (6260 kg)
3.55
9500 lb (4309 kg) 4
3.55
3.5L TiVCT
Regular cab – 141 12100 lb (5488 kg)
3.73
12300 lb (5579 kg)
3.31
2.7L GTDI 13100 lb (5942 kg)
3.73
13300 lb (6032 kg) 5
3.73
13900 lb (6305 kg)
3.31
5.0L TiVCT 14900 lb (6758 kg)
3.55
16000 lb (7257 kg) 6
3.73
15500 lb (7030 kg)
3.15
3.5L GTDI
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•
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.
See Load limits in the Load Carrying
chapter for load specification terms found
on the tire label and Safety Compliance
label and instructions on calculating your
vehicle's load.
Remember to account for the trailer
tongue weight as part of your vehicle load
when calculating the total vehicle weight.
Trailer Towing Connector When attaching the trailer wiring connector
to your vehicle, only use a proper fitting
connector that works with the vehicle and
trailer functions. Some seven-position
connectors may have the SAE J2863 logo,
which confirms that it is the proper wiring
connector and works correctly with your
vehicle.
Function
Color
Left turn signal and stop lamp
Yellow
Ground (-)
White
Electric brakes
Blue
Right turn signal and stop
lamp
Green
Battery (+)
Orange
Running lights
Brown
Reverse lights
Grey
Hitches
Do not use a hitch that either clamps onto
the bumper or attaches to the axle. You
must distribute the load in your trailer so
that 10-15% of the total weight of the
trailer is on the tongue.
Weight-distributing Hitches WARNING
Do not adjust a weight-distributing
hitch to any position where the rear
bumper of the vehicle is higher than
it was before attaching the trailer. Doing
so will defeat the function of the
weight-distributing hitch, which may cause
unpredictable handling, and could result
in serious personal injury. When hooking-up a trailer using a
weight-distributing hitch, always use the
following procedure:
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1. Park the loaded vehicle, without the
trailer, on a level surface.
2. Measure the height to the top of your vehicle's front wheel opening on the
fender. This is H1.
3. Attach the loaded trailer to your vehicle
without the weight-distributing bars
connected.
4. Measure the height to the top of your vehicle's front wheel opening on the
fender a second time. This is H2.
5. Install and adjust the tension in the weight-distributing bars so that the
height of your vehicle's front wheel
opening on the fender is approximately
a quarter the way down from H2,
toward H1.
6. Check that the trailer is level or slightly
nose down toward your vehicle. If not,
adjust the ball height accordingly and
repeat Steps 2-6.
Once the trailer is level or slightly nose
down toward the vehicle:
• Lock the bar tension adjuster in place.
• Check that the trailer tongue securely
attaches and locks onto the hitch.
• Install safety chains, lighting, and trailer
brake controls as required by law or the
trailer manufacturer.
Safety Chains
Note: Do not attach safety chains to the
bumper.
Always connect the safety chains to the
frame or hook retainers of your vehicle
hitch.
To connect the safety chains, cross the
chains 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.
Separate functioning brake systems
are required for safe control of towed
vehicles and trailers weighing more
than 1500 pounds (680 kilograms)
when loaded.
Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If
Equipped)
WARNING
The Ford trailer brake controller has
been verified to be compatible with
trailers having electric-actuated
drum brakes (one to four axles) and
electric-over-hydraulic brakes. It will not
activate hydraulic surge-style trailer
brakes. It is the responsibility of the
customer to ensure that the trailer brakes
are adjusted appropriately, functioning
normally and all electric connections are
properly made. Failure to do so may result
in loss of vehicle control, crash or serious
injury. 271
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