System Operation
If you select a trailer in the display screen
prior to connecting the trailer, the system
will load that configuration and the
information cluster displays a message
when the trailer is connected. A second
message appears stating Cross Traffic
Alert has been turned off; the Blind Spot
Information System with Trailer Tow still
functions normally when driving forward.
If no trailer has been set up and a trailer is
connected, the instrument cluster provides
a message indicating a trailer is connected
followed by a message asking to select a
trailer from the existing list of trailers or to
add a trailer. In order for the Blind Spot
Information System with Trailer Tow to
function, an existing trailer must be
selected or a new trailer must be added. If
the request is ignored or if you exit the
screen, a message appears prompting you
that the system has been turned off due
to a trailer connect. This message may not
appear until your vehicle speed reaches
22 mph (35 km/h).
The Blind Spot Information System with
Trailer Tow activates when driving forward
for that particular trailer set up. If the
ignition is cycled, the Blind Spot
Information System with Trailer Tow
continues to function using the last trailer
selected.
Trailer Considerations
The Blind Spot Information System with
Trailer Tow is designed to work with any
trailer whose front width is
8.5 ft (2.6 m)
or less and total length from the trailer
hitch ball to the rear of the trailer is
30 ft
(9 m) or less. Different trailers may cause
a slight change in performance as outlined
below. Large box trailers may cause false alerts
to trigger when driving next to buildings or
near parking cars. A false alert may also
occur while making a 90-degree turn.
Trailers that are
8.5 ft (2.6 m) wide at the
front and have a total length greater than
20 ft (6 m)
may have delayed alerts from
passing vehicles when the vehicle is
passing at high speed.
A box trailer whose front width is
8.5 ft
(2.6 m) may cause early alerts when you
are over taking a vehicle.
When towing a clam shell or V-Nose box
trailer with a front width of
8.5 ft (2.6 m),
delayed alerts on merging vehicles that are
traveling the same speed as your vehicle
may occur.
System Errors
If the system senses a problem with the
left or right sensor, the telltale illuminates
and a message appears in the display
screen. See
Information Messages
(page 128).
Switching the System Off and On
You can temporarily switch the Blind Spot
Information System off in the display
screen. See
General Information (page
111). When the Blind Spot Information
System switches off, you do not receive
alerts and the display screen shows a
system off message. The telltale in the
cluster also illuminates. When you switch
the Blind Spot Information System on or
off, the alert indicators flash twice.
Note: The Blind Spot Information System
remembers the last selected on or off
setting.
You can also have the Blind Spot
Information System switched off
permanently at an authorized dealer. Once
switched off permanently, the system can
only be switched back on at an authorized
dealer.
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System Lights, Messages and
Audible Alerts
The Cross Traffic Alert illuminates an
amber alert indicator in the outside mirror
on the side of your vehicle the approaching
vehicle is coming from. Cross Traffic Alert
also sounds an audible alert and a
message appears in the display screen
indicating a vehicle is coming from the right
or left. Cross Traffic Alert works with the
reverse sensing system that sounds its own
series of tones. See Rear Parking Aid
(page 231). The system uses radar sensors that are
located in the tail lamp on each side of
your vehicle. Do not allow mud, snow or
bumper stickers to obstruct these areas,
this can cause degraded system
performance. See
Blind Spot
Information System (page 249). If the
Blind Spot Information System is blocked,
Cross Traffic Alert is also blocked. A Cross
Traffic Alert blocked message appears in
the display screen when the transmission
is shifted into reverse (R).
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COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM
(If Equipped)
Principle Of Operation (If Equipped)
WARNINGS
This system is an extra driving aid. It
does not replace your attention and
judgment, or the need to apply the
brakes. This system does NOT
automatically brake your vehicle. If you fail
to press the brake pedal when necessary,
you may collide with another vehicle. The collision warning system with
brake support cannot help prevent
all collisions. Do not rely on this
system to replace your judgment and the
need to maintain correct distance and
speed. Note:
The system does not detect, warn or
respond to potential collisions with vehicles
to the rear or sides of your vehicle.
Note: The collision warning system is active
at speeds above approximately
5 mph
(8 km/h).
Note: The collision warning system will be
unavailable if you disable the electronic
stability control. See
Using Stability
Control (page 227). The system alerts you of certain collision
risks. The system's sensor detects your
vehicle's rapid approach to other vehicles
traveling in the same direction as your
vehicle. When your vehicle rapidly approaches
another vehicle, a red warning light flashes
and a tone sounds.
The brake support system assists you in
reducing any collision speed by
pre-charging the brakes. If the risk of
collision continues to increases after the
audio-visual warning, the brake support
prepares the brake system for rapid
braking. The system does not
automatically activate the brakes, but if
the brake pedal is pressed even lightly, the
brakes apply full stopping power.
Using the Collision Warning System
WARNING
The collision warning system
’s brake
support reduces collision speed only
if you brake your vehicle before any
collision. As in any typical braking situation,
you must press your brake pedal. You can use your information display
control to adjust the collision warning
system's sensitivity or to turn the system
On or Off. Your vehicle will remember
these settings across key cycles. You may
change the collision warning system
sensitivity to any one of three possible
settings. See General Information (page
111
).
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TOWING A TRAILER
WARNINGS
Towing trailers beyond the
maximum recommended
gross trailer weight exceeds the
limit of your vehicle and could
result in engine damage,
transmission damage, structural
damage, loss of vehicle control,
vehicle rollover and personal
injury. Do not exceed the GVWR or
the GAWR specified on the
certification label. Note:
See Recommended
Towing Weights (page 277).
Your vehicle may have electrical
items, such as fuses or relays,
related to towing. See
Fuses
(page 310).
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 and load
capacity. 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
261).
You can also find information in
the
RV & Trailer Towing Guide
available at your authorized
dealer, or online.
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slowly turning the wheel until the trailer
is following your desired path and then
holding the wheel in that position. If
you would like to recalibrate the
system for straight backing, you can do
so with the following procedure.
•
Go into the trailer menu, select
trailer options, select change trailer
setting and then select the change
sticker option. Your saved
measurements will be displayed.
Do not change them but continue
to confirm measurements. Once
you confirm the measurements, the
system will then prompt you to
perform the calibration procedure.
Note: The system is designed to be used
with the same trailer connection every time
the trailer is chosen from the selection
menu. Using a different drawbar or a
different pin hole (on drawbars with more
than one) when connecting the drawbar to
your vehicle will affect the trailer
measurements. Take the measurements
again and update if required.
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 261).
RECOMMENDED TOWING
WEIGHTS WARNING
You must use the heavy-duty
drawbar pin supplied with
your vehicle when using the
heavy-duty hitch. Failure to follow
this instruction could result in the
loss of control of your vehicle,
personal injury or death. Note:
Vehicles with a heavy-duty
hitch must use the drawbar pin
stamped 21,000 LBS. You can
obtain a replacement drawbar pin
at your Ford dealer.
Note: Make sure to take into
consideration trailer frontal area.
Do not exceed 60 feet 2
(5.6
meters 2
) trailer frontal area for
conventional trailers. Do not
exceed 75 feet 2
(6.9 meters 2
) trailer
frontal area for 5th wheel and
gooseneck trailers.
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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
Dynamic Hitching Using the Rear
View Camera System
Note: Active guidelines and fixed guidelines
are only available when the transmission is
in reverse (R).
Use the centerline (B) guideline to assist
you in setting your steering wheel properly
to help align the trailer hitch and tongue. Active guidelines
A
Centerline
B
Fixed guideline: Green zone
C
Fixed guideline: Yellow zone
D
Fixed guideline: Red zone
E
Rear bumper
F
Fixed guidelines are always shown in the
display, but the active guidelines only
display when the steering wheel is turned.
To use active guidelines, turn the steering
wheel to point the guidelines toward an
intended path. If the steering wheel
position is changed while reversing, your
vehicle might deviate from the original
intended path.
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E
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The active guidelines fade in and out
depending on the steering wheel position.
The active guidelines are not shown when
the steering wheel position is straight.
Always use caution while reversing.
Objects in the red zone are closest to your
vehicle and objects in the green zone are
farther away. Objects are getting closer to
your vehicle as they move from the green
zone to the yellow or red zones. Use the
side view mirrors and rear view mirror to
get better coverage on both sides and rear
of your vehicle.
Refer to the Rear View Camera section for
additional information. See Rear View
Camera (page 232).
Hitches
Note: On pick-up trucks, the trailer hitch
provided on this vehicle enhances crash
protection for the fuel system. Do not
remove!
Note: Do not cut, drill, weld or modify trailer
hitches. Modifying trailer hitches can reduce
hitch rating.
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% for conventional towing or
15-25% for fifth wheel towing of the total
weight of the trailer is on the tongue.
Hitch components (If Equipped)
The following components will be included
in certain vehicles.
• A 5/8 inch hitch pin rated to tow up to
21,000 lbs.
• A 3 inch drawbar.
• A hitch pin sleeve to be used when
mounting the 3 inch drawbar.
• A clevis pin to help keep the hitch pin
in place. Weight-distributing Hitches WARNING
Do not adjust the spring bars so that
your vehicle's rear bumper is higher
than 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:
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
halfway between H1 and H2.
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.
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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.
Fifth-wheel Trailer Hitch (If Equipped)
Note: The mounting pads in the bed are
specifically designed for certain fifth-wheel
trailer hitches and gooseneck ball hitches.
Do not use these mounting pads for other
purposes.
Note: Contact an authorized dealer to
purchase gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitches
that are compatible with your vehicle.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a
fifth-wheel prep package. This package
enables your vehicle to accept certain
fifth-wheel trailer hitches and gooseneck
ball hitches. The fifth-wheel trailer hitch
attaches to the four mounting pads in the
pick-up bed. An optional 7-pin trailer wiring
connector may be in the bed as well. The
gooseneck ball hitch is a separate
mounting pad from the fifth-wheel hitch,
located in the center of the bed.
Shorter pick-up boxes, such as the 6½-foot
box on the F-250 and F-350, provide less
clearance between the cab and the
fifth-wheel and gooseneck trailer
compared to longer box pick-ups, such as
an 8-foot box on the F-250 or F-350. When
selecting a trailer and tow vehicle, it is
critical to check that this combination
provides clearance between the front of
the trailer and tow vehicle for turns up to
90 degrees. Failure to follow this recommendation could result in the trailer
contacting the cab of the tow vehicle
during tight turns that are typical during
low-speed parking and turning maneuvers.
This contact could result in damage to the
trailer and tow vehicle.
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.
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