2017 FORD TAURUS spare wheel

Always inflate your tires to theFord recommended inflationpressure even if it is less than themaximum inflation pressureinformation found on the tire. Youwill find a Tire Label containingthe Ford recommended tireinflation pressure by the tire sizeand other important informationlocated on the B-Pillar or the edgeof the driver’s door.
The Ford recommended tireinflation pressure is also found onthe Safety ComplianceCertification Label (affixed toeither the door hinge pillar,door-latch post, or the door edgethat meets the door-latch on theB-pillar, or on the edge of thedriver’s door.
Failure to follow the tire pressurerecommendations can causeuneven treadwear patterns andadversely affect the way yourvehicle handles.
Inspecting Your Tires andWheel Valve Stems
Periodically inspect the tire treadsfor uneven or excessive wear andremove objects such as stones,nails or glass that may be wedgedin the tread grooves. Check the tireand valve stems for holes, cracks,or cuts that may permit airleakage and repair or replace thetire and replace the valve stem.Inspect the tire sidewalls forcracking, cuts, bruises and othersigns of damage or excessivewear. If internal damage to the tire
is suspected, have the tiredemounted and inspected in caseit needs to be repaired or replaced.For your safety, tires that aredamaged or show signs ofexcessive wear should not be usedbecause they are more likely toblow out or fail.
Improper or inadequate vehiclemaintenance can cause tires towear abnormally. Inspect all yourtires, including the spare,frequently, and replace them ifone or more of the followingconditions exist:
Tire Wear
When the tread is worn down toone sixteenth of an inch (2 mm),tires must be replaced to helpprevent your vehicle from skiddingand hydroplaning. Built-intreadwear indicators, or wear bars,which look like narrow strips ofsmooth rubber across the treadwill appear on the tire when thetread is worn down to one
sixteenth of an inch (2 mm).
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When the tire tread wears downto the same height as these wearbars, the tire is worn out and mustbe replaced.
Damage
Periodically inspect the tire treadsand sidewalls for damage (suchas bulges in the tread or sidewalls,cracks in the tread groove andseparation in the tread orsidewall). If damage is observedor suspected, have the tireinspected by a tire professional.Tires can be damaged duringoff-road use, so inspection afteroff-road use is alsorecommended.
Age
WARNING
Tires degrade over timedepending on many factorssuch as weather, storageconditions, and conditions of use(load, speed, inflation pressure)the tires experience throughouttheir lives.
In general, tires should bereplaced after six years regardlessof tread wear. However, heatcaused by hot climates orfrequent high loading conditionscan accelerate the aging processand may require tires to bereplaced more frequently.
You should replace your spare tirewhen you replace the road tires orafter six years due to aging even ifit has not been used.
U.S. DOT Tire IdentificationNumber
Both United States and CanadaFederal regulations require tiremanufacturers to placestandardized information on thesidewall of all tires. Thisinformation identifies anddescribes the fundamentalcharacteristics of the tire and alsoprovides a U.S. DOT TireIdentification Number for safetystandard certification and in caseof a recall.
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Highway Hazards
No matter how carefully you drive,there is always the possibility thatyou may eventually have a flat tireon the highway. Drive slowly to theclosest safe area out of traffic.This may further damage the flattire, but your safety is moreimportant.
If you feel a sudden vibration orride disturbance while driving, oryou suspect your tire or vehiclehas been damaged, immediatelyreduce your speed. Drive withcaution until you can safely pulloff the road. Stop and inspect thetires for damage. If a tire isunder-inflated or damaged,deflate it, remove wheel andreplace it with your spare tire andwheel. If you cannot detect acause, have the vehicle towed tothe nearest repair facility or tiredealer to have the vehicleinspected.
Tire and Wheel Alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb orpothole can cause the front endof your vehicle to becomemisaligned or cause damage toyour tires. If your vehicle seems topull to one side when you aredriving, the wheels may be out ofalignment. Have an authorizeddealer check the wheel alignmentperiodically.
Wheel misalignment in the frontor the rear can cause uneven andrapid treadwear of your tires andshould be corrected by anauthorized dealer. Front-wheeldrive vehicles and those with anindependent rear suspension (ifequipped) may require alignmentof all four wheels.
The tires should also be balancedperiodically. An unbalanced tireand wheel assembly may result inirregular tire wear.
Tire Rotation
Note:If your tires show unevenwear, ask an authorized dealer tocheck for and correct any wheelmisalignment, tire imbalance ormechanical problem involved
before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may beequipped with a dissimilar sparewheel and tire assembly. Adissimilar spare wheel and tireassembly is defined as a sparewheel and tire assembly that isdifferent in brand, size orappearance from the road tires andwheels. If you have a dissimilarspare wheel and tire assembly, it isintended for temporary use onlyand should not be used in a tirerotation.
Note:After having your tiresrotated, inflation pressure must bechecked and adjusted to thevehicle requirements.
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Note:The suspension insulation andbumpers will help prevent vehicle damage.Do not remove these components from yourvehicle when using snow tires and chains.
If the tires on your vehicle have all seasontreads, they will provide traction in rain andsnow. However, in some climates, you mayneed to use snow tires and cables. If youneed to use cables, it is recommended thatsteel wheels (of the same size andspecifications) be used, as cables may chipaluminum wheels.
Follow these guidelines when using snowtires and chains:
•If possible, avoid fully loading yourvehicle.
•Use only SAE Class S snow chains,snow cables or equivalent on the frontaxle for P235/55R18 equipped vehicles.The use of snow chains, snow cablesor other traction assist devices that arelarger than SAE Class S may causedamage to your vehicle’s wheel house,suspension and/or body.
•Do not install tire chains, cables, oroptional traction devices on the reartires. This could cause damage to thevehicle’s wheel house or body.
•Install cable chains securely, verifyingthat the cables do not touch any wiring,brake lines or fuel lines.
•Do not exceed 30 mph (48 km/h) withtire cables on your vehicle.
•Drive cautiously. If you hear the cablesrub or bang against your vehicle, stopand retighten the cables. If this doesnot work, remove the cables to preventdamage to your vehicle.
•Remove the tire cables when they areno longer needed. Do not use tirecables on dry roads.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM
WARNING
The tire pressure monitoring systemis not a substitute for manuallychecking tire pressures. You shouldperiodically check tire pressures using apressure gauge. Failure to correctlymaintain tire pressures could increase therisk of tire failure, loss of control, vehiclerollover and personal injury.
Each tire, including the spare (ifprovided), should be checkedmonthly when cold and inflatedto the inflation pressure recommended bythe vehicle manufacturer on the vehicleplacard or tire inflation pressure label. (Ifyour vehicle has tires of a different sizethan the size indicated on the vehicleplacard or tire inflation pressure label, youshould determine the proper tire inflationpressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehiclehas been equipped with a Tire PressureMonitoring System (TPMS) thatilluminates a low tire pressure telltalewhen one or more of your tires issignificantly under-inflated. Accordingly,when the low tire pressure telltaleilluminates, you should stop and checkyour tires as soon as possible, and inflatethem to the proper pressure. Driving on asignificantly under-inflated tire causes thetire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiencyand tire tread life, and may affect thevehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
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When Your Temporary Spare Tire isInstalled
When one of your road tires needs to bereplaced with the temporary spare, thesystem will continue to identify an issue toremind you that the damaged road wheeland tire assembly needs to be repaired andput back on your vehicle.
To restore the full function of the tirepressure monitoring system, have thedamaged road wheel and tire assemblyrepaired and remounted on your vehicle.
When You Believe Your System is NotOperating Properly
The main function of the tire pressuremonitoring system is to warn you whenyour tires need air. It can also warn you inthe event the system is no longer capableof functioning as intended. See thefollowing chart for information concerningyour tire pressure monitoring system:
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Customer action requiredPossible causeLow tire pressurewarning light
Make sure tires are at the proper pres-sure. See Inflating your tires in thischapter. After inflating your tires to themanufacturer’s recommended pressureas shown on the Tire Label (located onthe edge of driver’s door or the B-Pillar),the vehicle must be driven for at leasttwo minutes over 20 mph (32 km/h)before the light turns off.
Tire(s) under-inflatedSolid warning light
Repair the damaged road wheel and tireassembly and reinstall it on the vehicleto restore system function. For adescription on how the system functions,see When your temporary spare tireis installed in this section.
Spare tire in use
If the tires are properly inflated and thespare tire is not in use but the lightremains on, contact your authorizeddealer as soon as possible.
TPMS malfunction
Repair the damaged road wheel and tireassembly and reinstall it on the vehicleto restore system function. For adescription on how the system functions,see When your temporary spare tireis installed in this section.
Spare tire in useFlashing warninglight
If the tires are properly inflated and thespare tire is not in use but the lightremains on, contact your authorizeddealer as soon as possible.
TPMS malfunction
When Inflating Your Tires
When putting air into your tires (such as ata gas station or in your garage), the tirepressure monitoring system may notrespond immediately to the air added toyour tires.
It may take up to two minutes of drivingover 20 mph (32 km/h) for the light to turnoff after you have filled your tires to therecommended inflation pressure
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How Temperature Affects Your TirePressure
The tire pressure monitoring systemmonitors tire pressure in each pneumatictire. While driving in a normal manner, atypical passenger tire inflation pressuremay increase about 2–4 psi (14–28 kPa)from a cold start situation. If the vehicle isstationary overnight with the outsidetemperature significantly lower than thedaytime temperature, the tire pressure maydecrease about 3 psi (21 kPa) for a drop of30°F (17°C) in ambient temperature. Thislower pressure value may be detected bythe tire pressure monitoring system asbeing significantly lower than therecommended inflation pressure andactivate the system warning light for lowtire pressure. If the low tire pressurewarning light is on, visually check each tireto verify that no tire is flat. If one or moretires are flat, repair as necessary. Checkthe air pressure in the road tires. If any tireis under-inflated, carefully drive the vehicleto the nearest location where air can beadded to the tires. Inflate all the tires tothe recommended inflation pressure.
CHANGING A ROAD WHEEL
WARNINGS
Do not use tire sealants as they maydamage the tire pressure monitoringsystem.
If the tire pressure monitor sensorbecomes damaged it may notfunction.
Note:The tire pressure monitoring systemindicator light will illuminate when the sparetire is in use. To restore the full function ofthe monitoring system, all road wheelsequipped with tire pressure monitoringsensors must be mounted on the vehicle.
If you get a flat tire while driving, do notapply the brake heavily. Instead, graduallydecrease your speed. Hold the steeringwheel firmly and slowly move to a safeplace on the side of the road.
Have a flat serviced by an authorizeddealer in order to prevent damage to thetire pressure monitoring system sensors.See Tire Pressure Monitoring System(page 287). Replace the spare tire with aroad tire as soon as possible. Duringrepairing or replacing of the flat tire, havethe authorized dealer inspect the tirepressure monitoring system sensor fordamage.
Dissimilar Spare Wheel and TireAssembly Information
WARNING
Failure to follow these guidelinescould result in an increased risk ofloss of vehicle control, injury or death.
If you have a dissimilar spare wheel andtire, then it is intended for temporary useonly. This means that if you need to use it,you should replace it as soon as possiblewith a road wheel and tire assembly thatis the same size and type as the road tiresand wheels that were originally providedby Ford. If the dissimilar spare tire or wheelis damaged, it should be replaced ratherthan repaired.
A dissimilar spare wheel and tire assemblyis defined as a spare wheel and tireassembly that is different in brand, size orappearance from the road tires and wheelsand can be one of three types:
1.T-type mini-spare: This spare tirebegins with the letter T for tire size andmay have Temporary Use Only molded inthe sidewall.
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2.Full-size dissimilar spare with labelon wheel: This spare tire has a label onthe wheel that states: THIS WHEEL ANDTIRE ASSEMBLY FOR TEMPORARY USEONLY.
When driving with one of the dissimilarspare tires listed above, do not:
•Exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
•Load the vehicle beyond maximumvehicle load rating listed on the SafetyCompliance Label.
•Tow a trailer.
•Use snow chains on the end of thevehicle with the dissimilar spare tire.
•Use more than one dissimilar spare tireat a time.
•Use commercial car washingequipment.
•Try to repair the dissimilar spare tire.
Use of one of the dissimilar spare tireslisted above at any one wheel location canlead to impairment of the following:
•Handling, stability and brakingperformance.
•Comfort and noise.
•Ground clearance and parking at curbs.
•Winter weather driving capability.
•Wet weather driving capability.
•All-wheel driving capability.
3.Full-size dissimilar spare withoutlabel on wheel
When driving with the full-size dissimilarspare wheel and tire assembly, do not:
•Exceed 70 mph (113 km/h).
•Use more than one dissimilar sparewheel and tire assembly at a time.
•Use commercial car washingequipment.
•Use snow chains on the end of thevehicle with the dissimilar spare wheeland tire assembly.
The usage of a full-size dissimilar sparewheel and tire assembly can lead toimpairment of the following:
•Handling, stability and brakingperformance.
•Comfort and noise.
•Ground clearance and parking at curbs.
•Winter weather driving capability.
•Wet weather driving capability.
•All-wheel driving capability.
When driving with the full-size dissimilarspare wheel and tire assembly additionalcaution should be given to:
•Towing a trailer.
•Driving vehicles equipped with acamper body.
•Driving vehicles with a load on thecargo rack.
Drive cautiously when using a full-sizedissimilar spare wheel and tire assemblyand seek service as soon as possible.
Tire Change Procedure
WARNINGS
When one of the front wheels is offthe ground, the transmission alonewill not prevent the vehicle frommoving or slipping off the jack, even if thetransmission is in park (P).
To help prevent your vehicle frommoving when changing a wheel, shiftthe transmission into park (P), setthe parking brake and use an appropriateblock or wheel chock to secure the wheeldiagonally opposite to the wheel beingchanged. For example, when changing thefront left wheel, place an appropriate blockor wheel chock on the right rear wheel.
Do not work on your vehicle whenthe jack is the only support. If thevehicle slips off the jack, you orsomeone else could be seriously injured.
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