2018 FORD EXPLORER tow bar

If the sensors become blocked, a message
may appear in the information display. See
Information Messages (page 119). The
alert indicators remain illuminated but the
system does not alert you.
System Errors
If the system detects a fault, a warning
lamp illuminates and a message displays.
See
Information Messages (page 119).
Switching the System On and Off
You can switch the system off using the
information display.
See General
Information (page 105). When you switch
the system off, a warning lamp illuminates
and a message displays. When you switch
the system on or off, the alert indicators
flash twice.
Note: The system remembers the last
setting when you start your vehicle.
Note: The system may not correctly operate
when towing a trailer. For vehicles with a
trailer tow module and tow bar approved
by us, the system turns off when you attach
a trailer. For vehicles with an aftermarket
trailer tow module or tow bar, we
recommend that you switch the system off
when you attach a trailer.
To permanently switch the system off,
contact an authorized dealer. CROSS TRAFFIC ALERT
(If
Equipped) WARNING:
Do not use the cross
traffic alert system as a replacement for
using the interior and exterior mirrors or
looking over your shoulder before reversing
out of a parking space. The cross traffic
alert system is not a replacement for
careful driving. WARNING:
The system may not
operate properly during severe weather
conditions, for example snow, ice, heavy
rain and spray. Always drive with due care
and attention. Failure to take care may
result in a crash.
The system is designed to alert you of
vehicles approaching from the sides when
you shift into reverse (R).
Using the Cross Traffic Alert
System
The system is designed to detect vehicles
that approach with a speed up to
37 mph
(60 km/h). Coverage decreases when the
sensors are partially, mostly or fully
obstructed. Slowly reversing helps increase
the coverage area and effectiveness.
The system turns on when you start the
engine and you shift into reverse (R). The
system turns off when you shift out of
reverse (R).
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Note:
The system may not correctly operate
when towing a trailer. For vehicles with a
trailer tow module and tow bar approved
by us, the system turns off when you attach
a trailer. For vehicles with an aftermarket
trailer tow module or tow bar, we
recommend that you switch the system off
when you attach a trailer.
To permanently switch the system off,
contact an authorized dealer.
STEERING
Electric Power Steering WARNING: The electric power
steering system has diagnostic checks that
continuously monitor the system. If a fault
is detected, a message displays in the
information display. Stop your vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. Switch the
ignition off. After at least 10 seconds,
switch the ignition on and watch the
information display for a steering system
warning message. If a steering system
warning message returns, have the system
checked by an authorized dealer. WARNING: If the system detects an
error, you may not feel a difference in the
steering, however a serious condition may
exist. Obtain immediate service from an
authorized dealer, failure to do so may
result in loss of steering control.
Your vehicle has an electric power steering
system. There is no fluid reservoir. No
maintenance is required.
If your vehicle loses electrical power while
you are driving, electric power steering
assistance is lost. The steering system still
operates and you can steer your vehicle
manually. Manually steering your vehicle
requires more effort. Extreme continuous steering may increase
the effort required for you to steer your
vehicle. This increased effort prevents
overheating and permanent damage to
the steering system. You do not lose the
ability to steer your vehicle manually.
Typical steering and driving maneuvers
allow the system to cool and return to
normal operation.
Steering Tips
If the steering wanders or pulls, check for:
•
Correct tire pressures.
• Uneven tire wear.
• Loose or worn suspension
components.
• Loose or worn steering components.
• Improper vehicle alignment.
Note: A high crown in the road or high
crosswinds may also make the steering
seem to wander or pull.
Adaptive Learning
The electronic power steering system
adaptive learning helps correct road
irregularities and improves overall handling
and steering feel. It communicates with
the brake system to help operate
advanced stability control and accident
avoidance systems. Additionally, whenever
the battery is disconnected or a new
battery installed, you must drive your
vehicle a short distance before the system
relearns the strategy and reactivates all
systems.
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ESSENTIAL TOWING CHECKS
Follow these guidelines for safe towing:
•
Do not tow a trailer until you drive your
vehicle at least 1,000 mi (1,600 km).
• Consult your local motor vehicle laws
for towing a trailer.
• See the instructions included with
towing accessories for the proper
installation and adjustment
specifications.
• 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.
You can find information on load
specification terms found on the tire label
and Safety Compliance label as well as
instructions on calculating your vehicle's
load in the Load Carrying chapter. See
Load Limit
(page 243).
Remember to account for the trailer
tongue weight as part of your vehicle load
when calculating the total vehicle weight.
Hitches
Do not use a hitch that either clamps onto
the bumper or attaches to the axle.
Distribute the trailer load so 10-15% of the
total trailer weight is on the tongue.
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
half 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.
When 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: Never attach safety chains to the
bumper.
Always connect the safety chains to the
hook retainers of your vehicle hitch.
To connect the trailer ’s safety chains, cross
them under the trailer tongue and allow
enough slack for turning tight corners. Do
not allow the chains to drag on the ground.
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BREAKING-IN
You need to break in new tires for
approximately 300 mi (480 km). During
this time, your vehicle may exhibit some
unusual driving characteristics.
Avoid driving too fast during the first
1,000 mi (1,600 km)
. Vary your speed
frequently and change up through the
gears early. Do not labor the engine.
Do not tow during the first
1,000 mi
(1,600 km).
ECONOMICAL DRIVING
Your fuel economy is affected by several
things, such as how you drive, the
conditions you drive under, and how you
maintain your vehicle.
You may improve your fuel economy by
keeping these things in mind:
• Accelerate and slow down in a smooth,
moderate fashion.
• Drive at steady speeds without
stopping.
• Anticipate stops; slowing down may
eliminate the need to stop.
• Combine errands and minimize
stop-and-go driving.
• Close the windows for high-speed
driving.
• Drive at reasonable speeds (traveling
at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15% less
fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105
km/h]).
• Keep the tires properly inflated and use
only the recommended size.
• Use the recommended engine oil.
• Perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. Avoid these actions; they reduce your fuel
economy:
•
Sudden accelerations or hard
accelerations.
• Revving the engine before turning it off.
• Idle for periods longer than one minute.
• Warm up your vehicle on cold
mornings.
• Use the air conditioner or front
defroster.
• Use the speed control in hilly terrain.
• Rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving.
• Drive a heavily loaded vehicle or tow a
trailer.
• Carry unnecessary weight
(approximately 1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is
lost for every 400 lb [180 kilogram] of
weight carried).
• Driving with the wheels out of
alignment.
Conditions
• Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a
trailer may reduce fuel economy at any
speed.
• Adding certain accessories to your
vehicle (for example bug deflectors,
rollbars, light bars, running boards, ski
racks or luggage racks) may reduce
fuel economy.
• To maximize the fuel economy, drive
with the tonneau cover installed (if
equipped).
• Using fuel blended with alcohol may
lower fuel economy.
• Fuel economy may decrease with lower
temperatures during the first
5–10 mi
(12 –16 km) of driving.
• Driving on flat terrain offers improved
fuel economy as compared to driving
on hilly terrain.
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For a complete listing of the accessories
that are available for your vehicle, please
contact your authorized dealer or visit the
online store web site:
Web Address (United States)
www.Accessories.Ford.com Web Address (Canada)
www.Accessories.Ford.ca
Ford Motor Company will repair or replace
any properly authorized dealer-installed
Ford Original Accessory found to be
defective in factory-supplied materials or
workmanship during the warranty period,
as well as any component damaged by the
defective accessories.
Ford Motor Company will warrant your
Ford Original Accessory through the
warranty that provides the greatest
benefit:
• 24 months, unlimited mileage.
• The remainder of your new vehicle
limited warranty.
Contact an authorized dealer for details
and a copy of the warranty.
Exterior Style
• Bumper protector.
• Hood deflectors.
• Running boards.
• Side window deflectors*.
• Splash guards.
Interior Style
• Ambient lighting.
• Cargo area protector.
• Floor mats. •
Rear console.
• Seat covers*.
Lifestyle
• Ash cup or smoker's package.
• Camping tent*.
• Car covers*.
• Cargo organization and management.
• Rear seat entertainment*.
• Roof crossbars.
• Roof racks and carriers*.
• Trailer hitch balls.
• Trailer hitch drawbars and towing
accessories.
Peace of Mind
• Cargo shade.
• In-vehicle safe*.
• Keyless entry keypad.
• Parking sensors*.
• Remote start.
• Roadside assistance kits*.
• Vehicle security systems.
• Wheel locks.
*Ford Licensed Accessories. The accessory
manufacturer designs, develops and
therefore warrants Ford Licensed
Accessories, and does not design or test
these accessories to Ford Motor Company
engineering requirements. Contact an
authorized Ford dealer for the
manufacturer ’s limited warranty details,
and request a copy of the Ford Licensed
Accessories product limited warranty from
the accessory manufacturer.
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Phone Menu.........................................................
452
Receiving Calls................................................... 454
Smartphone Connectivity.............................. 455
Text Messaging................................................... 455
Post-Crash Alert System..........................264
Power Door Locks See: Locking and Unlocking............................. 64
Power Liftgate.................................................70 Hands-Free Feature............................................. 72
Obstacle Detection.............................................. 72
Opening and Closing the Liftgate.................. 70
Setting the Liftgate Open Height.................... 71
Stopping the Liftgate Movement.................... 71
Power Seats
...................................................148
Adjusting the Lumbar Support..................... 149
Adjusting the Multi-Contour Front Seats With Active Motion ...................................... 149
Power Steering Fluid Check....................298
Power Windows...............................................91 Accessory Delay.................................................... 92
Bounce-Back.......................................................... 91
One-Touch Down.................................................. 91
One-Touch Up........................................................ 91
Window Lock......................................................... 92
Pre-Collision Assist
.....................................238
Using the Pre-Collision Assist
System.............................................................. 238
Protecting the Environment........................15
Puncture See: Changing a Road Wheel........................ 337
R
Rear Parking Aid...........................................205 Obstacle Distance Indicator......................... 206
Rear Passenger Climate Controls..........140
Rear Seats........................................................151 Adjusting the Rear Seats.................................. 151
Rear Under Floor Storage..........................241 Adjustable Load Floor....................................... 241
Cargo Management System........................... 241
Rear View Camera
........................................215
Camera Guidelines............................................. 216
Manual Zoom....................................................... 218
Obstacle Distance Indicator............................ 217
Rear Camera Delay............................................ 218
Using the Rear View Camera System.........216 Rear View Camera
See: Rear View Camera.................................... 215
Rear Window Wiper and Washers...........82 Rear Camera Washer.......................................... 82
Rear Window Washer......................................... 82
Rear Window Wiper Blade............................... 82
Recommended Towing Weights...........250
Refueling..........................................................179 Refueling System Overview............................ 179
Refueling System Warning.............................. 181
Refueling Your Vehicle...................................... 179
Remote Control..............................................53 Car Finder................................................................ 57
Integrated Keyhead Transmitter..................... 53
Intelligent Access Key......................................... 53
Memory Feature................................................... 56
Remote Start.......................................................... 57
Replacing the Battery......................................... 54
Sounding the Panic Alarm................................ 57
Remote Start
..................................................142
Automatic Settings............................................ 142
Removing a Headlamp
.............................303
Repairing Minor Paint Damage...............314
Replacement Parts Recommendation........................................12
Collision Repairs.................................................... 12
Scheduled Maintenance and Mechanical Repairs.................................................................. 12
Warranty on Replacement Parts..................... 12
Replacing a Lost Key or Remote Control............................................................58
Reporting Safety Defects (Canada Only)...............................................................271
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Only)...............................................................271
Roadside Assistance
.................................260
Vehicles Sold in Canada: Getting Roadside
Assistance........................................................ 261
Vehicles Sold in Canada: Roadside Assistance Program Coverage.................. 261
Vehicles Sold in Canada: Using Roadside Assistance........................................................ 261
Vehicles Sold in the United States: Getting Roadside Assistance................................... 260
Vehicles Sold in the United States: Using Roadside Assistance................................... 260
Roadside Emergencies
.............................260
564
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