2018 FORD TAURUS service indicator

Roadside Emergencies
Roadside Assistance
..................................213
Hazard Flashers ............................................
214
Fuel Shutoff ...................................................
214
Jump Starting the Vehicle ........................
215
Post-Crash Alert System ...........................
217
Transporting the Vehicle ...........................
217
Customer Assistance
Getting the Services You Need ...............
219
In California (U.S. Only) ...........................
220
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Auto Line Program (U.S. Only) ......................
221
Utilizing the Mediation/Arbitration Program (Canada Only) .......................
222
Getting Assistance Outside the U.S. and Canada .......................................................
222
Ordering Additional Owner's Literature ........................................................................\
223
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Only) ........................................................................\
224
Reporting Safety Defects (Canada Only) ........................................................................\
224
Fuses
Fuse Specification Chart .........................
226
Changing a Fuse ..........................................
235
Maintenance
General Information ...................................
237
Opening and Closing the Hood ..............
237
Under Hood Overview - 2.0L EcoBoost™ ........................................................................\
238
Under Hood Overview - 3.5L Duratec ........................................................................\
239
Under Hood Overview - 3.5L Ecoboost™ ........................................................................\
.
241
Engine Oil Dipstick - 2.0L EcoBoost™ ........................................................................\
242
Engine Oil Dipstick - 3.5L Duratec/3.5L Ecoboost™ ...............................................
242
Engine Oil Check .........................................
242Oil Change Indicator Reset
.....................
243
Engine Coolant Check ..............................
244
Automatic Transmission Fluid Check - 2.0L EcoBoost™ .....................................
248
Automatic Transmission Fluid Check - 3.5L Duratec/3.5L Ecoboost™ .........
248
Brake Fluid Check ........................................
251
Power Steering Fluid Check ....................
252
Washer Fluid Check ...................................
252
Fuel Filter .......................................................
252
Changing the 12V Battery ........................
252
Checking the Wiper Blades .....................
254
Changing the Wiper Blades ....................
255
Adjusting the Headlamps ........................
255
Changing a Bulb ..........................................
256
Bulb Specification Chart ..........................
257
Changing the Engine Air Filter ...............
259
Vehicle Care
General Information ..................................
260
Cleaning Products .....................................
260
Cleaning the Exterior ................................
260
Waxing .............................................................
261
Cleaning the Engine ...................................
262
Cleaning the Windows and Wiper Blades ........................................................................\
262
Cleaning the Interior ..................................
263
Cleaning the Instrument Panel and Instrument Cluster Lens ......................
263
Cleaning Leather Seats ............................
264
Repairing Minor Paint Damage .............
264
Cleaning the Wheels .................................
264
Vehicle Storage ...........................................
265
Wheels and Tires
General Information ..................................
267
Tire Sealant and Inflator Kit ....................
267
Tire Care ..........................................................
273
Using Summer Tires ..................................
286
Using Snow Chains ....................................
286
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Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Table of Contents

Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
ON: Unlit Enabled
OFF: Unlit
Adult
ON: Lit
Note: When the passenger airbag status
indicator OFF light is illuminated, the
passenger (seat mounted) side airbag may
be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on safety belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seatback, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
feet comfortably extended on the floor.
Sitting improperly can increase the chance
of injury in a crash event. For example, if
an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans forward or
sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased. Make sure the front passenger sensing
system is operating properly. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page 44).
Do not attempt to repair or service the
system. Take your vehicle immediately to
an authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced
front airbag system to accommodate a
person with disabilities, contact the Ford
Customer Relationship Center. See
Getting the Services You Need
(page
219). SIDE AIRBAGS WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the airbag
cover, on the side of the seatbacks
(of the front seats), or in front seat areas
that may come into contact with a
deploying airbag. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of
personal injury in the event of a crash. Do not use accessory seat covers.
The use of accessory seat covers
may prevent the deployment of the
side airbags and increase the risk of injury
in an accident. Do not lean your head on the door.
The side airbag could injure you as it
deploys from the side of the
seatback. Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag, its fuses or the
seat cover on a seat containing an
airbag as you could be seriously injured or
killed. Contact your authorized dealer as
soon as possible. If the side airbag has deployed, the
airbag will not function again. The
side airbag system (including the
seat) must be inspected and serviced by
an authorized dealer. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase
the risk of injury in a crash. 42
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

The side airbags are located on the
outboard side of the seatbacks of the front
seats. In certain sideways crashes, the
airbag on the side affected by the crash
will be inflated. The airbag was designed
to inflate between the door panel and
occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact crashes.
The system consists of the following:
•
A label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are fitted
to your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the driver
and front passenger seatbacks.
• Front passenger sensing system. •
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
44
).
Note: The passenger sensing system will
deactivate the passenger seat-mounted
side airbag if it detects an empty passenger
seat. The design and development of the side
airbag system included recommended
testing procedures that were developed
by a group of automotive safety experts
known as the Side Airbag Technical
Working Group. These recommended
testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side
airbags.
SAFETY CANOPY™
WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the headliner
at the siderail that may come into
contact with a deploying curtain airbag.
Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash. Do not lean your head on the door.
The curtain airbag could injure you
as it deploys from the headliner.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the supplementary restraint
system or associated components.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death. All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their seatbelts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your seatbelt could seriously increase the
risk of injury or death. To reduce risk of injury, do not
obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the airbag.
If a supplementary restraint system
component has deployed, it will not
function again. Have the system and
associated components inspected as soon
as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death. 43
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE152533 E67017

The restraints control module also
monitors the readiness of the above safety
devices plus the crash and occupant
sensors. The readiness of the safety
system is indicated by a warning indicator
light in the instrument cluster or by a
backup tone if the warning light is not
working. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by
one or more of the following:
The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
• The readiness light will either flash or
stay lit.
• A series of five beeps will be heard. The
tone pattern will repeat periodically
until the problem, the light or both are
repaired.
If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized
dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the
system may not function properly in the
event of a crash.
The seatbelt pretensioners and the front
airbag supplemental restraint system are
designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains frontal deceleration sufficient to
cause the restraints control module to
deploy a safety device. The fact that the seatbelt pretensioners
or front airbags did not activate for both
front seat occupants in a crash does not
mean that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the restraints
control module determined the accident
conditions (crash severity, belt usage)
were not appropriate to activate these
safety devices.
•
The design of the front airbags is to
activate only in frontal and near-frontal
crashes (not rollovers, side impacts or
rear impacts) unless the crash causes
sufficient frontal deceleration.
• The design of the seatbelt
pretensioners is to activate in frontal,
near-frontal and side crashes and in
rollovers.
• The design of the side airbags is to
inflate in certain side impact crashes.
Side airbags may activate in other
types of crashes if the vehicle
experiences sufficient sideways motion
or deformation.
• The design of the Safety Canopy is to
inflate in certain side impact crashes
or rollover events. The Safety Canopy
may activate in other types of crashes
if the vehicle experiences sufficient
sideways motion or deformation, or a
certain likelihood of rollover.
AIRBAG DISPOSAL
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Airbags must be disposed of by
qualified personnel.
45
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

The horn sounds and the direction
indicators flash. We recommend you use
this method to locate your vehicle, rather
than using the panic alarm.
Note:
If any door or the liftgate is open, or
if the hood is open on vehicles with an
anti-theft alarm or remote start, the horn
will sound twice and the direction indicators
will not flash.
Sounding the Panic Alarm Press the button to sound the
panic alarm. Press the button
again or switch the ignition on to
turn it off.
Note: The panic alarm only operates when
the ignition is off.
Remote Start (If Equipped) WARNING
To avoid exhaust fumes, do not use
remote start if your vehicle is parked
indoors or in areas that are not well
ventilated. Note:
Do not use remote start if your fuel
level is low. The remote start button is on the
transmitter.
This feature allows you to start your
vehicle from the outside. The transmitter
has an extended operating range.
Vehicles with automatic climate control
can be configured to operate when the
vehicle is remote started. See Automatic
Climate Control
(page 110).
Many states and provinces have
restrictions for the use of remote start.
Check your local and state or provincial
laws for specific requirements regarding
remote start systems. The remote start system does not work if
any of the following occur:
•
The ignition is on.
• The anti-theft alarm triggers.
• You switch off the feature.
• The hood is open.
• The transmission is not in park (P).
• The battery voltage is below the
minimum operating voltage.
• The service engine soon indicator was
on the last time your vehicle was
driven.
Remote Starting Your Vehicle
Note: You must press each button within
three seconds of each other. If you do not
follow this sequence, your vehicle does not
start remotely, the direction indicators do
not flash twice and the horn does not sound. The label on your transmitter details the
starting procedure.
To start your vehicle remotely:
1. Press the lock button to lock all the
doors.
2. Press the remote start button twice. The exterior lamps flash twice.
The horn sounds if the system fails to start,
unless quiet start is on. Quiet start runs the
blower fan at a slower speed to reduce
noise. You can switch this feature on or off
in the information display. See
General
Information (page 89).
49
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Keys and Remote ControlsE138624 E138625 E138626

Heads Up Display (If Equipped)
A red beam of lights illuminates
on the windshield in certain
instances when using adaptive
cruise control and/or the collision warning
system. It also illuminates momentarily
when you start your vehicle to make sure
the display works.
High Beam It illuminates when you switch
the high beam headlamps on. It
flashes when you use the
headlamp flasher.
Lane Keeping Aid
(If Equipped) Lights when the lane keeping
system is activated.
Low Fuel Level It illuminates when the fuel level
is low or the fuel tank is nearly
empty. Refuel as soon as
possible.
Low Tire Pressure Warning It illuminates when your tire
pressure is low. If the lamp
remains on with the engine
running or when driving, check your tire
pressure as soon as possible.
It also illuminates momentarily when you
switch the ignition on to confirm the lamp
is functional. If it does not illuminate when
you switch the ignition on, or begins to
flash at any time, have the system checked
by an authorized dealer. Low Washer Fluid It illuminates when the
windshield washer fluid is low.
Parking Lamps It illuminates when you switch
the parking lamps on.
Powertrain Fault Illuminates when the system
detects a powertrain or an AWD
fault. Contact an authorized
dealer as soon as possible.
Service Engine Soon If the service engine soon
indicator light stays illuminated
after you start the engine, it
indicates that the On Board Diagnostics
system (OBD) has detected a malfunction
of the vehicle emissions control system.
Refer to On board diagnostics (OBD) in
the Fuel and Refueling chapter for more
information about having your vehicle
serviced. See
Emission Law (page 148).
If the light is blinking, engine misfire is
occurring which could damage your
catalytic converter. Drive in a moderate
fashion (avoid heavy acceleration and
deceleration) and have your vehicle
serviced immediately. WARNING
Under engine misfire conditions,
excessive exhaust temperatures
could damage the catalytic
converter, the fuel system, interior floor
coverings or other vehicle components,
possibly causing a fire. Have an authorized
dealer service your vehicle immediately. 87
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Instrument ClusterE156133 E144813 E132353

The service engine soon indicator light
illuminates when you first switch on the
ignition before engine start to check the
bulb and to indicate whether the vehicle
is ready for Inspection/Maintenance (I/M)
testing.
Normally, the service engine soon light
stays on until you crank the engine, then
turns itself off if no malfunctions are
present. However, if after 15 seconds the
service engine soon light blinks eight times,
it means that the vehicle is not ready for
I/M testing. See Emission Law (page 148).
Stability Control
It flashes when the system is
active. If it remains illuminated
or does not illuminate when you
switch the ignition on, this indicates a
malfunction. During a malfunction the
system switches off. Have the system
checked by an authorized dealer
immediately. See Using Stability
Control (page 168).
Stability Control Off It illuminates when you switch
the system off. It goes out when
you switch the system back on
or when you switch the ignition off. See
Using Stability Control
(page 168).
AUDIBLE WARNINGS AND
INDICATORS
Key in Ignition Warning Chime
Sounds when you leave the key in the
ignition and the driver ’s door is opened. Keyless Warning Alert
Sounds the horn twice when you exit your
vehicle with the intelligent access key, after
the last door is closed and your keyless
vehicle is in RUN, indicating your vehicle is
still on.
Headlamps On Warning Chime
Sounds when the headlamps or parking
lamps are on, the ignition is off (the key is
not in the ignition) and the driver
’s door is
opened.
Parking Brake On Warning Chime
Sounds when you leave the parking brake
on and drive your vehicle. If the warning
chime remains on after you release the
parking brake, have the system checked
by your authorized dealer immediately.
88
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Illumination of the service engine soon
indicator, charging system warning light or
the temperature warning light, fluid leaks,
strange odors, smoke or loss of engine
power could indicate that the emission
control system is not working properly.
An improperly operating or damaged
exhaust system may allow exhaust to
enter the vehicle. Have a damaged or
improperly operating exhaust system
inspected and repaired immediately.
Do not make any unauthorized changes to
your vehicle or engine. By law, vehicle
owners and anyone who manufactures,
repairs, services, sells, leases, trades
vehicles, or supervises a fleet of vehicles
are not permitted to intentionally remove
an emission control device or prevent it
from working. Information about your
vehicle
’s emission system is on the Vehicle
Emission Control Information Decal
located on or near the engine. This decal
also lists engine displacement.
Please consult your warranty information
for complete details.
On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II)
Your vehicle has a computer known as the
on-board diagnostics system (OBD-II) that
monitors the engine ’s emission control
system. The system protects the
environment by making sure that your
vehicle continues to meet government
emission standards. The OBD-II system
also assists a service technician in properly
servicing your vehicle. When the service engine soon
indicator illuminates, the OBD-II
system has detected a
malfunction. Temporary malfunctions may
cause the service engine soon indicator to
illuminate. Examples are: 1. Your vehicle has run out of fuel
—the
engine may misfire or run poorly.
2. Poor fuel quality or water in the fuel —the engine may misfire or run
poorly.
3. The fuel fill inlet may not have closed properly. See Refueling (page 144).
4. Driving through deep water —the
electrical system may be wet.
You can correct these temporary
malfunctions by filling the fuel tank with
good quality fuel, properly closing the fuel
fill inlet or letting the electrical system dry
out. After three driving cycles without these
or any other temporary malfunctions
present, the service engine soon indicator
should stay off the next time you start the
engine. A driving cycle consists of a cold
engine startup followed by mixed city and
highway driving. No additional vehicle
service is required.
If the service engine soon indicator remains
on, have your vehicle serviced at the first
available opportunity. Although some
malfunctions detected by the OBD-II may
not have symptoms that are apparent,
continued driving with the service engine
soon indicator on can result in increased
emissions, lower fuel economy, reduced
engine and transmission smoothness and
lead to more costly repairs.
Readiness for Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) Testing
Some state and provincial and local
governments may have
Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs
to inspect the emission control equipment
on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting
a vehicle registration. If the service engine soon
indicator is on or the bulb does
not work, your vehicle may need
service. See On-Board Diagnostics.
150
Taurus (CPH) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Engine Emission Control