2019 FORD EXPLORER Owners Manual

Traction Control
The system enhances your vehicle
’s ability
to maintain traction of the wheels by
detecting and controlling wheel spin. See
Using Traction Control (page 196). Vehicle without stability control
skidding off its intended route.
A
Vehicle with stability control
maintaining control on a slippery
surface.
B
USING STABILITY CONTROL
The system automatically turns on each
time you switch the ignition on.
You cannot switch the stability control and
roll stability control systems off, but when
you shift into reverse (R), the systems
deactivate.
You can switch the traction control system
off or on. See
Using Traction Control
(page 196).
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AA
B
BB
B

USING TERRAIN CONTROL
The terrain management system optimizes
drivability and comfort as well as
maximizing traction while operating on
different types of terrain.
Turn the control located on the center
console to choose between the following
modes:
Grass/Gravel/Snow mode
should be selected where a firm
surface is covered with loose or
slippery material such as packed
snow, ice, water, grass, or a thin
layer of gravel or sand. For deep
1
gravel or sand, select Sand
mode. If the vehicle cannot gain
traction in deep snow, switching
off the traction control system
may help (switch traction
control back on when you regain
traction). See
Using Traction
Control (page 196).
Sand
mode should be selected
in soft dry sand or deep gravel. If
crossing wet sand that may be
sufficiently deep enough for the
wheels to sink into the surface,
select Mud/Ruts mode.
2 Mud/Ruts
mode should be
selected for muddy, rutted, soft
or uneven terrain.
3
Normal
mode is for on-road
conditions and should be
selected before driving on
surfaces which are similar to a
hard road surface or once the
need for a special mode has
passed. Select Normal mode
when towing a trailer.
4
Note: The Sand and Mud/Ruts modes are
for off-road use only.
Note: The curve control portion of the
AdvanceTrac® system is unavailable when
you select Sand or Mud/Ruts.
If the system becomes inoperable,
selecting some modes may not be possible
and a message displays. If it becomes
inoperable due to a system malfunction,
all of the mode indicators on the control
turn off and one of the following messages
appears in the information display:
TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
FAULT:
Turning the engine on and off may
clear the fault. If that does not work, have
the system serviced by an authorized
dealer.
MODE CHANGE NOT ACCEPTED,
RETRY:
A mode change cannot be made
at the time of driver request. Try the mode
change again.
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3
2
1
4

USING HILL DESCENT
CONTROL
Principle of operation
WARNING: Hill descent control
cannot control descent in all surface
conditions and circumstances, such as
ice or extremely steep grades. Hill
descent control is a driver assist system
and cannot substitute for good judgment
by the driver. Failure to do so may result
in loss of vehicle control, crash or serious
injury. WARNING:
Hill descent control
does not provide hill hold at zero miles
per hour (0 kilometers per hour). When
stopped, the parking brake must be
applied or the vehicle must be placed in
P
(Park) or it may roll away.
Hill descent control allows the driver to set
and maintain vehicle speed while
descending steep grades in various surface
conditions.
Hill descent control can maintain vehicle
speeds on downhill grades between 3 mph
(5 km/h)
and 20 mph (32 km/h). Above
20 mph (32 km/h), the system remains
armed, but descent speed cannot be set
or maintained.
Hill descent control requires a cooling
down interval after a period of sustained
use. The amount of time that the feature
can remain active before cooling varies
with conditions. The system provides a
warning in the message center and a chime
sounds when the system is about to
disengage for cooling. At this time,
manually apply the brakes as needed to
maintain descent speed. Using hill descent control Press and release the hill
descent button located in the
center of the terrain
management control. A light in the control
illuminates and a chime sounds when this
feature activates.
To increase descent speed, press the
accelerator pedal until you reach the
desired speed. To decrease descent speed,
press the brake pedal until you reach the
desired speed.
Whether accelerating or decelerating, once
you reach the desired descent speed,
remove your feet from the pedals and hill
descent control maintains the chosen
vehicle speed.
Note: You may observe noise from the ABS
pump motor during hill descent control
operation. This is a normal characteristic of
the ABS and should be no reason for
concern.
Hill descent modes
• At speeds below
20 mph (32 km/h):
When you press the Hill Descent
Control and Hill Descent Control
activates, HILL DESCENT CONTROL
ACTIVE
appears in the message
center for several seconds.
• At speeds below
20 mph (32 km/h):
When you press the Hill Descent
Control switch and conditions are not
correct for hill descent activation, the
Hill Descent Control system enables,
the light on the button is solid and HILL
DESCENT CONTROL READY
displays in the message center for
several seconds.
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(If Equipped)

•
At speeds above 20 mph (32 km/h):
When you press the Hill Descent
Control switch, the Hill Descent Control
system enables, the light on the button
illuminates and FOR HILL CNTRL, 20
MPH OR LESS
displays in the
message center for several seconds.
• For Hill Descent Control to enable, the
vehicle must be in a drive gear or (R)
Reverse. If the vehicle is in P (Park) or
N (Neutral) and you press the button,
FOR HILL CNTRL, SELECT GEAR
displays in the message center for
several seconds.
Refer to the Information Displays for
additional Hill Descent Control messages.
See
Information Messages (page 115).
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: To help avoid personal
injury, always use caution when in
reverse (R) and when using the sensing
system. WARNING: The system may not
detect objects with surfaces that absorb
reflection. Always drive with due care
and attention. Failure to take care may
result in a crash. WARNING:
Traffic control
systems, inclement weather, air brakes,
external motors and fans may affect the
correct operation of the sensing
system.This may cause reduced
performance or false alerts. WARNING:
The system may not
detect small or moving objects,
particularly those close to the ground.
Note: If your vehicle is equipped with
MyKey ™, the sensing system cannot be
turned off when a MyKey ™ is present.
See
Principle of Operation (page 60).
Note: Keep the sensors, located on the
bumper or fascia, free from snow, ice and
large accumulations of dirt. If the sensors
are covered, the system ’s accuracy can be
affected. Do not clean the sensors with
sharp objects.
Note: If your vehicle sustains damage to
the bumper or fascia, leaving it misaligned
or bent, the sensing zone may be altered
causing inaccurate measurement of
obstacles or false alerts. Note:
Certain add-on devices installed
around the bumper or fascia may create
false alerts. For example, large trailer
hitches, bike or surfboard racks, license plate
brackets, bumper covers or any other device
that may block the normal detection zone
of the system. Remove the add-on device
to prevent false alerts.
Note: When a trailer is connected to your
vehicle, the rear parking aid may detect the
trailer and therefore provide an alert. Disable
the rear parking aid when a trailer is
connected to prevent the alert.
The sensing system warns the driver of
obstacles within a certain range of your
vehicle. The system turns on automatically
whenever you switch the ignition on.
The system can be switched off through
the information display menu or from the
pop-up message that appears once you
shift the transmission into reverse (R). See
General Information
(page 104).
If a fault is present in the system, a warning
message appears in the information
display. See
Information Messages
(page 115).
REAR PARKING AID
(IF EQUIPPED)
The rear sensors are only active when the
transmission is in reverse (R). As your
vehicle moves closer to the obstacle, the
rate of the audible warning increases.
When the obstacle is less than
12 in
(30 cm) away, the warning sounds
continuously. If the system detects a
stationary or receding object farther than
12 in (30 cm)
from the corners of the
bumper, the tone sounds for only three
seconds. Once the system detects an
object approaching, the warning sounds
again.
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Coverage area of up to 6 ft (1.8 m) from
the rear bumper. There may be decreased
coverage area at the outer corners of the
bumper.
The system detects certain objects while
the transmission is in reverse (R) :
• Your vehicle is moving toward a
stationary object at a speed of
3 mph
(5 km/h) or less.
• Your vehicle is not moving, but a
moving object is approaching the rear
of your vehicle at a speed of
3 mph
(5 km/h) or less.
• Your vehicle is moving at a speed of
less than 3 mph (5 km/h) and a moving
object is approaching the rear of your
vehicle at a speed of less than
3 mph
(5 km/h).
The system provides audio warnings only
when your vehicle is moving or when your
vehicle is stationary and the detected
obstacle is less than
12 in (30 cm) away
from the bumper. Obstacle Distance Indicator
(If
Equipped)
The system provides obstacle distance
indication through the information display.
The distance indicator displays when the
transmission is in reverse (R).
The indicator displays:
• As the distance to the obstacle
decreases the indicator blocks
illuminate and move towards the
vehicle icon.
• If there is no obstacle detected, the
distance indicator blocks are grayed
out.
FRONT PARKING AID (IF EQUIPPED)
The front sensors are active when the
transmission is in any position other than
park (P) and your vehicle is traveling at low
speed. Coverage area of up to
28 in (70 cm) from
the front bumper. The coverage area
decreases at the outer corners.
When your vehicle approaches an object,
a warning tone sounds. When your vehicle
moves closer to an object, the warning
tone repeat rate increases. The warning
tone sounds continuously when an object
is
12 in (30 cm) or less from the front
bumper.
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You can switch the system off through the
information display menu or from the
pop-up message that appears once you
shift the transmission into reverse (R). See
General Information (page 104). If your
vehicle has a parking aid button, you can
switch the system off by pressing the
button.
Obstacle Distance Indicator
(If
Equipped)
The system provides obstacle distance
indication through the information display.
The indicator displays:
• As the distance to the obstacle
decreases the indicator blocks
illuminate and move towards the
vehicle icon.
• If there is no obstacle detected, the
distance indicator blocks are grayed
out.
If the transmission is in reverse (R), the
front sensing system provides audio
warnings when your vehicle is moving and
the detected obstacle is moving towards
your vehicle. Once the vehicle is stationary,
the audio warning will be stopped after 2
seconds. Visual indication is always
present in reverse (R).
If the transmission is in drive (D) or any
other forward gear (for example, low (L),
sport (S) or any forward gear in a manual
transmission), the front sensing system
provides audio and visual warnings when
your vehicle is moving below a speed of
5 mph (8 km/h) and an obstacle is located
inside the detection area. Once the vehicle
is stationary, the audio warning will be
stopped after 2 seconds and the visual
indication stops after 4 seconds. If the
obstacles detected are within
12 in
(30 cm), the visual indication remains on. If the transmission is in neutral (N), the
system provides visual indication only
when your vehicle is moving at
5 mph
(8 km/h) or below and an obstacle is
located inside the detection area. Once
your vehicle is stationary, the visual
indication will stop after 4 seconds.
SIDE SENSING SYSTEM
(IF
EQUIPPED)
The side sensing system uses the front and
rear side sensors to detect and map
obstacles within the vehicle's driving path,
located near the sides of your vehicle. The
side sensors are active when the
transmission is in any position other than
park (P).
Note: Obstacles that enter the side
detection area without being detected and
mapped by the front or rear side sensors will
not be detected. Coverage area is up to 24 in (60 cm) from
the sides of your vehicle.
When the system detects an object close
to the side of your vehicle, an audible
warning sounds. As your vehicle moves
closer to obstacles within the driving path
of your vehicle, the rate of the audible
warning increases.
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Obstacle Distance Indicator (If
Equipped) The system provides obstacle distance
indication through the information display.
As the distance to the obstacle decreases,
the indicator blocks illuminate and move
toward the vehicle icon. If there is no
obstacle detected, the distance indicator
blocks show greyed out.
When you shift to reverse (R), the side
sensing system provides audible warnings
when your vehicle is moving and obstacles
are detected within 24 in (60 cm) and are
inside the driving path of your vehicle.
When you stop your vehicle the audible
warning stops after two seconds.
Note:
Visual distance indication remains
on when the transmission is in reverse (R).
When you shift to drive (D) or any other
forward gear, for example, low (L), sport
(S) or any forward gear in manual
transmission, the side sensing system
provides audible and visual distance
warnings when your vehicle is moving
below a speed of
5 mph (8 km/h) and obstacles are detected within
24 in
(60 cm) and are inside the driving path of
your vehicle. Once your vehicle reaches a
standstill condition, the audible warning
stops after two seconds and visual
indication stops after four seconds.
If the transmission is in neutral (N), the side
sensing system provides visual distance
indication only when your vehicle is moving
below a speed of
5 mph (8 km/h) and
there is a front or rear parking aid obstacle
detected, and the side obstacle is within
24 in (60 cm) from the side of your vehicle.
When you stop your vehicle the visual
distance indication stops after four
seconds.
If the side sensing system is not available,
the side distance indicator blocks do not
appear.
The side sensing system is not available
under the following condition:
• If you switch the traction control
system off.
The side sensing system may not be
available until you have driven
approximately the length of your vehicle
in order for the system to reinitialize if:
• You switch the ignition on, off and back
on.
• Your vehicle remains stationary for over
two minutes.
• The anti-lock brake system is
activated.
• The traction control system is
activated.
• When the steering wheel angle
information is not available, the side
sensing system is not available. The
vehicle must be driven at least
492 ft
(150 m) above 19 mph (30 km/h) to
recover the steering wheel angle
information.
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