2019 FORD FLEX ignition

Storage Compartments
Center Console
.............................................143
Overhead Console ......................................
144
Starting and Stopping the Engine
General Information ...................................
145
Ignition Switch ..............................................
145
Keyless Starting ...........................................
146
Starting a Gasoline Engine ......................
146
Engine Block Heater ...................................
149
Fuel and Refueling
Safety Precautions .......................................
151
Fuel Quality .....................................................
151
Fuel Filler Funnel Location .......................
152
Running Out of Fuel ....................................
152
Refueling .........................................................
154
Fuel Consumption ......................................
156
Engine Emission Control
Emission Law ................................................
158
Catalytic Converter .....................................
159
Transmission
Automatic Transmission ...........................
162
All-Wheel Drive
Using All-Wheel Drive ...............................
166
Brakes
General Information ....................................
173
Hints on Driving With Anti-Lock Brakes ........................................................................\
.
174
Parking Brake .................................................
174
Traction Control
Principle of Operation ................................
175
Using Traction Control ...............................
175Stability Control
Principle of Operation
................................
176
Using Stability Control ...............................
177
Parking Aids
Principle of Operation ................................
178
Rear Parking Aid ...........................................
178
Active Park Assist ........................................
179
Rear View Camera ......................................
183
Cruise Control
Principle of Operation ................................
187
Using Cruise Control ...................................
187
Using Adaptive Cruise Control ...............
188
Driving Aids
Blind Spot Information System .............
194
Cross Traffic Alert ........................................
196
Steering ...........................................................
199
Collision Warning System ........................
199
Load Carrying
Cargo Nets ....................................................
202
Roof Racks and Load Carriers ...............
202
Load Limit ......................................................
202
Towing
Towing a Trailer ...........................................
208
Trailer Sway Control ..................................
209
Recommended Towing Weights ..........
209
Essential Towing Checks ...........................
211
Towing the Vehicle on Four Wheels ......
214
Driving Hints
Breaking-In .....................................................
216
Economical Driving .....................................
216
Driving Through Water ...............................
217
Floor Mats .......................................................
217
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Table of Contents

Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so
the belt rests across the middle of your
shoulder. To adjust the shoulder belt height:
1.
Press the side release buttons and slide
the height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the buttons and pull down on the height adjuster to make sure it is
locked in place.
SEATBELT WARNING LAMP
AND INDICATOR CHIME This lamp illuminates and an
audible warning will sound if the
driver seatbelt has not been
fastened when the vehicle's ignition is
turned on.
Conditions of operation Then
If
The seatbelt warning light illuminates andthe warning chime sounds for a few seconds.
The driver seatbelt is not buckled before
the ignition switch is turned to the on posi- tion...
The seatbelt warning light and warningchime turn off.
The driver seatbelt is buckled while the
indicator light is illuminated and the warning chime is sounding...
The seatbelt warning light and indicatorchime remain off.
The driver seatbelt is buckled before the
ignition switch is turned to the on position...
SEATBELT REMINDER
Belt-Minder™
This feature supplements the safety belt
warning function by providing additional
reminders that intermittently sound a tone
and illuminate the safety belt warning light
when you are in the driver seat or you have
a front seat passenger and a safety belt is
unbuckled. The system uses information from the
front passenger sensing system to
determine if a front seat passenger is
present and therefore potentially in need
of a warning. To avoid the system turning
on the Belt-Minder feature for objects you
place on the front passenger seat, only the
front seat passengers receive warnings as
determined by the front passenger sensing
system.
If the Belt-Minder warnings expire
(warnings for about five minutes) for one
passenger (driver or front passenger), the
other passenger can still cause the
Belt-Minder feature to turn on.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing SeatbeltsE209844 E71880

Then...
If...
The Belt-Minder feature will not activate.
You and the front seat passenger buckle
your safety belts before you switch the
ignition on or less than 1– 2 minutes elapse
after you switch the ignition on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates and a
warning tone sounds for 6 seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about 5 minutes
or until you and the front seat passenger
buckle your safety belts.
You or the front seat passenger do not
buckle your safety belts before your vehicle
reaches at least 6 mph (9.7 km/h) and 1–
2
minutes elapse after you switch the ignition
on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates and a
warning tone sounds for 6 seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about 5 minutes
or until you and the front seat passenger
buckle your safety belts.
The safety belt for the driver or front
passenger is unbuckled for about 1 minute
while the vehicle is traveling at least 6 mph
(9.7 km/h) and more than 1–
2 minutes
elapse after you switch the ignition on...
Deactivating and Activating the
Belt-Minder Feature WARNING: While the system allows
you to switch this feature off, the intent of
the system is to remind you to wear your
safety belt to improve your chance to
survive an accident. We recommend you
leave the system switched on for yourself
and others who may use the vehicle.
Note: The driver and front passenger
warnings switch on and off independently.
When you perform this procedure for one
seating position, do not buckle the other
position as this will terminate the process.
Note: If you are using MyKey, you cannot
disable the Belt-Minder. Also, if you have
previously disabled the Belt-Minder, it will
be re-enabled during the use of MyKey. See
MyKey ™
(page 57). . Read Steps 1–4 thoroughly before
proceeding with the programming
procedure.
Before following the procedure, make sure
that:
•
The parking brake is set.
• The transmission is in park (P).
• The ignition is off.
• The driver and front passenger safety
belts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the
vehicle.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (about 1 minute). After Step
2, wait an additional 5 seconds before
proceeding with Step 3. Once you start
Step 3, you must complete the
procedure within 20 seconds.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Seatbelts

The indicator lamp is in the center stack of
the instrument panel.
Note:
The passenger airbag status indicator
off and on indicator lamps illuminate for a
short period of time when you first switch
the ignition on to confirm it is functional.
The front passenger sensing system is
designed to disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag when the
front passenger seat is unoccupied, or a
rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing
child restraint, or a booster seat is
detected. Even with this technology,
parents are strongly encouraged to
always properly restrain children in the rear
seat. The sensor also turns off the
passenger front airbag and seat-mounted
side airbag when the passenger seat is
empty.
• When the front passenger sensing
system disables (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag, the
passenger airbag status indicator
illuminates the off lamp and stays lit
to remind you that the front passenger
frontal airbag is disabled.
• If you have installed the child restraint
and the passenger airbag status
indicator illuminates the on lamp, then
switch the vehicle off, remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall
the restraint following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions. The front passenger sensing system is
designed to enable (may inflate) the front
passenger frontal airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size
is sitting properly in the front passenger
seat.
•
When the front passenger sensing
system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the
passenger airbag status indicator
illuminates the on lamp and remains
illuminated.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger seat, but the airbag off indicator
lamp is lit, it is possible that the person is
not sitting properly in the seat. If this
happens:
• Switch the vehicle off and ask the
person to place the seatback in the full
upright position.
• Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the
person ’s legs comfortably extended.
• Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This allows the system to
detect that person and enable the
passenger frontal airbag.
• If the indicator off lamp remains lit
even after this, advise the person to
ride in the rear seat. Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
Disabled
OFF: Lit
Empty
ON: Unlit Disabled
OFF: Lit
Child
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints System

Your vehicle has a collection of crash and
occupant sensors which provide
information to the restraints control
module. The restraints control module
deploys (activates) the front safety belt
pretensioners, driver airbag, passenger
airbag, seat mounted side airbags, the
Safety Canopy and rear inflatable safety
belts. Based on the type of crash, the
restraints control module will deploy the
appropriate safety devices.
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 fact that the safety belt 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 safety belt pretensioners and rear
inflatable safety belts are designed to
activate in frontal, near-frontal, side
and rollover crashes.
• The design of the side airbags is to
inflate in certain side 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
and when a certain likelihood of
rollover is detected by the rollover
sensor. 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.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

3. Remove the old battery.
4. Insert a new battery with the + facing
downward. Press the battery down to
make sure it is fully in the housing.
5. Reinstall the battery housing cover onto the remote control and install the
key blade.
Car Finder Press the button twice within
three seconds.
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
sounds twice and the direction indicators
do not flash.
Sounding the Panic Alarm Press the button to sound the
panic alarm. Press the button
again or switch the ignition on to
switch 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
remote control.
This feature allows you to start your
vehicle from the outside. The remote
control 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 113).
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.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Keys and Remote ControlsE138622 E138623 E138624 E138625

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. 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 95).
Note: If you remote start your vehicle with
an integrated keyhead transmitter, you must
switch the ignition on before driving your
vehicle. If you remote start your vehicle with
an intelligent access transmitter, you must
press the push button ignition switch on the
instrument panel once while applying the
brake pedal before driving your vehicle.
The power windows do not work during
remote start and the radio does not turn
on automatically.
The parking lamps remain on and the
vehicle runs for 5, 10 or 15 minutes,
depending on the setting. Extending the Engine Running Time
To extend the engine running time duration
of your vehicle during remote start, repeat
steps 1 and 2 while the engine is running.
If the duration is set to 10 minutes, the
duration extends by another 10 minutes.
For example, if your vehicle had been
running from the first remote start for 5
minutes, your vehicle continues to run now
for a total of 20 minutes. You can extend
the remote start up to a maximum of 35
minutes.
Wait at least five seconds before remote
starting after the engine stops running.
Turning Your Vehicle Off After Remote
Starting
Press the button once. The
parking lamps switch off.
You may have to be closer to your vehicle
to remotely switch off your vehicle after
remote starting. This is due to the added
noise of your running vehicle.
You can switch this feature on or off in the
information display. See
General
Information (page 95).
Memory Feature
(If Equipped)
You can program the remote control to
recall memory setting positions.
See
Memory Function (page 126). Press the
unlock button on the remote control to
recall the memory positions.
REPLACING A LOST KEY OR
REMOTE CONTROL
Replacement keys or remote controls can
be purchased from an authorized dealer.
Authorized dealers can program remote
controls for your vehicle. See
Passive
Anti-Theft System (page 71).
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Keys and Remote ControlsE138626 E138625

•
Various vehicle speed reminders so you
know when your vehicle approaches
the limits. Warnings appear in the
information display and an audible
warning sounds when you exceed the
limit.
• Audio system maximum volume of
45%. A message will be shown in the
display when you attempt to exceed
the limited volume. Also, the
speed-sensitive or compensated
automatic volume control will be
disabled.
• Always on setting. When this is
selected, you will not be able to turn
off Advance Trac or traction control,
911 Assist or Emergency Assistance, or
Do Not Disturb (if your vehicle is
equipped with these features).
CREATING A MYKEY
Use the information display to create a
MyKey:
1. Insert the key you want to program into
the ignition. See Starting a Gasoline
Engine (page 146). If your vehicle is
equipped with a push-button start,
place the remote control into the
backup slot. See Passive Anti-Theft
System
(page 71).
2. Switch the ignition on.
3. Access the main menu in the information display and then scroll
through the menus to change the
settings of your MyKey. From the
MyKey menu select the option Create
MyKey. See
Information Displays
(page 95). 4. When prompted, hold the
OK button
until you see a message informing you
to label this key as a MyKey. The
programmed restrictions apply when
you key off, open and close the driver
door and restart your vehicle with the
programmed key or transmitter.
MyKey is successfully created. Make sure
you label it so you can distinguish it from
the admin keys.
You can also program configurable
settings for the key(s). See
Programming
and Changing Configurable Settings.
Programming and Changing
Configurable Settings
Use the information display to access your
configurable MyKey settings.
1. Switch the ignition on using an admin key or transmitter you want to program.
2. Access the main menu in the information display and then scroll
through the menus to change the
settings of your MyKey. See
Information Displays
(page 95).
3. Follow the instructions in the display.
Note: You can clear or change your MyKey
settings at any time during the same key
cycle as you created the MyKey. Once you
have switched the vehicle off, however, you
will need an admin key to change or clear
your MyKey settings.
CLEARING ALL MYKEYS
When you clear your MyKeys, you remove
all restrictions and return all MyKeys to
their original admin key status at once. To
clear all MyKeys of all MyKey settings, use
the information display.
1. Switch the ignition on using an admin key.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing MyKey
™