Exterior Chrome Parts
•Apply a high quality-cleaning product tobumpers and other chrome parts. Followthe manufacturer’s instructions. Werecommend Motorcraft Custom BrightMetal Cleaner.
•Do not apply the cleaning product to hotsurfaces. Do not leave the cleaningproduct on chrome surfaces longer thanthe time recommended.
•Using non-recommended cleaners canresult in severe and permanent cosmeticdamage.
Note:Never use abrasive materials, forexample steel wool or plastic pads as theycan scratch the chrome surface.
Note:Do not use chrome cleaner, metalcleaner or polish on wheels or wheel covers.
Exterior Plastic Parts
For routine cleaning we recommendMotorcraft Detail Wash. If tar or grease spotsare present, we recommend Motorcraft Bugand Tar Remover.
Stripes or Graphics (If Equipped)
Hand washing your vehicle is preferredhowever, pressure washing may be usedunder the following conditions:
•Do not use water pressure higher than2,000 psi (14,000 kPa).
•Do not use water hotter than 179°F (82°C).
•Use a spray with a 40° wide spray anglepattern.
•Keep the nozzle at a 12 in (305 mm)distance and 90° angle to your vehicle'ssurface.
Note:Holding the pressure washer nozzleat an angle to the vehicle's surface maydamage graphics and cause the edges topeel away from the vehicle's surface.
Underbody
Regularly clean the underside of your vehicleusing water. Keep body and door drain holesfree of debris or foreign material.
Under Hood
For removing black rubber marks from underthe hood we recommend Motorcraft Wheeland Tire Cleaner or Motorcraft Bug and TarRemover.
WAXING
Regular waxing is necessary to protect yourcar's paint from the elements. Werecommend that you wash and wax thepainted surface once or twice a year.
When washing and waxing, park your vehiclein a shaded area out of direct sunlight.Always wash your vehicle before applyingwax.
•Use a quality wax that does not containabrasives.
•Follow the manufacturer’s instructions toapply and remove the wax.
•Apply a small amount of wax in aback-and-forth motion, not in circles.
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CLEANING THE INSTRUMENT
PANEL AND INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER LENS
WARNING: Do not use chemicalsolvents or strong detergents when cleaningthe steering wheel or instrument panel toavoid contamination of the airbag system.
Note:Follow the same procedure ascleaning leather seats for cleaning leatherinstrument panels and leather interior trimsurfaces. See Cleaning Leather Seats (page311).
Clean the instrument panel and cluster lenswith a clean, damp and soft cloth, then usea clean, dry and soft cloth to dry these areas.
•Avoid cleaners or polishes that increasethe gloss of the upper portion of theinstrument panel. The dull finish in thisarea helps protect you from undesirablewindshield reflection.
•Do not use any household cleaningproducts or glass cleaners as these maydamage the finish of the instrumentpanel, interior trim and cluster lens.
•Wash or wipe your hands clean if youhave been in contact with certainproducts such as insect repellent andsuntan lotion to avoid possible damageto the interior painted surfaces.
•Do not allow air fresheners and handsanitizers to spill onto interior surfaces.If a spill occurs, wipe off immediately.Your warranty may not cover thesedamages.
If a staining liquid like coffee or juice hasbeen spilled on the instrument panel or oninterior trim surfaces:
1.Wipe up spilled liquid using a clean, softcloth as quickly as possible.
2. Use Motorcraft Premium Leather andVinyl Cleaner or a commercially availableleather cleaning product for automotiveinteriors. Test any cleaner or stainremover on an inconspicuous area.
3. Alternatively, wipe the surface with aclean, soft cloth and a mild soap andwater solution. Dry the area with a clean,soft cloth.
4.If necessary, apply more soap and watersolution or cleaning product to a clean,soft cloth and press it onto the soiledarea. Allow this to set at roomtemperature for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the soaked cloth, then with aclean, damp cloth, use a rubbing motionfor 60 seconds on the soiled area.
6. Dry the area with a clean, soft cloth.
CLEANING LEATHER SEATS
Note:Follow the same procedure ascleaning leather seats for cleaning leatherinstrument panels and leather interior trimsurfaces.
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For routine cleaning, wipe the surface witha soft, damp cloth and a mild soap and watersolution. Dry the area with a clean, soft cloth.
Note:Test any cleaner or stain remover onan inconspicuous area.
You should:
•Remove dust and loose dirt with avacuum cleaner.
•Clean and treat spills and stains as soonas possible.
Do not use the following products as thesemay damage the leather:
•Oil and petroleum or silicone-basedleather conditioners.
•Household cleaners.
•Alcohol solutions.
•Solvents or cleaners intended specificallyfor rubber, vinyl and plastics.
REPAIRING MINOR PAINT
DAMAGE
Authorized dealers have touch-up paint tomatch your vehicle’s color. Your vehicle colorcode is printed on a sticker on the front,left-hand side door jamb. Take your colorcode to your authorized dealer to make sureyou get the correct color.
Before repairing minor paint damage, use acleaner such as Motorcraft Bug and TarRemover to remove particles such as birddroppings, tree sap, insect deposits, tarspots, road salt and industrial fallout.
Always read the instructions before usingcleaning products.
CLEANING THE WHEELS
1. Regularly clean them with a wheelcleaner. We recommend that you use anapproved wheel cleaner if available.
2. Remove dirt and brake dust with asponge.
3. Remove tar and grease with a bug andtar remover. We recommend that you usean approved bug and tar remover ifavailable.
4. Thoroughly rinse the wheels with waterafter cleaning.
If you intend on parking your vehicle for anextended period after cleaning the wheelswith a wheel cleaner, drive your vehicle fora few minutes before doing so. This reducesthe risk of corrosion of the brake discs, brakepads and linings.
Do not clean the wheels when they are hot.
Note: Some car washes could damagewheel rims and covers.
Note: Using non-recommended cleaners,harsh cleaning products, chrome wheelcleaners or abrasive materials coulddamage wheel rims and covers.
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VEHICLE STORAGE
If you plan on storing your vehicle for 30days or more, read the followingmaintenance recommendations to make sureyour vehicle stays in good operatingcondition.
We engineer and test all motor vehicles andtheir components for reliable, regular driving.Under various conditions, long-term storagemay lead to degraded engine performanceor failure unless you use specific precautionsto preserve engine components.
General
•Store all vehicles in a dry, ventilatedplace.
•Protect from sunlight, if possible.
•If vehicles are stored outside, theyrequire regular maintenance to protectagainst rust and damage.
Body
•Wash your vehicle thoroughly to removedirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from exteriorsurfaces, rear-wheel housing and theunderside of front fenders.
•Periodically wash your vehicle if it isstored in exposed locations.
•Touch-up exposed or primed metal toprevent rust.
•Cover chrome and stainless steel partswith a thick coat of auto wax to preventdiscoloration. Re-wax as necessary whenyou wash your vehicle.
•Lubricate all hood, door and luggagecompartment hinges and latches with alight grade oil.
•Cover interior trim to prevent fading.
•Keep all rubber parts free from oil andsolvents.
Engine
•Change the engine oil and filter prior tostorage because used engine oil containscontaminates which may cause enginedamage.
•Start the engine every 15 days for aminimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idlewith the climate controls set to defrostuntil the engine reaches normaloperating temperature.
•With your foot on the brake, shift throughall the gears while the engine is running.
•We recommend that you change theengine oil before you use your vehicleagain.
Fuel system
•Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fueluntil the first automatic shutoff of the fuelpump nozzle.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
The recommended tire inflation pressuresare found on the Tire Label which is locatedon the B-pillar or the edge of the driver door.This information can also be found on theSafety Compliance Certification Label, affixedto either the door hinge pillar, door-latchpost, or the door edge that meets thedoor-latch post; next to the driver’s seatingposition.
We strongly recommend maintaining thesetire pressures at all times. Failure to followthe tire pressure recommendations cancause uneven treadwear patterns, reducedfuel economy, and adversely affect the wayyour vehicle handles.
Note:Check and set the tire pressure at theambient temperature in which you areintending to drive your vehicle and when thetires are cold.
Note:Check your tire pressures at least onceper month.
If your vehicle has a spare tire, set thepressure to the highest value given for yourvehicle and tire size combination.
Use only approved wheels and tire sizes,using other sizes could damage your vehicle.
If you change the diameter of the factoryinstalled tires, the speedometer may notdisplay the correct speed. Take your vehicleto an authorized dealer and have the enginemanagement system reprogrammed.
If you intend to change the size of the factoryinstalled tires, check the suitability with anauthorized dealer.
Additional information related to thefunctionality and maintenance of your tirescan be found in the Wheels and Tire section.See Tire Care (page 318).
Notice to utility vehicle and truckowners
WARNING: Vehicles with a highercenter of gravity (utility and four-wheel drivevehicles) handle differently than vehicles witha lower center of gravity (passenger cars).Avoid sharp turns, excessive speed andabrupt steering in these vehicles. Failure todrive cautiously increases the risk of losingcontrol of your vehicle, vehicle rollover,personal injury and death.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, anunbelted person is significantly more likelyto die than a person wearing a seatbelt.
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Wheels and Tires
Utility vehicles and trucks handle differentlythan passenger cars in the various drivingconditions that are encountered on streets,highways and off-road. Utility vehicles andtrucks are not designed for cornering atspeeds as high as passenger cars any morethan low-slung sports cars are designed toperform satisfactorily under off-roadconditions.
Study your owner's manual and anysupplements for specific information aboutequipment features, instructions for safedriving and additional precautions to reducethe risk of an accident or serious injury.
All-wheel drive system (if equipped)
WARNING: Do not becomeoverconfident in the ability of four-wheeldrive vehicles. Although a four-wheel drivevehicle may accelerate better than atwo-wheel drive vehicle in low tractionsituations, it won't stop any faster thantwo-wheel drive vehicles. Always drive at asafe speed.
A vehicle equipped with all-wheel drive hasthe ability to use all four wheels to poweritself. This increases traction which mayenable you to safely drive over terrain androad conditions that a conventionaltwo-wheel drive vehicle cannot.
For all-wheel-drive vehicles, a spare tire ofa different size other than the tire providedshould never be used. A dissimilar spare tiresize; other than the spare tire provided ormajor dissimilar tire sized between the frontand rear axles could cause theall-wheel-drive system to stop functioningand default to front-wheel drive.
How your vehicle differs from othervehicles
Sport utility vehicles and trucks can differfrom some other vehicles in a few noticeableways. Your vehicle may be:
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•Higher - to allow higher load carryingcapacity and to allow it to travel overrough terrain without getting hung up ordamaging underbody components.
•Shorter - to give it the capability toapproach inclines and drive over thecrest of a hill without getting hung up ordamaging underbody components. Allother things held equal, a shorterwheelbase may make your vehiclequicker to respond to steering inputsthan a vehicle with a longer wheelbase.
•Narrower - to provide greatermaneuverability in tight spaces,particularly in off-road use.
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As a result of the above dimensionaldifferences, Sport utility vehicles and trucksoften have a higher center of gravity and agreater difference in center of gravitybetween the loaded and unloaded condition.These differences that make your vehicle soversatile also make it handle differently thanan ordinary passenger car.
TIRE CARE
Information About Uniform Tire QualityGrading
Tire Quality Grades apply to newpneumatic passenger car tires. TheQuality grades can be found whereapplicable on the tire sidewall betweentread shoulder and maximum sectionwidth. For example: Treadwear 200Traction AA Temperature A.
These Tire Quality Grades aredetermined by standards that the UnitedStates Department of Transportation hasset.
Tire Quality Grades apply to newpneumatic passenger car tires. They donot apply to deep tread, winter-typesnow tires, space-saver or temporaryuse spare tires, light truck or LT typetires, tires with nominal rim diameters of10 to 12 inches or limited production tires
as defined in Title 49 Code of FederalRegulations Part 575.104 (c)(2).
U.S. Department of Transportation Tirequality grades: The U.S. Department ofTransportation requires us to give youthe following information about tiregrades exactly as the government haswritten it.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparativerating based on the wear rate of the tirewhen tested under controlled conditionson a specified government test course.For example, a tire graded 150 wouldwear 1½ times as well on thegovernment course as a tire graded 100.The relative performance of tiresdepends upon the actual conditions oftheir use, however, and may departsignificantly from the norm due tovariations in driving habits, servicepractices, and differences in roadcharacteristics and climate.
Traction AA A B C
WARNING: The traction gradeassigned to this tire is based onstraight-ahead braking traction tests, anddoes not include acceleration, cornering,hydroplaning or peak tractioncharacteristics.
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