2021 FORD EXPEDITION brakes

TOWING A TRAILER
WARNING: Towing trailers
beyond the maximum
recommended gross trailer
weight exceeds the limit of your
vehicle and could result in engine
damage, transmission damage,
structural damage, loss of
vehicle control, vehicle rollover
and personal injury. WARNING:
Do not exceed
the GVWR or the GAWR
specified on the certification
label.
Your vehicle may have electrical
items, such as fuses or relays,
related to towing. See
Fuses
(page 325).
Some vehicles may have the
ability to modify trailer towing
features. See Towing (page
285).
Your vehicle's load capacity
designation is by weight, not by
volume, so you cannot necessarily
use all available space when
loading a vehicle or trailer.
Towing a trailer places an extra
load on your vehicle's engine,
transmission, axle, brakes, tires
and suspension. Inspect these
components periodically during,
and after, any towing operation. Load Placement
To help minimize how trailer
movement affects your vehicle
when driving:
•
Load the heaviest items closest
to the trailer floor.
• Load the heaviest items
centered between the left and
right side trailer tires.
• Load the heaviest items above
the trailer axles or just slightly
forward toward the trailer
tongue. Do not allow the final
trailer tongue weight to go
above or below 10-15% of the
loaded trailer weight.
• Select a ball mount with the
correct rise or drop and load
capacity. When both the
loaded vehicle and trailer are
connected, the trailer frame
should be level, or slightly
angled down toward your
vehicle, when viewed from the
side.
When driving with a trailer or
payload, a slight takeoff vibration
or shudder may be present due to
the increased payload weight.
Additional information regarding
proper trailer loading and setting
your vehicle up for towing is
located in another chapter of this
manual. See
Load Limit (page
279).
You can also find information in
the
RV & Trailer Towing Guide
available at your authorized
dealer, or online.
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RV & Trailer Towing Guide Online
http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/
Website
TRAILER REVERSING AIDS (IF
EQUIPPED)
Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ WARNING: Driving while distracted
can result in loss of vehicle control, crash
and injury. We strongly recommend that
you use extreme caution when using any
device that may take your focus off the
road. Your primary responsibility is the
safe operation of your vehicle. We
recommend against the use of any
hand-held device while driving and
encourage the use of voice-operated
systems when possible. Make sure you
are aware of all applicable local laws
that may affect the use of electronic
devices while driving. WARNING:
This system is an extra
driving aid. It does not replace your
attention and judgment, or the need to
apply the brakes. This system does NOT
automatically brake your vehicle. If you
fail to press the brake pedal when
necessary, you may collide with another
vehicle.
Note: The system is not a substitute for
safe driving practices.
Note: You must always be aware of the
vehicle and trailer combination and the
surrounding environment.
Note: The system does not detect or
prevent the vehicle or trailer from making
contact with obstacles in the surrounding
environment. Note:
Keep in mind that the front end of
the vehicle swings out when changing the
direction of the trailer.
Note: The system relies on user
measurements to determine sticker
placement and system limits. It is critical to
take the key measurements correctly.
Incorrect measurements can result in the
improper function of the system up to and
including contact between the vehicle and
trailer.
Note: The system limits vehicle speed when
backing up. The system is not a replacement
for proper use of the throttle and brake
pedals.
Principle of Operation
This feature helps you to steer your vehicle
when backing up with a trailer attached.
Turn and hold the control knob in the
direction you want the trailer to go and the
system takes over the steering. This allows
you to focus on checking the mirrors and
operating the brake and accelerator.
Each trailer you use with your vehicle has
to be setup once.
You must take care to follow the setup
process accurately, to make sure the
sticker is placed correctly.
Contact your dealership if you need
assistance in setting up your trailer.
Setting Up Pro Trailer Backup
Assist
Note: Once you have entered a trailer's
information into the system, it is stored for
easy recall. A maximum of 10 trailers can be
added to the system.
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Step 1: Position your Vehicle and Trailer
Hitch your conventional trailer to your
vehicle. See Essential Towing Checks
(page 299).
Park your vehicle and hitched trailer on a
level surface.
For best results, make sure that your trailer
rides level with the ground when you hitch
it to your vehicle. More information on
selecting your towbar is available in the
Towing section.
See Towing (page 285). Make sure your vehicle and the trailer are
in line with each other. You can do this by
driving straight forward.
Step 2: Follow the Information Display
Prompts
Press the button to turn the system on. 1.
Select the option to add a trailer in the
instrument cluster menu, using the
steering wheel control. See
General
Information (page 119).
2. Add a personalized name for the trailer
using the screen prompts. Use the
down arrow to scroll to the desired
letter and then press the right arrow to
advance to the next letter. Press OK to
continue.
3. Select the type of trailer brake system for the trailer you are adding.
4. Select the brake effort level for the trailer.
Note: The default option is low. This is
recommended for most trailers. If the
trailer's brakes require more initial voltage,
or if you prefer more aggressive braking then
select the other options as required.
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Release the knob when the trailer is
moving in the direction you want. Control
the accelerator and brakes while the
system steers your vehicle automatically
to keep the trailer moving straight back.
Note:
You may have to use the knob to
correct the trailer direction when attempting
to move the trailer straight back under some
conditions.
Note: Your vehicle speed is automatically
limited.
Note: When you release the knob or turn it
to the center position, your vehicle follows
the trailer's path.
Troubleshooting
Note: The system requires a clear view of
the sticker placed on the trailer. You must
keep the camera lens and sticker clean for
the system to operate correctly.
Setup
The system is designed to be used with a
wide variety of trailers. However there are
some trailers that do not have a proper
surface and location to mount the sticker.
These trailers are not supported. Attempts
to place the sticker on a surface that does
not meet the sticker placement
requirement listed in Step 3 of the setup
instruction or entering inaccurate
measurements to proceed through setup
can result in improper system function. Accurate measurements are critical to
correct system function. If you need to
check measurements entered or change
them you can access them through the
trailer menus in the instrument cluster.
Choose the option to change the sticker
from the change trailer settings menu. It is
not necessary to remove the sticker if you
are just reviewing or changing
measurements.
The following menu warnings or difficulties
may occur during setup. Tips to resolve
them are listed below.
Note:
If you still experience issues with the
system's ability to detect the sticker, see
the information in the next section regarding
sticker lost during system operation.
Measurement A has reached maximum or
minimum value:
• The system is designed to work with
drawbars that have a bumper to hitch
ball center measurement of 4 in
(10 cm) to 11 in (28 cm) when installed.
Do not attempt to use drawbars that
have a length outside this range as the
system performance degrades and
could cause improper system function.
• Make sure that the measurement being
made is the horizontal distance only
from bumper and the hitch ball center.
A straight line distance that includes
any vertical rise or drop increases the
measurement and makes it inaccurate.
Inaccurate measurements degrade
system performance and could cause
improper system function. See step 4
of the setup instruction to review
measurement instructions.
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This feature applies your vehicle brakes at
individual wheels and, if necessary, reduces
engine power. If the trailer begins to sway,
the stability control light flashes and the
message TRAILER SWAY REDUCE
SPEED appears in the information display.
The first thing to do is slow your vehicle
down, then pull safely to the side of the
road and check for proper tongue load and
trailer load distribution. See Towing (page
285
).
RECOMMENDED TOWING
WEIGHTS
Note: Do not exceed the trailer
weight for your vehicle
configuration listed in the chart
that follows.
Note: Make sure to take into
consideration trailer frontal area.
Do not exceed 55 ft² (5.11 m²) if
your vehicle has the standard
towing package, or 60 ft² (5.57 m²)
if your vehicle has the heavy duty
package.
Note: Your vehicle could have
reduced performance when
operating at high altitudes and
when heavily loaded or towing a
trailer. When driving at elevation,
to match driving performance as
perceived at sea level, reduce gross
vehicle weight and gross
combination weight by 2% per
1,000 ft (300 m)
of elevation. Note:
Certain states require
electric trailer brakes for trailers
over a specified weight. Be sure to
check state regulations for this
specified weight. This specified
weight could limit the maximum
trailer weights, as the vehicle ’s
electrical system may not include
the wiring connector needed to
activate electric trailer brakes.
Your vehicle may tow a trailer
provided the maximum trailer
weight is less than or equal to the
maximum trailer weight listed for
your vehicle configuration on the
chart that follows.
To calculate the maximum loaded
trailer weight for your vehicle:
1. Start with the gross combined weight rating for your vehicle
model and axle ratio. See the
chart that follows.
2. Subtract all of the following
that apply to your vehicle:
•Vehicle curb weight.
• Hitch hardware weight, such
as a draw bar, ball, locks or
weight distributing.
• Driver weight.
• Passenger weight.
• Payload, cargo and luggage
weight.
• Aftermarket equipment
weight.
3. This equals the maximum
loaded trailer weight for this
combination.
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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.
For load specification terms found on the
tire label and Safety Compliance label and
instructions on calculating your vehicle's
load,
See Load Limit (page 279).
Remember to account for the trailer
tongue weight as part of your vehicle load
when calculating the total vehicle weight.
Trailer Towing Connector
(Vehicles with a Trailer Towing
Package and 7 –Pin Connector) When attaching the trailer wiring connector
to your vehicle, only use a proper fitting
connector that works with the vehicle and
trailer functions. Some seven-position
connectors may have the SAE J2863 logo,
which confirms that it is the proper wiring
connector and works correctly with your
vehicle.
Function
Color
Left direction indicator and
stop lamp
Yellow
Ground (-)
White
Electric brakes
Blue
Right direction indicator and
stop lamp
Green
Battery (+)
Orange
Running lights
Brown
Reverse lights
Grey
Trailer Hitch Cover
Your vehicle has a removable trailer hitch
cover. To remove the trailer hitch cover: 1. Grab the trailer hitch cover at the
bottom and pull towards the rear of
the vehicle until the bottom of the
trailer hitch cover unsnaps from the
bumper.
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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: Do not attach safety chains to the
bumper. Always connect the safety chains
to the frame or hook retainers of your trailer
hitch.
Install trailer safety chains to the trailer
hitch as recommended by the
manufacturer. Cross the chains under the
trailer tongue and allow enough slack for
turning tight corners. Do not allow the
chains to drag on the ground. If the trailer safety chain hook has a latch,
make sure the latch fully closes.
Trailer Brakes
WARNING: Do not connect a
trailer's hydraulic brake system directly
to your vehicle's brake system. Your
vehicle may not have enough braking
power and your chances of having a
collision greatly increase.
Electric brakes and manual, automatic or
surge-type trailer brakes are safe if you
install them properly and adjust them to
the manufacturer's specifications. The
trailer brakes must meet local and federal
regulations.
The rating for the tow vehicle's braking
system operation is at the gross vehicle
weight rating, not the gross combined
weight rating.
Separate functioning brake systems
are required for safe control of towed
vehicles and trailers weighing more
than 1,500 lb (680 kg) when loaded.
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Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If
Equipped)
WARNING: Use the integrated
trailer brake controller to properly adjust
the trailer brakes and check all
connections before towing a trailer.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in the loss of control of your
vehicle, personal injury or death. When used properly, the trailer brake
controller assists in smooth and effective
trailer braking by powering the trailer
’s
electric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes
with a proportional output based on the
towing vehicle ’s brake pressure.
The controller user interface consists of
the following:
A:
+ and - (Gain adjustment buttons):
Pressing these buttons adjusts the
controller's power output to the trailer
brakes in 0.5 increments. You can increase
the gain setting to 10.0 (maximum trailer
braking) or decrease it to 0 (no trailer
braking). The gain setting displays in the
message center. The controller shows gain setting, output
bar graph, and trailer connectivity status
in the information display. They appear in
the information display as follows:
•
Trailer Brake Controller Gain (without
trailer connected): Shows the current
gain setting during a given ignition cycle
and when adjusting the gain. This also
displays if you use the manual control
lever or make gain adjustments with
no trailer connected.
• Trailer Brake Controller Gain Output:
Displays when you push your vehicle's
brake pedal, or upon use of the manual
control. Bar indicators illuminate in the
information display to indicate the
amount of power going to the trailer
brakes relative to the brake pedal or
manual control input. One bar indicates
the least amount of output; six bars
indicate maximum output.
• Trailer Connected: Displays when the
system senses a correct trailer wiring
connection (a trailer with electric trailer
brakes) during a given ignition cycle.
• Trailer Disconnected: Displays,
accompanied by a single audible time,
when the system senses a trailer
connection and then a disconnection,
either intentional or unintentional,
during a given ignition cycle. It also
displays if a truck or trailer-wiring fault
occurs causing the trailer to appear
disconnected. This message can also
display if you use the manual control
lever without a trailer connected. After
disconnecting the trailer connector,
press the brake pedal for
approximately five seconds to allow
the system to detect and update the
trailer status.
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