2023 FORD EXPLORER Owners Manual

INSTRUMENT PANEL
Air vents.A
Direction indicator. See Direction Indicators (page 89).B
Cruise control. See Cruise Control (page 81). Audio control. See AudioControl (page 81).C
Information display. See General Information (page 115).D
Information display control. See Information Display Control (page 82).E
Wiper lever. See Windshield Wipers (page 83).F
Ignition switch. See Keyless Starting (page 169).G
Information and Entertainment display.H
Hazard flasher switch. See Hazard Flashers (page 292).I
Climate control. See Automatic Climate Control (page 137).J
Horn.K
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Steering wheel adjustment. See Adjusting the Steering Wheel (page 79).L
Lighting control. See Lighting Control (page 86). Power liftgate release. SeePower Liftgate (page 73).M
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GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directionson how to properly use safety restraintsfor children.
WARNING: Always make sure yourchild is secured properly in a device thatis appropriate for their height, age andweight. Child safety restraints must bebought separately from your vehicle.Failure to follow these instructions andguidelines may result in an increased riskof serious injury or death to your child.
WARNING: All children are shapeddifferently. The National Highway TrafficSafety Administration and other safetyorganizations, base theirrecommendations for child restraints onprobable child height, age and weightthresholds, or on the minimumrequirements of the law. We recommendthat you check with a NHTSA CertifiedChild Passenger Safety Technician
(CPST) to make sure that you properlyinstall the child restraint in your vehicleand that you consult your pediatrician tomake sure you have a child restraintappropriate for your child. To locate achild restraint fitting station and CPST,contact NHTSA toll free at1-888-327-4236 or go towww.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contactTransport Canada toll free at1-800-333-0371 or go to www.tc.gc.cato find a Child Car Seat Clinic in yourarea. Failure to properly restrain childrenin child restraints made especially fortheir height, age and weight, may resultin an increased risk of serious injury ordeath to your child.
WARNING: On hot days, thetemperature inside the vehicle can risevery quickly. Exposure of people oranimals to these high temperatures foreven a short time can cause death orserious heat related injuries, includingbrain damage. Small children areparticularly at risk.
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Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended RestraintTypeChild Size, Height, Weight, or AgeChild
Use a child restraint(sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertibleseat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less(generally age four or younger).Infants ortoddlers
Use a belt-positioningbooster seat.
Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child restraint (generallychildren who are less than 57 in (1.45 m)tall, are greater than age four and lessthan age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg)and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb(45 kg) if recommended by your childrestraint manufacturer).
Small children
Use a vehicle seatbelthaving the lap belt snugand low across the hips,shoulder belt centeredacross the shoulder andchest, and seat backrestupright.
Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a belt-positioning boosterseat (generally children who are at least57 in (1.45 m) tall or greater than 80 lb(36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recommendedby child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
•You are required by law to properly usechild restraints for infants and toddlersin the United States, Canada andMexico.
•Many states and provinces require thatsmall children use approved boosterseats until they reach age eight, aheight of 57 in (1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb(36 kg). Check your local and state orprovincial laws for specificrequirements about the safety ofchildren in your vehicle.
•When possible, properly restrainchildren 12 years of age and under in arear seating position of your vehicle.Accident statistics suggest thatchildren are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positionsthan in a front seating position. SeeFront Passenger Sensing System(page 48).
•When installing a rear facing childrestraint, adjust the vehicle seats toavoid interference between the childrestraint and the vehicle seat in frontof the child restraint.
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INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
Use a child restraint (sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertible seat, or toddlerseat) for Infants, toddlers and childrenweighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generallyfour-years-old or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
WARNING: Properly securechildren 12 years old and under in a rearseating position whenever possible. Ifyou are unable to properly secure allchildren in a rear seating position,properly secure the largest child on thefront seat. If you must use a forwardfacing child restraint on the front seat,move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Depending on whereyou secure a child restraint, anddepending on the child restraint design,you may block access to certain seatbeltbuckle assemblies and LATCH loweranchors, rendering those featurespotentially unusable. To avoid risk ofinjury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able tobe properly restrained.
When installing a child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
•Use the correct seatbelt buckle for thatseating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle until you hear a snap and feel itlatch. Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release buttonpointing up and away from the childrestraint, with the tongue between thechild restraint and the release button,to prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat in the uprightposition before you install the childrestraint.
•For second row seating positions,adjust the recliner slightly to improvechild restraint fit. If needed, remove thehead restraints.
•For third row seating positions, stowthe head restraints to improve childrestraint fit. See Head Restraints(page 144).
•Put the seatbelt in the automaticlocking mode. See Step 5 in theprocedure that follows. This vehicledoes not require the use of a lockingclip.
Perform the following steps wheninstalling the child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
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Note:Although the child restraintillustrated is a forward facing child restraint,the steps are the same for installing a rearfacing child restraint.
Note:Follow all instructions provided bythe manufacturer of the child restraintregarding the necessary and proper use ofthe lock-off device. In some instances, themanufacturer provides these devices onlyfor use in vehicles with seatbelt systemsthat would otherwise require a locking clip.
1.Position the child restraint in a seatwith a combination lap and shoulderbelt.
2.After positioning the child restraint inthe proper seating position, pull downon the shoulder belt and then grasp theshoulder belt and lap belt togetherbehind the belt tongue.
3.While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tonguethrough the child restraint accordingto the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions. Make sure you do not twistthe belt webbing.
4.Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to thedirection the tongue is coming from)for that seating position until you heara snap and feel the latch engage. Makesure that you securely latch the tongueby pulling on it.
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5.To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulderportion of the belt and pull downwarduntil you pull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
6.Allow the belt to retract to removeslack. The belt clicks as it retracts toindicate it is in the automatic lockingmode.
7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractorto make sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode. You shouldnot be able to pull more belt out. If theretractor did not lock, unbuckle the beltand repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8.Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint as youpull up on the shoulder belt to forceslack from the belt. This is necessaryto remove the remaining slack thatexists once you add the extra weightof the child to the child restraint. It alsohelps to achieve the proper snugnessof the child restraint to your vehicle.Sometimes, a slight lean toward thebuckle provides extra help to removeremaining slack from the belt.
9.If the child restraint has a tether strap,attach it now.
10.Before placing the child in the seat,forcibly move the seat forward andback to make sure you have the seatsecurely held in place. To check this,grab the seat at the belt path andattempt to move it side to side andforward and back. There should beno more than 1 in (2.5 cm) ofmovement for proper installation.
We recommend checking with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger SafetyTechnician to make sure you properlyinstalled the child restraint. In Canada,check with Transport Canada for referralto a Child Car Seat Clinic.
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Using Lower Anchors and Tethersfor CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING: Do not attach two childsafety restraints to the same anchor. Ina crash, one anchor may not be strongenough to hold two child safety restraintattachments and may break, causingserious injury or death.
WARNING: Depending on whereyou secure a child restraint, anddepending on the child restraint design,you may block access to certain seatbeltbuckle assemblies and LATCH loweranchors, rendering those featurespotentially unusable. To avoid risk ofinjury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able tobe properly restrained.
The LATCH system has three vehicleanchor points: two lower anchors wherethe seat backrest and seat cushion meet(called the seat bight) and one top tetheranchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child restraints havetwo rigid or webbing mountedattachments that connect to the two loweranchors at the LATCH equipped seatingpositions in your vehicle. This type ofattachment method eliminates the needto use seatbelts to attach the childrestraint. However, you can still use theseatbelt to attach the child restraint. Forforward-facing child restraints, you mustalso attach the top tether strap to theproper top tether anchor if one came withyour child restraint.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors forchild restraint installation at the seatingpositions marked with the child restraintsymbol.
Second Row Bucket Seats and ThirdRow Seats
Second Row Bench Seats and ThirdRow Seats
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