2023 FORD RANGER Owners Manual

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The four-wheel drive system in your vehicleis a part-time system activated using therotary switch mounted in the centerconsole. In normal rear-wheel drive, the 2Hdrive operation system directs torque tothe rear axle. Moving the switch to 4H or4L directs drive torque to both the frontand rear axles, providing four-wheel drive.
Depending on your vehicle, furtherfour-wheel drive options may be availableon the switch panel located on the centerconsole.
USING FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE
Note:There is additional importantinformation regarding the safe operation ofthis type of vehicle in this manual. SeeGeneral Information (page 292).
Note:Do not use 4H or 4L modes on dry,hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produceexcessive noise, increase tire wear and coulddamage drive components. We intend 4Hor 4L modes only for consistently slipperyor loose surfaces. Use of 4L mode on thesesurfaces could produce some noise, suchas occasional clunks, but should notdamage drive components.
Note: When you select 4L when yourvehicle is moving, it does not perform a shiftuntil your vehicle is stationary. This is normaland is no reason for concern.
Note:You can switch on and switch off theelectronic locking differential by pressingthe locking differential button. SeeElectronic Locking Differential (page 173).
4WD Indicator Lights
Note:When a 4X4 system fault is present,the system typically remains in whichever4X4 mode you selected prior to the faultcondition occurring. It should never defaultto 4X2. When the warning displays, haveyour vehicle serviced by an authorizeddealer.
4X4 HIGH
Continuously illuminates whenyou select 4H.
4X4 LOW
Continuously illuminates whenyou select 4L.
CHECK 4X4
Displays when a 4X4 fault ispresent.
Using the Electronic Shift on theFly 4WD system
2H (4X2)
For general on-road driving, this modeprovides optimal smoothness and fueleconomy. Sends power to the rear wheelsonly.
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Note:2H may engage or disengage basedon terrain mode selection. See Principle ofOperation (page 165).
4H (4X4 HIGH)
Provides mechanically locked four-wheeldrive power to both the front and rearwheels for use in off-road or winterconditions such as deep snow, sand ormud. This mode is not for use on drypavement.
Note:4H may engage or disengage basedon terrain mode selection. See Principle ofOperation (page 165).
4L (4X4 LOW)
Provides mechanically locked four-wheeldrive power to both the front and rearwheels with additional gearing forincreased torque multiplication. Intendedonly for off-road applications such as deepsand, steep slopes, or pulling heavyobjects.
Note:4L may engage or disengage basedon terrain mode selection. See Principle ofOperation (page 165).
Shifting Between 4WD System Modes
Note:Momentarily releasing the acceleratorpedal when performing a shift aids theperformance of engagement ordisengagement.
Note:Do not perform this operation if therear wheels are slipping, or when applyingthe accelerator pedal.
Note:It is normal to hear some noise as thesystem shifts or engages.
You can move the control between 2H to4H at a stop or when driving up to 68 mph(110 km/h). The information display maydisplay a message indicating a 4X4 shiftand the LED for the selected mode flashes.Once the shift is complete, the LED lightfor the selected mode remains illuminated.
Shifting To or From 4L (4X4 Low)
Note:It is normal to hear some noise as thesystem shifts or engages.
1.Stop your vehicle when it is safe to doso.
2.Place the transmission in neutral (N).
3.Move the transfer shift switch to thedesired position.
The information display displays amessage indicating a 4X4 shift is inprogress followed by the system modeselected. If any of the above shiftconditions are not present, the shift doesnot occur and the information displayshows information guiding you through theproper shifting procedures.
How Your Vehicle Differs FromOther Vehicles
WARNING: Vehicles with a highercenter of gravity (utility and four-wheeldrive vehicles) handle differently thanvehicles with a lower center of gravity(passenger cars). Avoid sharp turns,excessive speed and abrupt steering inthese vehicles. Failure to drive cautiouslyincreases the risk of losing control of yourvehicle, vehicle rollover, personal injuryand death.
Truck and utility vehicles can differ fromsome other vehicles. Your vehicle may behigher to allow it to travel over roughterrain without getting hung up ordamaging underbody components.
The differences that make your vehicle soversatile also make it handle differentlythan an ordinary passenger car.
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Maintain steering wheel control at alltimes, especially in rough terrain. Sincesudden changes in terrain can result inabrupt steering wheel motion, make sureyou grip the steering wheel from theoutside. Do not grip the spokes of thesteering wheel.
Drive cautiously to avoid vehicle damagefrom concealed objects such as rocks andstumps.
Either know the terrain or examine mapsof the area before driving. Map out yourroute before driving in the area. Tomaintain steering and braking control ofyour vehicle, have all four wheels on theground and they need to be rolling, notsliding or spinning.
Driving Off-Road With Truck andUtility Vehicles
Note:Your vehicle may have a front airdam. Due to low ground clearance, you candamage it when taking your vehicle off-road.You can take the air dam off by removingthe bolts that secure it.
We design four-wheel drive vehicles fordriving on sand, snow, mud and roughterrain and they have operatingcharacteristics that are somewhatdifferent from conventional vehicles, bothon and off the road.
The transfer case supplies power to all fourwheels. On four-wheel drive vehicles, thetransfer case allows you to select different4WD modes when necessary. Becomethoroughly familiar with this informationbefore you operate your vehicle.
Four-wheel drive uses all four wheels topower your vehicle. This increases traction,enabling you to drive over terrain and roadconditions that a conventional two-wheeldrive vehicle cannot.
Basic Operating Principles
•Drive slower in strong crosswinds whichcan affect the normal steeringcharacteristics of your vehicle.
•When driving your vehicle on surfacesmade slippery by loose sand, water,gravel, snow or ice, proceed with care.
•Do not use 4H or 4L on dry, hardsurfaced roads. Doing so can produceexcessive noise, increase tire wear andcould damage drive components. Use4H or 4L modes for consistentlyslippery or loose surfaces.
If Your Vehicle Leaves the Road
If your vehicle leaves the road, reduce yourvehicle speed and avoid severe braking.When your vehicle speed decreases, easeyour vehicle back onto the road. Do notsharply turn the steering wheel whenreturning your vehicle to the road.
It may be safer to stay on the shoulder ofthe road and gradually slow down beforereturning to the road. You may lose controlif you do not slow down or if you toosharply or abruptly turn the steering wheel.
It may be less risky to strike small objects,such as freeway reflectors, with minordamage to your vehicle rather thanattempt a sudden return to the road whichcould cause your vehicle to slide sidewaysout of control or roll over. Remember, yoursafety and the safety of others should beyour primary concern.
Emergency Maneuvers
In an unavoidable emergency situationwhere you must make a sudden sharp turn,remember to avoid over-driving yourvehicle and turn the steering wheel only asrapidly and as far as required to avoid theemergency. Excessive steering can resultin loss of vehicle control. Apply smoothpressure to the accelerator pedal or brakepedal when you require changes in vehicle
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speed. Avoid abrupt steering, accelerationand braking. This could result in anincreased risk of vehicle roll over, loss ofvehicle control and personal injury. Use theavailable road surface to bring your vehicleto a safe direction of travel.
In the event of an emergency stop, avoidskidding the tires and do not attempt anysharp steering wheel movements.
If your vehicle goes from one type ofsurface to another, such as concrete togravel, there can be a change in the wayyour vehicle responds to a maneuver usingsteering, acceleration or braking.
Operating Four-Wheel Drive with aSpare or Mismatched Tires
On four-wheel drive vehicles, the size ofthe spare tire can affect the four-wheeldrive system. If there is a significantdifference between the size of the sparetire and the remaining tires, you could havelimited four-wheel drive functionality,added noise, discomfort and drivelinedamage. Due to normal tire wear, yourspare tire is not necessarily the same sizeas your on-road tires, which makes yourspare tire a dissimilar size. Use the sparetire on a limited basis only. When drivingwith a dissimilar wheel and tire assemblydo not:
•Exceed 50 mph (80 km/h) with afour-wheel drive mode turned on.
•Turn on a four-wheel drive modeunless the vehicle is stationary.
•Use a four-wheel drive mode on drypavement.
Driving with the full-size dissimilar sparewheel and tire assembly can limitfour-wheel drive functionality, especiallywhen driving in a mechanically lockedfour-wheel drive mode. You can experiencethe following:
•Additional noise from the transfer caseor other drive components.
•Difficulty shifting out of a mechanicallylocked four-wheel drive mode.
•Driveline component damage.
Mechanical Shift Blocking
On vehicles with an electronicshift-on-the-fly transfer case, the transfercase distributes torque to the front wheelsby mechanically interlocking the front andrear driveshafts together. Various externalfactors can affect shifting performance ofthis type of system including, but notlimited to:
•Vehicle acceleration.
•Dissimilar tire sizes.
•High steering input.
For vehicles with an electronicshift-on-the-fly transfer case, whenshifting into two-wheel drive high on dry,hard surfaced roads, we recommend thatthe following procedure is followed toreduce the likelihood of a mechanical shiftblock:
•While driving straight, come to a stopon a flat, horizontal surface.
•Shift into park (P).
•Select 2H and wait for the 2H LED tobecome solid.
•Shift into reverse (R) and let the vehicleroll backward up to 5 ft (1 m).
•Shift into drive (D) and let the vehicleroll forward up to 5 ft (1 m).
•Driving the vehicle around a tight turnat a slow speed.
If the system is mechanically blocked, oneor more of the following actions can relievethe mechanical shift block:
•Momentary acceleration.
•Momentary braking.
•Bringing the vehicle to a stop.
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•Shifting the transmission to neutral andback to drive.
•Shifting the transmission to reverseand back to drive.
•Driving the vehicle around a tight turnat a slow speed.
Driving in Special Conditions withFour-Wheel Drive
Four-wheel drive vehicles are suitable fordriving on sand, snow, mud and roughroads and have operating characteristicsthat are somewhat different fromconventional vehicles, both on and off thefreeway.
When driving at slow speeds off road underhigh load conditions, use a low gear whenpossible. Low gear operation maximizesthe engine and transmission coolingcapability.
Basic Operating Principles
When driving your vehicle on surfacesmade slippery by loose sand, water, gravel,snow or ice, proceed with care.
Sand
When driving over sand, try to keep all fourwheels on the most solid area of the trail.Shift to a lower gear and drive steadilythrough the terrain. Apply the acceleratorslowly and avoid excessive wheel slip.
Do not drive your vehicle in deep sand foran extended period of time. This can causethe system to overheat.
To resume operation, switch the ignitionoff and allow the system to cool down fora minimum of 15 minutes.
When driving at slow speeds in deep sandunder high outside temperatures, use a lowgear when possible. Low gear operationmaximizes the engine and transmissioncooling capability.
Avoid driving at excessive speeds, thiscauses vehicle momentum to work againstyou and your vehicle could become stuckto the point that you could requireassistance from another vehicle.Remember, you may be able to back outthe way you came if you proceed withcaution.
Mud and Water
Mud
Be cautious of sudden changes in vehiclespeed or direction when you are driving inmud. Even four-wheel drive vehicles canlose traction in slick mud. If your vehicledoes slide, steer in the direction of the slideuntil you regain control of your vehicle.
After driving through mud, clean off residuestuck to rotating driveshafts and tires.Excess mud stuck on tires and rotatingdriveshafts can cause an imbalance thatcould damage drive components.
Water
If you must drive through high water, driveslowly. Water may limit traction or brakecapability.
When driving through water, determine thedepth and avoid water higher than thebottom of the hubs. If the ignition systemgets wet, your vehicle could stall.
Once through water, try the brakes. Wetbrakes do not stop your vehicle aseffectively as dry brakes. Drying improvesby applying light pressure to the brakepedal when slowly moving.
Note:Driving through deep water maydamage the transmission. If you submergethe front or rear axle in water, have the axlelubricant and power transfer unit lubricantchecked, and change if necessary.
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“Tread Lightly” is an educational programdesigned to increase public awareness ofland-use regulations and responsibilitiesin our nation's wilderness areas. We jointhe U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau ofLand Management in encouraging you tohelp preserve our national forest and otherpublic and private lands by “treadinglightly.”
Driving on Hilly or Sloping Terrain
Although natural obstacles may make itnecessary to travel diagonally up or downa hill or steep incline, you should drivestraight up or straight down.
Note: Avoid turning on steep slopes or hills.A danger lies in losing traction, slippingsideways and possible vehicle roll over. Donot drive over the crest of a hill withoutseeing what conditions are on the other side.Do not drive in reverse over a hill without theaid of an observer. Whenever driving on ahill, determine beforehand the route youintend to use.
When climbing a steep slope or hill, startin a lower gear rather than downshifting toa lower gear from a higher gear once theascent has started. This reduces strain onthe engine and the possibility of stalling.
If your vehicle stalls, do not try to turnaround because this could cause vehicleroll over. It is better to reverse back to asafe location.
Apply just enough power to the wheels toclimb the hill. Too much power could causethe tires to slip, spin or lose traction,resulting in loss of vehicle control.
Descend a hill in the same gear you woulduse to climb up the hill to avoid excessivebrake application and brake overheating.Do not descend in neutral (N). Move thetransmission selector lever to a lower gear.When descending a steep hill, avoidsudden hard braking as you could losecontrol. Make sure the front wheels areturning so you can steer your vehicle.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, steadilyapply the brakes. Do not pump the brakes.
Driving on Snow and Ice
WARNING: If you are driving inslippery conditions that require tirechains or cables, then it is critical thatyou drive cautiously. Keep speeds down,allow for longer stopping distances andavoid aggressive steering to reduce thechances of a loss of vehicle controlwhich can lead to serious injury or death.If the rear end of your vehicle slides whilecornering, steer in the direction of theslide until you regain control of yourvehicle.
Note:Excessive tire slippage can causetransmission damage
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Four-wheel drive vehicles have advantagesover two-wheel drive vehicles in snow andice but can skid like any other vehicle.Should you start to slide when driving onsnowy or icy roads, turn the steering wheelin the direction of the slide until you regaincontrol.
Avoid sudden applications of power andquick changes of direction on snow andice. Apply the accelerator slowly andsteadily when starting from a full stop.
Avoid sudden braking. Although afour-wheel drive vehicle may acceleratebetter than a two-wheel drive vehicle insnow and ice, it cannot stop any faster asbraking occurs at all four wheels. Do notbecome overconfident of road conditions.
Make sure you allow sufficient distancebetween you and other vehicles forstopping. Drive slower than usual andconsider using one of the lower gears. Inemergency stopping situations, apply thebrake steadily. Do not pump the brakepedal. See Hints on Driving WithAnti-Lock Brakes (page 175).
If Your Vehicle Gets Stuck In Mud orSnow
WARNING: Do not spin the wheelsat over 34 mph (55 km/h). The tires mayfail and injure a passenger or bystander.
If your vehicle gets stuck in mud or snow,you may rock it out by shifting betweenforward and reverse gears, stoppingbetween shifts in a steady pattern. Presslightly on the accelerator in each gear.
Note:Do not rock your vehicle if the engineis not at normal operating temperature,damage to the transmission could occur.
Note:Do not rock your vehicle for morethan a minute, damage to the transmissionand tires could occur or the engine couldoverheat.
Parking
WARNING: If the parking brake isfully released, but the brake warninglamp remains illuminated, the brakesmay not be working properly. Have yourvehicle checked as soon as possible.
WARNING: Apply the parkingbrake, shift into park (P), switch theignition off and remove the key beforeyou leave your vehicle. Failure to followthis instruction could result in personalinjury or death.
On four-wheel drive vehicles, when thetransfer case is in the neutral (N) position,the engine and transmission disconnectfrom the rest of the driveline. Therefore,your vehicle is free to roll even if theautomatic transmission is in park (P) orthe manual transmission is in gear. Do notleave your vehicle unattended with thetransfer case in the neutral (N) position.Fully set the parking brake and turn off theignition when leaving your vehicle.
Maintenance and Modifications
We designed and tested the suspensionand steering systems on your vehicle toprovide predictable performance whetherloaded or empty. For this reason, westrongly recommend that you do not makemodifications such as adding or removingparts that include lift kits or stabilizer bars,or by using replacement parts notequivalent to the original factoryequipment.
We recommend that you use caution whenyour vehicle has either a high load or devicesuch as ladders or luggage racks. Anymodifications to your vehicle that raise thecenter of gravity could cause your vehicleto roll over when there is a loss of vehiclecontrol.
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Failure to maintain your vehicle correctlycould void the warranty, increase yourrepair cost, reduce vehicle performanceand operational capabilities, and adverselyaffect you and your passenger's safety. Werecommend you frequently inspect yourvehicle's chassis components when yourvehicle is subject to off road usage.
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