FORD EXPLORER 2009 4.G Owners Manual
Manufacturer: FORD, Model Year: 2009, Model line: EXPLORER, Model: FORD EXPLORER 2009 4.GPages: 407, PDF Size: 3.47 MB
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1. Start the vehicle.
2. Locate the reset button on the compass sensor mounted on the base
of mirror.
3. To calibrate, press and hold the
reset button on the compass module
for approximately eight seconds and
release.
4. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOW TO CALIBRATE display changes to
CALIBRATION COMPLETED. It will take up to five circles to complete
calibration.
5. The compass is now calibrated.
System warnings
System warnings alert you to possible problems or malfunctions in your
vehicle’s operating systems.
In the event of a multiple warning situation, the message center will
cycle the display to show all warnings by displaying each one for four
seconds.
The message center will display the last selected feature if there are no
more warning messages. This allows you to use the full functionality of
the message center after you acknowledge the warning by pressing the
RESET control and clearing the warning message.
Warning messages are divided into four categories:
•They cannot be cleared until the condition is corrected.
•They will reappear on the display 10 minutes from the reset if the
condition has not been corrected.
•They will not reappear until an ignition off-on cycle has been
completed.
•They reappear if the condition clears then reoccurs within the same
ignition on-off cycle.
This acts as a reminder that these warning conditions still exist within
the vehicle.
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Warning display Status
Door ajar Warning cannot be reset
Fuel level low Warning returns after 10 minutes
Park brake engaged
Check brake system
Check park aid (if equipped) Warning returns only after the ignition
key is turned from off to on.
Brake fluid level low
Washer fluid level low
Oil change required
Oil life change soon
Liftgate/glass ajar Warning returns after the condition
has cleared then reoccurs within the
same ignition on-off cycle. Remove objects near pass seat
Check fuel fill inlet (if
equipped)
Check charging system
Low tire pressure
Tire pressure monitor fault
Tire pressure sensor fault
Trailer sway, reduce speed Temporary alert
For 4x4 low stop vehicle (if
equipped)
For 4x4 low shift to N (if
equipped)
To exit 4x4 low stop vehicle (if
equipped)
To exit 4x4 low shift to N (if
equipped)
DOOR AJAR— Displayed when a door is not completely closed.
REMOVE OBJECTS NEAR PASS SEAT— Displayed when objects
are by the passenger seat. After the objects are moved away from the
seat, if the warning stays on or continues to come on, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible.
SERVICE RSC NOW— Displayed when the RSC system is not
operating properly. If the warning stays on or continues to come on,
contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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CHECK FUEL FILL INLET (if equipped)— Displayed when the fuel
fill inlet may not be properly closed. Refer toEasy Fuel™ “no cap” fuel
systemin theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM— Displayed when the electrical system
is not maintaining proper voltage when the engine is running. If you are
operating electrical accessories when the engine is idling at a low speed,
turn off as many of the electrical loads as soon as possible. If the
warning stays on or comes on when the engine is operating at normal
speeds, contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
FUEL LEVEL LOW— Displayed as an early reminder of a low fuel
condition.
PARK BRAKE ENGAGED— Displayed when the manual park brake is
set, the engine is running and the vehicle is driven more than 3 mph
(5 km/h). If the warning stays on after the park brake is released,
contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM— Displayed when the braking system is not
operating properly. If the warning stays on or continues to come on,
contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
CHECK PARK AID (if equipped)— Displayed when the transmission
is in R (Reverse) and the Reverse Sensing System (Park Aid) is disabled.
Refer toReverse Sensing System (Park Aid)in this section to enable.
LOW TIRE PRESSURE— Displayed when one or more tires on your
vehicle have low tire pressure. Refer toInflating your tiresin theTires,
Wheels and Loadingchapter.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR FAULT— Displayed when the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System is malfunctioning. If the warning stays on or
continues to come on, contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR FAULT— Displayed when a tire pressure
sensor is malfunctioning, or your spare tire is in use. For more
information on how the system operates under these conditions, refer to
Understanding your Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)in the
Tires, Wheels and Loadingchapter. If the warning stays on or
continues to come on, contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
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BRAKE FLUID LEVEL LOW— Indicates the brake fluid level is low
and the brake system should be inspected immediately. Refer toBrake
fluidin theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
WASHER FLUID LEVEL LOW— Indicates the washer fluid reservoir
is less than one quarter full. Check the washer fluid level. Refer to
Windshield washer fluidin theMaintenance and Specifications
chapter.
OIL LIFE CHANGE SOON— Displayed when the engine oil life
reaches 5% or less of the Oil Life Start Value.
OIL CHANGE REQUIRED— Displayed when the engine oil life
remaining is 0%. An oil change is required whenever indicated by the
message center and according to the recommended maintenance
schedule. USE ONLY RECOMMENDED ENGINE OILS.
LIFTGATE / GLASS AJAR— Displayed when the liftgate or the
liftgate glass is not completely closed.
TRAILER SWAY REDUCE SPEED— Displayed when your trailer
starts to sway when towing. Refer toTrailer sway controlin the
Drivingchapter for more information.
FOR 4X4 LOW STOP VEHICLE(if equipped)— Displayed when 4X4
LOW is selected while the vehicle is moving. For more information, refer
toUsing the Control Trac 4WD systemin theDrivingchapter.
FOR 4X4 LOW SHIFT TO N(if equipped)— Displayed when 4X4
LOW is selected and the vehicle is stopped. For more information, refer
toUsing the Control Trac 4WD systemin theDrivingchapter.
TO EXIT 4X4 LOW STOP VEHICLE(if equipped)— Displayed when
2WD is selected while the vehicle is operating in 4X4 LOW. For more
information, refer toUsing the Control Trac 4WD systemin the
Drivingchapter.
TO EXIT 4X4 LOW SHIFT TO N(if equipped)— Displayed when
2WD is selected while the vehicle has been stopped in 4X4 LOW. For
more information, refer toUsing the Control Trac 4WD systemin the
Drivingchapter.
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OPTIONAL MESSAGE CENTER (IF EQUIPPED)
With the ignition in the on position,
the message center, located on your
instrument cluster, displays
important vehicle information
through a constant monitor of
vehicle systems.You may select
display features on the message
center for a display of status. The
system will also notify you of potential vehicle problems with a display of
system warnings followed by an indicator chime.
Your display can show up to six reconfigurable telltales at one time. What
ever is displayed in the top left corner has the highest priority.
Selectable features
Reset
Press the RESET control to select
and reset functions shown in the
INFO menu, SETUP menu, text
warnings and reconfigurable telltale
warnings.
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Info menu
The Info menu items are shown on
the top two lines of the message
center. Press the INFO control to
display the following:
•Trip odometer (Trip A and Trip
B)
•Distance to Empty
•Average Fuel Economy
•Instantaneous Fuel Economy
•Fuel Used
•Trip Elapsed Drive Time
•Blank
Trip odometer
Refer toGaugesin theInstrument Clusterchapter.
Distance to empty (DTE)
Selecting this function from the
INFO menu estimates approximately
how far you can drive with the fuel
remaining in your tank under
normal driving conditions.
Remember to turn the ignition off
when refueling to allow this feature
to correctly detect the added fuel.
The DTE function will display LOW FUEL LEVEL and sound a tone for
one second when you have approximately 50 miles (80 km) to empty. If
you RESET this warning message, this display and tone will return
within 10 minutes.
DTE is calculated using a running average fuel economy, which is based
on your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km). This value is not
the same as the average fuel economy display. The running average fuel
economy is reinitialized to a factory default value if the battery is
disconnected.
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Average fuel economy (AFE)
Select this function from the INFO
menu to display your average fuel
economy in miles/gallon or liters/km.
If you calculate your average fuel
economy by dividing miles traveled
by gallons of fuel used (liters of fuel
used by 100 kilometers traveled),
your figure may be different than
displayed for the following reasons:
•Your vehicle was not perfectly level during fill-up
•Differences in the automatic shut-off points on the fuel pumps at
service stations
•Variations in top-off procedure from one fill-up to another
•Rounding of the displayed values to the nearest 0.1 gallon (liter)
1. Drive the vehicle at least 5 miles (8 km) with the speed control
system engaged to display a stabilized average.
2. Record the highway fuel economy for future reference.
It is important to press the RESET control (press and hold RESET for
two seconds in order to reset the function) after setting the speed
control to get accurate highway fuel economy readings.
Instantaneous fuel economy
Select this function from the INFO
menu to display your instantaneous
fuel economy. This will display your
fuel economy as a bar graph ranging
from
poor fuel economy to
excellent fuel economy. As the bars
increase from left to right, the
instantaneous fuel economy is
increasing.
Your vehicle must be moving to calculate instantaneous fuel economy.
When your vehicle is not moving, this function shows one or no bars
illuminated. Instantaneous fuel economy cannot be reset.
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Fuel Used
Selecting this function from the
INFO menu. “FUEL USED XXX.X
GAL” will display the fuel used since
last reset. The information displayed
will be in gallons or liters,
depending on English/Metric mode
state.
Trip elapsed drive time
Select this function from the INFO
menu to display a timer.
To operate the Trip Elapsed Drive
Time perform the following:
1. Press and release RESET in order
to start the timer.
2. Press and release RESET to
pause the timer.
3. Press and hold RESET for two seconds in order to reset the timer to
zero.
Blank display
Select this function from the INFO menu to turn the upper two lines of
the message center display off.
Setup menu
Press the SETUP control twice for
the following displays:
•System Check
•AWD Lock (4.6L engine vehicles
only)
•Units (English/Metric)
•Language
•Autolamp
•Autolock
•Autounlock
•Power Running Boards (if equipped)
INFOSETUP
RESET
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•Easy Entry/Exit Seat (if equipped)
•Park Aid (if equipped)
•Trailer sway control
•Compass display
•Compass zone adjustment
•Compass calibration adjustment
•Oil Life Reset and Start Value
AWD lock (4.6L engine vehicles only)
Select this function from the SETUP MENU to display the AWD locked
function.
1. To disable/enable the AWD
feature, select this function from the
SETUP MENU.
2. Press the RESET control to select
the AUTO or LOCKED mode.
3. Press the RESET control for the
next SETUP MENU item or wait for
more than four seconds to return to
the INFO menu.
Note:When the AWD system is in the LOCKED mode, the 4X4 indicator
will be illuminated.
System check
Selecting this function from the
SETUP MENU causes the message
center to cycle through each of the
systems being monitored. For each
of the monitored systems, the
message center will indicate either
an OK message or a warning
message for two seconds.
Pressing the RESET control cycles the message center through each of
the systems being monitored.
The sequence of the system check report and how it appears in the
message center is as follows:
1. OIL LIFE
2. CHARGING SYSTEM
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3. WASHER FLUID
4. DOOR AJAR
5. EXTERIOR LAMP
6. BRAKE FLUID LEVEL
7. PARK BRAKE
8. FUEL LEVEL AND DISTANCE TO EMPTY
Units (English/Metric)
1. Select this function from the
SETUP MENU for the current units
to be displayed.
2. Press the RESET control to
change from English to Metric.
3. Press the RESET control for the
next SETUP MENU item or wait for
more than four seconds to return to
the INFO menu.
Language
Note:When entering the SETUP MENU and a non-English language has
been selected, “PRESS RESET FOR ENGLISH” will be displayed to
change back to English.
1. Select this function from the
SETUP MENU for the current
language to be displayed.
2. Press the RESET control to cycle
the message center through each of
the language choices to the desired
language.
Selectable languages are English, Spanish, French, Japanese, or Arabic.
3. Press the RESET control for the next SETUP MENU item or wait for
more than four seconds to return to the INFO menu.
Autolamp
This feature keeps your headlights on for up to three minutes after the
ignition is switched off.
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