tow FORD FLEX 2014 1.G Owners Manual

Hints on driving with anti-lock brakes......................208
Parking brake........................................208
Traction Control 209
TractionControl™ ....................................209
Stability Control 210
AdvanceTrac®.......................................211
Parking Aids 212
Sensing system.......................................212
Active park assist.....................................213
Rear-view camera system...............................218
Cruise Control 223
Using cruise control...................................223
Using Adaptive Cruise Control............................224
Driving Aids 232
Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert
(CTA) .............................................232
Collision warning system................................237
Steering............................................240
Load Carrying 242
Cargo net...........................................242
Roof racks and load carriers.............................242
Vehicle loading.......................................243
Towing 251
Trailertowing........................................251
Wrecker towing......................................258
Recreational towing...................................259
Driving Hints 261
Economical driving....................................261
Driving through water..................................262
Floormats..........................................263
Table of Contents5
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ABOUT THIS MANUAL
Thank you for choosing Ford. We recommend that you take some time to
get to know your vehicle by reading this manual. The more that you
know about it, the greater the safety and pleasure you will get from
driving it.
WARNING:Always drive with due care and attention when
using and operating the controls and features on your vehicle.
Note:This manual describes a range of product features and options,
sometimes before they are generally available. Therefore, you may find
options in this manual that are not found on your vehicle.
Note:Some of the illustrations in this manual may be used for different
models, so they may appear different than your vehicle. However, the
essential information in the illustrations is always correct.
Note:Always use and operate your vehicle in line with all applicable
laws and regulations.
Note:Pass on this manual when selling your vehicle. It is an integral
part of the vehicle.
This manual may qualify the location of a component as left-hand side or
right-hand side. The side is determined when facing forward in the seat.
A. Right-hand side
B. Left-hand side
Protecting the Environment
You must play your part in protecting the environment. Correct
vehicle usage and the authorized disposal of waste, cleaning
and lubrication materials are significant steps toward this aim.
A
B
Introduction9
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CHILD SEAT POSITIONING
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If
you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
vehicle seat upon which the child seat is installed all the way back.
When possible, all children age 12 and under should be properly
restrained in a rear seating position. If all children cannot be seated and
restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the
largest child in the front seat.
WARNING:Always carefully follow the instructions and
warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to
determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by your
vehicle manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or
utilized, is inappropriate for your child’s height, age or weight, or does
not properly fit the child, may increase the risk of serious injury or
death.
WARNING:Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while your vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a crash, which may result in serious injury or death.
WARNING:Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.
They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or
death in a crash.
WARNING:Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a crash or sudden
stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
Child Safety19
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•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat upon which the child seat will be installed in
the upright position.
•For second-row seating positions, the recliner may be adjusted slightly
to improve child seat fit. If needed, the head restraints may be
removed.
•For third-row seating positions, the head restraints may be stowed to
improve child seat fit. See theSeatschapter for information on folding
the head restraints.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. See Step 5 below.
This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
Perform the following steps when installing the child seat with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child seat illustrated is a forward-facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear-facing child seat.
Note:The lock-off device on some child restraints may not
accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt. Follow all
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint
regarding the necessary and proper use of the lock-off device. In some
instances these devices have been provided only for use in vehicles with
safety belt systems that would otherwise require a locking clip.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
Child Safety25
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•Inflatable safety belt: grasp the lap
portion of the inflatable safety belt
and pull upward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
Note:Unlike the standard safety belt, the inflatable safety belt’s unique
lap portion locks the child seat for installation. The ability for the
shoulder portion of the belt to move freely is normal, even after the lap
belt has been put into the automatic locking mode.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click as it
retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, for example, by pressing down or kneeling on the child restraint
while pulling up on the shoulder belt (for standard safety belt) or pulling
down on the lap belt (for inflatable safety belt) in order to force slack
from the belt. This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will
exist once the extra weight of the child is added to the child restraint. It
also helps to achieve the proper snugness of the child seat to your
vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean toward the buckle will provide extra
help to remove remaining slack from the belt.
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•The fully inflated belt’s increased diameter more
effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate
seating position, and spreads crash forces over more
area of the body than regular safety belts. This
helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps
control head and neck motion for passengers.
Stowing the Rear Inflatable Safety Belt
The rear inflatable safety belt has a snap retainer for stowing the safety
belt against the quarter trim panel when it is not in use. This will
prevent the safety belt tongue from rattling against the side of the seat
and keep it out of the way when folding or tumbling the second row
seats.
Press the retainer on the safety
belt onto the mating snap to stow.
To use the safety belt, pull it away
from the quarter trim panel.
Safety Belts47
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WARNING:Sitting improperly out of position or with the seat
back reclined too far can take off weight from the seat cushion
and affect the decision of the front passenger sensing system, resulting
in serious injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright against your seat back, with your feet on the floor.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of possible serious injury:
Do not stow objects in seat back map pocket or hang objects off
seat back if a child is in the front passenger seat.
Do not place objects underneath the front passenger seat or between
the seat and the center console.
Check the passenger airbag off or pass airbag off indicator lamp for
proper airbag status.
Failure to follow these instructions may interfere with the passenger
seat sensing system.
WARNING:Any alteration or modification to the front passenger
seat may affect the performance of the front passenger sensing
system which could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
This system works with sensors that are part of the front passenger’s
seat and safety belt to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant
and determine if the front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled
(may inflate) or not.
The front passenger sensing system
uses a passenger airbag status
indicator which will illuminate
indicating that the front passenger
frontal airbag is either ON (enabled)
or OFF (disabled). The indicator
lamp is located in the center stack of
the instrument panel.
Note:When the ignition is first turned on, the passenger airbag status
indicator OFF and ON lamps will illuminate for a short period of time to
confirm it is functional.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to disable (will not
inflate) the front passenger’s frontal airbag when the front passenger
seat is unoccupied, or a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing child
restraint, or a booster seat is detected. Even with this technology,
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Note:When the passenger airbag status indicator OFF lamp is
illuminated, the passenger side airbag (seat mounted) may be disabled to
avoid the risk of airbag deployment injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it’s
very important that they continue to sit properly. A properly seated
occupant sits upright, leaning against the seat back, and centered on the
seat cushion, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor. Sitting
improperly can increase the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns sideways, sits forward,
leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly increased.
If you think that the state of the passenger airbag status indicator lamp
is incorrect, check for the following:
•Objects lodged underneath the seat
•Objects between the seat cushion and the center console
•Objects hanging off the seat back
•Objects stowed in the seat back map pocket
•Objects placed on the occupant’s lap
•Cargo interference with the seat
•Other passengers pushing or pulling on the seat
•Rear passenger feet and knees resting or pushing on the seat
The conditions listed above may cause the weight of a properly seated
occupant to be incorrectly interpreted by the front passenger sensing
system. The person in the front passenger seat may appear heavier or
lighter due to the conditions described in the previous list.
Make sure the front passenger sensing system is operating
properly. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater in this
chapter.
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do the following:
The driver and adult passengers should check for objects lodged
underneath the front passenger seat, or cargo interfering with the seat.
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CRASH SENSORS AND AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING:Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
your vehicle (including frame, bumper, front end body structure
and tow hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of your
vehicle.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash and occupant sensors which
provide information to the restraints control module which deploys
(activates) the front safety belt pretensioners, rear inflatable safety belts,
driver airbag, passenger airbag, passenger knee airbag, seat mounted side
airbags, and the Safety Canopy. Based on the type of accident (frontal
impact, side impact or rollover) the restraints control module will deploy
the appropriate safety devices.
The restraints control module also monitors the readiness of the above
safety devices plus the crash and occupant sensors. The readiness of the
safety system is indicated by a warning indicator light in the instrument
cluster or by a backup tone if the warning light is not working. See the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness light will either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem or light is repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a crash.
The safety belt pretensioners, rear inflatable safety belts and the airbag
supplemental restraint system are designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains frontal or sideways deceleration sufficient to cause the restraints
control module to deploy a safety device or when a certain likelihood of
a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
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GENERAL INFORMATION ON RADIO FREQUENCIES
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules and with Industry
Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Note:Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment. The termICbefore the radio certification number only
signifies that Industry Canada technical specifications were met.
The typical operating range for your transmitter is approximately 33 feet
(10 meters). Vehicles with the remote start feature will have a greater
range. A decrease in operating range could be caused by:
•weather conditions
•nearby radio towers
•structures around your vehicle
•other vehicles parked next to your vehicle.
The radio frequency used by your remote control can also be used by
other short-distance radio transmissions, for example amateur radios,
medical equipment, wireless headphones, remote controls and alarm
systems. If the frequencies are jammed, you will not be able to use your
remote control. You can lock and unlock the doors with the key.
Note:Make sure your vehicle is locked before leaving it unattended.
Note:If you are in range, the remote control will operate if you press
any button unintentionally.
Intelligent Access (If Equipped)
The system uses a radio frequency signal to communicate with your
vehicle and authorize your vehicle to unlock when one of the following
conditions is met:
•You touch the inside of the front exterior door handle.
•You press the luggage compartment button.
•You press a button on the transmitter.
If excessive radio frequency interference is present in the area or if the
transmitter battery is low, it may be necessary to mechanically unlock
your door. You can use the mechanical key blade in your intelligent
access key to open the driver door in this situation. Refer toRemote
Controlin this chapter for more information on the location and use of
the mechanical key blade.
Keys and Remote Control63
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