wheel alignment FORD FREESTYLE 2009 Owners Manual

Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.
The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
scheduled maintenance informationthat comes with your vehicle) will
help your tires wear more evenly, providing better tire performance and
longer tire life.
•Front Wheel Drive (FWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
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•Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
vehicles/Four Wheel Drive
(4WD)/All Wheel Drive (AWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
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Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inscheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
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Steering wheel
controls ....................................110
tilting .........................................98
SYNC
..........................................73
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................98
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Roadside Emergencies ...........285
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....237
Tires ...........................221–222, 285
alignment ................................230
care ..........................................225
changing ..................285, 288–289
checking the pressure ............225
inflating ...................................223
label .........................................236
replacing ..................................227
rotating ....................................230
safety practices .......................229
sidewall information ...............231
snow tires and chains ............241
spare tire .................................286
terminology .............................222
tire grades ...............................222
treadwear ........................221, 226
Towing .......................................248
recreational towing .................251
trailer towing ..........................248
wrecker ....................................298Transaxle
fluid, refill capacities ..............346
lubricant specifications ..........346
Transmission .............................264
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....264
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................342
Turn signal ..................................91
U
USB port ......................................38
V
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................349
Vehicle loading ..........................242
Ventilating your vehicle ...........255
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......12
Washer fluid ..............................317
Water, Driving through .............275
Windows
power .......................................103
rear wiper/washer .....................98
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ..........................................97
checking and adding fluid .....317
replacing wiper blades ...........318
Wrecker towing .........................298
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Index
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