ESP LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 1996 Customer Assistance Guide

Introductory InformationFord's Commitment to You
At Ford Motor Company, excellence is the
continuous commitment to achieve the best result
possible. It is dedication to learning what you want,
determination to develop the right concept, and
execution of that concept with care, precision, and
attention to detail. In short, excellence means being
the standard by which others are judged.
Our Guiding Principles Quality comes first. For your satisfaction, the
quality of our products and services must be our
number one priority. You are the focus of everything we do. Our
work must be done with you in mind, providing
better products and services than our
competition. Continuous improvement is essential to our
success. We must strive for excellence in
everything we do: in our products - in their safety
and value - and in our services, our human relations,
our competitiveness, and our profitability. Employee involvement is our way of life. We are
a team. We must treat one another with trust and
respect. Dealers and suppliers are our partners. We must
maintain mutually beneficial relationships with
dealers, suppliers, and our other business
associates. Integrity is never compromised. Our conduct
worldwide must be pursued in a manner that is
socially responsible and commands respect for its
integrity and for its positive contributions to
society

1

Things to Know About Using
This Guide
Congratulations on the purchase of your new
vehicle. This guide has information about the
equipment and the options for your new vehicle.
You may not have bought all of the options
available to you. If you do not know which
information applies to your vehicle, talk to your
dealer.
This guide describes equipment and gives
specifications for equipment that was in effect when
this guide was approved for printing. Ford may
discontinue models or change specifications or
design without any notice and without incurring
obligation.
2NOTES and WARNINGS
NOTES give you additional information about the subject
matter you are referencing.
WARNINGS remind you to be especially careful in those
areas where carelessness can cause damage to your vehicle or
personal injury to yourself, your passengers or other people.
Please read all WARNINGS carefully./! WARNINGFinding Information in This Guide
After you have read this guide once, you will probably return
to it when you have a specific question or need additional
information. To help you find specific information quickly,
you can use the Quick Index or the Index.

Lincoln Customer Assistance Center
If you have questions regarding your Lincoln or the
Lincoln Commitment, call our Customer Assistance
Center:
United States 1-800-521-4140
Canada 1-800-387-9333
You may call the Customer Assistance Center,
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in all time
zones.
Owner Identification Card
Personalized with your name and vehicle
identification number as well as the hotline number
to call for customer service or roadside assistance
service.Your Maintenance Schedule and
Record Booklet
The Maintenance Schedule and Record booklet lists
the services that are most important for keeping
your vehicle in good condition. A record log is also
provided to help you keep track of all services
performed.
About the Warranties
Your vehicle is covered by three types of warranties:
Basic Vehicle Warranty, Extended Warranties
on certain parts, and Emissions Warranties.
Read your Warranty Information Booklet carefully to
find out about your vehicle's warranties and your
basic rights and responsibilities.
If you lose your Warranty Information Booklet, you
can get a new one free of charge. Contact any Ford
or Lincoln-Mercury dealer, or refer to the addresses
and phone numbers on the first page of this owner
guide.
5

Use only the type of engine oil that Ford
recommends. See Engine oil recommendations
in the Index. Do not use special "break-in" oils.
Cleaning the Outside of Your
Vehicle
Washing and Polishing Your Vehicle
Wash the outside of your vehicle, including the
underside, with a mild detergent.
DO NOT: Wash your vehicle with hot water Wash your vehicle while it sits in direct
sunlight Wash your vehicle while the body is hot
Pollen, bird droppings a . nd tree sap can damage
the paint, especially in hot weather. Wash your
vehicle as often as necessary to keep it clean.Take similar precautions if your vehicle is
exposed to chemical industrial fallout.
Paint damage resulting from fallout is not related
to a defect in paint materials or workmanship and
therefore is not covered by warranty. Ford,
however, believes that continual improvement in
customer satisfaction is a high priority. For this
reason, Ford has authorized its dealers to repair,
at no charge to the owner, the surfaces of new
vehicles damaged by environmental fallout within
12 months or 12,000 miles (20,000 km) of
purchase, whichever comes first. Customers may
be required to bring their vehicle in for inspection
by a Ford representative.
Polish your vehicle to remove harmful deposits
and protect the finish.
7

The Importance of Being Properly
Seated
In a collision, the air bag must inflate extremely
fast to help provide additional protection for
you. In order to do this, the air bag must inflate
with considerable force. If you are not seated in
a normal riding position with your back against
the seatback, the air bag may not protect you
properly and could possibly hurt you as it
inflates./!\ WARNINGIf a passenger is not properly seated andrestrained, an inflating air bag couldcause serious injury.In rear-facing infant seats, the infant's head is closer
to the air bag. The force of the rapidly inflating air
bag could push the top of the rear-facing seat
against the vehicle seatback or center armrests (if so
equipped), or center console (if so equipped).
Children weighing less than 40 lbs. (18 kg.) should
use child or infant seats. Forward facing child seats
must have the passenger seat moved as far back
from the instrument panel as possible.
Your vehicle is equipped with a right front
passenger air bag. Front passengers, especially
children and small adults, should never sit on the
edge of the seat, stand near the glove compartment
of the instrument panel, or lean over with their
faces near the glove compartment when the vehicle
is moving. All occupants should sit with their backs
against the seatback and use the safety belts.
19

/!\ WARNINGREAR-FACING INFANT SEATSSHOULD NEVER BE USED IN THEFRONT SEAT. REAR-FACINGINFANT SEATS MUST ALWAYS BEPLACED IN THE REAR SEAT. Failureto follow these instructions could result inserious injury./!\ WARNINGDo not place objects or mount equipmenton or near the air bag cover on thesteering wheel or in front seat areas thatmay come in contact with a deploying airbag. Failure to follow this instructionmay increase the risk of personal injury inthe event of a collision.20For further information about the proper mounting
of equipment in the front seat of this vehicle, please
refer to Ford's brochure entitled Some Important
Information About Air Bag Supplemental Restraint
System which can be obtained by calling Helm Inc.
at 1-800-782-4356. Ask for brochure FPS-8602.
For additional important safety information on the
proper use of seat belts, child seats, and infant seats,
please read the other sections of this part of the
Owner Guide, especially sections entitled Safety
Belts for Children and Safety Seats for Children.
How the Air Bag Supplemental Restraint
System Operates
The Air Bag Supplemental Restraint System
consists of the Driver and Passenger air bags,
impact sensors, a system diagnostic module, a
readiness light and tone, and the electrical wiring
which connects the components.

A computer system controls the engine's idle speed.
When you start your vehicle, the engine's idle speed
normally runs higher than when it is warmed up. These
faster engine speeds will make your vehicle move
slightly faster than its normal idle speed. It should,
however, slow down after a short time. If it does not,
have the idle speed checked.
If the engine idle speed does not slow down
automatically, do not allow your vehicle to idle for more
than 10 minutes. Have the vehicle checked./! WARNINGExtended idling at high engine speeds can producevery high temperatures in the engine and exhaustsystem, creating the risk of fire or other damage.46/! WARNINGDo not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in drygrass or other dry ground cover. Theemission system heats up the enginecompartment and exhaust system, which canstart a fire.Engine Block Heater (If equipped)
Engine block heaters are strongly recommended if
you live in a region where temperatures reach -10° °F
(-23° °C) or below. An engine block heater warms
the engine coolant, which improves starting, warms
up the engine faster, and allows the heater-defrost
system to respond quickly.
To turn the heater on, simply plug it into a
grounded 110-volt outlet. Ford recommends that
you use a 110-volt circuit that is protected by a
ground fault circuit interrupter.

If the FUEL LEVEL ERROR message is
displayed this means that there is a problem
with the fuel indication system and you should
contact your dealer for service as soon as
possible.
RESET
A press of the RESET button will allow you to
reset the current feature displayed. Warnings,
Average Fuel Economy, and Trip odometers
are the only features which respond to the
RESET button. Distance to Empty (DTE),
RIDE/STEER and MENU are unaffected by
pressing the RESET switch.
DISPLAY
Pressing this button will cause the message
center display to turn off. Pressing it again will
cause the display to come on again. Warnings
override an off display and must be reset in
order for the display to be off again.
64RIDE/STEER
Pressing this button once will allow you to
adjust your RIDE CONTROL settings, between
NORMAL, PLUSH and FIRM. The settings are
changed by pressing the SELECT button while
RIDE CONTROL is displayed.
Pressing the RIDE/STEER button a second time
will allow you to adjust the STEERING
EFFORT settings between NORMAL, LOW,
and HIGH. The settings are changed by
pressing the SELECT button while STEERING
EFFORT is displayed.
NOTE: The combination of FIRM RIDE
CONTROL and LOW STEERING EFFORT is
undesirable and cannot be selected.
MENU
Pressing this button will allow You to change
various convenience settings throughout the
vehicle. The settings for each feature are
changed by pressing the SELECT button-

Steering Column ControlsThe controls on the steering column and wheel
are designed to give you easy access to the
controls while you are driving.
The Turn Signal Lever
You can use the turn signal lever on the left side
of the steering column to: operate the turn signals and cornering lamps turn the high beams on/off flash the lights turn the windshield wipers and washer on/offThe turn signal lever
Turn Signals
Move the lever up to signal a right turn. Move it
down to signal a left turn. The corresponding
indicator light in the instrument cluster will flash.
89

The speed control switches on the steering
wheel
To set the speed control:
1.Press and release the ON switch.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed above 30 mph
(50 km/h) using the accelerator pedal.
963. Press the SET ACCEL switch and release it
immediately to set your speed. If you keep this
switch pressed, your speed will continue to
increase.
4.Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle will maintain the speed you set.
If you drive up or down a steep hill, your vehicle
may momentarily slow down or speed up, even
though the speed control is on. This is normal.
When driving uphill, especially with a heavy load,
significant speed drops may occur. If the speed
drops more than 8-14 mph (13-23 km/h) the
automatic speed control will, by design, be
cancelled. If this happens, your vehicle may
require manual operation to maintain your desired
speed.