ESP Mercury Mercury Cougar 2002 Owner's Manual

Protecting the environment
We must all play our part in
protecting the environment. Correct
vehicle usage and the authorized
disposal of waste cleaning and
lubrication materials are significant
steps towards this aim. Information in this respect is highlighted in this
guide with the tree symbol.
BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
There are no particular guidelines for breaking-in your vehicle. During
the first 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of driving, vary speeds frequently. This is
recommended to give the moving parts a chance to break in.
SPECIAL NOTICES
Emission warranty
The New Vehicle Limited Warranty includes Bumper-to-Bumper
Coverage, Safety Restraint Coverage, Corrosion Coverage, and 7.3L
Power Stroke Diesel Engine Coverage. In addition, your vehicle is eligible
for Emissions Defect and Emissions Performance Warranties. For a
detailed description of what is covered and what is not covered, refer to
theWarranty Guidethat is provided to you along with your Owner's
Guide.
Introduction
6

WARNING LIGHTS AND CHIMES
Warning lights and gauges can alert you to a vehicle condition that may
become serious enough to cause expensive repairs. A warning light may
illuminate when a problem exists with one of your vehicle's functions.
Many lights will illuminate when you start your vehicle to make sure the
bulb works.If any light remains on after starting the vehicle, have
the respective system inspected immediately.
Check engine
Illuminates briefly to ensure the
system is functional. If it comes on
after the engine is started, one of
the engine's emission control
systems may be malfunctioning. The light may illuminate without a
driveability concern being noted and will not require towing.
Light turns on solid:
Temporary malfunctions may cause your light to illuminate. Examples
are:
²The vehicle has run out of fuel.
²Poor fuel quality or water in the fuel.
²The fuel cap may not have been properly installed and securely
tightened.
These temporary malfunctions can be corrected by filling the fuel tank
with high quality fuel of the recommended octane and/or properly
installing and securely tightening the fuel cap. After three driving cycles
without these or any other temporary malfunctions present, the light
should turn off. (A driving cycle consists of a cold engine startup
followed by mixed city/highway driving.) No additional vehicle service is
required.
Instrument Cluster
10

the control you selected. The display will read SAVED.
Autostore
Autostore allows you to set the strongest local radio stations without
losing your original manually set preset stations. This feature is helpful
on trips when you travel between cities with different radio stations.
Starting autostore
1. Press and momentarily hold the AM/FM control.
2. AUTOSET will flash in the display
as the frequency band is scrolled
through.
3. When the six strongest stations are filled, the station stored in
memory preset control 1 will start playing.
If there are fewer than six strong stations available on the frequency
band, the remaining memory preset controls will all store the last strong
station available.
To deactivate autoset and return to your audio system's manually set
memory stations, press the AM/FM control again.
CD select
CD mode may be entered by
pressing the CD control and the
LOAD control. Load the CD into the
audio system. The first track of the
disc will begin playing. After that, CD play will begin where it stopped
last.
If an alternative CD is desired, press the corresponding preset control
(1±6) of a loaded CD, or press the TUNE control to access the other
loaded CDs.
NO CD will display if the CD control is activated when there is not a CD
present in the audio system.
If the CD control is pressed followed by with a preset number and that
particular slot is empty, NO CD will display and the system will begin to
play the next available disc.
CD AM
FM
CD AM
FM
Entertainment Systems
37

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
The remote entry system allows you to lock or unlock all vehicle doors
and luggage compartment without a key.
The remote entry features only operate with the ignition in the OFF
position.
If there is any potential remote keyless entry problem with your vehicle,
ensureALL remote entry transmittersare brought to the dealership,
to aid in troubleshooting.
Locking the doors
Press this control to lock all doors.
The lamps will flash to confirm all
doors are locked.
If any of the doors, hood and liftgate
are ajar, the lamps will not flash.
Unlocking the doors
Press this control to unlock the
driver's door. The interior lamps will
illuminate.
Press the control a second time
within three seconds to unlock all
doors.
Locks and Security
72

To adjust the power seat, move the
control located on the left front
corner of the seat. Move the control
in the respective direction to adjust
the seat, seat back and lumbar as
follows:
1. Move the seat forward and
backward
2. Adjust the height of the entire
seat
3. Incline or recline the seatback
4. Adjust the lumbar support
FOLDING REAR SEATS
To avoid injury to rear seat occupants when closing the liftgate,
ensure that the head of any rear seat occupant is not in the path
of the closing liftgate. Request that the occupants, especially taller
occupants, lean forward and under the roof structure to avoid making
contact with the closing liftgate. Close the liftgate carefully.
Pull the release knob located in the
luggage compartment. Fold down
the seat.
Seating and Safety Restraints
82

Each seating position in
your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly which is
made up of one buckle and one
tongue that are designed to be
used as a pair.
1. Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear
the shoulder belt under the arm.
2. Never swing the safety belt
around your neck over the inside
shoulder.
3. Never use a single belt for more
than one person.
Energy management feature
²This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management
feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
²This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay
out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant's chest.
Vehicle sensitive mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will
lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Seating and Safety Restraints
85

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag SRS, its
fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an air bag. See your
Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle should always wear their safety belts
even when an air bag SRS is provided.
How does the side air bag system work?
The side air bag system consists of
the following:
²An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator concealed
behind the outboard bolster of
the driver and front passenger
seatbacks.
²A special seat cover designed to
allow air bag deployment.
²The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic
unit as used for the front air
bags.
²Two crash sensors located under
the outboard side of the front
seats, attached to the floor.
Side air bags, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce the risk of
severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision.
The side air bags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the air bag on the side affected
by the collision will be inflated, even if the respective seat is not
occupied. The air bag was designed to inflate between the door panel
and occupant to further enhance the protection provided occupants in
side impact collisions.
The air bag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates air bag inflation.
Seating and Safety Restraints
100

Important child restraint precautions
You are required by law to use safety restraints for children in the U.S.
and Canada. If small children ride in your vehicle (generally children who
are four years old or younger and who weigh 18 kg [40 lbs] or less), you
must put them in safety seats made especially for children. Check your
local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the
safety of children in your vehicle.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from
injury in a collision.
Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.
When possible, always place children under age 12 in the rear
seat of your vehicle.Accident statistics suggest that children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat.
Children who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your
child safety seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag precautions that
apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child's face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 pounds and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder belt
will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use
of a belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better
and more comfortably for growing children.
Seating and Safety Restraints
103

If starting a vehicle with a manual
transaxle:
²Push the clutch pedal to the
floor, put the gearshift in neutral.
4. Turn the key to 3 (ON) without
turning the key to 4 (START).
If there is difficulty in turning the
key, firmly rotate the steering wheel
left and right until the key turns
freely. This condition may occur
when:
²front wheels are turned
²front wheel is against the curb
²steering wheel is turned when
getting in or out of the vehicle
Make sure the corresponding lights illuminate or illuminate briefly. If a
light fails to illuminate, have the vehicle serviced.
Driving
114

²If the driver's safety belt is fastened, thelight may not illuminate.
Starting the engine
Note:Whenever you start your vehicle, release the key as soon as the
engine starts. Excessive cranking could damage the starter.
1. Turn the key to 4 (START)
without pressing the accelerator
pedal and release as soon as the
engine starts. The key will return to
3 (ON).
2. If the temperature is above ±12É
C (10É F) and the engine does not
start within five seconds on the first
try, turn the key to OFF, wait 10
seconds and try again.
3. If the temperature is below -12É C (10É F) and the engine does not
start in 15 seconds on the first try, turn the key OFF and wait 10
seconds and try again. If the engine does not start in two attempts, Press
the accelerator pedal all the way to floor and hold. Turn the key to
START position.
4. When the engine starts, release the key, then release the accelerator
pedal gradually as the engine speeds up.
5. After idling for a few seconds, apply the brake, shift into gear and
drive.
Using the engine block heater (if equipped)
An engine block heater warms the engine coolant, which improves
starting, warms up the engine faster and allows the heater-defroster
system to respond quickly. Use of an engine block heater is strongly
recommended if you live in a region where temperatures reach -23É C
(-10É F) or below.
For best results, plug the heater in at least three hours before starting
the vehicle. Using the heater for longer than three hours will not harm
the engine, so the heater can be plugged in the night before starting the
vehicle.
To prevent electrical shock, do not use your heater with
ungrounded electrical systems or two-pronged (cheater)
adapters.
Driving
115