wheel alignment Mercury Milan 2009 Owner's Manuals

•Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking
WARNING:If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,do
notrapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire and
cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three to five
seconds.
WARNING:Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.
Highway hazards
No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
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.
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Tires, Wheels and Loading
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•Front Wheel Drive (FWD)/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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Tires, Wheels and Loading
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•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 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).
•Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example; bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
•Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top
cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
EPA fuel economy estimates
Every new vehicle should have a window sticker containing EPA fuel
economy estimates. Contact your authorized dealer if the window sticker
is not supplied with your vehicle. The EPA fuel economy estimates
should be your guide for the fuel economy comparisons with other
vehicles. Your fuel economy may vary depending upon the method of
operation and conditions.
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with various emission control components and a
catalytic converter which will enable your vehicle to comply with
applicable exhaust emission standards. To make sure that the catalytic
converter and other emission control components continue to work
properly:
•Use only the specified fuel listed.
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Maintenance and Specifications
291

Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................304
Speed control ..............................77
Starting your
vehicle ........................199–200, 202
jump starting ..........................242
Steering
speed sensitive .......................212
Steering wheel
controls ......................................80
tilting .........................................71
SYNC
..........................................45
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................71
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....188
Tires ...........................173–174, 236
alignment ................................181
care ..........................................177
changing ..................................236
checking the pressure ............177
inflating ...................................175
label .........................................187
replacing ..................................179
rotating ....................................181
safety practices .......................180
sidewall information ...............182
snow tires and chains ............192
spare tire .................................236
terminology .............................174
tire grades ...............................174
treadwear ........................173, 178
Towing .......................................197
recreational towing .................197
trailer towing ..........................197
wrecker ....................................248Traction control ........................210
Transaxle
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................296
Transmission .............................212
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....212
fluid, checking and adding
(manual) .................................300
fluid, refill capacities ..............304
lubricant specifications ..........304
manual operation ....................217
Trunk .........................................104
remote release ..................96, 107
Turn signal ..................................58
U
USB port ......................................39
V
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................308
Vehicle loading ..........................192
Ventilating your vehicle ...........202
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......12
Washer fluid ..............................269
Water, Driving through .............226
Windows
power .........................................74
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ..........................................70
checking and adding fluid .....269
replacing wiper blades ...........270
Wrecker towing .........................248
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Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA(fus)
Index
317