towing Mercury Mountaineer 2004 s Owner's Guide

GETTING THE SERVICES YOU NEED
At home
You must take your Lincoln or Mercury vehicle to an authorized Lincoln
Mercury dealer for warranty repairs. While any Ford, Lincoln or Mercury
dealership handling your vehicle line will provide warranty service, we
recommend you return to your selling dealer who wants to ensure your
continued satisfaction. Please note that certain warranty repairs require
special training and/or equipment, so not all dealers are authorized to
perform all warranty repairs. This means that, depending on the
warranty repair needed, you may have to take your vehicle to another
dealer. A reasonable time must be allowed to perform a repair after
taking your vehicle to the dealership. Repairs will be made using Ford or
Motorcraft parts, or remanufactured or other parts that are authorized by
Ford.
If you have questions or concerns, or are unsatisfied with the service you
are receiving, follow these steps:
1. Contact your Sales Representative or Service Advisor at your
selling/servicing dealership.
2. If your inquiry or concern remains unresolved, contact the Sales
Manager, Service Manager or Customer Relations Manager.
3. If you require assistance or clarification on Ford Motor Company
policies or procedures, please contact the Ford Customer Relationship
Center at the number below.
FORD EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN
You can get more protection for your new car or light truck by
purchasing Ford Extended Service Plan (Ford ESP) coverage. It provides
the following:
•Benefits during the warranty period depending on the plan you
purchase (such as: reimbursement for rentals; coverage for certain
maintenance and wear items).
•Protection against covered repair costs after your Bumper-to-Bumper
Warranty expires.
You may purchase Ford ESP from any participating Ford and Lincoln
Mercury and Ford of Canada dealer. There are several plans available in
various time, distance and deductible combinations which can be tailored
to fit your own driving needs. Ford ESP also offers reimbursement
benefits for towing and rental coverage.
REVIEW COPY:
2004 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA English(fus)
Customer Assistance
Customer Assistance
201

•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between third and fourth gear 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 toLubricant specificationsin
this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in your vehicle scheduled maintenance guide.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
0.4 km/L [1 mpg] is lost for every 180 kg [400 lb] 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.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
12–16 km (8–10 miles) 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.
•Four-wheel-drive operation (if equipped) is less fuel efficient than
two-wheel-drive operation.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
Flex fuel (E-85) cruising range
Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, you will
experience an increase in fuel consumption. You can expect your Miles
REVIEW COPY:
2004 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA English(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
240

Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Driving .....................................156
Maintenance and
Specifications ..........................259
Roadside Emergencies ...........186
Warning Displays ................15, 69
Tires ...........................186, 246–248
alignment ................................255
care ..........................................253
changing ..................186, 191, 194
checking the pressure ............253
label .........................................253
replacing ..........................191, 258
rotating ....................................255
safety practices .......................258
sidewall information ...............248
snow tires and chains ............261
spare tire .................186, 188, 190
terminology .............................248
tire grades ...............................247
treadwear ........................247, 257
Towing .......................................167
recreational towing .................172
trailer towing ..........................167
wrecker ....................................200
Transfer case
fluid checking .........................245
Transmission .............................145
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....145fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................245
fluid, refill capacities ..............263
lubricant specifications ..265, 267
Trunk ...........................................82
Turn signal ..................................36
V
Vehicle dimensions ...................267
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................269
Vehicle loading ..........................161
Ventilating your vehicle ...........138
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......10
Washer fluid ..............................219
Water, Driving through .............161
Windows
power .........................................48
rear wiper/washer .....................44
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ..........................................43
checking and adding fluid .....219
liftgate reservoir .....................219
replacing wiper blades .............44
Wrecker towing .........................200
REVIEW COPY:
2004 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA English(fus)
Index
279