Ford 2002 Explorer Sport Trac manual

Introduction 2 Notice T o 4X2 Utility V ehicle Owners 3 V ehicle Characteristics 4 Operation On The Road 6 Driving Off-Road 9 T railer T owing 12 Tires, Replacement Requirements 13 Maintenance and Modifications 15 Hauling Cargo and V ehicle Handling 16 All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, [...]

INTRODUCTION W elcome to Ford Motor Company’ s world of Sport Utility V ehicles (SUV) and truck driving! Y our new vehicle opens up a completely different and challenging world of travel unlike what you have ever experienced with a conventional car . Now , you’ll be able to travel places where roads don’t. Most importantly , you’ll be able [...]

NOTICE TO 4X2 UTILITY V EHICLE OWNERS Although this supplement is primarily directed to 4WD or A WD vehicle operators, these principles of safe driving also apply to operators of two-wheel drive utility vehicles. Even though you did not select a 4WD or A WD option for your vehicle, many of its operating characteristics are similar to those of 4WD o[...]

4WD AND A WD SYSTEMS Y our A WD or 4WD (when you select the 4WD mode) vehicle uses all four wheels to power itself. This increases traction, enabling you to drive over terrain and road conditions that a conventional two-wheel drive vehicle can not. Power is supplied to all four wheels through a transfer case or power transfer unit. 4WD vehicles all[...]

How your vehicle differs from other vehicles SUV and truck vehicles can differ from some other vehicles in a few noticeable ways. Y our 4WD or A WD may be: • Higher — to allow it to travel over rough terrain without getting hung up or damaging underbody components, and to accommodate 4WD components. • Shorter — to give it the capability to [...]

OPERATION ON THE ROAD Basic operating principles • Drive slower in strong crosswinds which can affect the normal steering characteristics of your vehicle. • Be extremely careful when driving on pavement made slippery by loose sand, water , gravel, snow or ice. • Do not use 4WD on dry , hard surfaced roads (except models equipped with Auto 4WD[...]

Emergency maneuvers • In an unavoidable emergency situation where a sudden sharp turn must be made, remember to avoid “over -driving” your vehicle, i.e., turn the steering wheel only as rapidly and as far as required to avoid the emergency . A void abrupt steering, acceleration or braking which could result in an increased risk of loss of veh[...]

Parking Before leaving the driver’ s seat, you should make sure that the gearshift is engaged in P (Park) with an automatic transmission or either 1 (First) or R (Reverse) with a manual transmission. Set the parking brake fully , shut off the ignition and remove the key . Some 4WD vehicles include a Neutral mode. When the transfer case is in the [...]

DRIVING OFF-ROAD When using 4WD or A WD, maintain steering wheel control at all times, especially in rough terrain. Since sudden changes in terrain can result in abrupt steering wheel motion, make sure you grip the steering wheel from the outside. Do not grip the spokes. Drive cautiously to avoid vehicle damage from concealed objects such as rocks [...]

“T read Lightly” is an educational program designed to increase public awareness of land-use regulations and responsibilities in our nations wilderness areas. Ford joins the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in encouraging you to help preserve our national forest and other public and private lands by “treading lightly .”[...]

When climbing a steep slope or hill, start in a lower gear rather than downshifting to a lower gear from a higher gear once the ascent has started. This reduces strain on the engine and the possibility of stalling. If you do stall out, do not try to turn around because you might roll over . It is better to back down to a safe location. Apply just e[...]

T RAILER T OWING Y our vehicle may be equipped for towing trailers (or may require a trailer tow package). The combined total weight of the vehicle and trailer must be less than or equal to the recommended Gross Combination W eight Rating (GCWR) and be properly balanced. Refer to “RV & T railer T owing Guide,” the “Owner’ s Guide” or [...]

TIRES, REPLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS Y our vehicle is equipped with tires designed to provide for safe ride and handling capability . Do not use a size and type of tire and wheel other than that originally provided by Ford because it can affect the safety and performance of your vehicle, which could lead to loss of vehicle control or rollover and seriou[...]

Each day before you drive, check your tires. If one looks lower than the others, use a tire gauge to check pressure of all tires, and adjust if required. Check tire pressure with a tire gauge every few weeks (including spare). Safe operation requires tires that are neither underinflated nor a vehicle which is overloaded. Periodically inspect the ti[...]

MAINTENANCE AND MODIFICATIONS The suspension and steering systems on your vehicle have been designed and tested to provide both reasonably safe, predictable performance whether loaded or empty and durable load carrying capability . For this reason, Ford strongly recommends that you do not make modifications such as adding or removing parts (such as[...]

HAULING CARGO AND V EHICLE HANDLING When using your vehicle to haul cargo, make sure it is properly loaded to help ensure safe handling. Cargo should be evenly distributed over the floor of the cargo area, with the heaviest cargo on the bottom and ahead of the rear axle. If you must haul cargo on the roof of the vehicle, use extra caution when driv[...]