Driving
Maintainsteeringwheelcontrolatalltimes,especiallyinroughterrain.
Sincesuddenchangesinterraincanresultinabruptsteeringwheel
motion,makesureyougripthesteeringwheelfromtheoutside.Donot
gripthespokes.
Drivecautiouslytoavoidvehicledamagefromconcealedobjectssuchas
rocksandstumps.
Youshouldeitherknowtheterrainorexaminemapsoftheareabefore
driving.Mapoutyourroutebeforedrivinginthearea.Tomaintain
steeringandbrakingcontrolofyourvehicle,youmusthaveallfour
wheelsonthegroundandtheymustberolling,notslidingorspinning.
Basicoperatingprinciples
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Driveslowerinstrongcrosswindswhichcanaffectthenormalsteering
characteristicsofyourvehicle.
Beextremelycarefulwhendrivingonpavementmadeslipperyby
loosesand,water,gravel,snoworice.
Ifyourvehiclegoesofftheedgeofthepavement
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Ifyourvehiclegoesofftheedgeofthepavement,slowdown,but
avoidseverebrakeapplication,easethevehiclebackontothe
pavementonlyafterreducingyourspeed.Donotturnthesteering
wheeltoosharplywhilereturningtotheroadsurface.
Itmaybesafertostayontheapronorshoulderoftheroadandslow
downgraduallybeforereturningtothepavement.Youmayloose
controlifyoudonotslowdownorifyouturnthesteeringwheeltoo
sharplyorabruptly.
Itoftenmaybelessriskytostrikesmallobjects,suchashighway
reflectors,withminordamagetoyourvehicleratherthanattempta
suddenreturntothepavementwhichcouldcausethevehicletoslide
sidewaysoutofcontrolorrollover.Remember,yoursafetyandthe
safetyofothersshouldbeyourprimaryconcern.
Vehicleswithahighercenterofgravitysuchasutilityand
four-wheeldrivevehicleshandledifferentlythanvehicleswitha
lowercenterofgravity.Utilityandfour-wheeldrivevehiclesarenot
designedforcorneringatspeedsashighaspassengercarsanymore
thanlow-slungsportscarsaredesignedtoperformsatisfactorilyunder
off-roadconditions.Avoidsharpturns,excessivespeedandabrupt
maneuversinthesevehicles.Failuretodrivecautiouslycouldresultin
anincreasedriskoflossofvehiclecontrol,vehiclerollover,personal
injuryanddeath.
133
2004
Escape(204)
OwnersGuide(post-2002-fmt)
USAEnglish(fus)
Product Specification
Categories | Ford Escape Manuals, Ford Manuals |
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Model Year | 2004 |
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Document File Type | |
Copyright | Attribution Non-commercial |