2005 Ford Escape Owner Guide 3rd Printing (Spanish) - Page 488

Tires, Wheels and Loading If you are stowing a tire that requires reattaching it to the vehicle with a tether, perform these steps first, then proceed with the steps following. 1. Place tire on end with valve stem facing rearward, away from vehicle. 2. Place tether into bolt holes in wheel and attach lug nut using lug wrench. 3. Lay the tire on the ground with the valve stem facing down. If your vehicle is equipped with aluminum wheels, remove the wheel ornament. 4. Slide the wheel partially under the vehicle and install the retainer through the center of the wheel. 5. Turn the jack handle clockwise until the tire is raised to its original position underneath the vehicle. The effort to turn the jack handle increases significantly as the tire contacts the frame. The spare tire carrier will ratchet when the tire is in the fully stowed position. The spare tire carrier has a built-in ratchet feature that will not allow you to overtighten. If the spare tire carrier ratchets with very little effort, take the vehicle to your dealer for assistance at your earliest convenience. If your vehicle is equipped with a trailer hitch, guide the tire with one hand; keep the rear of the tire tilted down until the tire clears the bumper. 6. Check that the tire lies flat against the frame assembly. Push against the tire to make sure it is tightly seated under the vehicle. Loosen and retighten, if necessary. Failure to properly stow the spare tire may result in failure of the winch cable and loss of the spare tire. (Make sure that the tire does not contact the bumper.) 7. Repeat this tightness check procedure when servicing the spare tire pressure (every six months, per Scheduled Maintenance Guide), or at any time that the spare tire is disturbed through service of other components. WHEEL LUG NUT TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS Retighten the lug nuts to the specified torque at 500 miles (800 km) after any wheel disturbance (tire rotation, changing a flat tire, wheel removal, etc.). 162 2005 Escape (204) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA_English (fus)