2005 Ford Five Hundred Owner's Manual - Page 178
2005 Ford Five Hundred Manual
Page 178 highlights
Driving The RSS automatically turns on when the gear selector is placed in R (Reverse) and the ignition is ON. An RSS control on the instrument panel allows the driver to turn the RSS on and off. To turn the RSS off, the ignition must be ON, and the gear selector in R (Reverse). An indicator light on the control will illuminate when the system is turned off. If the indicator light illuminates when the RSS is not turned off, it may indicate a failure in the RSS. Keep the RSS sensors (located on the rear bumper/fascia) free from snow, ice and large accumulations of dirt (do not clean the sensors with sharp objects). If the sensors are covered, it will affect the accuracy of the RSS. If your vehicle sustains damage to the rear bumper/fascia, leaving it misaligned or bent, the sensing zone may be altered causing inaccurate measurement of obstacles or false alarms. ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED) Your vehicle may be equipped with a full-time All Wheel Drive (AWD) system. With the AWD option, power will be delivered to the front wheels and distributed to the rear wheels as needed. The AWD system is active all the time and requires no input from the operator. All components of the AWD system are sealed for life and require no maintenance. If your vehicle is equipped with AWD, a spare tire of a different size other than the tire provided should never be used. A dissimilar spare tire size (other than the spare tire provided) or major dissimilar tire sizes between the front and rear axles could cause the AWD system to stop functioning and default to front wheel drive. Note: Your AWD vehicle is not intended for off-road use. The AWD feature gives your vehicle some limited off-road capabilities in which driving surfaces are relatively level, obstruction-free and otherwise similar to normal on-road driving conditions. Operating your vehicle under other than those conditions could subject the vehicle to excessive stress which might result in damage which is not covered under your warranty. Driving off-highway with AWD vehicles AWD vehicles are specially equipped for driving on sand, snow, mud and rough roads and have operating characteristics that are somewhat different from conventional vehicles, both on and off the highway. 178 2005 Five Hundred (500) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)