2014 Ford Escape Owner Manual Printing 2 - Page 183

Towing Before Towing a Trailer Practice turning, stopping and backing up to get the feel of your vehicle-trailer combination before starting on a trip. When turning, make wider turns so the trailer wheels clear curbs and other obstacles. • Allow more distance for stopping with a trailer attached. Anticipate stops and brake gradually. Avoid parking on a grade. However, if you must park on a grade: • Turn the steering wheel to point your vehicle tires away from traffic flow. • Set your vehicle parking brake. • Place the automatic transmission in position P. • Place wheel chocks in front and back of the trailer wheels. (Chocks not included with vehicle.) • When Towing a Trailer • Do not drive faster than 70 mph (113 km/h) during the first 500 miles (800 kilometers). Do not make full-throttle starts. Check your hitch, electrical connections and trailer wheel lug nuts thoroughly after you have traveled 50 miles (80 kilometers). When stopped in congested or heavy traffic during hot weather, place the gearshift in position P to aid engine and transmission cooling and to help A/C performance. Turn off the speed control with heavy loads or in hilly terrain. The speed control may turn off automatically when you are towing on long, steep grades. Shift to a lower gear when driving down a long or steep hill. Do not apply the brakes continuously, as they may overheat and become less effective. If your transmission is equipped with a Grade Assist or Tow/Haul feature, use this feature when towing. This provides engine braking and helps eliminate excessive transmission shifting for optimum fuel economy and transmission cooling. • • Launching or Retrieving a Boat or Personal Watercraft (PWC) Note: Disconnect the wiring to the trailer before backing the trailer into the water. Note: Reconnect the wiring to the trailer after the trailer is removed from the water. When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval: • Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of the rear bumper. • Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the bottom edge of the rear bumper. Exceeding these limits may allow water to enter vehicle components: • Causing internal damage to the components. • Affecting driveability, emissions, and reliability. Replace the rear axle lubricant anytime the rear axle has been submerged in water. Water may have contaminated the rear axle lubricant, which is not normally checked or changed unless a leak is suspected or other axle repair is required. • • • • 180 Escape/Kuga (TM2)