2014 Ford Escape Owner Manual Printing 2 - Page 217

Maintenance Recycled Engine Coolant Ford Motor Company does not recommend the use of recycled engine coolant since a Ford-approved recycling process is not yet available. Used engine coolant should be disposed of in an appropriate manner. Follow your community's regulations and standards for recycling and disposing of automotive fluids. What You Should Know About FailSafe Cooling If the engine coolant supply is depleted, this feature allows the vehicle to be driven temporarily before incremental component damage is incurred. The "fail-safe" distance depends on ambient temperatures, vehicle load and terrain. How Fail-Safe Cooling Works If the engine begins to overheat, the engine coolant temperature gauge will move to the red (hot) area and: A high engine temperature message will appear in the information display. The service engine soon indicator will illuminate. If the engine reaches a preset over-temperature condition, the engine will automatically switch to alternating cylinder operation. Each disabled cylinder acts as an air pump and cools the engine. When this occurs the vehicle will still operate. However: • The engine power will be limited. • The air conditioning system will be disabled. Continued operation will increase the engine temperature and the engine will completely shut down, causing steering and braking effort to increase. Once the engine temperature cools, the engine can be re-started. Take your vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as possible to minimize engine damage. Severe Climates If you drive in extremely cold climates: • It may be necessary to have a Ford authorized dealer increase the coolant concentration above 50%. • A coolant concentration of 60% will provide improved freeze point protection. Engine coolant concentrations above 60% will decrease the overheat protection characteristics of the engine coolant and may cause engine damage If you drive in extremely hot climates: • It may be necessary to have a Ford authorized dealer decrease the coolant concentration to 40%. • A coolant concentration of 40% will provide improved overheat protection. Engine coolant concentrations below 40% will decrease the corrosion/freeze protection characteristics of the engine coolant and may cause engine damage. Vehicles driven year-round in non-extreme climates should use engine coolant for optimum cooling system and engine protection. 214 Escape/Kuga (TM2)