2004 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manual - Page 151

Driving 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. LIMITED-SLIP AXLE (IF EQUIPPED) This axle provides added traction on slippery surfaces, particularly when one wheel is on a poor traction surface. Under normal conditions, the limited slip axle functions like a standard rear axle. Extended use of other than the manufacturer's specified size tires on a limited slip rear axle could result in a permanent reduction in effectiveness. This loss of effectiveness does not affect normal driving and should not be noticeable to the driver. ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED) Your vehicle may be equipped with an All Wheel Drive (AWD) transfer case. With the AWD option, power is supplied to all four wheels automatically with no need to shift between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. If your vehicle is equipped with the AdvanceTrac stability enhancement feature, you can change AWD modes, if desired, by selecting AWD options through the message center. For the lubricant specification and refill capacity of the AWD transfer case refer to Maintenance and specifications chapter. If your vehicle is equipped with AWD, a spare tire of a different diameter than the road tires should never be used. Such a tire could make the vehicle difficult to control as well as result in damage to driveline components. Utility and four-wheel drive vehicles are not designed for cornering at speeds as high as passenger cars any more than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road conditions. Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers in these vehicles. The following sections, Normal operation, Autolock operation and Disabling AWD, apply only to vehicles which allow the driver to change AWD modes through the message center. 151 2004 Mountaineer (mnt) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)