1996 Ford Contour Owner's Manual - Page 150
1996 Ford Contour Manual
Page 150 highlights
6 Driving Your Contour hazardous driving situations, especially when driving on hazardous road surfaces. Even with your anti-lock brake system, you may not have total control of your vehicle when braking on roads with loose surfaces such as snow or gravel, holes in the pavement, or alternating patches of slippery and dry surfaces. If the brake pedal is applied while the vehicle is driven over uneven road surfaces, the ABS may cycle and the driver may sense a pulsation in the brake pedal, accompanied by a slight up and down movement of the pedal height and a clicking sound. This may also happen when driving on an inclined surface such as a driveway while making a sharp turn. This is a normal condition. Your vehicle may have an Anti-lock Brake System feature. If it does, check the Anti-lock Brake System light each time you start the engine. If it stays on longer than three (3) seconds, shut off the engine and restart. If it stays on, that means the Anti-lock Brake feature is not working and should be serviced immediately to restore the benefits of the Anti-lock feature. Normal braking is not affected unless the brake warning light is also lit. The Anti-lock Brake System has self-check capabilities. As described above, the system turns on the anti-lock light each time you start your engine. After the engine is started and the anti-lock light turns off, the system performs another test the first time the vehicle reaches 5 mph (8 km/h) (12 mph [20 km/h] for vehicles equipped with the traction control system). The system turns on the ABS pump motor for approximately 1/2 second. At this time, a mechanical noise may be heard and felt. This is a normal part of the self-check feature. If a malfunction is found during this check the anti-lock light will come on. Ford Motor Company has not found any negative effects of mobile radio transmitting equipment installed on vehicles with the ABS system providing that the radio is installed according 151