2012 Ford Flex Owner Guide 2nd Printing - Page 259
2012 Ford Flex Manual
Page 259 highlights
Driving When an event occurs that activates AdvanceTrac with RSC you may experience the following: • A slight deceleration of the vehicle • The stability control light will flash. • If your foot is on the brake pedal, a vibration in the pedal. • If the driving condition is severe and your foot is not on the brake, the brake pedal may move as the systems applies higher brake forces. You may also hear a whoosh of air from under the instrument panel during this severe condition. • The brake pedal may feel stiffer than usual. Traction Control System (TCS) The traction control system is a driver aid feature that helps your vehicle maintain traction of the wheels, typically when driving on slippery and/or hilly road surfaces, by detecting and controlling wheel spin. Excessive wheel spin is controlled in two ways, which may work separately or in tandem: engine traction control and brake traction control. Engine traction control works to limit drive-wheel spin by momentarily reducing engine power. Brake traction control works to limit wheel spin by momentarily applying the brakes to the wheel that is slipping. Traction control is most active at low speeds. During TCS events, the stability control light in the instrument cluster will flash. If the TCS is activated excessively in a short period of time, the braking portion of the system may become temporarily disabled to allow the brakes to cool down. In this situation, TCS will use only engine power reduction or transfer to help control the wheels from over-spinning. When the brakes have cooled down, the system will regain all features. Anti-lock braking, RSC, and ESC will continue to function during the cool-down period. The engine traction control and brake traction control system may be deactivated in certain situations. See the Switching off traction control section following. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Electronic stability control (ESC) may enhance your vehicle's directional stability during adverse maneuvers, for example when cornering severely or avoiding objects in the roadway. ESC operates by applying brakes to one or more of the wheels individually and, if necessary, reducing engine power if the system detects that the vehicle is about to skid or slide laterally. 259 2012 Flex (471) Owners Guide, 2nd Printing USA (fus)