2014 Ford Fusion Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 278

Wheels and Tires All vehicles with directional tires (front tires on the left side of the diagram) TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM WARNING The tire pressure monitoring system is not a substitute for manually checking tire pressure. The tire pressure should be checked periodically (at least monthly) using a tire gauge, see Inflating your tires in this chapter. Failure to properly maintain your tire pressure could increase the risk of tire failure, loss of control, vehicle rollover and personal injury. E147237 Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires. Summer Tires Your Ford vehicle may be equipped with summer tires to provide superior performance on wet and dry roads. Summer tires do not have the Mud and Snow (M+S or M/S) tire traction rating on the tire side wall. Since summer tires do not have the same traction performance as All-season or Snow tires, Ford does not recommend using summer tires when temperatures drop to approximately 40°F (5°C) or below (depending on tire wear and environmental conditions) or in snow and ice conditions. Like any tire, summer tire performance is affected by tire wear and environmental conditions. If you must drive in those conditions, Ford recommends using Mud and Snow (M+S, M/S), All-season or Snow tires. 275 Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you should determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires.) As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle's handling and stopping ability.