2014 Ford Taurus Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 190

All-Wheel Drive (If Equipped) 189 Sand When driving over sand, try to keep all four wheels on the most solid area of the trail. Avoid reducing the tire pressures but shift to a lower gear and drive steadily through the terrain. Apply the accelerator slowly and avoid excessive wheel slip. Do not drive your vehicle in deep sand for an extended period of time. This could cause the AWD system to overheat and default to front-wheel drive. If this occurs AWD Off will be displayed in the Information Display. To resume normal AWD function as soon as possible, stop the vehicle in a safe location and stop the engine for at least 10 minutes. After the engine has been restarted and the AWD system has adequately cooled, the AWD Off message will turn off and normal AWD function will return. In the event the engine is not stopped, the AWD Off message will turn off when the system cools and normal AWD function returns. When driving at slow speeds in deep sand under high outside temperatures, use L (Low) gear when possible. L (Low) gear operation will maximize the engine and transmission cooling capability. Under severe operating conditions, the A/C may cycle on and off to protect overheating of the engine. Avoid driving at excessive speeds, this causes vehicle momentum to work against you and your vehicle could become stuck to the point that assistance may be required from another vehicle. Remember, you may be able to back out the way you came if you proceed with caution. Mud and Water If you must drive through high water, drive slowly. Traction or brake capability may be limited. When driving through water, determine the depth; avoid water higher than the bottom of the wheel rims (for cars) or the bottom of the hubs (for trucks) (if possible) and proceed slowly. If the ignition system gets wet, the vehicle may stall. Once through water, always try the brakes. Wet brakes do not stop the vehicle as effectively as dry brakes. Drying can be improved by moving your vehicle slowly while applying light pressure on the brake pedal. Be cautious of sudden changes in vehicle speed or direction when you are driving in mud. Even AWD vehicles can lose traction in slick mud. As when you are driving over sand, apply the accelerator slowly and avoid spinning your wheels. If the vehicle does slide, steer in the direction of the slide until you regain control of the vehicle. 2014 Taurus Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013 USA (fus)