2015 Lincoln MKZ Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 180

All-Wheel Drive (If Equipped) USING ALL-WHEEL DRIVE All-wheel drive uses all four wheels to power the vehicle. This increases traction, enabling you to drive over terrain and road conditions that a conventional two-wheel drive vehicle cannot. The AWD system is active all the time and requires no input from the operator. Note: Your AWD vehicle is not for off-road use. The AWD feature gives your vehicle some limited off-road capabilities in which driving surfaces are relatively level, obstruction-free and otherwise similar to normal on-road driving conditions. Operating your vehicle under other than those conditions could subject the vehicle to excessive stress which might result in damage not covered under your warranty. Note: A warning message will display in the information display when an AWD system fault is present See Information Messages (page 113). An AWD system fault will cause the AWD system to default to front-wheel drive only mode. When this warning message displays, have your vehicle serviced at an authorized dealer. Note: A warning message will display in the information display if the AWD system has overheated. See Information Messages (page 113). This condition may occur if the vehicle operates in extreme conditions with excessive wheel slip, such as deep sand. 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 restarts and the AWD system has adequately cooled, the warning message will turn off and normal AWD function will return. Do not use a spare tire of a different size other than the tire provided. If the mini-spare tire is installed, the AWD system may disable automatically and enter front-wheel drive only mode to protect driveline components. This condition will be indicated by a warning in the information display. See Information Messages (page 113). If there is a warning message in the information display from using the spare tire, this indicator should turn off after reinstalling the repaired or replaced normal road tire and cycling the ignition off and on. It is recommended to reinstall the repaired or replaced road tire as soon as possible. Major dissimilar tire sizes between the front and rear axles could cause the AWD system to stop functioning and default to front-wheel drive or damage the AWD system. Driving In Special Conditions With AllWheel Drive (AWD) AWD vehicles are equipped for driving on sand, snow, mud and rough roads and have operating characteristics that are somewhat different from conventional vehicles, both on and off the highway. Under severe operating conditions, the A/C may cycle on and off to protect overheating of the engine. Basic operating principles in special conditions • Drive slower in strong crosswinds which can affect the normal steering characteristics of your vehicle. Be extremely careful when driving on pavement made slippery by loose sand, water, gravel, snow or ice. • 177 MKZ (), enUSA