FORD 2015 Fusion - Manual (Page 169)

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 intended 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 which is not covered under your
warranty.
Note: A warning message will be displayed
in the information display when an AWD
system fault is present See Information
Messages (page 103). An AWD system fault
will cause the AWD system to default to
front-wheel drive only mode. When this
warning message is displayed, have your
vehicle serviced at an authorized dealer
Note: A warning message will be displayed
in the information display if the AWD system
has overheated See Information
Messages (page 103). This condition may
occur if the vehicle was operated 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 has been restarted 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 103). 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
All-Wheel 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.
166
Fusion/Mondeo (CC7), enUSA
All-Wheel Drive
(If Equipped)