Table of Contents Introductory Information ............................... 1 Safety Restraints .............................................. 9 Starting Your Escort .................................... 105 Warning Lights and Gauges ..................... 117 Instrument Panel Controls ........................ 135 Steering Column Controls ........................ 159 Features .......................................................... 169 Electronic Sound Systems ......................... 197 Driving Your Escort .................................... 223 Roadside Emergencies ................................ 243 Customer Assistance ................................... 259 Reporting Safety Defects ...................... 266 Accessories .................................................... 271 Servicing Your Escort ................................. 279 Quick Index .................................................. 353 Index ................................................................ 371 Service Station Information ...................... 388 Introductory Information Ford's Commitment to You At Ford Motor Company, excellence is the continuous commitment to achieve the best result possible. It is dedication to learning what you want, determination to develop the right concept, and execution of that concept with care, precision, and attention to detail. In short, excellence means being the standard by which others are judged. Our Guiding Principles u Quality comes first. For your satisfaction, the quality of our products and services must be our number one priority. work must be done with you in mind, providing better products and services than our competition. u You are the focus of everything we do. Our u Continuous improvement is essential to our success. We must strive for excellence in everything we do: in our products -- in their safety and value -- and in our services, our human relations, our competitiveness, and our profitability. We are a team. We must treat one another with trust and respect. must maintain mutually beneficial relationships with dealers, suppliers, and our other business associates. 1 u Employee involvement is our way of life. u Dealers and suppliers are our partners. We u Integrity is never compromised. Our conduct worldwide must be pursued in a manner that is socially responsible and commands respect for its integrity and for its positive contributions to society. Things to Know About Using This Guide Congratulations on the purchase of your new vehicle. This guide has information about the equipment and the options for your new vehicle. You may not have bought all of the options available to you. If you do not know which information applies to your vehicle, talk to your dealer. This guide describes equipment and gives specifications for equipment that was in effect when this guide was approved for printing. Ford may discontinue models or change specifications or design without any notice and without incurring obligation. Finding Information in This Guide After you have read this guide once, you will probably return to it when you have a specific question or need additional information. To help you find specific information quickly, you can use the Quick Index, Table of Contents, or the Index. The Quick Index at the end of the book provides a page number following each item which indicates where detailed information can be found. 2 Your vehicle may not look exactly like the vehicles shown in the Quick Index illustrations. Some features and components shown in the illustrations may not apply to your particular vehicle. Your vehicle may also have equipment that is not illustrated or mentioned in the Quick Index. If you do not know which illustrated features and components apply to your vehicle, talk to your dealer. This guide has a table of contents at the beginning of the book to show chapter titles. To use the Index, turn to the back of the book and search in the alphabetical listing for the word that best describes the information you need. If the word you chose is not listed, think of other related words and look them up. We have designed the Index so that you can find information under a technical term. Canadian Owners -- French Version French Owner Guides can be obtained from your dealer or by writing to Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, Service Publications, P.O. Box 1580, Station B, Mississauga, Ontario L4Y 4G3. Your Maintenance Schedule and Record Booklet The Maintenance Schedule and Record booklet lists the services that are most important for keeping your vehicle in good condition. A record log is also provided to help you keep track of all services performed. 3 About the Warranties Your vehicle is covered by three types of warranties: Basic Vehicle Warranty, Extended Warranties on certain parts, and Emissions Warranties. Read your Warranty Information Booklet carefully to find out about your vehicle's warranties and your basic rights and responsibilities. If you lose your Warranty Information Booklet, you can get a new one free of charge. Contact any Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer, or refer to the addresses and phone numbers on the first page of this owner guide. Your vehicle is equipped with an Electronic Powertrain Control Module that limits engine and/or vehicle speeds with a cut-out mode to promote durability. Buying a Ford Extended Service Plan If you bought your vehicle in the U.S., you can buy a Ford Extended Service Plan for your vehicle. This optional contract provides service protection for a longer period of time than the basic warranty that comes with your vehicle. You do not have to buy this option when you buy your vehicle. However, your option to purchase the Ford Extended Service Plan runs out after 18 months or 18,000 miles. See your dealer for more details about the Ford Extended Service Plan. If you purchased a Canadian vehicle and did not take advantage of the Ford Extended Service Plan at the time of purchase, you may still be eligible. See your dealer for the details. 4 Breaking Your Vehicle In Your new vehicle goes through an adjustment or break-in period during the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) that you drive it. During the break-in period, you need to pay careful attention to how you drive your vehicle. u Avoid sudden stops. Because your vehicle -- Watch traffic carefully so that you can anticipate when to stop. -- Begin braking well in advance. -- Apply the brakes gradually. has new brake linings, you should take these steps: The break-in period for new brake linings lasts for 100 miles (160 km) of city driving or 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of highway driving. u Use only the type of engine oil that Ford recommends. See Engine oil recommendations in the Index. Do not use special "break-in" oils. 5 Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle Washing and Polishing Your Vehicle Wash the outside of your vehicle, including the underside, with a mild detergent. DO NOT: u Wash your vehicle with hot water u Wash your vehicle while it sits in direct sunlight u Wash your vehicle while the body is hot Pollen, bird droppings and tree sap can damage the paint, especially in hot weather. Wash your vehicle as often as necessary to keep it clean. Take similar precautions if your vehicle is exposed to chemical industrial fallout. Paint damage resulting from fallout is not related to a defect in paint materials or workmanship and therefore is not covered by warranty. Ford, however, believes that continual improvement in customer satisfaction is a high priority. For this reason, Ford has authorized its dealers to repair, at no charge to the owner, the surfaces of new vehicles damaged by environmental fallout within 12 months or 12,000 miles (20,000 km) of purchase, whichever comes first. Customers may be required to bring their vehicle in for inspection by a Ford representative. Polish your vehicle to remove harmful deposits and protect the finish. 6 Cleaning Chrome and Aluminum Parts Wash chrome and aluminum parts with a mild detergent. Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, fuel, or strong detergents. Cleaning Plastic Parts Some of your vehicle's exterior trim parts are plastic. Clean with a tar and road oil remover if necessary. Use a vinyl cleaner for routine cleaning. Do not clean plastic parts with thinners, solvents or petroleum-based cleaners. If you have your vehicle rustproofed, remove oversprayed rustproofing with a tar and road oil remover. If rustproofing is not removed from plastic and rubber parts, it can cause deterioration. 7 Safety Restraints Important Safety Belt Information The use of safety belts helps to restrain you and your passengers in case of a collision. In most states and in Canada the law requires their use. Safety belts provide best restraint when: u the seatback is upright u the occupant is sitting upright (not slouched) u the lap belt is snug and low on the hips u the shoulder belt is snug against the chest u the knees are straight forward To help you remember to fasten your safety belt, a warning light may come on and a chime may sound. See Safety belt warning light/chime in the Warning Lights and Gauges chapter. See the following sections in this chapter for directions on how to properly use these safety belts. Also see Safety Restraints for Children in this chapter for special instructions about using safety belts for children. RWARNING Make sure that you and your passengers wear safety belts. Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap belt snug and low across the hips. 9 RWARNING Passengers should not be allowed to ride in the cargo area. Persons not riding in a seat with a fastened seat belt are much more likely to suffer serious injury in a collision. Cargo should always be secured to prevent it from shifting and causing damage to the vehicle or harm to passengers. RWARNING Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm. Never swing it around the neck over the inside shoulder. Never use a single belt for more than one person or across more than one seating position. Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. Failure to follow these precautions could increase the risk and/or severity of injury in a collision. RWARNING Never drive or ride with a twisted or jammed safety belt. If you cannot untwist or unjam the safety belt, see the nearest qualified technician immediately. 10 RWARNING Children should always ride with the seatback in the fully upright position. When the seatback is not fully upright, there is a greater risk that the child will slide under the safety belt and be seriously injured in a collision. RWARNING Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision. RWARNING Lock the doors of your vehicle before driving to lessen the risk of the door coming open in a collision. Motorized Shoulder Belt Passive Restraint System (Not available on Canadian vehicles) The front seat shoulder belts automatically adjust and together with the manual lap belt, help to provide added restraint in the event of a collision. While you drive, the shoulder belt adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake hard, turn hard, or if your car receives an impact of 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the shoulder belt locks and helps reduce your forward movement. 11 The proper position of the front lap safety belt RWARNING The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as possible around the hips, not around the waist. To operate the motorized shoulder belt: 1. Get into your vehicle and close the door. Check to be sure the shoulder belt is latched to the emergency release buckle. If it is not latched, pull the shoulder belt from the retractor and buckle it to the emergency release buckle. Note the twist in the shoulder belt as in Figures 1 and 2. Turn the ignition key to the ON position. 2. 3. A motor causes the shoulder belt to slide along its track from the A-pillar to the B-pillar until it locks in place. 12 If the belt does not lie flat against you, or the belt has a twist in it at the retractor, unlatch the belt at the buckle, remove twist, and relatch the belt into the buckle. The shoulder belt sliding along its track 13 The shoulder belt in the locked position The shoulder belt in the locked position 14 If the driver does not fasten the lap belt before the ignition key is turned to ON, the chime will sound for four (4) to eight (8) seconds. The safety belt warning indicator lamp in the instrument cluster will also illuminate for one to two minutes. In the unlikely event the shoulder belt should stall before it reaches the B-pillar, the indicator light will flash continuously until the shoulder belt is in its locked position at the B-pillar. If the indicator lamp remains illuminated for more than one minute, check to be sure that both ...