Ford E-250 (2009 year). Manual — part 50

If a system fault is detected, the traction control active light will
illuminate steadily in the instrument cluster, the Traction Control™
button will not turn the system on or off and your vehicle should be
serviced by an authorized dealer.

ADVANCETRAC

姞 WITH ROLL STABILITY CONTROL™ (RSC姞)

STABILITY ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)

WARNING: Vehicle modifications involving braking system,
aftermarket roof racks, suspension, steering system, tire

construction and/or wheel/tire size may change the handling
characteristics of the vehicle and may adversely affect the performance
of the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system. In addition, installing any

stereo loudspeakers may interfere with and adversely affect the
AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system. Install any aftermarket stereo

loudspeaker as far as possible from the front center console, the
tunnel, and the front seats in order to minimize the risk of interfering
with the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 sensors. Reducing the effectiveness

of the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system could lead to an increased risk

of loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and death.

WARNING: Remember that even advanced technology cannot
defy the laws of physics. It’s always possible to lose control of a

vehicle due to inappropriate driver input for the conditions. Aggressive
driving on any road condition can cause you to lose control of your
vehicle increasing the risk of personal injury or property damage.
Activation of the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system is an indication that

at least some of the tires have exceeded their ability to grip the road;
this could reduce the operator’s ability to control the vehicle,
potentially resulting in a loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover,
personal injury and death. If your AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system

activates, SLOW DOWN.

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201

WARNING: If a failure has been detected within the
AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system, the ⬙sliding car⬙ icon

will

illuminate steadily. Verify that the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system is

not manually disabled (push the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 “Off “

button located on the center of the instrument panel). If the

⬙sliding

car

⬙ icon

still illuminates steadily, have the system service by an

authorized dealer immediately. Operating your vehicle with
AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 disabled could lead to an increased risk of

loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and death.

The AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system provides the following stability

enhancement features for certain driving situations:
• Traction Control (TCS), which functions to help avoid drive-wheel

spin and loss of traction.

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which functions to help avoid skids

or lateral slides

• Roll Stability Control™ (RSC威), which functions to help avoid a

vehicle roll-over.

The AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system automatically enables each time

the engine is started. All features of the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system

(TCS, ESC, and RSC

威) are active and monitor the vehicle from start-up.

However, the system will only intervene if the driving situation requires
it.

The AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威

system includes an AdvanceTrac

威

with RSC

威 ⬙Off⬙ button on the

center of the instrument panel, and
a “sliding car” icon

in the

instrument cluster. The “sliding car”
icon

in the instrument cluster

will illuminate temporarily during
start-up as part of a normal system self-check, or during driving if a
driving situation causes the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system to operate.

If the “sliding car” icon

illuminates steadily, verify that the

AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 system is not manually disabled by pressing

the AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 ⬙Off⬙ button located on the center stack of

the instrument panel. If the “sliding car” icon

remains steadily

illuminated, or if the message center (if equipped) displays SERVICE
RSC NOW, have the system serviced by an authorized dealer
immediately.

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202

When AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 performs a normal system self-check,

some drivers may notice a slight movement of the brake, and/or a
rumble, grunting, or grinding noise after startup and when driving off.

When an event occurs that activates AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 you may

experience the following:
• A slight deceleration of the vehicle
• The “sliding car”

indicator light will flash.

• A vibration in the pedal when your foot is on the brake pedal
• If the driving condition is severe and your foot is not on the brake, the

brake pedal may move as the systems applies higher brake forces. You
may also hear a whoosh of air from under the instrument panel during
this severe condition.

• The brake pedal may feel stiffer than usual.
Traction Control (TCS)

Traction Control is a driver aid feature that helps your vehicle maintain
traction of the wheels, typically when driving on slippery and/or hilly
road surfaces, by detecting and controlling wheel spin.

Excessive wheel spin is controlled in two ways, which may work
separately or in tandem: Engine Traction Control and Brake Traction
Control. Engine Traction Control works to limit drive-wheel spin by
momentarily reducing engine power. Brake Traction Control works to
limit wheel spin by momentarily applying the brakes to the wheel that is
slipping. Traction Control is most active at low speeds.

During Traction Control events the “sliding car” icon

in the

instrument cluster will flash.

If the Traction Control system is activated excessively in a short period
of time, the braking portion of the system may become temporarily
disabled to allow the brakes to cool down. In this situation, Traction
Control will use only engine power reduction or transfer to help control
the wheels from over-spinning. When the brakes have cooled down, the
system will regain all features. Anti-lock braking, RSC

威, and ESC are not

affected by this condition and will continue to function during the
cool-down period.

The Engine Traction Control and Brake Traction Control system may be
deactivated in certain situations. See the Switching Off AdvanceTrac

威

with RSC

威 section following.

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203

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) may enhance your vehicle’s directional
stability during adverse maneuvers, for example when cornering severely or
avoiding objects in the roadway. ESC operates by applying brakes to one or
more of the wheels individually and, if necessary, reducing engine power if
the system detects that the vehicle is about to skid or slide laterally.

During Electronic Stability Control events the “sliding car” icon

in the

instrument cluster will flash.

Certain adverse driving maneuvers may activate the Electronic Stability
Control system, which include but are not limited to:
• Taking a turn too fast
• Maneuvering quickly to avoid an accident, pedestrian or obstacle
• Driving over a patch of ice or other slippery surfaces
• Changing lanes on a snow-rutted road
• Entering a snow-free road from a snow-covered side street, or vice

versa

• Entering a paved road from a gravel road, or vice versa
• Cornering while towing a heavily loaded trailer (refer to Trailer

towing in the Tires, Wheels and Loading chapter).

The Electronic Stability Control system may be deactivated in certain
situations. See the Switching Off AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC 威 section

following.

Roll Stability Control™ (RSC

威)

Roll Stability Control™ (RSC

威) may help to maintain roll stability of the

vehicle during adverse maneuvers. RSC

威 operates by detecting the

vehicle’s roll motion and the rate at which it changes and by applying the
brakes to one or more wheels individually.

During an event that activates the Roll Stability Control™ (RSC

威) the

“sliding car” icon

in the instrument cluster will flash.

Certain adverse driving maneuvers may activate the Roll Stability Control
system, which include:
• Emergency lane-change
• Taking a turn too fast
• Quick maneuvering to avoid an accident, pedestrian or obstacle
The Roll Stability Control system may be deactivated in certain
situations. See the Switching Off AdvanceTrac

威 with RSC威 section

following.

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204