Ford Police Interceptor Utility (2018 year). Manual — part 29

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: The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) in
police vehicles does not require any normal
scheduled maintenance. The system is
electronically monitored and notifies the
driver of required service in the information
display. The PTU lube will be more likely to
require a fluid change if the vehicle has
experienced extended periods of
extreme/severe duty cycle driving. Do not
check or change the PTU lubricant unless
the unit shows signs of leakage or a
message indicating required service is
displayed. Contact an authorized dealer for
service if the PTU was submerged in water
and to reset the PTU lube life monitor.

Note: When an AWD system fault is
present, if the system is overheated or if
service is required, a message displays in
the information display. The display
messages, along with the triggering actions
and description of the message, are shown
in the following table.

All-Wheel Drive Messages

Action / Description

AWD Messages

Displayed when the system has been

automatically disabled to protect itself.

This is caused by operating the vehicle with

the compact spare tire installed or if the

system is overheating. The system will
resume normal function and clear this

message after cycling the ignition on and

off and driving a short distance with the

road tire re-installed or after the system is

allowed to cool.

AWD OFF

Displayed when the all wheel drive system

resumes normal function and clears this

message after driving a short distance with
the road tire re-installed or after the system

cools.

AWD Restored

Displayed when the all wheel drive system
has automatically disabled itself due to the

system overheating.

AWD Temporarily Disabled

Action / Description

AWD Messages

Displayed in conjunction with the power-

train malfunction/reduced power light

when the system is not operating properly.

If the warning stays on or continues to

come on, contact your authorized dealer

as soon as possible.

Check AWD

Displayed when the system needs its power

transfer unit lubrication changed. This
message may be set if the vehicle has

experienced extended periods of extreme/

severe duty cycle driving.

Change AWD Power Transfer Unit Lube

Displayed when the transfer case fluid has

been changed and reset to new.

AWD Power Transfer Unit Lube Set to New

Operating AWD Vehicles With
Spare Tires

A spare tire of a different size other than
the tire provided should never be used. The
AWD system may disable automatically
and enter front-wheel drive only mode to
protect driveline components if a non-full
sized tire is installed. This condition may
be indicated by a message in the
information display. If there is a message
in the information display from using a
non-full sized 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.

Operating AWD Vehicles With
Mismatched Tires

WARNING

Only use replacement tires and
wheels that are the same size, load
index, speed rating and type (such

as P-metric versus LT-metric or all-season
versus all-terrain) as those originally
provided by Ford. The recommended tire
and wheel size may be found on either the
Safety Compliance Certification Label
(affixed to either the door hinge pillar,
door-latch post, or the door edge that
meets the door-latch post, next to the
driver’s seating position), or the Tire Label
which is located on the B-Pillar or edge of
the driver’s door. If this information is not
found on these labels, then you should
contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Use of any tire or wheel not
recommended by Ford can affect the
safety and performance of your vehicle,
which could result in an increased risk of
loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover,
personal injury and death. Additionally the
use of non-recommended tires and wheels
could cause steering, suspension, axle,
transfer case or power transfer unit failure.
If you have questions regarding tire
replacement, contact your authorized
dealer as soon as possible.

Major dissimilar tire sizes between the front
and rear axles (for example, 17 inch low
profile tires on the front axle and 22 inch
high profile tires on the rear axle) could
cause the AWD system to stop functioning
and default to front-wheel drive or damage
the AWD system. However, the AWD
system is capable of tolerating any
combination of new and worn tires of the
same original tire size. For example, using
3 worn tread tires and 1 new tread tire all
of the same original tire size, can be
tolerated by the AWD system.

How Utility Vehicles Differ from
Other Vehicles

Truck and utility vehicles can differ from
some other vehicles. Your vehicle may be
higher to allow it to travel over rough
terrain without getting hung up or
damaging underbody components.

The differences that make your vehicle so
versatile also make it handle differently
than an ordinary passenger car.

Maintain steering wheel control at all
times, especially in rough terrain. Since
sudden changes in terrain can result in
abrupt steering wheel motion, make sure
you grip the steering wheel from the
outside. Do not grip the spokes.

Drive cautiously to avoid vehicle damage
from concealed objects such as rocks and
stumps.

You should either know the terrain or
examine maps of the area before driving.
Map out your route before driving in the
area. To maintain steering and braking
control of your vehicle, you must have all
four wheels on the ground and they must
be rolling, not sliding or spinning.

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.

When driving at slow speeds in deep sand
under high outside temperatures, use a low
gear when possible. Lower 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.

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.

If Your Vehicle Goes Off the Edge of the
Pavement

•

If your vehicle goes off the edge of the
pavement, slow down, but avoid severe
brake application, ease the vehicle
back onto the pavement only after
reducing your speed. Do not turn the
steering wheel too sharply while
returning to the road surface.

•

It may be safer to stay on the apron or
shoulder of the road and slow down
gradually before returning to the
pavement. You may lose control if you
do not slow down or if you turn the
steering wheel too sharply or abruptly.

•

It often may be less risky to strike small
objects, such as highway reflectors,
with minor damage to your vehicle
rather than attempt a sudden return to
the pavement which could cause the
vehicle to slide sideways out of control
or rollover. Remember, your safety and
the safety of others should be your
primary concern.

If Your Vehicle Gets Stuck

WARNINGS

Always set the parking brake fully
and make sure the transmission is in
P (Park). Turn the ignition to the lock

position or turn the vehicle off using the
start/stop button and remove the key
whenever you leave your vehicle.

WARNINGS

If the parking brake is fully released,
but the brake warning lamp remains
illuminated, the brakes may not be

working properly. See your authorized
dealer.

Do not spin the wheels at over 35
mph (56 km/h). The tires may fail
and injure a passenger or bystander.

Note: Do not rock the vehicle if the engine
is not at normal operating temperature or
damage to the transmission may occur.

Note: Do not rock the vehicle for more than
a few minutes or damage to the
transmission and tires may occur or the
engine may overheat.

If your vehicle gets stuck in mud or snow it
may be rocked out by shifting between
forward and reverse gears, stopping
between shifts, in a steady pattern. Press
lightly on the accelerator in each gear.

If your vehicle is equipped with
AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability
Control™, it may be beneficial to
disengage the AdvanceTrac® with Roll
Stability Control™ system while
attempting to rock the vehicle.

Emergency Maneuvers

•

In an unavoidable emergency situation
where a sudden sharp turn must be
made, remember to avoid
"over-driving" your vehicle (that is, turn
the steering wheel only as rapidly and
as far as required to avoid the
emergency). Excessive steering will
result in less vehicle control, not more.
Additionally, smooth variations of the
accelerator and/or brake pedal
pressure should be utilized if changes
in vehicle speed are called for. Avoid