2018 Escape Owner's Manual

Maintenance

Your vehicle is fitted with a Motorcraft maintenance-free battery which normally does not require additional water. When a battery replacement is required, you must use a recommended replacement battery that matches the electrical requirements of the vehicle. Note: After cleaning or replacing the battery, make sure you reinstall the battery cover or shield. Note: If you add electrical accessories or components to the vehicle, itmay adversely affect the low voltage battery performance and durability. This may also affect the performance of other electrical systems in the vehicle. For longer, trouble-free operation, keep the top of the battery clean and dry. If you see any corrosion on the battery or terminals, remove the cables from the terminals and cleanwith awire brush. You can neutralize the acid with a solution of baking soda and water. Because your vehicle’s engine is electronically controlled by a computer, some control conditions are maintained by power from the battery. When the battery is disconnected or a new battery is installed, the enginemust relearn its idle and fuel trim strategy for optimum driveability and performance. Flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) must also relearn the ethanol content of the fuel for optimum driveability and performance. To restore the settings, do the following: 1. Apply the parking brake. 2. Shift into park (P) or neutral (N). 3. Switch off all accessories. 4. Press the brake pedal and start your vehicle.

5. Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature. While the engine is warming up, complete the following: Reset the clock. Reset the power windows bounce-back feature. See Windows andMirrors (page 81). Reset the radio station presets. See Audio System (page 317). 6. Allow the engine to idle for at least one minute. 7. Drive the vehicle at least 10 mi (16 km) to completely relearn the idle trim and fuel trim strategy. Note: If you do not allow the engine to relearn the idle and fuel trim strategy, the idle quality of your vehiclemay be adversely affected until the engine computer eventually relearns the idle trim and fuel trim strategy. Note: For flexible fuel vehicles, if you are operating on E85, you may experience poor starts or an inability to start the engine and driveability problems until the fuel trim and ethanol content have been relearned. Make sure that you dispose of old batteries in an environmentally friendly way. Seek advice from your local authority about recycling old batteries. If storing your vehicle for more than 30 days without recharging the battery, we recommend that you disconnect the battery cables to maintain battery charge for quick starting. Battery Management System (If Equipped) Thebatterymanagement systemmonitors battery conditions and takes actions to extend battery life. If excessive battery drain is detected, the system temporarily disables some electrical systems to protect the battery.

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Escape(TM2)Canada/UnitedStatesofAmerica,enUSA,Editiondate:201706,FirstPrinting