2013 Ford General Automotive Knowledge

• An electronic device installed in a tow vehicle used to activate an electric braking system on a trailer being towed.
• Electric trailer brakes convert voltage into brake torque. The Trailer Brake Controller uses actual braking pressure of the tow vehicle to calculate how much voltage to send to the trailer brakes.
• Most aftermarket add-on controllers use a timer or accelerometer to calculate the voltage or amount of brake force required.
• Since the Ford Trailer Brake Controller is fully integrated into the truck’s onboard communications network, it is the first and only controller able to adapt its output based on the status of the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) to help provide more controlled, stable stops.
• The Trailer Brake Controller is also fully integrated into the instrument panel design for improved aesthetics and convenience for the driver during operation.

• 2013 C-Max Hybrid
• 2013 Fusion Hybrid
• 2013 C-Max Energi
• 2013 Fusion Energi
• 2013 Focus Electric

National Automotive Dealers Association

Blind Spot Information System

This is an Electronic Stability Control system that helps the driver maintain vehicle stability in adverse driving situations or when making evasive maneuvers on slippery pavement. It monitors the vehicle’s cornering behavior with steering angle, lateral acceleration and yaw sensors, and automatically makes braking and throttle adjustments to help maintain control whenever it detects wheelslip, understeer, oversteer or roll motion using Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and traction control components

RSC is an additional vehicle control software module that builds on the ABS, traction control and yaw control systems of AdvanceTrac to help keep the vehicle tires on the ground by monitoring and helping control roll rate.

To activate the system, drivers press the active park assist button. Once activated, a message appears in the message center indicating the system has begun searching for available parking spaces. Forward sensors located on the sides of the front fascia “look” for adequately sized parking spaces on either side of the road, scanning the spaces and measuring the size of the openings. The system default is to check the passenger side; moving the turn signal to the left will change the scan direction to the driver’s side.When an available, adequately sized parking space is identified, active park assist alerts the driver to stop by sending a message to the message center as well as by sounding an audible chime inside the cabin. Once the driver has stopped the vehicle, the driver shifts the vehicle into Reverse and lets go of the steering wheel.Electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) takes control of the steering input while the driver continues to control the gas, brake and transmission (forward and reverse), slowly easing the vehicle into the parking space. The Reverse Sensing System is also used to help take the tension out of parallel parking.If a driver manually moves the steering wheel, the active park assist maneuver will automatically cancel.

Continuously monitors wheel speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle sensors to determine the vehicle’s conditions and driver’s intent. The system then determines the optimal amount of front and rear torque for the given conditions to not only reduce wheelslip but to prevent the slip from occurring in the first place. This helps ensure the vehicle will be surefooted on the road in a variety of conditions, such as fast cornering, uneven pavement, potholes and slippery surfaces.A vehicle equipped with AWD normally functions in front-wheel-drive/rear-wheel-drive mode, but when sensors detect that wheelslip is occurring or even just likely to occur, the AWD system can react within as little as 50 milliseconds to distribute up to 100 percent of the available torque to the wheels with the most available traction. The controller may detect a difference in wheel speed even in good weather, such as when driving through sand, mud or wet leaves.

BLIS is designed to alert the driver if another vehicle is detected in the “blind zone” by utilizing two radar sensors located behind each rear wheel and concealed by the rear fascia. The blind zone extends from the rearview mirrors rearward to approximately 10 feet behind the rear bumper. Each exterior rearview mirror is equipped with an amber indicator light that illuminates when a vehicle in an adjacent lane is detected in the blind zone from behind.BLIS is automatically engaged when the vehicle is placed in Drive and is not designed to detect pedestrians or cyclists. The system can be turned off through the message center but defaults to “on” when the vehicle is restarted. BLIS will not be activated by an overtaken/passed vehicle unless that vehicle remains in the zone for more than 3 seconds.If a radar sensor becomes blocked by wet snow or mud, the blind spot alert indicators will illuminate and the message center will display: CLEAN RADAR — SEE MANUAL.Cross-traffic AlertCross-traffic alert warns the driver if approaching vehicles are detected when slowly backing out of a parking spot by utilizing the same radar sensors as BLIS. The feature detects approaching vehicles up to three car widths from the rear of the vehicle, then warns the driver via an illuminated mirror indicator and a series of audible tones are sounded. The mirror indicator will illuminate in the left or right exterior mirror to indicate direction of oncoming vehicle. If an approaching vehicle is detected, the vehicle message center will display: • VEHICLE COMING FROM LEFT • VEHICLE COMING FROM RIGHTCross-traffic alert automatically engages when vehicle is placed in Reverse to detect moving objects within an approximate 65' range from either the left or right side of the vehicle. The system is not designed to detect pedestrians or cyclists.If a radar sensor becomes blocked by mud, wet snow, etc., an alert indicator will illuminate and the message center will display: CLEAN RADAR — SEE MANUAL.

National Highway Traffic Safty Administration

Uses the vehicle braking system to deliver the effect of a limited-slip front differential without the complexity and additional weight. Torque vectoring control continually balances the distribution of engine torque to the front wheels based on driving conditions and available traction, effectively helping to increase the “fun-to-drive” factor of the vehicle.In cornering situations, the system automatically applies the brake on the inside front wheel, delivering more torque to the outside front wheel: • The outside front wheel has more available traction than the inside front wheel • Balancing the torque delivery helps the vehicle track on the path intended by the driver, especially on wet or slippery surfaces • Helps reduce torque steer during acceleration

EPAS helps contribute to increased fuel economy by eliminating the hydraulic power assist pump (that pulled power and efficiency from the engine via a belt) and provides increased steering assist at low speeds and less steering assist at high speeds.