Ford Escape: Dual automatic temperature control (if equipped)

1. AUTO/Driver temperature: Press to engage full automatic operation. Select the desired temperature using the temperature control.

The system will automatically determine fan speed, airflow distribution, A/C on or off, and outside or recirculated air, to heat or cool the vehicle to reach the desired temperature. Turn to increase/decrease the temperature on the driver side of the vehicle. The control also adjusts the passenger side temperature when PASS TEMP is disengaged. The recommended initial setting is between 72°F (22°C) and 75°F (24°C), then adjust for comfort. The driver side temperature setting will appear in the upper left corner of the display.

2. Rear defroster: Press to activate/deactivate the rear window defroster. Refer to Rear window defroster later in this chapter for more information.

3. Defrost: Distributes outside air through the windshield defroster vents and demister vents. Can be used to clear the windshield of fog and thin ice. The system will automatically provide outside air to reduce window fogging. Press this button again to return to the previous air flow selection. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

4. Distributes air through the windshield defroster vents, demister vents, floor vents and rear seat floor vents. The system will automatically provide outside air to reduce window fogging. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

5. Power/ : Press to activate/deactivate the climate control system. When the system is off, outside air is prevented from entering the vehicle through the vents. Turn to manually increase/decrease the fan speed. The manual fan speed setting will appear on the left side of the display. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

6. : Distributes air through the instrument panel vents. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

7. : Distributes air through the instrument panel vents, demister vents, floor vents and rear seat floor vents. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

8. : Distributes air through the demister vents, floor vents and rear seat floor vents. Press AUTO to return to full automatic control.

9. Pass Temp (passenger temperature): Press to engage/disengage separate passenger side temperature control. Turn to increase/decrease the temperature on the passenger side of the vehicle. The recommended initial setting is between 72°F (22°C) and 75°F (24°C), then adjust for comfort. The passenger side temperature setting will appear in the upper right corner of the display.

10. Passenger heated seat control (if equipped): Press to activate/deactivate the passenger heated seat. See Heated seats in the Seating and Safety Restraints chapter.

11. Recirculated air: Press to activate/deactivate air recirculation in the vehicle. Recirculated air may reduce the amount of time needed to cool down the interior of the vehicle and may also help reduce undesired odors from reaching the interior of the vehicle. Recirculated air engages automatically when MAX A/C is selected or can be engaged manually in any airflow mode except (defrost). Recirculated air may turn off automatically in some airflow modes to reduce fog potential. When the ignition switch is turned off and back on, the climate system will return to the recirculated air mode only if the A/C button LED is illuminated and the air distribution selection is either AUTO, (panel) or (panel/floor).

12. MAX A/C: Distributes recirculated air through the instrument panel vents to cool the vehicle. This re-cooling of the interior air is more economical and efficient. Recirculated air may also help reduce undesirable odors from entering the vehicle. Press the MAX A/C button again for normal A/C operation.

13. A/C: Press to activate/deactivate air conditioning. Use with recirculated air to improve cooling performance and efficiency. Engages automatically in MAX A/C, (defrost) and (floor/defrost).

14.  Driver heated seat control (if equipped): Press to activate/deactivate the driver heated seat. See Heated seats in the Seating and Safety Restraints chapter.

Outside temperature: The outside temperature will appear in the display and is labeled EXT TEMP.

Temperature conversion: To switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius, if your vehicle is equipped with a message center, refer to the Message center section of the Instrument Cluster chapter.

Operating tips

• To reduce fog build-up on the windshield during humid weather, select (defrost) or (floor/defrost).
• To reduce humidity build-up inside the vehicle, do not drive with the system OFF or with (recirculated air) engaged and A/C off.
• Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the airflow to the back seats.
• Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of the windshield.
• To improve the A/C cool down, drive with the windows slightly open for 2-3 minutes after start up or until the vehicle has been “aired out.”
• A small amount of air may be felt from the floor vent regardless of the air distribution setting that is selected.

During extreme high ambient temperatures when idling stationary for extended periods of time in gear, it is recommended to run the A/C in the MAX A/C position, reduce blower fan speed from the highest setting and put the vehicle’s transmission into the P (Park) gear position (for automatic transmissions) to continue to receive cool air from your A/C system.

For maximum cooling performance:

• Automatic operation:

1. Press AUTO for full automatic operation.
2. Do not override A/C or (recirculated air).
3. Set the temperature to 60°F (16°C).

• MAX A/C:

1. Press MAX A/C. The system will automatically default to single zone operation and set the temperature to 60°F (16°C).
2. A/C and  (recirculated air) will automatically be selected.
3. Airflow will be directed out of the panel vents.
4. Fan speed will automatically be increased to the highest speed but can be adjusted as desired.

To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:

1. Select .
2. Select A/C.
3. Adjust the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to the highest setting.
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents towards the side windows.

To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents located in the middle of the instrument panel.

Rear window defroster

The rear defroster control is located on the climate control panel and works to clear the rear window of fog and thin ice.

The engine must be running to operate the rear window defroster.

Press to turn the rear window defroster on. An indicator light on the control will illuminate when active. The rear window defroster turns off automatically after a predetermined amount of time, if a low battery condition is detected or when the ignition is turned off or to the accessory position. To manually turn off the rear window defroster at any time, press the control again.

If your vehicle is equipped with both rear defroster and heated mirrors, the same control will activate both. Refer to Heated outside mirrors in the Driver Controls chapter.

Do not use razor blades or other sharp objects to clean the inside of the rear window or to remove decals from the inside or the rear window. This may cause damage to the heated grid lines and will not be covered by your warranty.

Manual heating and air conditioning system (if equipped)

Headlamp control