Look after your tyres, shock absorbers and brakes
Your tyres form an interconnected ‘safety triangle’ with your shock absorbers and brakes. But if any element is not functioning correctly, your safety triangle becomes a warning triangle that’s not to be ignored.
Shock absorbers
It’s easy to overlook shock absorbers, but they’re absolutely crucial for safety.
Of course, they do wear out though. Signs of worn shock absorbers include longer braking distances, bouncing at the front of the vehicle when you brake hard, ‘swinging’ as you corner and uneven tyre wear.
Shock absorbers that are 50% worn can increase your stopping distance at 30 mph by half a vehicle’s length, while ABS and ESP won’t work properly either. And since tyres, brakes, wheel bearings, steering components, engine mounts and drive shafts are linked together, one worn component can result in all the others being affected.
If you suspect that your shock absorbers are worn, take your vehicle straight to your Ford Dealer.
Brakes
If your brakes have become worn, tell-tale signs include: your brakes feeling soft, your wheels locking more quickly than usual, having to press the pedal down further than usual for the brakes to work, your brakes being noisy when you apply them and the brake fluid level dropping in the reservoir.
Again, if your vehicle shows any of these warning signs, take it to your Ford Dealer immediately.