LATEST FORD CARS CHECK TYRE PRESSURE WHILE YOU DRIVE

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 14 April, 2008 – Advanced systems which alert the driver if a tyre is losing pressure while the car is in motion are providing Ford customers with safer motoring.

Ford's sophisticated tyre pressure monitoring systems detect when a tyre is deflating, and trigger in-car warning systems that enable the driver to stop and check.

Even regular tyres checks can fail to reveal if a tyre is damaged or already punctured. Ford's automated system is able to monitor the tyres at all times when the vehicle is in use and can help to draw the driver’s attention to a problem before it becomes a safety issue.

Michael Kremer, Ford wheel and tyre engineer explains: “Tyres play a critical role in the car's performance, providing that vital link between the vehicle and the road. Tyre pressure monitoring systems can help make motoring safer by giving drivers an instant alert when a tyre is losing pressure, so that immediate action can be taken.

“These automated systems are not a substitute for regular tyre pressure checks but they do provide an important additional safety measure in cases where a tyre becomes damaged or punctured and the driver isn’t aware of the problem.

“Keeping your tyres correctly inflated can also reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, so these systems can help provide cost and environmental benefits too.”

Ford offers two levels of tyre pressure monitoring technology, providing customers with effective and secure systems that deliver excellent value for money.

The Ford Focus and the Ford Kuga can both be specified with a tyre Deflation Detection System (DDS), which uses the same sensors as the anti-lock brake/electronic stability programme systems to detect when one or more tyres are becoming deflated.

When the DDS system identifies that a tyre is deflating, it triggers alarm chime and visual warning message to advise the driver to stop and check the tyre pressures and investigate the cause.

The Ford Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy are available with a system ideally suited to Ford's sophisticated large car range. The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) uses sensors in each wheel to measure the actual pressure in all four tyres, and compares these pressures against the recommended settings. If deflation is detected the driver is warned via an alarm chime and visual warning in the instrument display.