2001 Ford Wiring Diagrams

New dual-stage front airbags, more horsepower and optional power-adjustable pedals are fresh features for the Crown Victoria, a traditional V-8-powered, rear-drive family sedan with body-on-frame construction.

Like its competitors from Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge, Ford’s full-size, rear-drive van is an old-timer, with a heritage dating back to 1961. For the past 21 years, the truck-based Econoline has been the best seller among full-size vans, though sales dropped by more than 7 percent during 2000.

Ford already has the best-selling and largest sport utility vehicles, the Explorer and the Excursion, and for 2001 it adds another SUV, the Escape, to its lineup. The Escape is Ford's first car-based SUV, derived from the Mazda 626 platform. Ford owns a controlling interest in Mazda, and the Japanese brand gets its own version of this vehicle, the Tribute.

The Escort used to be one of Ford's best-selling models, but it plays a smaller role now that the Focus has taken over as the high-volume small car. The Escort survives as a four-door sedan available as a fleet vehicle for daily car-rental companies and other high-volume customers. The sporty ZX2 coupe is still available to consumers.

The biggest SUV of all debuted last year to mixed reviews. Ford fans cheered the Excursion for finally giving them an alternative to the Chevrolet Suburban, while environmentalists jeered because of the vehicle's jumbo size and insatiable fuel consumption.

No major changes are in store this year for Ford's full-size SUV, which is due for a face-lift in 2002. Expedition debuted for 1997 built on the F-Series pickup chassis. The Lincoln Navigator is a more expensive corporate twin with a more powerful standard engine, standard leather upholstery and some convenience features not available on the Expedition. Deep-tinted privacy glass is standard on all models, and an engine block heater is standard on models sold in cold-weather climates.

Big changes are under way for the Explorer, the best-selling SUV, and they are coming in stages instead of one fell swoop. The two-door Explorer Sport was restyled and released in the spring as an early 2001 model. The new Explorer Sport Trac also arrived in the spring, based on the regular four-door Explorer but with an open cargo bed.

Ford takes its four-door Explorer sport utility vehicle and attaches a 4-foot pickup-style cargo bed on the rear to create the Sport Trac, which arrived in the spring as an early 2001 model.

The big news arrived early this year for America's favorite vehicle, the F-150 full-size pickup. A crew-cab model with four conventional doors debuted in spring 2000 as an early 2001 model.

The Super Duty models are the brutes among Ford's pickups — heavy-duty trucks designed for serious hauling and towing. The Super Duty line was redesigned for 1999, and though it is based on the F-150, it sports different styling, roomier interiors, and stronger chassis and engines.

The Super Duty models are the brutes among Ford's pickups — heavy-duty trucks designed for serious hauling and towing. The Super Duty line was redesigned for 1999, and though it is based on the F-150, it sports different styling, roomier interiors, and stronger chassis and engines.

The Focus arrived last year and quickly displaced the Escort as Ford's best-selling small car. The front-drive, compact-size Focus was designed in Europe and comes in four-door sedan, three-door hatchback and four-door station wagon body styles. The Focus Wagon is featured in our 2001 Station Wagon Buying Guide.

Ford launched the pony-car phenomenon 37 years ago with its 1964 Mustang. Since then, the compact sporty coupe and convertible have gone through a series of generations, most recently redesigned in 1999.

New sheet metal in front of the windshield gives the Ranger compact pickup a fresh face for 2001 — similar to the Explorer Sport's appearance. A sporty two-wheel-drive Edge model adds a bulging hood, a monochromatic exterior and 16-inch tires to impart the aggressive look of a four-wheel-drive model while keeping the cost down.

The Taurus received major styling changes and additional safety features for 2000, but this year it is a rerun, except for a few items. Among the changes, an 18-gallon fuel tank replaces one that held 16 gallons, and the base LX models now have standard power door locks.

New safety features are among the 2001 changes for Ford’s front-drive minivan, which saw a modest sales hike during 2000 and is second only to Dodge in popularity. AdvanceTrac is said to be the minivan’s “first” lateral skid-control system; it became available during the 2001 model year. Sensors can detect oversteer and understeer in extreme situations, applying appropriate braking force and reducing engine power to regain control as needed in turns. A strobe light in the driver’s outside mirror now warns approaching traffic that the left-side sliding door is open. In addition, sensors now deploy airbags based on crash severity and the positions of the driver and front passenger.