Keep Alive Memory (KAM)
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 31 other vehicles, including the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer, 2006 Mercury Monterey, 2006 Mercury Montego, 2006 Mercury Milan, and 2006 Mercury Mariner. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The powertrain control module (PCM) stores information in KAM (a memory integrated circuit chip) about vehicle operating conditions and then uses this information to compensate for component variability. KAM remains powered when the ignition switch is off so that this information is not lost.