1996 FORD CONTOUR warning

Safety Restraints
25
%*
[SR20200(ALL)05/95]
Safety Restraints for Children
*
[SR20300(ALL)02/95]
In the U.S. and Canada, you are required by law to use safety
restraints for children. If small children ride in your vehicle Ð
this generally includes children who are four years old or
younger and who weigh 40 pounds (18 kg) or less Ð you must
put them in safety seats that are made specially for children.
Safety belts alone do not provide maximum protection for these
children. Check your local and state laws for specific
requirements.
*
[SR20400(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a collision.
*
[SR20600(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Passengers should not be allowed to ride in the cargo
area. Persons not riding in a seat with a fastened seat
belt are much more likely to suffer serious injury in a
collision. Cargo should always be secured to prevent it
from shifting and causing damage to the vehicle or harm
to passengers.
*
[SR20650(ALL)05/95]
When possible, put children in the rear seat of your vehicle.
Accident statistics suggest that children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions.
*
[SR20700(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions
included with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If
you do not install and use the safety seat properly, the
child may be injured in a sudden stop or collision.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

26
*
[SR20750(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that
has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a
small child. Check seat covers and buckles before you
place a child anywhere near them.
*
[SR20800(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Never leave a child unattended in your vehicle.
%*
[SR22000(ALL)01/95]
Safety Seats for Children
*
[SR22100(ALL)05/95]
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight
of the child. Always follow the safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing and using the safety seat.
*
[SR22125(ALL)02/95]
Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top
tether strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position
which is capable of providing a tether anchorage. For more
information on top tether straps seeAttaching Safety Seats With
Tether Strapsin this chapter.
*
[SR22300(ALL)05/95]
Your vehicle is equipped with a right front passenger air bag.
Air bags deploy with great force, faster than the blink of an eye.
Front passengers, especially children and small adults, must
never sit on the front edge of the seat, stand near the glove
compartment of the instrument panel, or lean over near the air
bag cover when the vehicle is moving. All occupants should sit
with their backs against the seatback, move the seat to the most
rearward position if possible and use the safety belts. Children
weighing less than 40 lbs. (18 kg) always should use child or
infant seats.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

Safety Restraints
27
*
[SR22400(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
When using forward-facing child seats move the
passenger seat as far back from the instrument panel as
possible. NEVER SECURE REAR-FACING INFANT
SEATS IN THE FRONT SEAT.
[SR22450(ALL)05/95]
THE FORCE OF THE RAPIDLY INFLATING PASSENGER AIR
BAG COULD PUSH THE TOP OF THE REAR-FACING SEAT
AGAINST THE VEHICLE SEATBACK, ARMRESTS OR
CONSOLE. REAR-FACING INFANT SEATS MUST ALWAYS
BE SECURED IN THE REAR SEAT. Failure to follow these
instructions could result in serious injury.
*
[SR22475(ALL)05/95]
All child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or by the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
*
[SR22500(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
If you do not properly secure the safety seat, the child
occupying the seat may be injured during a collision or
sudden stop. An unsecured safety seat could also injure
other passengers.
*
[SR22600(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions
included with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If
you do not install and use the safety seat properly, the
child may be injured in a sudden stop or collision.
*
[SR22625(ALL)05/95]
When installing a child safety seat, be sure to use the correct
safety belt buckle for that seating position, and make sure the
tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

28
*
[SR22650(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Always keep the buckle release button pointing upward
and away from the child seat, with the tongue between
the child seat and the release button as shown in the
following illustration.
[SR22700(ALL)03/95]
17-1/2 pica
art:0001209-B
Safety belt buckle placement for child seats
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

Safety Restraints
37
*
[SR23800(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions
included with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If
you do not install and use the safety seat properly, the
child may be injured in a sudden stop or collision.
[SR23900(ALL)05/95]
Installing Child Safety Seats in the Rear Center Seating
Position
[SR24000(ALL)05/95]
Some child safety seats are too wide to fit in the rear center
seat. Choose a child safety seat with a narrow base that can fit
between the safety belt buckles.
*
[SR24800(ALL)05/95]
Attaching Safety Seats With Tether Straps
*
[SR24850(ALL)05/95]
Some manufacturers make safety seats that include a tether
strap that goes over the back of the vehicle seat and attaches to
an anchoring point. Other manufacturers offer the tether strap
as an accessory. Contact the manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering a tether strap.
[SR24901(ALL)05/95]
To install a tether from a child safety seat in the front seat,
route the tether strap under the vehicle seat head restraint and
hook the tether hook into the hole in the tongue of the center
rear lap belt. After the hook is in the hole, pull on the loose end
of the lap belt webbing to shorten the belt and tighten the
tether strap.
[SR25650(ALL)05/95]
To install a tethered child safety seat in the rear seat, you will
need tether anchorage hardware.
[SR25700(ALL)05/95]
Tether anchorage hardware (Canadian vehicles only)
[SR25800(ALL)05/95]
All vehicles built for sale in Canada include a tether anchor
hardware kit for use with child safety seats. Attachment holes
(at each rear seating position) have been provided in your
vehicle to attach the anchor hardware, if required. Additional
kits can be obtained at no charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

38
[SR25900(ALL)03/95]
Tether anchorage hardware (USA vehicles only)
[SR26000(ALL)05/95]
All vehicles built for sale in the USA do not include a tether
anchor hardware kit for use with child safety seats. However,
attachment holes (at each rear seating position) have been
provided in your vehicle to attach the tether anchor hardware.
If tether anchorage hardware is required for the child safety
seat, use only the tether anchor kit available at no charge from
any Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer (Base part number 613D74).
%*
[SR27700(ALL)05/95]
Safety Belts for Children
*
[SR27800(ALL)05/95]
Children who are too large for child safety seats should always
wear safety belts. (See instructions with your child seat, or
contact its manufacturer, to determine maximum size of child
that will safely fit in the seat.)
*
[SR27900(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
If safety belts are not properly worn and adjusted as
described, the risk of serious injury to the child in a
collision will be much greater.
*
[SR28000(ALL)05/95]
If the shoulder belt portion of one of the lap and shoulder belts
can be positioned so that it does not cross or rest in front of the
child's face or neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder
belt. Moving the child closer to the center of the vehicle may
help provide a good shoulder belt fit.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

Safety Restraints
39
*
[SR28100(ALL)05/95]
To improve the fit of lap and shoulder belts on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Ford recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster seat that is labelled as conforming to all
Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Belt-positioning booster
seats raise the child and provide a shorter, firmer seating
cushion that encourages safer seating posture and better fit of
lap and shoulder belts on the child. A belt-positioning booster
should be used if the shoulder belt rests in front of the child's
face or neck, or if the lap belt does not fit snugly on both
thighs, or if the thighs are too short to let the child sit all the
way back on the seat cushion when the lower legs hang over
the edge of the seat cushion. You may wish to discuss the
specific needs of your child with your pediatrician.
*
[SR28150(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Do not use a belt-positioning booster with a lap-only
belt.
*
[SR28200(ALL)05/95]
Lap belts and the lap belt portion of lap and shoulder belts
should always be worn snugly and below the hips, touching the
child's thighs.
*
[SR28300(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury in a collision,
children should always ride with the seatback upright.
File:cdsro.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:11 1996

41
Starting Your Contour
*
[ST03300(ALL)03/95]
Ignition
*
[ST03400(ALL)01/95]
Understanding the Positions of the Ignition
[ST03725(ALL)02/95]
10-1/2 pica
art:0001185-D
The positions of the key in the ignition
[ST04100(ALL)02/95]
LOCK and ACCESSORY lock the gearshift for all vehicles with
an automatic transaxle.
*
[ST04150(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
LOCK position does not lock the gearshift on
floor-mounted manual transaxle gearshifts. If the parking
brake is not set and the gearshift is moved out of gear,
your vehicle may move unexpectedly and injure someone.
*
[ST04180(ALL)06/95]
The automatic transaxle gearshift must be in P (Park) to move
the key to the LOCK position.
*
[ST04200(ALL)01/95]
LOCK is the only position that allows you to remove the key.
The LOCK feature helps to protect your vehicle from theft.
*
[ST04300(ALL)05/95]
If your key is stuck in the LOCK position and will not turn,
move your steering wheel left or right until the key turns freely.
File:cdsto.ex
Update:Thu Jan 25 12:13:36 1996