1997 FORD E SERIES driver

3. Engage the LH/RH latch rod
hook ends in the front striker
locking holes.
4. Rotate the LH/RH latch handles
forward, and at the same time
slide the seat assembly forward to
engage the strikers. Continue
forward movement until the seat
reaches the end of its travel.
5. Make sure the safety belt is not
twisted, then insert the seat belt
tongue into detachable anchor
until you hear a ªclickº and feel
the latch engage.
Always latch the vehicle
seat to the floor, whether
the seat is occupied or empty. If
not latched, the seat may cause
injury during a sudden stop.
Quick release captains chair
To remove the seats:
1. Disengage the lap/shoulder belt
from the seat by inserting a key or
small screwdriver into the slot in
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41

Safety belt buckle pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with
safety belt buckle pretensioners at
the driver and front passenger
seating positions.
The safety belt buckle pretensioner
is a device which removes excess
webbing from the safety belt
system. The safety belt buckle
pretensioner uses the same crash
sensor system as the air bag
supplemental restraint system
(SRS). When the safety belt buckle
pretensioner deploys, the buckle
moves downward, pulling excess
webbing from the lap and shoulder
safety belt.
Combination lap and shoulder
belts
To fasten the safety belt, insert the
tongue into the slot in the buckle.
To disconnect the safety belt at:
²front seating positions, push the
red release button on the end of
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45

Vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt will
allow freedom of movement,
locking tight only on hard braking,
hard cornering or impacts of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or
more. The front seat belts can also
be made to lock by jerking on the
belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the safety belt is
locked in a certain position by the
occupant and remains locked until
the webbing is fully retracted.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver belt.
When to use the automatic
locking mode
²When a tight lap/shoulder fit is
desired.
²Any timea child safety seat is
installed in the vehicle. Refer to
Children and infant or Child
safety seatslater in this section.
eco_locking-mode_use
eco_how-to-use_locking-mode
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47

Canceling the automatic locking
mode
Disconnect the combination
lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
retract completely to cancel the
automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode.
Front safety belt height
adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and
front passenger. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt
rests across the middle of your
shoulder.
To lower the height of the shoulder
belt:
1. Push the button down
2. Slide down
To raise the height of the shoulder
belt:
1. Slide up
2. Pull down on the height
adjustment assembly to make sure
it is locked in place
eco_belt-height_adjust
eco_lap_belts
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49

Use only extensions manufactured
by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is
located at the end of the webbing
on the label. Also, use the safety
belt extension only if the safety
belt is too short for you when fully
extended. Do not use extension to
change the fit of the shoulder belt
across the torso.
Safety belt indicator light and
warning chime
The seat belt warning light
illuminates in the instrument
cluster and a chime sounds to
remind the occupants to fasten
their safety belts.
Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver's safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition key
is turned to ON...The safety belt indicator illuminates
and the warning chime/buzzer
sounds for four to eight seconds.
The driver's side safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...The safety belt warning chime turns
off.
The driver's safety belt is
buckled before the ignition key
is turned to ON...The safety belt indicator
chime/buzzer remains off.
Safety belt inspection after a
collision, maintenance and care
Check the safety belt system
periodically to make sure that it
works properly and is not
damaged. Check the safety belts to
eco_warning-light_chime
eco_light-chime_operation
eco_belt_maintenance
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51

All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts, failure to do so may
increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
The right front passenger
air bag is not designed to
restrain occupants in the center
front seating position.
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the dashboard area,
steering wheel or in front of the
passenger that may come in
contact with a deploying air bag.
Failure to follow this instruction
may increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
Do not attempt to service,
repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint
System or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
If you are close to an
inflating air bag, it could
seriously injure you. Sit against
the seatback and position your
seat such that it is as far back
from the steering wheel as
possible but still allows you to
properly control the vehicle.
eco_children
Seating and safety restraints
53

that inflates the air bag. Small
amounts of sodium hydroxide may
be present which may irritate the
skin and eyes, but none of the
residue is toxic.
The Air Bag Supplemental
Restraint System will reduce, but
not eliminate all injuries in an
accident.
Several air bag system
components get hot after
inflation. Do not try to touch
them after inflation.
The air bag will only
inflate once and the
pretensioners (if equipped) will
only activate once. The system is
designed to function on a
one-time-only basis. If the air bag
is inflated, THE AIR BAG WILL
NOT FUNCTION AGAIN AND
MUST BE REPLACED
IMMEDIATELY. If the
pretensioners activate (if
equipped), THE
PRETENSIONERS WILL NOT
FUNCTION AGAIN AND MUST
BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY.
If the pretensioners are not
replaced, this will increase the
risk of injury in a subsequent
collision.
The SRS consists of:
²driver and passenger air bag
modules (which include the
inflators and air bags),
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56

²one or more impact and safing
sensors,
²a readiness light and tone,
²driver and front passenger
safety belt buckle pretensioners
²and the electrical wiring which
connects the components.
The diagnostic module monitors its
own internal circuits and the
supplemental air bag electrical
system readiness (including the
impact sensors), the system wiring,
the air bag system readiness light,
the air bag back up power and the
air bag ignitors.
Determining if the system is
operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in
the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the
system. Refer to theAir bag
readinesssection in the
Instrumentationchapter. Routine
maintenance of the air bag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is
indicated by one or more of the
following:
²The readiness light will either
flash or stay lit.
²The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
²A group of five beeps will be
heard. The tone pattern will
repeat periodically until the
problem and light are repaired.
com_determing_operational.01
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