1997 FORD E SERIES Owners Manual

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
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Lap belts
The lap belts in the center seating
position of the three-passenger
bench seat and both inboard seats
of the four-passenger bench seat
do not adjust automatically. You
must adjust them to fit snugly and
low as possible around your hips.
Do not wear the lap belt around
your waist.
Make sure you insert the tongue
into the correct buckle. If you
need to lengthen the belt, turn the
tongue at a right angle to the belt
and pull across your lap until it
reaches the buckle. If you need to
tighten the belt, pull the loose end
of the webbing until it is snug
across the hips. Shorten and fasten
the belt when not in use.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt assembly is too
short, even when fully extended,
20 cm (eight inches) can be added
to the safety belt assembly by
adding a safety belt extension
assembly. Safety belt extension
assemblies are available for front
or rear seating positions and are
not interchangeable.
²Front seating positions (part
number 611C22)
²Rear seating positions (part
number 611C22)
Safety belt extension assemblies
can be obtained from your dealer
at no cost.
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50

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
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51

make sure there are no nicks,
wears or cuts.
All safety belt assemblies,
including retractors, buckles, front
seat belt buckle support assemblies
(slide bar) (if so equipped),
shoulder belt height adjusters (if
so equipped), child safety seat
tether bracket assemblies (if so
equipped) and attaching hardware,
should be inspected after any
collision. Ford recommends that all
safety belt assemblies used in
vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision
was minor and a qualified
technician finds that the belts do
not show damage and continue to
operate properly, they do not need
to be replaced. Safety belt
assemblies not in use during a
collision should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL
RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important air bag precautions
and warnings
Your vehicle is equipped with a
supplemental restraint system
designed to work with the safety
belts to help protect you and your
right front passenger in the event
of certain collisions described in
the sectionHow does the air bag
supplemental restraint system
work?
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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.
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53

Children and air bags
Children should be placed
in the rear in an
appropriate child safety seat that
is properly secured to the
vehicle.
Children should always
wear their safety belts.
Failure to follow this instruction
may increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
Rear-facing infant seats
MUST always be secured
in the rear seat. In vehicles
without a rear seat, a rear-facing
infant seat should be secured in
the front seat ONLY if your
vehicle does not have a
passenger side air bag or your
vehicle is equipped with a
passenger air bag deactivate
switch and the switch is turned
to ªOFF.º
When using forward-facing
child safety seats in
vehicles with only two seating
positions so the forward-facing
child safety seat cannot be
placed in the rear of the vehicle,
move the passenger seat as far
back from the instrument panel
as possible. Never secure
rear-facing infant seats in the
front seat.
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54

For additional important safety
information on the proper use of
seat belts, child seats and infant
seats, please read the entire
Seating and safety restraints
chapter in this owner's guide.
How does the air bag
supplemental restraint system
work?
The Air Bag Supplemental
Restraint System is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal (lengthwise)
deceleration that is equal to or
greater than hitting an immovable
barrier head on at a range of about
12±24 km/h (8±14 mph).
The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation.
If the vehicle experiences
sufficient longitudal deceleration,
the system is activated and the air
bags inflate rapidly. After the air
bag inflates, it will quickly deflate.
This occurs so quickly that some
people may not even realize that
the air bag inflated.
After the air bag deployment, you
may notice a smoke-like, powdery
residue or smell the burnt
propellant (which is used to
lubricate the air bag) or sodium
compounds, such as sodium
carbonates (e.g., baking soda) that
result from the combustion process
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55

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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