1997 FORD ESCORT Owners Manual

Vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the
normal retractor mode, which
locks the belts in response to
vehicle movement. For example, if
the driver brakes suddenly or turns
a corner sharply, the combination
safety belts will lock to restrain
forward movement of the driver
and passengers.
The retractor can be made to lock
by pulling sharply on the belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the occupant is
locked in a certain position by the
shoulder belt and the belt does not
adjust tightness during vehicle
movement.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic
locking mode
²When a tight lap and shoulder
belt fit is desired.
²Any timea child safety seat is
installed in the vehicle. For
more information on the proper
use of a child safety seat, refer
toChildren and infant or
child safety seatslater in this
chapter.
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57

Using the automatic locking
mode
The automatic locking mode must
be used when installing an
aftermarket child safety seat in any
outboard passenger seat.
1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder belt portion
and pull downward until the entire
belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the
belt retracts, you will hear a
clicking sound. This indicates that
the safety belt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
Canceling the automatic locking
mode
Disconnect the combination lap
and shoulder belt and allow it to
completely retract. This will cancel
the automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency locking) mode.
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58

Front seat safety belt height
adjustment
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
²To lower the height of the
shoulder belt:
Push the button down.
Slide down.
²To raise the height of the
shoulder belt:
Slide up.
Pull down on the height
adjustment assembly to make sure
it is locked in place.
Lap belt
A lap belt is located in the center
of the rear seat.
Adjusting the lap belt
Because the lap belt does not have
a retractor to automatically adjust
itself during vehicle movement, the
lap belt should be adjusted before
use.
²To shorten the belt:
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59

Buckle the belt. Pull the loose end
of the belt until snug.
²To lengthen the belt:
Tip and pull the tongue.
The lap belt must fit snugly and as
low as possible around the hips.
Do not wear the lap belt around
your waist.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically for damage and to
ensure that they work properly.
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60

The short plastic boot on the front
safety belt at the passenger
inboard buckle location covers an
energy absorbing sew pattern on
the safety belt. In the event of a
collision, the sew pattern may
release, and the orange portion of
the warning label may become
visible. If this occurs, the safety
belt and buckle must be replaced.
Failure to follow these
instructions will affect the
performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal
injury.
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61

SAFETY BELT INDICATOR
LIGHT AND WARNING CHIME
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 for one to two minutes
and the warning chime sounds for
4-8 seconds.
The driver's side safety belt is
buckled while the indicator light is
illuminated and the warning
chime is sounding...The safety belt indicator light and
the warning chime turn off.
The driver's safety belt is buckled
before the ignition key is turned
to ON...The safety belt indicator light and
warning chime remain off.
AIR BAG PRECAUTIONS
Your vehicle is equipped with an
air bag supplemental restraint
system (SRS) designed to work
with the safety belts to help
protect you and your right front
seat passenger in the event of a
collision.
All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts, even when an air
bag SRS is provided.
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62

Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the air bag cover on the
steering wheel or in front seat
areas that may come into 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 SRS or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
AIR BAG SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION
The air bags and their
corresponding warning and
information labels are found in the
following locations:
The air bag system activates in
collisions more severe than hitting
a parked vehicle (of similar size
and weight) head-on at
approximately 20 km/h (13 mph).
This activation speed may vary if
your vehicle is involved in a
collision with something that will
move or deform and according to
the angle of impact. The air bag is
not designed to inflate in rollovers,
side impacts, or rear impacts.
Air bags and air bag equipped
vehicles should be disposed of only
by qualified service personnel
using Ford approved procedures.
The system consists of two parts:
HI LOOFF*A/C*MAX
A/CTUNE
DISCS

SEEK
TUNE
SCAN
EJ REW FF
BAL BASSTREBFADE TAPE
CD AM
FM
–+1
SIDE 1-22
345
COMP1
SIDE 1-2VOL–
PUSH ONLMIRRORR00000000002030405060
70
80
90
10 0
11 020 40608010 0
12 0
16 0
18 0 140
200FUEL FILLCHEF1/22
13RPM x 1000RSM
SET
ACC
CST OFF ONOFFINT
1 OFF MIST
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63

²The driver air bag in the middle
of the steering wheel and the
passenger air bag above the
glove compartment.
²The electrical system, made up
of impact sensors, a diagnostic
module, and a backup power
supply.
The air bags inflate within a
fraction of a second after air bag
sensors detect a severe frontal
collision. Gas generators within the
air bags fill the air bags with a
non-toxic, non-flammable gas.
After the vehicle occupants have
impacted the air bags, the gas
empties through holes in the air
bags and the air bags deflate. You
may notice smoke and smell the
escaping gas after the air bags
deflate. This is normal.
You and your passengermustwear
your safety belts in order for the
air bag system to operate
effectively.
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND
WARNING CHIME
When you turn the ignition key to
the ON position, the air bag system
performs a self-check of the:
²air bag sensors
²air bag module
²air bag inflators
²available battery power
²air bag warning light
Following a successful system
self-check, the
warning light
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