1997 FORD EXPEDITION lock

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 or if the vehicle
receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or
more, the combination safety belts
will lock to help reduce the
forward movement of the driver
and passengers.
The retractor can be made to lock
by pulling on the belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is
automatically prelocked; however,
the belt will retract to remove any
slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver shoulder
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
information on the proper use of
a child safety seat, refer to
Child safety seatslater in this
chapter.
exd_automatic_locking_mode
exd_when_to_use_almode
exd_using_auto_locking_mode
Seating and safety restraints
82

Using automatic locking mode
The automatic locking mode must
be used when installing a 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 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.
Adjusting the lap belt
A lap belt is located in the center
of the rear seat and third row seat
(if equipped).
Because the lap belt does not have
a retractor to automatically adjust
itself during vehicle movement, the
lap belt must be adjusted before
use.
exd_canceling_auto_locking_mod
exd_adjusting_lap_belt
Seating and safety restraints
83

To raise the height of the shoulder
belt:
²Slide up.
²Pull down on the height adjuster
to make sure that it is locked in
place.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically to make sure that they
work properly and are not
damaged. If your vehicle has been
involved in an accident, have all
the safety belts and child seat
anchoring brackets (if equipped)
examined by a qualified technician.
Refer toCleaning and caring for
your vehiclein theMaintenance
and carechapter for more
information on maintaining your
safety belts.
Failure to replace the
safety belt assembly
under the above conditions
could result in severe
personal injuries in the event
of a collision.
Safety belt extension assembly
For some people, the safety belt
may be too short even when it is
fully extended. You can add about
20 cm (8 in.) to the belt length
with a safety belt extension
assembly (part # 611C22). Safety
exd_extension_assmebly
Seating and safety restraints
85

3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route
the tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturers' instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not
twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle for that seating
position until you hear and feel the
latch engage. Make sure the
tongue is latched securely by
pulling on it.
5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt
is extracted and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The
belt will click as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic
locking mode.
Seating and safety restraints
96

7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the shoulder belt
while pushing down with knee on
the child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract
to remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is in the automatic
locking mode (you should not be
able to pull more belt out). If the
retractor is not locked, unbuckle
the belt and repeat steps two
through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat
is properly secured before each
use.
com_safety_seats.01
Seating and safety restraints
97

Child and infant or child safety
seats
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.
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.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Use the correct safety belt
buckle for that seating position.
²Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
²Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the
safety seat, with the tongue
between the child seat and the
release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling.
²Place seatbacks in the upright
position.
²Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer
toUsing the automatic locking
modein this chapter.
exd_using_tether
Seating and safety restraints
98

is below Ð12ÉC (10ÉF), depress
accelerator and start the engine
while holding the accelerator
down. Release accelerator when
engine starts.
4. After idling for a few seconds,
apply the brake and release the
parking brake.
Using the engine block heater
(if equipped)
An engine block heater warms the
engine coolant, which improves
starting, warms up the engine
faster and allows the
heater-defroster system to respond
quickly. They are strongly
recommended if you live in a
region where temperatures reach
Ð23ÉC (±10ÉF) or below.
For best results, plug the heater in
at least three hours before starting
the vehicle. Using the heater for
longer than three hours will not
harm the engine, so the heater can
be plugged in the night before
starting the vehicle.
To prevent electrical
shock, do not use your
heater with ungrounded
electrical systems or
two-pronged (cheater) adapters.
com_engine_heater.01
com_ventilation_info.01
Starting
104

BRAKES
Brakes
Your brakes are self-adjusting.
Refer to the ªService Guideº for
maintenance scheduling.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) (if
equipped)
The ABS operates by detecting the
onset of wheel lock up during
brake applications and
compensating for this tendency.
The front wheels are prevented
from locking even when the brakes
are firmly applied. The
accompanying illustration depicts
the advantage of an ABS equipped
vehicle (on bottom) to a non-ABS
equipped vehicle (on top) during
hard braking.
Using ABS
²In an emergency, apply full force
on the brake. The ABS will be
activated immediately, thus
allowing you to retain full
steering control of your vehicle
and, providing there is sufficient
space, will enable you to avoid
obstacles and bring the vehicle
to a quiet stop.
²We recommend that you
familiarize yourself with this
braking technique. However,
avoid taking any unnecessary
risks.com_brakes.01
com_abs.01
com_using_abs.01
exd_braking_abs_sys
Driving
107