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The lap belt must be adjusted
before use.
To shorten the belt:
²Buckle the belt.
²Pull the loose end of the belt
until snug.
To lengthen the belt:
²Tip and pull the tongue. Do not
wear the lap belt around your
waist.
Shorten and fasten the belt when
not in use.
Safety belt warning light and
indicator chime
illuminates in the instrument
cluster and a chime sounds to
remind the occupants to fasten
their safety belts.
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Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver safety belt is not
buckled when the ignition key is
turned to On...The safety belt indicator
illuminates for 1-2 minutes and
the reminder chime sounds for 4-8
seconds.
The driver safety belt is buckled
while the indicator light is
illuminated and the reminder
chime is sounding...The safety belt indicator light and
the reminder chime turn off.
The driver safety belt is buckled
before the ignition key is turned to
On...The safety belt indicator light and
the safety belt reminder chime
remain off.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically to make sure that they
work properly and are not
damaged. Check the safety belts to
make sure that there are no nicks,
wear or cuts. 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.
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
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with a safety belt extension
assembly (part # 611C22). Safety
belt extensions are available at no
cost from your Ford or
Lincoln/Mercury dealer.
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.
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM (SRS)
Important supplemental
restraint system (SRS)
precautions
The supplemental restraint system
is designed to:
²work with the safety belt to
protect the driver and right
front passenger
²reduce certain upper body
injuries
Failure to follow these
instructions will affect the
performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal
injury.
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Children should always wear their
safety belts. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
Rear-facing child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in the front
seats.
How does the air bag
supplemental restraint system
work?
The SRS is designed to activate
when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration,
similar to hitting a fixed barrier
head on at 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
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Always follow the instructions and
warnings that come with any infant
or child restraint you might use.
If possible, place children in the
rear seat of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are
safer when properly restrained in
rear seating positions than when
they are restrained in front seating
positions.
Children and safety belts
Children who are too large for
child safety seats (as specified by
your child safety seat
manufacturer) should always wear
safety belts.
Follow all the important safety
restraint and air bag precautions
that apply to adult passengers in
your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt
can be positioned so 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.
If the shoulder belt cannot be
properly positioned:
²move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (if
equipped)
OR
²if the child is the proper size,
restrain the child in a safety
seat.
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Do not leave children,
unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
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 special needs
of your child with your
pediatrician.
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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.
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Installing child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seating positions
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
If you choose to install a child
safety seat in the front passenger
seat, move the seat as far back as
possible.
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