1997 FORD F150 ignition

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
f12_sbelt_maint
f12_sbelt_extension
Seating and safety restraints
65

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.
If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the SRS
serviced at your dealership or by a
qualified technician immediately.
Unless serviced, the system may
not function properly in the event
of a collision.
Passenger air bag deactivate
switch
Your vehicle has a passenger air
bag deactivate switch. This switch
MUST be used to activate or
deactivate the passenger air bag
whenever a rear-facing infant seat
is used in the right front or center
front passenger seat position.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
f12_srs_deactivate
Seating and safety restraints
71

Keep the passenger air bag
turned on unless there is a
rear-facing infant seat installed in
the front seat. When the
passenger air bag switch is
turned off, the passenger air bag
will not inflate in a collision.
If the passenger air bag switch is
turned off, it increases the
likelihood of injury to forward
facing occupants in the passenger
seat.
Turning the passenger air bag
off
1. Insert the ignition key, turn the
switch to OFF and remove the key.
2. The OFF light illuminates when
the key is inserted in the ignition
and turned to On. This indicates
that the passenger air bag is
deactivated.
If the light fails to
illuminate when the
passenger air bag switch is in the
OFF position and the ignition
switch is in ON, have the
passenger air bag switch serviced
at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer immediately.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
Seating and safety restraints
72

In order to avoid
inadvertent deployment of
the passenger air bag, always
remove the ignition key from the
passenger air bag deactivate
switch.
Turning the passenger air bag
back on
The passenger air bag remains off
until you turn it back on.
1. Insert the ignition key and turn
the switch to ON.
2. The OFF light will not illuminate
when the ignition is turned to On.
If the light is illuminated
when the passenger air
bag switch is in the ON position
and the ignition switch is in ON,
have the passenger air bag
switch serviced at your Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer
immediately.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
Seating and safety restraints
73

If you smell exhaust fumes
inside your vehicle, have
your dealer inspect your vehicle
immediately. Do not drive if you
smell exhaust fumes.
Preparing to start the vehicle
Engine starting is controlled by the
spark ignition system. This system
meets all Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment
standard requirements regulating
the impulse electrical field strength
of radio noise.
When starting a fuel-injected
engine, avoid pressing the
accelerator before or during
starting. Only use the accelerator
when you have difficulty starting
the engine. For more information
on starting the vehicle, refer to
Starting the vehiclein this
chapter.
Before starting the vehicle:
1. Make sure all vehicle occupants
have buckled their safety belts. For
more information on safety belts
and their proper usage, refer to
com_preparing_start.01
Starting
84

braking technique. However,
avoid taking any unnecessary
risks.
Parking brake
The parking brake should be used
whenever you park your vehicle. It
is not designed to stop a moving
vehicle. However, if the normal
brakes fail, the parking brake can
be used to stop your vehicle in an
emergency. Since the parking
brake applies only the rear brakes,
the vehicle's stopping distance will
increase greatly and the handling
of your vehicle will be adversely
affected.
Setting the parking brake
The!BRAKElight in the instrument
cluster will illuminate and remain
illuminated (when the ignition
f12_parking_brake
f12_setting_pbrake
Driving
92

Do not leave the vehicle
unattended with the
transfer case in the N (Neutral)
position. Always set the parking
brake fully and turn off the
ignition when leaving the vehicle.
Releasing parking brake
Pull the BRAKE lever forward.
If the parking brake is fully
released, but the Brake
System light remains on, have
the brakes checked immediately.
They may not be working
properly.
TRACTION LOKTREAR AXLE
(IF EQUIPPED)
This axle provides added drive
away traction on slippery surfaces,
BRAKE
f12_releasing_pbrake
f12_traction_lok
Driving
94

Each time the vehicle is started,
the transmission will automatically
return to normal overdrive mode.
2 (Second)± Use 2 (Second) to
start-up on slippery roads or to
provide additional engine braking
on downgrades. Transmission
operates in first and second gears.
1 (Low)± Use 1 (Low) to provide
maximum engine braking on steep
downgrades. Upshifts can be made
by shifting to 2 (Second) or to
D(Overdrive). Selecting 1 (Low)
at higher speeds causes a shift to 2
(Second), and will shift to 1 (Low)
after vehicle decelerates to the
proper speed.
Brake-shift interlock
The brake-shift interlock feature
prevents you from shifting from P
(Park) unless the brake pedal is
depressed (with the ignition in the
On position). If you cannot move
the gearshift out of P (Park) with
the brake pedal depressed:
1. Turn ignition key to Off.
3
2
1
5
4
f12_brake_shift_interlock
Driving
98