1997 FORD F250 warning

113 [SS15500(F )01/96]
While you are fastened in the seat belt, the
combination lap and shoulder belt adjusts to
your movement. However, if you brake hard,
turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact
of 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the lap and
shoulder belt will become locked and help
reduce your forward movement.
[SS15510(F )05/96]
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
(If equipped)
*
[SS15520(F )05/96]
Driver and right front passenger
[SS15530(F )05/96]
The driver and right front passenger shoulder
belt height is adjustable to one of five (5)
positions.
*
[SS15540(F )05/96]
To adjust the belt down, push the release button
on the adjuster down and slide the adjuster
down. Then release the button and make sure
the adjuster is firmly in one of the positions. To
adjust the belt up, slide the adjuster up. (You do
not have to push the release button.) Slide it up
or down until the belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder.
*
[SS15550(F )05/96]
RWARNING
Position the shoulder belt height adjuster
so that the belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder. Be sure the shoulder belt is
properly positioned on your shoulder each
time you use the belt. If the shoulder belt
is off your shoulder, on your upper arm
or neck, there is a greater risk of severe
injury in a collision.
*
[SS15560(F )05/96]
NOTE: Be sure the belt is properly positioned
on your shoulder each time you use
the belt.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

120
*
[SS20400(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Failure to follow these instructions will
affect the performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal injury.
%
*
[SS25500(F )01/96]
Safety Restraints for Children
*
[SS25600(F )01/96]
In the U.S. and Canada, you are required by law
to use safety restraints for children. If small
children ride in your vehicle Ð this generally
includes children who are four years old or
younger and who weigh 40 pounds (18 kg) or
less Ð you must put them in safety seats that
are made specially for children. Safety belts
alone do not provide maximum protection for
these children. Check your local and state laws
for specific requirements.
*
[SS25700(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his
or her lap while the vehicle is moving.
The passenger cannot protect the child
from injury in a collision.
*
[SS25900(F )03/96]
RWARNING
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.
*
[SS26000(F )05/96]
When possible, put children in the rear seat of
your vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

121
*
[SS26100(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Do not install a child seat in a center
facing jump seat.
*
[SS26200(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a
vehicle that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small child.
Check seat covers and buckles before you
place a child anywhere near them.
*
[SS26300(F )03/96]
RWARNING
Do not leave children, unreliable adults,
or pets unattended in your vehicle.
%*
[SS26400(F )01/96]
Safety Belts for Children
*
[SS26500(F )01/96]
Children who are too large for child safety seats
should always wear safety belts. (See instructions
with your child seat, or contact its manufacturer,
to determine maximum size of child that will
safely fit in the seat.)
*
[SS26600(F )01/96]
RWARNING
If safety belts are not properly worn and
adjusted as described, the risk of serious
injury to the child in a collision will be
much greater.
*
[SS26700(F )01/96]
If the shoulder belt portion of one of the lap and
shoulder belts can be positioned so that 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.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

122 [SS26800(F )04/96]
RWARNING
If the shoulder belt cannot be properly
positioned, move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (preferably in a
rear seat) and use the lap belt.
*
[SS26900(F )01/96]
Lap belts and the lap belt portion of lap and
shoulder belts should always be worn snugly
and below the hips, touching the child's thighs.
*
[SS27000(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Children should always ride with the
seatback in the fully upright position.
%*
[SS27100(F )01/96]
Safety Seats for Children
*
[SS27200(F )01/96]
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the
size and weight of the child. Always follow the
safety seat manufacturer's instructions when
installing and using the safety seat.
*
[SS27300(F )01/96]
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.
[SS27400(F )01/96]
When installing a child safety seat, be sure to
use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating
position making sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle and for a shoulder/lap
belt combination with a sliding tongue make
sure the retractor is in the ªautomatic locking
mode.º
*
[SS28300(F )05/96]
All child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or by the
lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

123
*
[SS28400(F )03/96]
RWARNING
If you do not properly secure the safety
seat, the child occupying the seat may be
injured during a collision or sudden stop.
An unsecured safety seat could also injure
other passengers.
*
[SS28500(F )03/96]
RWARNING
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.
*
[SS28600(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Seatbacks should be upright for use with
child safety seats.
*
[SS28700(F )05/96]
RWARNING
Always keep the buckle release button
pointing upward and away from the child
seat, with the tongue between the child
seat and the release button as shown in
the following illustration.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

133 %
*
[SS34500(F )04/96]
Attaching Safety Seats With Tether Straps
*
[SS34600(F )01/96]
General Instructions
[SS34700(F )01/96]
Some manufacturers make safety seats that
include an upper tether strap that goes over the
seatback and attaches to an anchoring point.
Other manufacturers offer the tether strap as an
accessory. Contact the manufacturer of your
child safety seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
[SS34800(F )05/96]
You can install a tether strap anchor bracket to
the cab inner back panel by using a tether
anchor bracket kit (613D20) available at no
charge from any Ford dealer.
*
[SS35100(F )01/96]
Read and carefully follow the instructions
provided with the kit for installation of the child
tether strap anchor.
*
[SS35200(F )01/96]
Follow the child seat manufacturer's instructions
to attach the tether strap to the tether bracket.
[SS35600(F )01/96]
Ford recommends placement of tethered safety
seats in a rear seating position (Crew Cab and
Super Cab with forward facing rear seat only)
with the tether strap installed to the tether
anchoring point as shown in the instructions
provided with the child tether strap anchor kit.
*
[SS35900(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Only use the tether attachment hole
locations shown in the illustrations. The
tether anchor may not perform properly if
the wrong mounting location is used.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

134 [SS36000(F )04/96]If a tethered seat is installed in the front seat,
Ford recommends placement of the tethered
safety seat in the center front seating position,
with the tether strap secured to the center rear
lap belt tongue or to the webbing of the buckled
center rear lap belt behind the child safety seat.
[SS36100(F )04/96]
The rear lap/shoulder safety belts should not be
used to secure the tether strap of a safety seat
located in the front seat.
*
[SS36200(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Follow these precautions to decrease the
chance of injury in an accident.
*
[SS36400(F )03/96]
In SuperCabs equipped with Center Facing Jump
Seats, the tether strap anchor bracket should be
installed only at the center of the cab's back
panel with the child seat in the front center
seating position. Installing an anchor bracket at
the right rear of the cab may increase risk of
injury to an occupant of the right rear center
facing jump seat in the event of a collision or
sudden stop. If a tethered child seat is installed
in the right front seating position, secure the
tether strap to the webbing of the buckled right
rear lap belt.
*
[SS36500(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Do not install a child seat in a center
facing jump seat.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
ProCarManuals.com

138
[TO01000(FM)01/96]
Starting your vehicle
%*
[TO01100(FM)01/96]
Preparing to Start Your Vehicle
*
[TO01200(FM)02/96]
RWARNING
Do not start your vehicle in a closed
garage or in other enclosed areas. Exhaust
fumes can be toxic. Always open the
garage door before you start the engine.
*
[TO01300(FM)01/96]
Before you start your vehicle, do the following:
*
[TO01400(F )01/96]
1. Make sure all occupants in the vehicle
buckle their safety belts. SeeSafety Restraints
in the Index for more details.
*
[TO01600(FM)01/96]
2. Make sure the headlamps and other
accessories are turned off when starting.
*
[TO01700(F )01/96]
3.If you have an automatic transmission,
make sure that the gearshift lever is in P
(Park) and the parking brake is set before
you turn the key.
*
[TO01900(F )01/96]
4.If you have a manual transmission,make
sure that the parking brake is fully set, push
the clutch pedal to the floor, and put the
gearshift into Neutral before you turn the
key. (Remember, the starter will operate only
if the clutch pedal is pushed in all the way).
%*
[TO02000(F )01/96]
Testing the Warning Lights
*
[TO02100(F )02/96]
Before you start your vehicle, you should test
the warning lights on the instrument panel to
make sure that they work. Refer to the
Instrumentationchapter.
[TO02200(F )04/96]
If your Brake Warning Light does light up with
the key in the ON position, you may not have
fully released the parking brake or the brake
fluid may be low.
File:08lttof.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:45 1996
ProCarManuals.com