1997 Mercury Mountaineer lock

1. To lower shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide down.
2. To raise the height of the
shoulder belt, push the button and
slide up.
3. Pull down on the height
adjustment assembly to make sure
it is locked in place.
Center rear lap belt
The center rear seating position
has a lap belt with retractor.
To unfasten the safety belt:
1. Push the release button on the
buckle. This allows the tongue to
unlatch from the buckle.
2. While the belt retracts, guide
the tongue to its stowed position.
If you do not guide the tongue, it
may strike you or part of the
vehicle.
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68

OR
²If the child is the proper size,
restrain the child in a safety
seat.
CHILDREN 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.
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
toHow to use the automatic
locking mode.
PRESS
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76

3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route
the tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer's 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. Grasp the shoulder portion of
the belt and pull downward until
all of the belt is extracted and a
click is heard to put the retractor
in the automatic locking mode.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The
belt will click as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic
locking mode.
PRESS
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78

7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the shoulder belt
while pushing down on the child
seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract
to remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing a 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 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 2
through 9.
Check to make sure the child seat
is properly secured before each
use.
Using a tether strap
Ford recommends using child
safety seats with a top tether
Seating and safety restraints
79

strap. Contact the manufacturer of
your safety seat for information
about ordering a tether strap if
one is not provided to you. Contact
your Ford dealer for a free tether
anchor kit (613D74) so you can
attach a tether anchor bracket to
the tether anchor attachment
locations in the rear floor.
Carefully follow the instructions
provided with the kit.
Only use the tether
attachment hole locations
shown. The tether anchor may
not perform properly if the
wrong mounting location is used.
Follow the child seat
manufacturer's instructions for
installing a child seat with a tether
strap.
Ford recommends you attach
tethered safety seats in a rear
seating position with the tether
strap attached to the tether
anchoring bracket as shown in the
instructions provided with the
tether anchor kit.
If a tethered seat must be installed
in the front passenger seat:
1. Buckle the safety belt in the
seat directly behind the front
passenger seat.
2. Place the rear safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer to
How to use the automatic locking
modein this chapter.
3. Install the child safety seat in
the front seat. Refer to the
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80

Placing your child in the built-in
child seat
Failure to follow all of the
instructions on the use of
this child restraint system can
result in your child striking the
vehicle's interior during a sudden
stop or crash.
Never use the built-in
child seat as a booster
cushion with the adult safety
belts. A child using the adult
belts could slide forward and out
from under the safety belts.
The rear seatback must be
fully locked before
operating the child restraint
system.
1. Grasp the pull strap and pull
toward you approximately one
inch, then slide hand under head
restraint and slide upwards to full
position.
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82

9. Pull on the safety belt tongues
to ensure they are both securely
latched. If they are not latched,
repeat Steps 7 and 8.
If necessary, the shoulder belts can
be put in automatic locking mode
(ALR) to limit the child's
movement in the child seat. The
ALR mode may be used if the child
is sleeping or attempting to get out
of the child seat.
If not placed in the ALR mode, the
child seat shoulder belts are in a
vehicle sensitive (emergency
locking) mode, adjusting shoulder
belt tightness in response to
vehicle movement.
Activating the automatic locking
mode (ALR) on the built-in child
seat.
1. Pull out right shoulder belt fully.
2. Allow the belts to tighten snugly
against child's shoulders.
Canceling the automatic locking
mode (ALR) on the built-in child
seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip and
remove the left and right safety
belt tongues from the crotch
buckle.
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86

7. Press firmly on the top center of
the built-in child seat head
restraint to ensure it is stowed
properly.
Inspecting the built-in child seat
after a collision
All built-in child restraints,
including seats, buckles,
retractors, seat latches,
interlocks, and attaching
hardware should be inspected by
a qualified dealer technician after
any collision. If the child seat
was in use during a collision,
Ford recommends replacing it.
However, if the collision was
minor and a qualified technician
finds that the child restraints do
not show damage and continue
to operate properly, they do not
need to be replaced. Built-in
child seats not in use during a
collision should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
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88