1997 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manuals

The outboard safety restraints in
the vehicle are combination lap
and shoulder safety belts. The
front and rear seat passenger
outboard safety belts have the two
types of locking modes described
below:
Vehicle sensitive (Emergency)
locking mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the
normal retractor mode, allowing
free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movement and
locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the
driver brakes suddenly, turns a
corner sharply, or the vehicle
receives an impact of 8 km/h (5
mph) or more the combination
safety belts will lock to help
reduce forward movement of the
driver and passengers.
The front seat belt system can also
be made to lock manually by
quickly pulling on the shoulder
belt. Rear seat belts cannot be
made to lock up by pulling quickly
on the belt.
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Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is
automatically pre-locked; however,
the belt will still retract to remove
any slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic
locking mode
²When a tight lap/shoulder belt
fit is desired.
²Any timea child safety seat is
installed in the vehicle. Refer to
Children and infant or child
safety seatslater in this section.
How to use the automatic
locking mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
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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.
How to cancel the automatic
locking mode
Disconnect the combination
lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
completely retract to cancel the
automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode.
Front seat safety belt height
adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and
passenger seating positions.
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
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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

SAFETY BELT WARNING AND
INDICATOR CHIME
The
warning light illuminates
in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the
occupants to fasten their safety
belts.
Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The safety belt is not buckled
before the ignition key is turned
to ON...The safety belt indicator light
illuminates for one to two minutes
and the warning chime sounds for
4-8 seconds.
The safety belt is buckled while
the indicator light is illuminated
and the warning chime is
sounding...The safety belt indicator light and
the warning chime turn off.
The safety belt is buckled before
the ignition key is turned to ON...Both the safety belt warning light
and 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 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.
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69

Energy absorbing sew pattern
The short plastic boot on the front
passenger safety belt covers an
energy absorbing sew pattern on
the safety belt. In the event of an
accident, the sew pattern may
release, and the orange REPLACE
BELT label may become visible. If
any part of the orange label is
exposed, the belt must be
replaced.
Failure to replace the
safety belt assembly under
the above conditions could result
in severe personal injuries in the
event of a collision.
Lincoln-Mercury recommends that
all safety belt assemblies used in
vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision
was minor and a qualified
technician finds that the belts do
not show damage and continue to
operate properly, they do not need
to be replaced. Safety belt
assemblies not in use during a
collision should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
REPLACE
BELT
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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
belt extensions are available at no
cost from your 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.
Failure to follow these
instructions will affect the
performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal
injury.
Cleaning the safety belts
Clean the safety belts with a mild
soap solution recommended for
cleaning upholstery or carpets. Do
not bleach or dye the belts,
because these actions may weaken
the belt webbing.
AIR BAG PRECAUTIONS
Your vehicle is equipped with an
air bag supplemental restraint
system (SRS) designed to work
with safety belts to help protect
you and your right front seat
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passenger in the event of a
collision.
All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts, even when an air
bag supplemental restraint
system is provided.
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the air bag cover on the
steering wheel or in front seat
areas that may come into contact
with a deploying air bag. Failure
to follow this instruction may
increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
Do not attempt to service,
repair, or modify the air
bag supplemental restraint
system or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Rear-facing child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in the front seat.
Air bags and air bag equipped
vehicles should be disposed of only
by your dealer.
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