1997 Mercury Mountaineer ECU

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
Seating and safety restraints
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
Seating and safety restraints
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

instruction underInstalling child
safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating
positionsin this chapter.
4. Hook the tether strap around
the webbing near the center of the
shoulder portion of the rear safety
belt and tighten.
BUILT-IN CHILD SEAT (IF
EQUIPPED)
The rear seat may include a
built-in child seat. This child seat
conforms to all federal and
Canadian motor vehicle safety
standards. Read the labels located
on the child seat cushion and
shoulder belt for information on
the built-in child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonly
under the following conditions:
Child's Age Child's Weight Child's Height
At least 1 year 10-27 kg (22-60 lb) Shoulders must be
below the shoulder
harness slots on the
built-in child seat
Children not meeting these
requirements should be secured in
an approved aftermarket child
seat. Refer toChildren and
infant or child safety seatsin this
chapter.
Seating and safety restraints
81

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.
Seating and safety restraints
86

ABS warning light
TheABSlight in the instrument
cluster illuminates and remains
illuminated if an ABS fault is
detected. Have your vehicle
serviced as soon as possible.
Normal braking operation is still
effective unless the
light is
also illuminated.
Parking brake
The parking brake should be used
whenever the vehicle is parked.
Push pedal downward to set the
parking brake.
The
light in the instrument
cluster illuminates and remains
illuminated (when the ignition is
turned to ON) until the parking
brake is released.
Always set the parking
brake fully and make sure
that the gearshift is securely
latched in P (Park).
The parking brake 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.
Driving
97

Pull gearshift lever towards you
and downward to move the
automatic gearshift.
P - ParkAlways come to a
complete stop before shifting into
or out of P (Park).
Always set the parking
brake fully and make sure
that the gearshift is securely
latched in P (Park).
R - ReverseAlways come to a
complete stop before shifting into
or out of R (Reverse).
N - NeutralVehicle is free to roll.
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.
P RND21
P RND21
Driving
99

To stow largest flat tire, place
inside vehicle and secure with
webbing retainer.
JUMP STARTING A DISABLED
VEHICLE
The gases around the
battery can explode if
exposed to flames, sparks, or lit
cigarettes. An explosion could
result in injury or vehicle
damage.
To protect yourself when
charging a battery, always
shield your face and eyes. Make
sure that you can breath fresh
air.
Batteries contain sulfuric
acid which burns skin,
eyes and clothing.
If the acid touches someone's skin,
eyes, or clothing, immediately flush
the area with water for at least 15
minutes. If someone swallows the
acid, have him or her drink lots of
milk or water first, then Milk of
Magnesia, a beaten egg, or
Roadside emergencies
132