1998 FORD TAURUS child lock

frozen in place. These actions could cause damage
to the glass and mirrors.
CHILDPROOF DOOR LOCKS
When these locks are
set, the rear doors
cannot be opened from
the inside. The rear
doors can be opened
from the outside when
the doors are unlocked.
The childproof locks
are located on rear
edge of each rear door
and must be set
separately for each
door. Setting the lock
for one door will not
automatically set the
lock for both doors.
Move lock control up to engage the lock. Move
control down to disengage childproof locks.
CENTER CONSOLE
Your vehicle may be equipped with a variety of
console features. These include:
²utility compartment
²cupholders
²coin holder slots
²cellular phone (if equipped)
Use only soft cups in the cupholder. Hard
objects can injure you in a collision.
If your vehicle is equipped with the column shift, it
has a center console in the center front seating
position.
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39

3. Lift the remote latch
release on the left side
of the compartment
and fold the remaining
floor panel until it
latches. Make sure the
seatback is locked in
the upright position.
To close the seat, make sure the safety belts are
properly stowed, then lift the remote latch release
and push the seat down until it latches. Pull up on
the handle and push the floor panel into place.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback
upright and the lap belt snug and low across
the hips.
To prevent the risk of injury, make sure
children sit where they can be properly
restrained.
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.
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58

2. To unfasten, push
the release button and
remove the tongue
from the buckle.
The front and rear outboard safety restraints in the
vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The
front and rear seat passenger outboard safety belts
have two types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor
mode, allowing free shoulder belt length adjustment
to your movements and locking in response to
vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or 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.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically
pre-locked. 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 fit is desired.
²Anytimea child safety seat is installed in the
vehicle. Refer toSafety Restraints for Children
orSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this chapter.
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60

The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as
possible around the hips, not around the
waist.
Insert the tongue into
the correct buckle. To
lengthen the belt, turn
the tongue at a right
angle to the belt and
pull across your lap
until it reaches the
buckle. To tighten the
belt, pull the loose end
of the belt through the
tongue until it fits
snugly across the hips.
Shorten and fasten the
belt when not in use.
Safety belts for rear-facing occupants (wagon
only)
Never use child safety seats in the third seat
of a wagon.
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belts containing
an adjust tongue at the rear-facing seating positions.
When the adjust tongue of the lap/shoulder
combination seat belt is latched into the buckle, the
tongue will allow the lap portion to become shorter,
but locks the webbing in place to restrict it from
becoming longer.
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63

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size
and weight of the child. Carefully follow all of the
manufacturer's instructions 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.
²Insert the belt
tongue into the
proper buckle until
you hear a snap and
feel it latch. Make 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 seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode.
Refer toAutomatic locking mode.
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75

2. Pull down on the
shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
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. To put the retractor
in the automatic
locking mode, grasp
the shoulder portion of
the belt and pull
downward until all of
the belt is extracted
and a click is heard.
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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77

7. Pull the lap belt
portion across the child
seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the
shoulder belt while
pushing down with
your knee on the child
seat.
8. Allow the safety belt
to retract to remove
any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the
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 the 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 two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly
secured before each use.
Installing a child safety seat in the center rear
seating position with adjustable lap belt
1. Lengthen the lap belt. To lengthen the belt, hold
the tongue so that its bottom is perpendicular to the
direction of webbing while sliding the tongue up the
webbing.
2. Place the child safety seat in the center seating
position.
3. Route the tongue and webbing through the child
seat according to the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for
the center seating position until you hear a snap and
feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely
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78

Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are equipped with a
retractor that locks when both tongues are latched
into the crotch safety belt buckle. The retractor will
automatically snug the belts around the child. If the
belts do not remain snug, take the vehicle to the
dealer for child seat repair. The belts will not snug
during a collision.
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.
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81