1998 LINCOLN TOWN CAR Owners Manual

Adjusting the power seats ±
seat mounted controls
Never adjust the driver's
seat or seatback when the
vehicle is moving.
The power seat controls are
located on the side of the driver's
seat.
Press to raise or lower the seat, or
to move the seat forward or
backward.
Heated seats (if equipped)
To operate the heated seats:
²Slide the control to BACK to
heat the seatback only.
²Slide the control to BOTH to
heat the seatback and the seat
cushion.
²Rotate the thumbwheel to select
the desired heat (from 0 (OFF)
to 5 (HI)). Allow five minutes
for the heat level to stabilize.
If the heated seat switch is not
turned OFF, the seat will heat up
to the selected temperature level
each time the vehicle is started.
BACK
BOTH
O
HI
OFF
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66

Using the power lumbar
support
The power lumbar control is
located on the outboard side of the
seat.
Press one side of the control to
adjust firmness.
Press the other side of the control
to adjust softness.
Using the manual recline
function (if equipped)
Never adjust the driver's
seat or seatback when the
vehicle is moving.
Do not pile cargo higher
than the seatbacks to
avoid injuring people in a
collision or sudden stop.
Always drive and ride with
your seatback upright and
the lap belt snug and low across
the hips.
To adjust the front seatback using
the manual recliner:
²Lift and hold the handle located
on the side of the seat.
²Lean against the seatback to
adjust it to your desired
position. You can recline the
seat back or bring it forward.
²Release the handle when the
desired position has been
reached.
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67

Easy access/easy out feature
(if equipped)
This feature automatically moves
the driver's seat backward when:
²the transmission is in N
(Neutral) or P (Park)
²the key is removed from the
ignition cylinder
The seat will move two inches
forward (to the original position)
when:
²the transmission is in N
(Neutral) or P (Park)
²the the key is placed in the
ignition cylinder
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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68

All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts.
It is extremely dangerous
to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In
a collision, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area
of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your
vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Each seating position in
your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly which is
made up of one buckle and one
tongue that are designed to be
used as a pair. 1) Use the
shoulder belt on the outside
shoulder only. Never wear the
shoulder belt under the arm. 2)
Never swing it around your neck
over the inside shoulder. 3)
Never use a single belt for more
than one person.
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69

Combination lap and shoulder
belts
1. To fasten, insert the tongue into
the slot in the buckle.
2. To unfasten, push the red
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
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70

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 to
Safety Restraints for Children
orSafety Seats for Children
later in this chapter.
How to use the automatic
locking mode
²Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
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71

²Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is extracted.
²Allow the belt to retract. As the
belt retracts, you will hear a
clicking sound. This indicates
the safety belt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
How to disengage the automatic
locking mode
Disconnect the combination
lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
retract completely to disengage the
automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode.
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72

Front safety belt height
adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and
front passenger. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt
rests across the middle of your
shoulder.
To lower the shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide the
height control down. To raise the
height of the shoulder belt, slide
the height adjuster up. Pull down
on the height adjustment assembly
to make sure it is locked in place.
Position the shoulder belt
height adjuster so that the
belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could
reduce the effectiveness of the
safety belt and increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
Lap belts
Adjusting the lap belt
The lap belt does not adjust
automatically. Adjust to fit snugly
and as low as possible around your
hips. Do not wear the lap belt
around your waist.
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73