1998 Mercury Mountaineer lock

To return the seat to the upright
position:
²Press downward on the upper
corner of the seatback and hold.
²Pull the release handle upward
to unlatch the seat.
²Rotate the seatback upward
until the seatback latches in the
upright position. The seatback
will click when it is locked into
position.
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.
PUSH
PUSH
Seating and safety restraints
66

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
Seating and safety restraints
68

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.
Seating and safety restraints
69

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.
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
Seating and safety restraints
70

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.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt assembly is too
short, even when fully extended,
20 cm (8 inches) can be added to
the safety belt assembly by adding
a safety belt extension assembly
(part number 611C22). Safety belt
extension assemblies can be
obtained from your dealer at no
cost.
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 extensions
to change the fit of the shoulder
belt across the torso.
Safety belt warning light and
indicator chime
The seat belt warning light
illuminates in the instrument
cluster and a chime sounds to
remind the occupants to fasten
their safety belts.
Seating and safety restraints
71

edge of the seat cushion. You may
wish to discuss the special needs
of your child with your
pediatrician.
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.
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 seat back in upright
position.
²Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer
toAutomatic locking mode.
Ford recommends the use of a
child safety seat having a top
tether strap. Install the child safety
seat in a seating position which is
Seating and safety restraints
81

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.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the shoulder belt
while pushing down with 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
Seating and safety restraints
84

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.
Attaching safety seats with
tether straps
Some manufacturers make safety
seats that include a tether strap
that goes over the back of the
vehicle seat and attaches to an
anchoring point. Other
manufacturers offer the tether
strap as an accessory. Contact the
manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
Tether anchorage hardware
A tethered seat can be installed in
the front seat. Put the tether strap
over the seatback and attach it to
a anchor bracket.
An anchor bracket can be installed
on the rear edge of the front seat
cushion.
The provision (attaching hole) is
provided in the rear edge of the
front passenger seat cushion
frame. The anchorbracket must be
installed using the instructions
provided with the kit.
Tether anchorage hardware kits
(part number 613D74) including
instructions, may be obtained at no
charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Seating and safety restraints
85