1998 Mercury Villager Owner's Manuals

To tighten the lap portion of the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt
until it fits you snugly. The belt should rest as low on your
hips as possible.
The passenger seated near the sliding door in the three-passenger
bench seat can route the safety belt webbing under the guide
located on the head restraint. This safety belt guide is designed to
help keep the safety belt webbing properly positioned across
the passenger's chest for maximum comfort. This guide is only
needed when the two-passenger second row bench seat is removed
and the three-passenger bench seat is moved up to the
second-row position.
Fastening the rear seat combination lap and shoulder belt
Seating and Safety Restraints
133

Using the seat belt guide with the three-passenger bench seat in the second row position
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NOTE: The second row two-passenger bench seat has a unique
safety restraint system. If your vehicle has the
two-passenger bench seat it is very important that the
unique safety belt system is used properly. Please read
Auxiliary safety restraint system for the second row
bench seatin this section, which explains the unique
safety belt system. Be sure that you understand it before
anyone rides in the two-passenger bench seat.
Passenger Outboard Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seats except the driver's seat and the third seat middle
position are equipped with a dual locking mode retractor on the
shoulder belt portion of the lap/shoulder safety belt. (The
driver seat has only a vehicle sensitive locking mode and the
third seat middle position has a lap belt without a retractor Ð
description follows.)
Dual Locking Mode Retractors Operate in Two Ways:
Vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor will allow the
occupant freedom of movement, locking tight only on hard
braking, hard cornering or impacts of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more.
Seating and Safety Restraints
135

Automatic locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor will be
automatically locked and will remain locked when the combination
lap/shoulder safety belt is buckled, and does not allow the
occupant freedom of movement. This mode provides the following:
mA tight lap/shoulder belt on the occupant.
mChild safety seat installation.
WARNING
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers should never be
placed in the front seats.
This modemust be usedwhen installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat and rear outboard seats where dual locking
retractors are provided.
To switch the retractor from the emergency locking mode to the
automatic locking mode, perform the following steps:
1. Buckle the lap/shoulder combination belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and pull downward
until all of the belt is extracted and, when allowed to
retract, a clicking sound is heard. At this time, the belt retractor
is in the automatic locking mode (child restraint mode).
3. A clicking sound will continue to be heard as the belt is
allowed to retract. This indicates that the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode.
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NOTE: When the combination lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled
and allowed to retract completely, the retractor will
switch to the vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
See the detailed instructions underSafety Seats for
Childrenin this chapter.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Driver and right front passenger
You can adjust the shoulder belt height to one of five (5)
positions.
To adjust the belt down, pinch the release button and slide the
adjuster down. To adjust the belt up, pinch the release button and
slide the adjuster up.
Make sure the adjuster is firmly in one of the five positions. The
belt should be adjusted up or down until the belt rests across
the middle of your shoulder.
The shoulder belt height adjuster
Seating and Safety Restraints
137

WARNING
Position the shoulder belt height adjuster so that the belt
rests across the middle of your shoulder. Be sure the
shoulder belt is properly positioned on your shoulder each
time you use the belt. If the shoulder belt is off your
shoulder, on your upper arm or neck, there is a greater risk
of severe injury in a collision.
Lap Belt Without a Retractor (for the three-passenger
bench seat)
The center seat of the three-passenger bench seat has a lap belt
without a retractor. To make the belt longer, tip the tongue at a right
angle to the belt and pull the belt over your lap until the
tongue reaches the buckle.
To fasten the belt, pull the belt across your hips and insert the
tongue into the correct buckle on your seat until you hear a snap
and feel it lock. Make sure the buckle is securely fastened.
Pull the loose end of the webbing and adjust the belt so that it
fits snugly and as low as possible around the hips:
mIf you need to lengthen the belt, unfasten it and repeat the
procedure above.
mIf you need to shorten the belt, pull on the loose end of the
webbing.
To store the belt:
Fasten the center tongue and buckle when not in use. This will
prevent the belt from falling between the seat and the seatback.
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Auxiliary Safety Restraint System for the Second Row
Bench Seat (7 passenger vehicle)
There is a unique safety restraint system for the outside seating
position of the second row bench seat. It is very important that you
read and understand this section before anyone rides in the
outside seating position (near the sliding door) of the
two-passenger bench seat.
The two-passenger bench seat in the second row has a safety
restraint system made up of two buckles and two tongues. There
is an anchor location at the bottom of the C-pillar and another
anchor location at the top of the C-pillar that attach each end of the
seat belt webbing to the bodyside.
One of the seat belt tongues has two ªwindowsº (or holes) and
the other has only one ªwindow.º The seat belt tongue with one
window attaches to the buckle mounted to the side of the seat.
The seat belt tongue with two windows should be pulled across the
passenger's chest and fastened to the buckle mounted in the
middle of the seat.
Seating and Safety Restraints
139

A twisted belt may prevent the retractor from working
properly. If the unique safety belt system is twisted, disengage
the single window tongue from the buckle on the side of the seat,
remove the twist and re-install the tongue into the buckle until
you hear a snap and feel the latch engage.
The auxiliary safety retraint system for the second row bench seat
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