1998 Mercury Villager ECU

Safety Seats for Children
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of
the child. Always follow the safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing and using the safety seat.
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 capable of providing a tether anchorage. For more
information on top tether straps seeAttaching Safety Seats With
Tether Strapsin this chapter.
When installing a child safety seat, be sure to use the correct
safety belt buckle for that seating position, make sure the tongue
is securely fastened in the buckle and there is tension in the
belt. For a shoulder/lap belt combination with a sliding tongue,
make sure the retractor is in the automatic locking mode. For
more information, seeUsing the Automatic Locking Mode Retractor
to Secure a Child Safety Seatlater in this chapter.
All child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or by the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
Seating and Safety Restraints
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WARNING
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers should never be
placed in the front seats.
WARNING
If you do not properly secure the safety seat, the child
occupying the seat may be injured during a collision or
sudden stop. An unsecured safety seat could also injure
other passengers.
The passenger side quick-release second row captain seat is
adjustable along a track and may be adjusted very close to the
front passenger seat to allow easier entry and exit to third row seats.
WARNING
The quick-release seat must be adjusted to the rearmost
position when using an untethered forward-facing child
safety seat.
WARNING
The third row seat must be adjusted to the rearmost
position when using an untethered forward facing child
safety seat.
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Using the Automatic Locking Mode Retractor to Secure
a Child Safety Seat
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual locking mode retractor on
the shoulder belt portion of the combination lap/shoulder safety
belt for the front passenger seat and rear outer seats. The
automatic locking modemust be usedwhen installing a child
seat or infant carrier in the front passenger seat or rear outer seats.
To install a child safety seat or infant carrier, follow these steps:
1. Position the child seat or infant carrier in the vehicle seat. If you
are using the moveable third row seat in the third row
position, the passenger side second row bucket seat, or the
front passenger seat, slide the seat to the rearmost position.
2. Follow the child seat or infant carrier manufacturer's
instructions. Route the safety belt through the child seat or
infant carrier and insert the safety belt tongue into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage. Be sure to follow
the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions for belt
routing. When using the seating position near the sliding door
on the two-passenger bench seat, be sure that the single
window tongue is attached to the auxillary buckle on the side
of the seat.
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6. Before placing the child in the child seat or infant carrier, use
force to tilt the seat from side to side, and tug it forward to
make sure that the seat is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in the automatic locking mode.
Try to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot, the belt
is in the automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child seat or infant carrier is properly
secured prior to each use. If the safety belt is not locked,
repeat steps 3 through 6.
NOTE: When the lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled and allowed
to retract completely, the retractor will switch to the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
Testing the security of the child seat
Seating and Safety Restraints
159

Tethering to floor anchor
Ford recommends placing tethered safety seats in a rear seating
position with the tether strap attached to the tether anchor bolt as
shown in the following illustration.
To gain access to the anchoring bolt, cut through the plastic
along the U-shaped tether location outlines on the carpet of the
luggage area. Remove the bolt that is currently in the anchor
location. The tether anchor hardware has been preassembled.
To attach it, orient the tab in the bracket toward the front of the
vehicle and securely tighten the bolt. Follow the child safety
seat directions for attaching the tether strap to the anchor bracket.
Tether anchor point locations
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5. Let the retractor wind up the slack from the lap/shoulder
belt. A clicking sound should be heard as the belt retracts,
indicating that the retractor is in automatic locking mode.
Tighten the tether strap to remove any slack.
6. Before placing a child in the child restraint, use force to tilt the
child restraint from side to side and tug it forward to make
sure it is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in automatic locking mode by
trying to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot pull
any more belt webbing out of the retractor, the belt is in
automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child restraint is properly secured
prior to each use. If the belt is not locked, repeat steps 4
through 7.
Seating and Safety Restraints
165

NOTE: The step mat should be placed neatly in the cargo area
when not in use.
Positioning pins are included with your floor mats to secure
them to the seat tracks. Push the positioning pins through the
plastic loops in the floor mats and into the seat tracks.
NOTE: Be sure to keep the seat tracks clear of debris by cleaning
them periodically with a high-powered vacuum.
Head Restraints
If you use them properly, head restraints are intended to help
protect your head and neck in a collision.
The head restraints can be adjusted in four positions: fully raised,
fully lowered and two intermediate positions. Press down on
the head restraint adjustment button and move the restraint to the
position that places the restraint directly behind your head.
A head restraint helps protect you best if you position it behind
your head and not behind your neck.
Floor mat positioning pin placement
Adjustable Rear Seating
181

Installing the Two-Passenger Bench Seat
To replace the bench seat in its original position:
1. Make sure the area around the floor anchor positions is free
from obstruction.
2. With the seatback folded down, two people should lift the seat
into the vehicle.
3. Place the seat slightly behind the floor anchor positions and
catch the rear leg anchors into each anchor position.
4. Press down on the front of the seat to secure the front legs to
the two floor latch locks. Place the seatback in the upright
position.
5. Try to move the seat to be sure that it is securely fastened.
6. Always reattach the tongue into the auxiliary buckle mounted
to the sliding door side of the seat.
Labels have been provided on the side of the seat to remind you
of important safety precautions.
7. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
WARNING
Keep foreign objects out of the floor anchors. Objects in
the floor anchors could prevent front and rear seat legs from
engaging properly.
WARNING
Before sitting in the removable seats, make sure that the
seat legs are securely attached by the floor anchors.
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