1998 Mercury Villager lock

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.
138

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
153

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.
156

3. Pull on the belt until all of the stored belt is out of the retractor
and a click is heard.
4. Allow the belt to retract. A clicking sound will be heard as the
belt retracts. This indicates that the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode.
Routing the safety belt tongue through the child seat (captain's chair shown)
Seating and Safety Restraints
157

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

The automatic locking mode is activated whenever all of the belt
webbing is pulled out of the retractor.
While in this mode, the belt will retract or tighten but cannot be
pulled back out to obtain more length. To disengage the
automatic locking mode, unbuckle the belt and allow the webbing
to retract fully.
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.
All vehicles built for sale in Canada include tether anchor
hardware for use with Canadian child safety seats. The tether
anchor hardware is located in the tire changing tool kit. Additional
tether anchor hardware can be obtained at no charge from any
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Vehicles built for sale in the USAdo notinclude tether anchor
hardware, but it can be obtained at no charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer (Part number F3XY-12613D20-A).
160

Tethering to lap/shoulder belt tongue
To attach a tether strap to a lap/shoulder belt:
1. Route the tether strap under the headrest and between the
head restraint supports.
2. Hook the tether strap hook into the large hole at the end of the
tongue of the lap/shoulder belt directly behind the child seat
position.
3. Adjust the tether strap length until the hook is about one foot
behind the seatback.
4. Pull the shoulder belt until all of the belt is fully extended and
a click is heard. At this time the belt is in automatic locking
mode (child restraint mode.)
164