1998 Mercury Villager seats

mDo not place objects under the front seats unless your vehicle
is equipped with an underseat storage compartment.
Improperly stored objects will interfere with the flow of air to
the back seats.
mRemove any snow, ice, or leaves from the area below the
windshield on the outside of your vehicle. They could block the
air intake.
Heating and Air Conditioning System (If equipped)
Turning on the heat
You can heat the inside of your vehicle and defrost the
windshield using the function selector buttons located in the
control assembly in the instrument panel.
The six function selector buttons are: OFF, Mix (
), Defrost
(
), Panel (), Panel/Floor (), and Floor (). If your
vehicle is equipped with a rear seat climate control system, the
instrument panel will also include a rear seat climate control lever.
To turn on the rear passenger compartment control system,
select REAR, 1, 2, 3, or 4. With the lever set to REAR, rear seat
passengers will have control of rear fan speed on the rear seat
climate control panel. Positions 1, 2, 3, or 4 will control rear
fan speed from the front control panel. The temperature of the air
from the rear system is controlled by the rear passenger
compartment climate control system.
Controls and Features
61

Interior Lamps
The front dome lamp is located overhead between the driver and
front passenger seats. However, if your vehicle is equipped
with a power sunroof, the dome lamp is located behind the driver's
seat.
The rear dome lamp is located overhead near the rear seating
positions.
Either dome lamp will stay illuminated if the switch is pushed
to the ON position. The dome lamps will stay off if the switch is
pushed to the OFF position. When the switch is positioned to
the door/middle position, the dome lamps will come on when
either of the front doors or the sliding door is opened. The
front dome lamp, footwell lamps, and the sliding door step lamp
have a time delay feature and will gradually dim within about
15 seconds.
The rear dome lamp also illuminates when the liftgate is opened
and goes off when it is closed. However, the rear dome lamp
will not remain lit in the ON position unless the ignition switch
is in the ON position. This feature is intended to help avoid
a run-down battery which can occur when a light is left on
unintentionally.
The dome lamp switch positions
82

Seats
Head Restraints
If you use them properly, head restraints will 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.
For more information on the rear seats in your vehicle, see the
Adjustable Rear Seatingchapter in this owner guide.
The adjustable head restraint
Seating and Safety Restraints
121

Adjusting the Front Seats Manually
If you have manually adjustable front seats, you can move your
seat to a new position by lifting up on the seat adjustment
lever and sliding the seat to the position of your choice. The lever
is underneath the front of your seat.
WARNING
Never adjust the driver's seat or seatback when the
vehicle is moving.
WARNING
Cargo should always be secured to prevent it from
shifting and causing damage to the vehicle or harm to
passengers.
Seat adjustment lever location
122

Reclining Seats
You can tilt back the seats in your vehicle.
WARNING
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the
lap belt snug and low across the hips.
To recline the seatbacks:
1. Lift up the release lever and hold it up while you lean against
the back of the seat.
2. When the seatback is tilted to the position you choose, release
the lever to lock the seatback in place.
3. To return the seatback to its upright position, lift the lever and
lean forward.
Seatback release lever location
Seating and Safety Restraints
123

Using Power Seats (If equipped)
If your vehicle has power front seats, you can adjust the driver
seat in six directions:
mforward (using the power slide switch)
mrearward (using the power slide switch)
mraise the seat (using the power seat height switch)
mlower the seat (using the power seat height switch)
mtilt seat back towards the front (using the power recline
switch)
mtilt seat back towards the back (using the power recline
switch)
The power lumbar switches (if equipped) provide built-in
support for the driver 's lower back.
minflate the lumbar support pad
mdeflate the lumbar support pad
The passenger seat can be adjusted in four directions:
mforward (using the power slide switch)
mrearward (using the power slide switch)
mtilt toward the front (using the power recline switch)
mtilt toward the back (using the power recline switch)
The controls are located on the side of the seat closest to the
door. The seat can be adjusted even without the key in the ignition.
124

Rear Seat Cupholders (available on some models)
Your vehicle may have the following types of cupholders:
mtwo second row cupholders attached to the captain seats (if
equipped)
mtwo third row cupholders on the left side and one cupholder
on the right side (if equipped)
mone cupholder built into the side trim panel (without rear
radio controls)
WARNING
Objects stored on the ledges below the rear side windows
can become dangerous projectiles during a sudden stop
or collision. Put small objects only in the storage
compartments.
Third Row Seat Storage Compartment (If equipped)
Your vehicle may come equipped with a folding cupholder/storage
tray/storage compartment built into the passenger's side of the
third row seat. Find the indented ledge on the right of the
cupholder and pull it up to reveal the storage compartment.
Power Point Electrical Outlet (If equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a 12 volt power point outlet
located just below the rear seat audio controls. The power
point can be used in place of the cigarette lighter for optional
electrical accessories.
NOTE: Do not plug the cigarette lighter into this power point
electrical outlet. Use the cigarette lighter.
128

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