1999 Mercury Sable seats

²-Distributes outside air through the windshield
defroster ducts. It can be used to clear ice or fog
from the windshield. If the temperature is about
10ÉC (50ÉF) or higher, the air conditioner will
automatically dehumidify the air to prevent fogging.
Operating tips
²In humid weather, selectbefore driving. This
will prevent your windshield from fogging. After a
few minutes, select any desired position.
²To prevent humidity buildup inside the vehicle,
don't drive with the climate control system in the
OFF position.
²Don't put objects under the front seat that will
interfere with the airflow to the back seats.
²Remove any snow,
ice or leaves from
the air intake area
(at the bottom of
the windshield under
the hood).
²If the air conditioner works well in MAX A/C, but
not in A/C, this may indicate that the cabin air
filter (if equipped) needs to be replaced.
²If your vehicle has been parked with the windows
closed during hot weather, the air conditioner will
do a much faster job of cooling if you drive for
two or three minutes with the windows open. This
will force most of the hot, stale air out of the
vehicle. Then operate your air conditioner as you
would normally.
²
When placing objects on top of your instrument
panel, be careful to not place them over the
defroster outlets. These objects can block airflow
and reduce your ability to see through your
windshield. Also, avoid placing small objects on top
of your instrument panel. These objects can fall
down into the defroster outlets and block airflow
and possibly damage your climate control system.
Controls and features
21

²F- DEF-Distributes outside air through the
windshield defroster ducts. It can be used to clear
ice or fog from the windshield. If the outside air
temperature is about 10ÉC (50ÉF) or higher, the
air conditioner will automatically dehumidify the
air to prevent fogging.
²OFF-Outside air is shut out and the fan will not
operate. For short periods of time only, use this
mode to prevent undesirable odors from entering
the vehicle.
Displaying outside temperature
Press OUTSIDE TEMP
to display the outside
air temperature. It will
be displayed until
OUTSIDE TEMP is
pressed again or until
any other control is
pressed. When the
EATC system is off and OUTSIDE TEMP is pressed,
the outside temperature will only be displayed for
four seconds.
The outside temperature reading is most accurate
when the vehicle is moving. Higher readings may be
obtained when the vehicle is not moving. The
readings that you get may not agree with
temperatures given on the radio due to differences
in vehicle and station locations.
Operating tips
²In humid weather, select F-DEFbefore
driving. This will prevent your windshield from
fogging. After a few minutes, select any desired
position.
²To prevent humidity buildup inside the vehicle,
don't drive with the climate control system in the
OFF position.
²Don't put objects under the front seat that will
interfere with the airflow to the back seats.
OFFAUTO
TEMPOUT
SIDE
A/C MAX
VENT
Controls and features
27

DOME LAMPS AND MAP LAMPS
The front dome lamp is located overhead between
the driver and passenger seats. If the vehicle is
equipped with a moon roof, the dome lamp is
located behind the moon roof.
The dome lamp will
stay on if the control is
moved to the ON
position. When the
control is in the DOOR
position, the lamp will
only come on when a
door is opened. If the
control is moved to the
OFF position, the lamp will not come on at all.
The dome lamp will illuminate whenever a front
door is opened. If either front door has been opened
from the outside, the lamp will remain on for 25
seconds after the door is shut. If any other door has
been opened from the inside, the lamp will shut off
immediately after the door is closed.
The map lamps and
controls are located on
the dome lamp. Press
the controls on either
side of each map lamp
to activate the lamps.
If equipped with a
moon roof, the map
lamps are located on
the moon roof control
panel. Press LIGHT to
illuminate the map
lamp.
DOOR OFF ON
TILT
LIGHTLIGHT
SLIDE
Controls and features
47

SEATING
Head restraints
Your vehicle's seats may be equipped with head
restraints which are vertically adjustable. The
purpose of these head restraints is to help limit head
motion in the event of a rear collision. To properly
adjust your head restraints, lift the head restraint so
that it is located directly behind your head or as
close to that position as possible. Refer to the
following to raise and lower the head restraints.
Push or pull the head
rests to the desired
position.
Adjusting the front manual seat
Never adjust the driver's seat or seatback
when the vehicle is moving.
Do not pile cargo higher than the seatbacks
to avoid injuring people in a collision or
sudden stop.
Always drive and ride with your seatback
upright and the lap belt snug and low across
the hips.
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70

Press to raise or lower
the rear portion of the
seat cushion.
Press the control to
move the seat forward,
backward, up or down.
Using the power lumbar support (if equipped)
The power lumbar
control is located on
the outboard side of
the seat.
Press one side of the control to adjust firmness.
Press the other side of the control to adjust
softness.
REAR SEATS
2nd seat/Split-folding rear seat (if equipped)
One or both rear seatbacks can be folded down to
provide additional cargo space.
To lower the
seatback(s) from inside
the vehicle, pull tab to
release seat back and
then fold seatback
down.
When raising the seatback(s), make sure you hear
the seat latch into place.
Seating and safety restraints
72

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.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or
her lap while the vehicle is moving. The
passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a
collision.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the
driver, should always properly wear their
safety belts, even when an air bag SRS is provided.
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow
people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is
not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Seating and safety restraints
74

suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle
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 toSafety Restraints for Children
orSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this chapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
²Buckle the
combination lap and
shoulder belt.
²Grasp the shoulder
portion and pull
downward until the
entire belt is
extracted.
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76

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.
²This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy
management feature at the front seating positions
to help further reduce the risk of injury in the
event of a head-on collision.
²This seat belt system has a retractor assembly
that is designed to pay out webbing in a
controlled manner. This feature is designed to
help reduce the belt force acting on the
occupant's chest.
After any vehicle collision, the seat belt
system at all outboard seating positions
(except driver, which has no ªautomatic locking
retractorº feature) must be checked by a qualified
technician to verify that the ªautomatic locking
retractorº feature for child seats is still functioning
properly, in addition to other checks for proper
seat belt system function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST
BE REPLACED if the seat belt assembly
ªautomatic locking retractorº feature or any other
seat belt function is not operating properly when
checked according to the procedures in Workshop
Manual.
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77