1999 Mercury Villager lock

2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
The front and rear outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The front passenger and rear seat
outboard safety belts have two types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
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
²Anytimea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front or
outboard rear seating position (if equipped). Refer toSafety
Restraints for ChildrenorSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this
chapter.
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126

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.
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.
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127

Front safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and front
passenger. Adjust the height of the
shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To lower the shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide the height
adjuster down. To raise the height
of the shoulder belt, slide the height
adjuster up. Pull down on the height
adjuster to make sure it is locked in
place.
Position the shoulder belt height adjuster so that the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety
belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt and
increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Lap belts
Adjusting the lap belt
The lap belt does not adjust automatically.
The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as possible around the
hips, not around the waist.
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128

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Review and follow the information
presented in theAir Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
²Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position.
²Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.
²Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
²Place seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front and outboard rear seating
positions).
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137

5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
extracted and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle and
pull up on the shoulder belt while
pushing down with your knee on the
child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat steps
two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
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140

Third row bench in second row position
To attach a tether strap to a lap/shoulder belt:
1. Route the tether strap under the
head restraint and between the
head restraint supports.
2. Hook the tether strap hook into
the large hole at the end of the seat
belt 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).
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.
For additional important safety information on the proper use of
seatbelts, child seats and infant seats, please read the entireSeating
and safety restraintschapter in this owner's guide.
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147

BUILT-IN CHILD SEATS
Built-in child safety seat (if equipped)
The 2nd row seat may include a built-in child seat. This child seat
conforms to all Federal and local motor vehicle safety standards. Read
the labels located on the child seat cushion for information on the
built-in child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonlyif the child is at least 1 year old, weighs
10±27 kg (22±60 lb) and the child's shoulders (top) are below the
shoulder harness slots in the built-in child seat.
Children not meeting these requirements should be secured in an
approved aftermarket seat. Refer toChild and infant or child safety
seatsin this chapter.
Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are equipped with a retractor that locks
when both tongues are latched into the crotch safety belt buckle. The
retractor will automatically snug the belts around the child. If the belts
do not remain snug, take the vehicle to the dealer for child seat repair.
The belts will not snug during a collision.
Placing your child in the built-in child seat
Failure to follow all of the instructions on the use of this child
restraint system can result in your child striking the vehicle's
interior during a sudden stop or crash.
Never use the Built-In Child Seat as a booster cushion with the
adult safety belts. A child using the adult belts could slide
forward and out from under the safety belts.
The rear seatback must be fully locked before operating the
child restraint system.
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148

4. Read all information and warnings
on the child seat cushion and
shoulder safety belt. The child seat
is to be used only by children who:
²are at least one year old
²weigh between 10 and 27 kg (22
and 60 lbs.)
²shoulders must be below the
shoulder harness slots
5. If connected, squeeze the top and the bottom of the right half of the
chest clip and pull to separate both halves and unbuckle the two safety
belt tongues from the crotch belt buckle.
6. Place the child on the child seat and position the shoulder belts over
each shoulder.
7. Insert either the left or the right
safety belt tongue into the single
opening of the crotch safety belt
buckle (it doesn't matter which
tongue is inserted first). Insert other
tongue. The color green must
appear in the indicator window on
the crotch safety belt buckle when
buckled. Allow belts to retract and
fit snugly.
8. Fasten both halves of the chest
clip below the child's shoulders and
adjust it to comfortably hold the
shoulder belts in place on the child's
chest. The color green must appear
in the indicator window when fastened.
9. Pull the shoulder belts toward you to make sure the crotch safety belt
buckle is properly fastened and the retractor is locked.
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