2000 FORD TAURUS seats

²(Floor)-Allows for maximum heating by distributing outside air
through the floor ducts. However, the air will not be cooled below the
outside temperature because the air conditioning does not operate in
this mode.
²
(Floor and defrost)-Distributes outside air through the
windshield defroster ducts and the floor ducts. Heating and air
conditioning capabilities are provided in this mode. For added
customer comfort, when the temperature control knob is anywhere in
between the full hot and full cold positions, the air distributed through
the floor ducts will be slightly warmer than the air sent to the
windshield defrost ducts. If the temperature is about 10ÉC (50ÉF) or
higher, the air conditioner will automatically dehumidify the air to
reduce fogging.
²
(Defrost)-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 reduce fogging.
Operating tips
²In humid weather, selectbefore driving. This will reduce fogging
on your windshield. After a few minutes, select any desired position.
²To reduce humidity buildup inside the vehicle, do not drive with the
climate control system in the OFF or MAX A/C position.
²Do not put objects under the front seat that will interfere with the
airflow to the rear 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
Controls and features
20

²MAX A/C-Uses recirculated air to cool the vehicle. The temperature
will remain unchanged and air will be cooled based on the selected
temperature. To exit, press AUTOMATIC or any other override
controls. MAX A/C is noisier than normal A/C but more economical
and will cool the inside of the vehicle faster. Airflow is from the
instrument panel registers. This mode can also be used to prevent
undesirable odors from entering the vehicle.
²OFF-Outside air is shut out and the fan will not operate. For short
periods of time only, use this mode to reduce 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 Fbefore driving. This will reduce
fogging on your windshield. 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.
AUTO
TEMPOFFTEMP
MAX
A/C
OUTSIDE
Controls and features
26

TILT STEERING
Pull the tilt steering control toward
you to move the steering wheel up
or down. Hold the control while
adjusting the wheel to the desired
position, then release the control.
Never adjust the steering wheel when the vehicle is moving.
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 passenger
side position. When the control is in
the middle position, the lamp will
only come on when a door is
opened. If the control is moved to
the driver's side position, the lamp
will not come on at all.
With the control in the middle position, 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.
Controls and features
49

SEATING
Adjustable head restraints
Your vehicle's seats are 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.
The head restraints can be moved
up and down.
Push control to lower head restraint.
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 reduce the risk of
injuring people in a collision or sudden stop.
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74

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.
3rd seat (wagon only)
The third seat faces the rear of the vehicle. For height and weight limits,
see the label on the seat cushion. When the seat is down, the back of
your wagon has a flat surface for carrying cargo.
To open up the seat:
1. Unlock the floor panel with the
key, then use the handle to fold the
floor panel toward the front of the
car.
2. Remove the cargo cover. The
cargo cover must be removed or the
seatback will not latch in the
upright position.
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77

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.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt
assembly which is made up of one buckle and one tongue that
are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm.
2) Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) until you hear a snap and feel
it latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
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81

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:
Energy management retractors
Your vehicle has a seat belt system equipped with energy management
retractors at the driver and front outboard passenger seating positions.
An energy management retractor is a device which pays out webbing in a
controlled manner. This feature is designed to help further reduce the
risk of force-related injuries to the occupant.
Seat belt systems equipped with an energy management retractor must
be replaced if they were in use during a frontal collision which resulted
in deployment of the frontal air bags. Refer to theSafety belt
maintenancesection in this chapter.
In the event of a collision resulting in the deployment of the
front air bags, the front safety belts must be replaced if they
were in use.
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, all seat belts should be checked for
proper function.
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82

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.
Failure to replace the Belt and Retractor assembly could
increase the risk of injury in collisions.
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
approximately 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 the vehicle. Children 12
years old and under should be properly restrained in the rear seat
whenever possible. Refer toSafety Restraints for ChildrenorSafety
Seats for Childrenlater in this chapter.
Seating and safety restraints
83