2002 FORD MUSTANG Owners Manual

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)
(if equipped) section in this chapter.
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, refer toAttaching child safety seats
with tether straps.in this chapter.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's
instructions included 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.
Installing child safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating positions
If you must use a
forward facing child
seat in the front seat
(reminder - children 12
years old and under
should always be
properly restrained in
the rear seat)the
shoulder belt must
be routed through
the belt guide at the
top of the seatback,
refer toSafety
Restraintsearlier in
this chapter for routing
through the belt holder.
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129

Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child
seat.NEVERplace a rear-facing child seat
in front of an active air bag. If you must use a
forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.
1. Position the child
safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap
and shoulder belt.
Children 12 and under should be properly
restrained in the rear seat whenever
possible.
2. Pull down on the
shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the
shoulder and lap belt
portions together, route
the tongue through the
child seat according to
the child seat
manufacturer's
instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not
twisted.
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130

4. Insert the belt
tongue into the proper
buckle (the buckle
closest to the direction
the tongue is coming
from) for that seating
position until you hear
a snap and feel the
latch engage. Make
sure the tongue is
latched securely by
pulling on it.
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.
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131

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. To check this, grab the seat
at the belt path and attempt to move it side to side
and forward and back. There should be no more
than one inch of movement for proper installation.
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.
Attaching child safety seats with tether
straps
Most new forward-facing child safety seats include a
tether strap which goes over the back of the seat
and hooks to an anchoring point. Tether straps are
available as an accessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child seat for
information about ordering a tether strap.
The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped with
built-in tether strap anchors located behind the seats
on the package tray behind the speakers.
The tether anchors in your vehicle are either located
under a cover marked with the child tether anchor
symbol (shown with title) or are under a flap in the
convertible top boot.
Seating and Safety Restraints
132

The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the
following positions (shown from top view):
Attach the
tether strap
only to the
appropriate tether
anchor as shown.
The tether strap may
not work properly if
attached somewhere
other than the
correct tether
anchor.
1. Position the child safety seat on the seat cushion.
2. Route the child safety seat tether strap over the
back of the seat.
For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route
the tether strap under the head restraint and
between the head restraint posts, otherwise route
the tether strap over the top of the seatback.
3. Locate the correct
anchor for the selected
seating position as
shown previously.
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133

For Coupe only:
4. Open the tether
anchor covers.
5. Clip the tether strap
to the anchor as
shown.
For Convertible only:
The tether anchors on
the convertible are
located on the lower
backside of the
seatback.
4. Access tether
anchors located behind
the seatback and pull
away vinyl flap to
expose anchors.
5. Clip the tether strap
to the anchor as
shown.
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134

If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the
child safety seat may not be retained
properly in the event of a collision.
6. Refer to theInstalling child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder belt seating
positionssection of this chapter for further
instructions to secure the child safety seat.
7. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap
according to the manufacturer's instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a collision
greatly increases.
Seating and Safety Restraints
135

STARTING
Positions of the ignition
1. ACCESSORY, allows
the electrical
accessories such as the
radio to operate while
the engine is not
running. For manual
transmission, you must
depress the ignition
release lever.
2. LOCK, locks the steering wheel, automatic
transmission gearshift lever and allows key removal.
For manual transmission, you must depress the
ignition release lever.
3. OFF, shuts off the engine and all accessories
without locking the steering wheel. This position
also allows the automatic transmission shift lever to
be moved from the P (Park) position without the
brake pedal being depressed.
4. ON, all electrical circuits operational. Warning
lights illuminated. Key position when driving.
5. START, cranks the engine. Release the key as
soon as the engine starts.
Preparing to start your vehicle
Engine starting is controlled by the powertrain
control system. This system meets all Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment standard
requirements regulating the impulse electrical field
strength of radio noise.
When starting a fuel-injected engine, avoid pressing
the accelerator before or during starting. Only use
the accelerator when you have difficulty starting the
engine. For more information on starting the vehicle,
refer toStarting the enginein this chapter.
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Driving
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