2002 Mercury Mercury Cougar seats

Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
By operating other electronic equipment (e.g. mobile telephone
without exterior aerial) electromagnetic fields can occur which
can cause malfunctions of the vehicle electronics. Therefore you should
observe the instructions of the equipment manufacturers.
Please read the sectionAir bagin theSeating and safety
restraintschapter. Failure to follow the specific warnings and
instructions could result in personal injury.
Front seat mounted rear-facing child or infant seats should
NEVERbe used in front of a passenger side air bag.
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA VEHICLE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
For your particular global region, your vehicle may be equipped with
features and options that are different from the ones that are described
in this Owner Guide; therefore, a supplement has been supplied that
complements this book. By referring to the pages in the provided
supplement, you can properly identify those features, recommendations
and specifications that are unique to your vehicle.Refer to this Owner
Guide for all other required information and warnings.
Introduction
7

SEATING
Adjustable head restraints (if equipped)
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 restraint to
raise it to the desired height. To
lower, push the button in the collar
around the stem.
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.
Do not place any objects behind the seat which could prevent
the engagement of the seat lock.
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
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To lean the seatback forward, pull
the lever on the outside of the
seatback.
Fold back the seatback until it locks
with a distinct ªclickº and slide the
seat backwards until it locks in
position. Rock the seat to ensure
that the catch is securely engaged.
Adjusting the power seats (if equipped)
To adjust the height of the seat,
push the control up or down. The
control is located on the left front
corner of the seat.
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To adjust the power seat, move the
control located on the left front
corner of the seat. Move the control
in the respective direction to adjust
the seat, seat back and lumbar as
follows:
1. Move the seat forward and
backward
2. Adjust the height of the entire
seat
3. Incline or recline the seatback
4. Adjust the lumbar support
FOLDING REAR SEATS
To avoid injury to rear seat occupants when closing the liftgate,
ensure that the head of any rear seat occupant is not in the path
of the closing liftgate. Request that the occupants, especially taller
occupants, lean forward and under the roof structure to avoid making
contact with the closing liftgate. Close the liftgate carefully.
Pull the release knob located in the
luggage compartment. Fold down
the seat.
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To raise the rear seatback, push the seatback upward until it locks in
place. Make sure it is firmly latched by pushing forward and back on it.
Check to see that the seat and seatback are latched securely in
position. Keep luggage area of objects that would prevent proper
engagement.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
To reduce 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.
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When to use the automatic locking mode
²When a tight lap and shoulder belt fit is desired.
²Any timea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front or
outboard rear seating position (if equipped). 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.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Ford Motor Company recommends that all safety belt assemblies
and attaching hardware should be inspected by a qualified
technician after any collision. Safety belt assemblies not in use during a
collision should also be inspected and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
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.
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.
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.
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Side air bag system (if equipped)
Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near the air bag
cover on the side of the seatbacks of the front seats or in front
seat areas that may come into contact with a deploying air bag. Failure
to follow these instructions may increase the risk of personal injury in
the event of a collision.
Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of accessory seat
covers may prevent the deployment of the side air bags and
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door. The side air bag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag
supplemental restraint system, its fuses or the seat cover on a
seat containing an air bag. See your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an air bag SRS is provided.
Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near the air bag
cover on the side of the seatbacks of the front seats or in front
seat areas that may come into contact with a deploying air bag. Failure
to follow these instructions may increase the risk of personal injury in
the event of a collision.
Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of accessory seat
covers may prevent the deployment of the side air bags and
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door. The side air bag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
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Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag SRS, its
fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an air bag. See your
Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle should always wear their safety belts
even when an air bag SRS is provided.
How does the side air bag system work?
The side air bag system consists of
the following:
²An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator concealed
behind the outboard bolster of
the driver and front passenger
seatbacks.
²A special seat cover designed to
allow air bag deployment.
²The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic
unit as used for the front air
bags.
²Two crash sensors located under
the outboard side of the front
seats, attached to the floor.
Side air bags, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce the risk of
severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision.
The side air bags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the air bag on the side affected
by the collision will be inflated, even if the respective seat is not
occupied. The air bag was designed to inflate between the door panel
and occupant to further enhance the protection provided occupants in
side impact collisions.
The air bag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates air bag inflation.
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