2002 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manuals

If... Then...
The driver’s seat belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.
The purpose of the BeltMinder is to remind occasional wearers to wear
safety belts all of the time.
The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)
Reasons given... Consider...
“Crashes are rare
events”36700 crashes occur every day.The more we
drive, the more we are exposed to“rare”events,
even for good drivers.1in4ofuswillbe
seriously injured in a crash during our
lifetime.
“I’m not going far”3of4fatal crashes occur within25miles of home.
“Belts are
uncomfortable”We design our safety belts to enhance comfort. If
you are uncomfortable - try different positions for
the safety belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as possible; this can
improve comfort.
“I was in a hurry”Prime time for an accident.BeltMinder reminds
us to take a few seconds to buckle up.
“Seat belts don’t
work”Safety belts,when used properly,reduce risk of
deathto front seat occupants by45% in cars,
and by60% in light trucks.
“Traffic is light”Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle
crashes,many when no other vehicles are around.
“Belts wrinkle my
clothes”Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more
than wrinkle your clothes, particularly if you are
unbelted.
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Reasons given... Consider...
“The people I’m
with don’t wear
belts”Set the example, teen deaths occur 4 times more
often in vehicles with TWO or MORE people.
Children and younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
“I have an air bag”Air bags offer greater protection when used with
safety belts. Frontal airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear and side crashes or rollovers.
“I’d rather be
thrown clear”Not a good idea.Peoplewho areejected are 40
times more likely to DIE.Safety belts help
prevent ejection, WE CAN’T“PICK OUR CRASH”.
Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt to avoid the Belt
Minder chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk of
injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt
Minder feature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle only.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature
Read steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission).
•the ignition switch is in the OFF position
•all vehicle doors are closed
•the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled
•the parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped
with Autolamps, the Autolamps featureMUSTbe turned off.)
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To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1–2
minutes)
•Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder
warning activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled.
•After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,
buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the safety
belt warning light four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the safety
belt warning light four times per second for three seconds, followed by
three seconds with the safety belt warning light off, then followed by
flashing the safety belt warning light four times per second for three
seconds again.
9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature
Read steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
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Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission)
•the ignition switch is in the OFF position
•all vehicle doors are closed
•the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled
•the parklamps are in OFF position
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE)
2. Wait until the seat belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1–2
minutes)
•Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the seat belt three times, ending with the seat
belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder warning
activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
5. Buckle then unbuckle the seat belt three times, ending with the seat
belt unbuckled.
•After step 5 the seat belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
6. Within seven seconds of the seat belt warning light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the seat belt.
•This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the seat
belt warning light four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the seat
belt warning light four times per second for three seconds, followed by
three seconds with the seat belt warning light off, then followed by
flashing the seat belt warning light four times per second for three
seconds again.
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9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
Safety belt maintenance
Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Inspect the safety belts to make sure
there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if necessary. All safety belt
assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front seat belt buckle
assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder
belt height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if
equipped), child safety seat tether bracket assemblies (if equipped),
LATCH child seat tether anchors and lower anchors (if equipped), and
attaching hardware, should be inspected after a collision. Ford Motor
Company recommends that all safety belt assemblies used in vehicles
involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was minor
and a qualified technician finds that the belts do not show damage and
continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced. Safety
belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also be inspected and
replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the safety belt
assembly under the above conditions could result in severe
personal injuries in the event of a collision.
Refer toCleaning and maintaining the safety beltsin theCleaning
chapter.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic module
which records information about the air bag and sensor systems. In the
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event of a collision this module may save information related to the
collision including information about the air bag system and impact
severity. This information will assist Ford Motor Company in servicing
the vehicle and in helping to better understand real world collisions and
further improve the safety of future vehicles.
Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions
The supplemental restraint system
is designed to work with the safety
belt to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain
upper body injuries.
Air bags DO NOT inflate slowly or
gently and the risk of injury from a
deploying air bag is greatest close to
the trim covering the air bag
module.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag (SRS) is
provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 25 cm (10 inches)
between an occupant’s chest and the driver air bag module.
Never place your arm over the air bag module as a deploying air
bag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries.
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Steps you can take to properly position yourself away from the air bag:
•Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
•Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees) from the upright
position.
Do not put anything on or over the air bag module. Placing
objects on or over the air bag inflation area may cause those
objects to be propelled by the air bag into your face and torso causing
serious injury.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag
supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. See your Ford or
Lincoln Mercury dealer.
Modifications to the front end of the vehicle, including frame,
bumper, front end body structure and non-Ford tow hooks may
effect the performance of the air bag sensors increasing the risk of
injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to the Body
Builders Layout Book for instructions about the appropriate installation
of additional equipment.
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Children and air bags
For additional important safety
information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front
seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
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.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates air
bag inflation.
The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Front air bags are designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
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