
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the seat belt assembly “automatic locking retractor” 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.
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.
This mode should be usedany 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.
Front safety belt height adjustment
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide the height
adjuster up or down. Release the
button and pull down on the height
adjuster to make sure it is locked in
place.
Position the safety belt
height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could
reduce the effectiveness of the
seat belt and increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
right front passenger seating positions.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
80

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:
•Review and follow the information
presented in theAir Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) section in this chapter.
•Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
•Insert 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.
•Keep 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.
•Place seat back in upright position.
•Put 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 strapsin 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.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
98

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.
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.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
100

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. 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.
Installing child safety seat in the second row center seating
position with an automatic locking retractor
1. Place the child safety seat in the center seating position.
2. In a continuous motion, pull out enough webbing from the retractor to
route the tongue through the child seat.
3. While holding the webbing to prevent it from retracting, route the
webbing through the child seat according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle for that seating position until
you hear and feel the buckle engage. Make sure the buckle is latched
securely by pulling on the webbing.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
101

3. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected rear seating position. To
install a tethered child seat in the
fixed left rear seat of Adrenalin
vehicles, fold the right/center seat
back down so that you can reach
around the back of the left seat with
your left hand to attach the tether
hook onto the anchor.
•You may need to pull the seatback forward to access the tether
anchors. Make sure the seat is locked in the upright position before
installing the child seat. Refer to theFolding Down The Rear Seats
section in this chapter for information on how to operate the rear
seats.
4. Slide open the tether anchor
cover.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
103

5. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor and return the seat back to
its locked position. For Adrenalin
vehicles fixed left rear seat, clip the
tether hook onto the anchor bar
with the hook toward the rear of the
vehicle.
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.
To unhook the tether strap, unfasten the seat belts securing the child
seat and put some slack into the tether strap. Tip the seat back forward
enough so that you can reach behind the seat and unhook the tether
hook. For the Adrenalin Edition fixed left rear seat, fold the other seat
back down so that you can reach around the side of the left seat back
with your left hand to unclip the tether hook.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a collision greatly increases.
Attaching safety seats with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children) attachments for child seat anchors
Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at certain seating positions in your vehicle.
This type of child seat eliminates the need to use seat belts to attach the
child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether strap must also be
attached to the proper tether anchor. SeeAttaching safety seats with
tether strapsin this chapter.
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
104

A
Air bag supplemental
restraint system ..............86–87, 91
and child safety seats ..............88
description ..........................87, 91
disposal ......................................94
driver air bag ......................89, 92
indicator light .....................90, 93
operation .............................89, 92
passenger air bag ...............89, 92
Air cleaner filter .......................200
Anti-lock brake system
(see Brakes) ..............................111
Audio system
Single CD ..................................16
Audio system
(see Radio) ......................16, 19, 23
Automatic transmission ............113
driving an automatic
overdrive .................................115
fluid, refill capacities ..............201
fluid, specification ..................205
Auxiliary power point .................43
Axle
lubricant
specifications ..................203, 205
refill capacities ........................201
traction lok ..............................113
B
Battery .......................................179
acid, treating emergencies .....179
jumping a disabled battery ....152
maintenance-free ....................179
replacement, specifications ...200
servicing ..................................179
BeltMinder ...................................82
Brakes ........................................111anti-lock ...................................111
anti-lock brake system
(ABS) warning light ...............111
fluid, checking and adding ....192
fluid, refill capacities ..............201
fluid, specifications .........203, 205
lubricant specifications ..203, 205
parking ....................................112
shift interlock ..........................113
C
Calculating load ........................127
Capacities for refilling fluids ....201
Cargo cage ...................................55
Cassette tape player ...................16
CD-single premium ...............19, 23
Cell phone use ............................41
Certification Label ....................207
Child safety restraints ................95
child safety belts ......................95
Child safety seats ........................97
attaching with tether straps ..102
in front seat ..............................99
in rear seat ........................99, 101
Cleaning your vehicle
engine compartment ..............169
instrument panel ....................171
interior .....................................171
interior trim ............................171
plastic parts ............................170
safety belts ..............................171
washing ....................................168
waxing .....................................168
wheels ......................................169
wiper blades ............................170
Clock adjust
Single CD ..................................16
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Index
Index
211

G
Garage door opener ....................42
Gauges .........................................13
GAWR (Gross Axle
Weight Rating) ..........................126
calculating ...............................127
definition .................................126
driving with a heavy load ......126
location ....................................126
GVWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating) ..........................126
calculating .......................126–127
definition .................................126
driving with a heavy load ......126
location ....................................126
H
Hazard flashers .........................136
Head restraints ...........................74
Headlamps
aiming ........................................33
autolamp system .......................31
flash to pass ..............................32
high beam .................................32
Heating
heating and air conditioning
system .......................................29
I
Ignition ...............................107, 205
Infant seats (see Safety seats) ..97
Instrument panel
cleaning ...................................171
cluster ........................................10
J
Jump-starting your vehicle ......152K
Keyless entry system .................65
Keys
positions of the ignition .........107
L
Lamps
autolamp system .................31, 47
bulb replacement
specifications chart ..................35
fog lamps ...................................31
high beams ................................32
instrument panel, dimming .....32
interior lamps ...........................34
Lights, warning and indicator ....10
anti-lock brakes (ABS) ..........111
Load limits .................................126
GAWR ......................................126
GVWR ......................................126
trailer towing ..........................126
Loading instructions .................127
Locks
childproof ..................................61
Lubricant specifications ...203, 205
M
Manual transmission .................117
fluid capacities ........................201
lubricant specifications ..........205
reverse .....................................118
Mirrors
automatic dimming rearview
mirror ........................................48
fold away ...................................49
side view mirrors (power) .......48
Moon roof ....................................51
Motorcraft parts ........................200
2003 P207 Explorer Sport Trac(p27)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Index
213