2003 FORD SUPER DUTY seats

•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safetybelt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completelyto disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
After anyvehicle collision, the front passenger and rear outboard
seat belt systems must be checked by a qualified technician to
verifythat the “automatic locking retractor” 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“automatic locking retractor” feature or
anyother seat belt function is not operating properlywhen checked
according to the procedures in Workshop Manual. Failure to replace
the Belt and Retractor assemblycould increase the risk of injuryin
collisions.
Energy Management Feature
•This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management
feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injuryin the event of a head-on collision.
•The front outboard seat belt systems have a retractor assembly that is
designed to payout webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is
designed to help reduce the belt force acting on the occupant’s chest.
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pretensioner. Do NOT place objects between the seats, this could
interfere with the functioning of the pretensioner. For the SuperCab and
CrewCab base bench seats and all Regular Cab seating positions, the
safetybelts are equipped with a retractor pretensioner.
The safetybelt pretensioners are designed to activate onlyduring certain
frontal or near-frontal collisions with sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
A safetybelt pretensioner is a device which tightens the webbing of the
lap and shoulder belts during some collisions in such a waythat theyfit
more snuglyagainst the body.
The driver and front outboard passenger safetybelt system (including
retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be replaced if the vehicle
is involved in a collision that results in the activation of the safetybelt
pretensioners. Refer to theSafety belt maintenancesection in this
chapter.
Failure to replace the safetybelt assemblyunder the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of
a collision.
Front safety belt height adjustment
If your shoulder belts come out of the seatback, you will not have a
safetybelt height adjuster.
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so the belt rests across the middle
of your shoulder.
•Regular Cab and 4–door CrewCab
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Children must always be properly restrained. Failure to follow these
instructions mayincrease the risk of injuryin a collision.
An infant in a rear-facing seat faces a high risk of serious or fatal
injuries from a deploying passenger air bag. Rear facing infant
seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless the passenger
air bag is turned off. SeePassenger air bag ON/OFF switch.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
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. Air bags are
designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impact, or rear-impacts.
The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidlyupon activation. After air bag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powderyresidue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder (to lubricate the bag) or
sodium compounds (e.g., baking
soda) that result from the
combustion process that inflates the
air bag. Small amounts of sodium
hydroxide may be present which
mayirritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, it mayalso
cause minor abrasions, swelling or temporaryhearing loss. Because air
bags must inflate rapidlyand with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or
internal injuries, particularlyto occupants who are not properly
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If your vehicle has rear seats, always transport children who are
12 and younger in the rear seat. Always use safety belts and
child restraints properly. If a child in a rear facing infant seat must be
transported in front, the passenger air bagmustbe turned OFF. This is
because the back of the infant seat is too close to the inflating air bag
and the risk of a fatal injuryto the infant when the air bag inflates is
substantial.
The vast majorityof drivers and passengers are much safer with an air
bag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life threatening
injuries, air bags must open with great force, and this force can pose a
potentiallydeadlyrisk in some situations, particularlywhen a front seat
occupant is not properlybuckled up. The most effective wayto reduce
the risk of unnecessaryair bag injuries without reducing the overall
safetyof the vehicle is to make sure all occupants are properly
restrained in the vehicle, especiallyin the front seat. This provides the
protection of safetybelts and permits the air bags to provide the
additional protection theywere designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your air bag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing
benefits of the air bag and you are also reducing the effectiveness of the
safetybelts, because safetybelts in modern vehicles are designed to
work as a safetysystem with the air bags.
Read all air bag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important air bag instructions and Warnings in this Owner’s Guide.
NHTSA deactivation criteria (excluding Canada)
1.Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
•the vehicle has no rear seat;
•the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing
infant seat; or
•the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantlymonitor the child’s condition.
2.Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
•the vehicle has no rear seat;
•although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or
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•the child has a medical condition that, according to the child’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child’s condition.
3.Medical condition:A passenger has a medical condition that,
according to his or her physician:
•poses a special risk for the passenger if the air bag deploys; and
•makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag deployment
greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag and
experiencing a crash without the protection offered bythe air bag
This vehicle has special energymanagement safetybelts for the
driver and right front passenger. These particular belts are
specificallydesigned to work with air bags to help reduce the risk of
injuryin a collision. The energymanagement safetybelt is designed to
give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the air bag is turned OFF, this energymanagement safetybelt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the air bag is turned ON for
anyperson who does not qualifyunder the NHTSA deactivation
criteria.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properlyuse safety
restraints for children. Also seeAir bag supplemental restraint system
(SRS)in this chapter for special instructions about using air bags.
Important child restraint precautions
You are required bylaw to use safetyrestraints for children in the U.S.
and Canada. If small children (generallychildren who are four years old
or younger and who weigh 18 kg [40 lbs] or less) ride in your vehicle,
you must put them in safetyseats made especiallyfor children. Check
your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements
regarding the safety of children in your vehicle. When possible, always
place children under age 12 in the rear seat of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are safer when properlyrestrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating position.
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Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from
injuryin a collision.
Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safetyseat. Children
who are too large for child safetyseats (as specified byyour child safety
seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safetyrestraint and air bag precautions that
applyto adult passengers in your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child’s face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle mayhelp provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in
your vehicle.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 pounds and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder belt
will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safetyseats, Ford Motor Companyrecommends use
of a belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safetybelts fit better. Theylift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better
and more comfortablyfor growing children.
When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time theyoutgrow the
toddler seat until theyare big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generallythis is when theyweigh about
80 lbs (about 8 to 12 years old).
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Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
•Can the child sit all the wayback
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortablyat the
edge of the seat without
slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
•Can the child stayseated like this for the whole trip?
Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
•Those that are backless.
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt. If a seating position has a
low seat back and no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
mayplace your child’s head (top
of ear level) above the top of the
seat. In this case, move the
backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat back and lap/shoulder belts.
•Those with a high back.
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequatelysupports your
child’s head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
Both can be used in anyvehicle in a seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lbs.
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The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting snuglyon the center of
the shoulder. The lap belt should rest low and snug across the hips,
never up high across the stomach.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh
sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat mayimprove this
condition.
The importance of shoulder belts
Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child’s
head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should
never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is best to use a booster
seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat- the safest place for children
to ride.
Follow all instructions provided bythe manufacturer of the
booster seat.
Never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the
back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of
the bodyand mayincrease the risk of injuryor death in a collision.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. Theycan
slide around and increase the likelihood of injuryor death in a
collision.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safetyseat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefullyfollow all of the manufacturer’s instructions with the
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