2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR Owners Manual

To return the seat to the upright
position:
1. Pull the handle down to release
the lock position and lift the
seatback toward the rear of the
vehicle.
2. Rotate the seatback until you
hear a click, locking it in the upright
position.
Adjusting the second row recline
The second row seat reclines for additional comfort. To adjust the
second row recline pull the handle forward and push the seat back
rearward.
Reclining the seatback can cause an occupant to slide under the
seat’s safety belt, resulting in severe personal injuries in the
event of a collision.
Adjusting the 2nd row seat for E-Z Entry
The E-Z Entry seat allows for easier entry and exit to and from the 3rd
row seat.
To enter the 3rd row seat:
1. Fold down the 2nd row seat.
2. Pull the handle all the way down
until the seat releases from the floor
and folds away.
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3. To return the seat to a seating
position, flip the seat into the
upright position.
4. Make sure the seat is latched to
the floor.
If the seat is not firmly latched
to the floor, the seat back will
not lock in the upright position.
To adjust, you must unlatch the
seat from the floor and retry.
To exit the 3rd row seat, pull the
red access control lever upreleasing
the seat from the floor and rotate
the seat uptowards the front seat.
Always latch the vehicle seat to the floor, whether the seat is
occupied or empty. If not latched, the seat may cause injury
during a sudden stop.
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Folding the middle 2nd row seat (If equipped)
1. Locate the lever on the topof the
seatback.
2. Pull the lever upand push the
seatback toward the front of the
vehicle.
3. Press down on the topoutboard
area of the seatback until a click is
heard.
To return the seatback to the
upright position:
1. Pull the lever and lift the
seatback toward the rear of the
vehicle.
2. Rotate the seatback until you
hear a click, locking it in the upright
position.
3rd row stow feature
The 3rd row seat has a tip/stow feature to increase cargo space without
removing the seat from the vehicle.
Lower the head restraints before putting the seat in the stowed position.
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To put seat in stowed position:
1. Pull the seat release lever located
on topof the seatback while
pushing the seatback down onto the
seat cushion.
2. The seatback will latch into place.
3. Push the closeout panel forward
over the space between the seats.
To put seat in upright position:
1. Pull back the slider panel on the
seatback to release the closeout
panel.
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2. Pull the seat release lever located
on topof the seatback while lifting
the seatback into the upright
position.
3. The seatback will latch into place.
The third row seat is equipped with combination lap and shoulder belts
in both seating positions. For information on the proper operation of the
safety restraints, refer toSafety Restraintsin this chapter.
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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In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a safety belt.
Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt
assembly which is made upof one buckle and one tongue that
are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm. 2)
Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside shoulder.
3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been
closed upin sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check
seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snapand feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Front and rear seats
2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
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•Front and rear seats
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lapand shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 8 km/h (5
mph) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is 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.
When to use the automatic locking mode
•Anytimea child safety seat (except a booster) is installed in the
vehicle. 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.
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How to use the automatic locking mode
1. Buckle the combination lapand
shoulder belt.
2. Graspthe shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire belt
is pulled out.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Unbuckle the combination lapand 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 combination lapand shoulder belt
system at all passenger seating positions must be checked by a
qualified technician to verify that the “automatic locking retractor”
feature for child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other
checks for proper seat belt system function.
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