2003 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manuals

•Behind 2nd row seat
•At the rear of the cargo area
Seating and Safety Restraints
137

4. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor.
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child safety seat
may not be retained properly in the event of a collision.
5. 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.
6. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
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.
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138

Your vehicle has LATCH anchors for child seat installation at the seating
positions marked with the child seat symbol:
Never attach two LATCH child safety seats to the same anchor.
In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two
child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury or
death.
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The lower anchors for child seat
installation are located at the rear
section of the second row seat
between the cushion and seat back.
The LATCH anchors are below the
locator symbols on the seat back.
Follow the child seat manufacturer’s instructions to properly install a
child seat with LATCH attachments. Two plastic LATCH guides can be
obtained at no charge from any Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer. They
snap onto the LATCH lower anchors in the seat to help attach a child
seat with rigid attachments. The guides hold the seat trim away to
expose the anchor and make it easier to attach some child seats.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the
anchors shown.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not tighten
the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle seat cushion
when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug without
lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just touching the
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
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140

Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor. Try to move the child
seat from side to side. Also try to tug the seat forward. Check to see if
the anchors hold the seat in place.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a crash greatly increases.
Seating and Safety Restraints
141

STARTING
Positions of the ignition
1. OFF/LOCK, shuts off the engine
and all accessories/locks the steering
wheel, gearshift lever and allows key
removal.
2. ACC, allows the electrical
accessories such as the radio to
operate while the engine is not
running. This position also unlocks
the steering wheel.
3. ON, all electrical circuits
operational. Warning lights illuminated. Key position when driving.
4. START, cranks the engine. Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.
Important safety precautions
When the engine starts, the idle RPM runs faster to warm the engine. If
the engine idle speed does not slow down automatically, have the vehicle
checked.
Before starting the vehicle:
1. Make sure all occupants buckle their safety belts. For more
information on safety belts and their proper usage, refer to theSeating
and safety restraintschapter.
2. Make sure the headlamps and electrical accessories are off.
•Make sure the parking brake is
set.
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3
2
1
Driving
Driving
142

•Make sure the gearshift is in P
(Park).
•Turn the key to 3 (ON) without
turning the key to 4 (START).
Make sure the corresponding lights illuminate or illuminate briefly. If a
light fails to illuminate, have the vehicle serviced.
•If the driver’s safety belt is fastened, the
light may not illuminate.
4
3
2
1
O/D
OFF
DOOR
AJARCHECK
GAGE
CHECK
FUEL
CAPLOW
WASH
BRAKE
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
TRIP
Driving
143

Starting the engine
1. Turn the key to 3 (ON) without
turning the key to 4 (START). If
there is difficulty in turning the key,
rotate the steering wheel until the
key turns freely. This condition may
occur when:
•the front wheels are turned
•a front wheel is against the curb
Turn the key to 4 (START), then
release the key as soon as the engine starts. Excessive cranking could
damage the starter.
Note:If the engine does not start within five seconds on the first try,
turn the key to 1 (OFF/LOCK), wait 10 seconds and try again.
Cold weather starting (flexible fuel vehicles only)
As the outside temperature approaches freezing, ethanol fuel distributors
should supply winter grade ethanol (same as with unleaded gasoline). If
summer grade ethanol is used in cold weather conditions, you may
experience increased cranking times, rough idle or hesitation until the
engine has warmed up. Consult your fuel distributor for the availability of
winter grade ethanol.
Do not crank the engine for more than 30 seconds at a time as starter
damage may occur. If the engine fails to start, turn the key to OFF and
wait 30 seconds before trying again.
Do not use starting fluid such as ether in the air intake system (see Air
Cleaner decal). Such fluid could cause immediate explosive damage to
the engine and possible personal injury.
If you should experience cold weather starting problems on E
85ethanol,
and neither an alternative brand of E
85ethanol nor an engine block
heater is available, the addition of unleaded gasoline to your tank will
improve cold starting performance. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on E
85ethanol alone, unleaded gasoline alone, or any mixture of the two.
SeeChoosing the right fuelin theMaintenance and specifications
chapter for more information on ethanol.
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3
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Driving
144