2004 FORD F150 child restraint

Seating and Safety Restraints 65
Seating 65
Safety restraints 70
Air bags 82
Child restraints 89
Driving 103
Starting 103
Brakes 108
Transmission operation 111
Vehicle loading 129
Trailer towing 133
Recreational towing 140
Roadside Emergencies 141
Getting roadside assistance 141
Hazard flasher switch 142
Fuel pump shut-off switch 142
Fuses and relays 143
Changing tires 151
Jump starting 159
Wrecker towing 165
Customer Assistance 166
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 174
Cleaning 175
Table of Contents
2
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)

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 in the back
seat 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
supplemental restraint system (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.
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 up of 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.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
70

Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been
closed up in 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 snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Front seats
•Rear seats (if equipped)
2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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When to use the automatic locking mode
•Anytimea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front or
outboard rear seating position. Children 12 years old and under should
be properly restrained in the rear seat whenever possible. Refer to
Safety Restraints for ChildrenorSafety Seats for Childrenlater in
this chapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
•Front passenger seat
•Rear seats (if equipped)
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire belt
is extracted.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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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
Disconnect the combination lap/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 safety belt systems at all outboard
seating positions (except the driver position, which does not
have this feature) must be checked by a qualified technician to verify
that 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
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.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
front outboard passenger seating positions.
The driver and front outboard passenger safety belt pretensioners are
designed to activate only during certain frontal or near-frontal collisions
with sufficient longitudinal deceleration. A safety belt pretensioner is a
device which tightens the webbing of the lap and shoulder belts during
some collisions in such a way that they fit more snugly against the body.
The driver and front outboard passenger safety belt 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 safety belt
pretensioners. Refer to theSafety belt maintenancesection in this
chapter.
Failure to replace the safety belt assembly under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of
a collision.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
74

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.1 in 4 of us will be
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
“I’m not going far”3of4fatal crashes occur within25
miles (40 km) 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.
“Safety belts don’t work”Safety belts,when used properly,
reduce risk of deathto front seat
occupants by45% in cars,and by
60% 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.
“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.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is a 8 inch (20
cm) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly can be obtained from your dealer at no cost.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended.
Do not use extensions to change the fit of the shoulder belt
across the torso.
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 LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching
hardware, should be inspected after a collision. Ford Motor Company
recommends that all safety belt assemblies in use 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 toInteriorin theCleaningchapter.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
81

AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important SRS precautions
The SRS 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; there is
a risk of injury from a deploying air
bag.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag
supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat if your vehicle has a back seat. If a child in a rear facing
infant seat must be transported in front, the passenger air bag must be
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 injury to the infant when the
air bag inflates is substantial.
2004 F150 Classic(p96)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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