2004 FORD MUSTANG child restraint

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.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
(SRS)
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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 (SRS) is
provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and
under in the back seat and always properly
use appropriate child restraints.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) recommends a
minimum distance of at least 25 cm (10 inches)
between an occupant’s chest and the driver air bag
module.
Never place your arm over the air bag
module as a deploying air bag can result in
serious arm fractures or other injuries.
To properly position yourself away from the air bag:
•Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while
still reaching the pedals comfortably.
•Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from
the upright position.
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Do not put anything on or over the air bag
module. Placing objects on or over the air
bag inflation area may cause those objects to be
propelled by the air bag into your face and torso
causing serious injury.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify
the air bag supplemental restraint systems
or its fuses. See your Ford or Lincoln Mercury
dealer.
Modifying or adding equipment to the front
end of the vehicle (including frame, bumper,
front end body structure and tow hooks) may
affect the performance of the air bag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the
front end of the vehicle.
Children and air bags
Children must always
be properly restrained.
Accident statistics
suggest that children
are safer when
properly restrained in
the rear seating
positions than in the
front seating position.
Failure to follow these
instructions may
increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child
seat.NEVERplace a rear-facing child seat
in front of an active air bag. If you must use a
forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.
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A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or
more of the following:
•The readiness light
will either flash or
stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately
after ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone
pattern will repeat periodically until the problem
and/or light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently,
have the SRS serviced at your dealership or by a
qualified technician immediately. Unless serviced,
the system may not function properly in the event of
a collision.
Disposal of air bags and air bag equipped
vehicles
See your local dealership or qualified technician. Air
bags MUST BE disposed of by qualified personnel.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to
properly use safety restraints for children. Also see
Air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS)in
this chapter for special instructions about using air
bags.
Important child restraint precautions
You are required by law to use safety restraints for
children in the U.S. and Canada. If small children
(generally children 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 safety seats
made especially for children. Many states require
that children use approved booster seats until they
are eight years old. 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
AIR
BAG
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of your vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating
position.
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.
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
safety seat. Children who are too large for child
safety seats (as specified by your child safety seat
manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag
precautions that apply to 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 may help
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 safety seats,
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Ford Motor Company recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit
better. They lift 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 comfortably for growing
children.
When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time
they outgrow the toddler seat until they are big
enough for the vehicle seat and lap/shoulder belt to
fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about
80 lbs (about 8 to 12 years old).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer
YES to ALL of these questions:
•Can the child sit all
the way back against
the vehicle seat back
with knees bent
comfortably at 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 stay seated like this for the whole
trip?
Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster
seats:
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•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 may place 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
adequately supports
your child’s head, a
high back booster seat would be a better choice.
Both can be used in any vehicle in a seating position
equipped with lap/shoulder belts if your child is over
40 lbs.
The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting
snugly on 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 may improve 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.
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Follow all instructions provided by the
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
body and may increase the risk of injury or death
in a collision.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost
a child. They can slide around and increase
the likelihood of injury or death in a collision.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size
and weight of the child. Carefully follow all of the
manufacturer’s instructions 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.
When installing a child safety seat:
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