2004 FORD RANGER light

If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the vehicle has
reached at least 5 km/h (3
mph) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to
ON... The BeltMinder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every 30
seconds, repeating for approximately
5 minutes or until safety belt is
buckled.
The driver ’s safety belt is
buckled while the safety belt
indicator light is illuminated
and the safety belt warning
chime is sounding... The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.
The driver ’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position... The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.
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 within 25
miles 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.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
70

Reasons given... Consider...
“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 death to front seat
occupants by 45% 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.
“ I have an air bag ”Air bags offer greater protection when
used with safety belts. Frontal airbags
are not designed to inflate in rear and
side crashes or rollovers.
“ I’d rather be thrown clear ”Not a good idea. Peoplewho are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE. Safety belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN ’T “PICK OUR
CRASH ”.
Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt to avoid the Belt
Minder chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk of
injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt
Minder feature please follow the directions stated below.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
71

One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, the BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle
only.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature
Read steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, ensure that the following conditions are
met:
• The parking brake is set.
• The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission).
• The ignition switch is in the OFF position.
• All vehicle doors are closed.
• The driver ’s safety belt is unbuckled.
• The parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped
with Autolamps, this will not affect the procedure).
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
BeltMinder activation and deactivation procedure
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE.)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1 –2
minutes.)
• Steps 3 –5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder
warning activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
72

5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled.
•After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,
buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.
• This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by the safety belt
warning light flashing four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by:
• The safety belt warning light flashing four times per second for three
seconds.
• Followed by three seconds with the safety belt warning light off.
• Once again, the safety belt warning light will flash four times per
second for three seconds.
9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
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 safety 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.
The energy absorbing functions may have been activated in a collision so
the restraints should be examined; if the front air bags have deployed,
the pretensioners have also deployed and must be replaced —regardless
of whether there was an occupant in the passenger seat or not.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
73

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.
Steps you can take to properly position yourself away from the airbag:
• 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.
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 System or its fuses. See your Ford or
Lincoln Mercury dealer.
The front passenger air bag is not designed to offer protection to
an occupant in the center front seating position.
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.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to the Body
Builders Layout Book for instructions about the appropriate installation
of additional equipment.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
75

restrained or are otherwise out of position at the time of air bag
deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly
restrained as far away from the air bag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.
Several air bag system components get hot after inflation. Do not
touch them after inflation.
If the air bag has deployed,the air bag will not function
again and must be replaced immediately. If the air bag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger air bag modules (which include the inflators and
air bags),
• one or more impact and safing sensors, passenger air bag deactivation
switch and diagnostic monitor (RCM)
• a readiness light and tone,
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
The RCM (restraints control module) monitors its own internal circuits
and the supplemental air bag electrical system wiring (including the
passenger air bag deactivation switch, the impact sensors, the system
wiring, the air bag system readiness light, the air bag back up power and
the air bag ignitors).
Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses readiness lights in the instrument cluster and the
passenger air bag deactivate switch or a tone to indicate the condition of
the system. Refer to the Air bag readinesssection in theInstrument
cluster chapter or Passenger air bag on/off switch section in this
chapter. Routine maintenance of the air bag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
• The readiness lights will either
flash or stay lit.
• The readiness lights will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
78

•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 (including
pretensioners)
See your local dealership or qualified technician. Air bags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.
Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch
An air bag ON/OFF switch
has been installed in this
vehicle. Before driving, always
look at the face of the switch to
be sure the switch is in the proper
position in accordance with these
instructions and warnings. Failure
to put the switch in a proper
position can increase the risk of
serious injury or death in a
collision.
Turning the passenger air bag off
1. Insert the ignition key, turn the
switch to OFF position and hold in
OFF position while removing the
key.
2. When the ignition is turned to the
ON position the OFF light
illuminates briefly, momentarily
shuts off and then turns back on.
This indicates that the passenger air
bag is deactivated.ON OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
79

If the light fails to illuminate when the passenger air bag switch
is in the OFF position and the ignition switch is in the On
position, have the passenger air bag switch serviced at your Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer immediately.
In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the switch, always
remove the ignition key from the passenger air bag ON/OFF
switch.
Turning the passenger air bag back on
The passenger air bag remains OFF until you turn it back ON.
1. Insert the ignition key and turn
the switch to ON.
2. The OFF light will briefly
illuminate when the ignition is
turned to ON. This indicates that
the passenger air bag is operational.
If the OFF light is illuminated when the passenger air bag
ON/OFF switch is in the ON position and the ignition switch is
ON, have the passenger air bag ON/OFF switch serviced at your Ford
or Lincoln-Mercury dealer immediately.
The safety belts for the driver and right front passenger seating
positions have been specifically designed to function together
with the air bags in certain types of crashes. When you turn OFF your
air bag, you not only lose the protection of the air bag, you also may
reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt system, which was
designed to work with the air bag. If you are not a person who meets
the requirements stated in the NHTSA/Transport Canada deactivation
criteria turning OFF the air bag can increase the risk of serious injury
or death in a collision.
ON OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
2004 Ranger (ran)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
80