2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD child restraint

Turning the front and side passenger air bags back on
The front and side passenger air bags remain OFF until you turn them
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 front and side air
bags are operational.
If the OFF light is illuminated when the front and side passenger
air bag ON/OFF switch is in the ON position and the ignition
switch is in ON, have the front and side passenger air bag ON/OFF
switch serviced at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer immediately.
The front passenger air bag and the passenger side air bag should always
be ON (the air bag OFF light should notbe illuminated) unless the
passenger is a person who meets the requirements stated either in
Category 1, 2 or 3 of the NHTSA/Transport Canada deactivation criteria
which follows.
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.
Always use safety belts and child restraints properly. If a child in
a rear facing infant seat must be transported in front, the
passenger air bag mustbe 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.
ON OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
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The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an air
bag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life threatening
injuries, air bags must open with great force, and this force can pose a
potentially deadly risk in some situations, particularly when a front seat
occupant is not properly buckled up. The most effective way to reduce
the risk of unnecessary air bag injuries, without reducing the overall
safety of the vehicle, is to make sure all occupants are properly
restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front seat. This provides the
protection of safety belts and permits the air bags to provide the
additional protection they were designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your air bag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing
benefits of the air bag and you are also reducing the effectiveness of the
safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles are designed to
work as a safety system with the air bags.
Read all air bag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important air bag instructions and Warnings in this Owner’s Guide.
NHTSA deactivation criteria (excluding Canada)
1. Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
• the vehicle has no rear seat, or
• the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing
infant seat, or
• the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant ’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child ’s condition.
2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
• the vehicle has no rear seat, or
• although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle, or
• the child has a medical condition which, according to the child ’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child ’s condition.
3. Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
• causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger
and
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•makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag in a crash
greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag and
allowing the passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshield in a crash.
This vehicle has special energy management safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. These particular belts are
specifically designed to work with air bags to help reduce the risk of
injury in a collision. The energy management safety belt is designed to
give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant ’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the air bag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the air bag is turned ON for
any person who does not qualify under the NHTSA deactivation
criteria.
Transport Canada deactivation criteria (Canada Only)
1. Infant: An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
• my vehicle has no rear seat, or
• the rear seat in my vehicle cannot accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat, or
• the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant ’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the infant ’s condition.
2. Child age 12 or under: A child age 12 or under must ride in the
front seat because:
• my vehicle has no rear seat, or
• although children age 12 and under ride in the rear seat whenever
possible, children age 12 and under have no option but to sometimes
ride in the front seat because rear seat space is insufficient, or
• the child has a medical condition that, according to the child ’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child ’s condition.
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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.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also seeAir 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.
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.
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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, 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?
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Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
•Those that are backless.
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt.
• Those with a high back.
A backless booster would be a
better choice because the high
back booster will place the child
closer to the instrument panel
and airbag.
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.
Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the
booster seat.
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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:
• Review and follow the information
presented in the Air Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
• Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position.
• Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.
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•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
• Place seat back in upright position.
• Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer to Automatic
locking mode.
•
LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to 22 kg
(48 pounds) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used for
children up to 27 kg (60 pounds) in a child restraint, and to provide
upper torso restraint for children up to 36 kg (80 pounds) using an
upper torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.
Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position with LATCH and
tether anchors. For more information on top tether straps and anchors,
refer to Attaching safety seats with tether straps in this chapter. For
more information of LATCH anchors refer to Attaching safety seats with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments in this
chapter.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer ’s instructions included
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.
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers should never be placed
in the front seat unless the airbag On/Off switch is in the Off
position.
Installing child safety seats with combination lap and shoulder
belts
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 and turn the passenger air bags OFF.
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