2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD child seat

Seating and Safety Restraints 73
Seating 73
Safety restraints 76
Air bags 86
Child restraints 97
Driving 109
Starting 109
Brakes 112
Traction control/AdvanceTrac 113
Transmission operation 115
Vehicle loading 121
Trailer towing 124
Roadside Emergencies 125
Getting roadside assistance 125
Hazard flasher switch 126
Fuel pump shut-off switch 127
Fuses and relays 127
Changing tires 136
Jump starting 141
Wrecker towing 147
Customer Assistance 148
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 156
Cleaning 157
2004 Thunderbird(tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Table of Contents
2

Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
Please read the sectionSupplemental Restraint System (SRS)
in the Seating and safety restraints chapter. Failure to follow
the specific warnings and instructions could result in personal injury.
Front seat mounted rear facing child or infant seats should
NEVER be used in front of a passenger side air bag unless the
air bag can be and is turned OFF.
2004 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Introduction
7

These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.Vehicle Symbol Glossary
Safety Alert
See Owner ’s Guide
Fasten Safety BeltAir Bag-Front
Air Bag-SideChild Seat
Child Seat Installation
WarningChild Seat Lower
Anchor
Child Seat Tether
AnchorBrake System
Anti-Lock Brake SystemBrake Fluid -
Non-Petroleum Based
Traction ControlAdvanceTrac

Master Lighting SwitchHazard Warning Flasher
Fog Lamps-FrontFuse Compartment
Fuel Pump ResetWindshield Wash/Wipe
Windshield
Defrost/DemistRear Window
Defrost/Demist
2004 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Introduction
8

6. Without turning, remove the old
bulb from the lamp assembly by
pulling it straight out of the lamp
assembly.
To install the new bulb:
Handle a halogen headlamp bulb carefully and keep out of
children’s reach. Grasp the bulb only by its plastic base and do
not touch the glass. The oil from your hand could cause the bulb to
break the next time the headlamps are operated.
Note: If the bulb is accidentally touched, it should be cleaned with
rubbing alcohol before being used.
1. With the flat side of the new bulb ’s plastic base facing upward, insert
the glass end of the bulb into the lamp assembly. Turn the bulb left or
right to align the grooves in the plastic base with the tabs in the lamp
assembly. When the grooves are aligned, push the bulb into the lamp
assembly until the plastic base contacts the rear of the lamp assembly.
2. Install the bulb retaining ring over the plastic base and lock the ring
by rotating clockwise until it snaps into place.
3. Connect the electrical connector to the bulb.
4. Install the headlamp on vehicle by aligning the lamp on the vehicle,
push rearward to fully seat the lamp assembly and install the screw on
the headlamp.
5. Push the two retainer pins down.
6. Turn the headlamps on and make sure they work properly. If the
headlamp was correctly aligned before you changed the bulb, you should
not need to align it again.
2004 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Lights
33

Adjusting the passenger’s power seat
The control is located on the outboard side of the seat cushion.
Press the control to move the seat
forward or backward.
Heated seats (if equipped)
To operate the heated seats:
• Push the indicated side of the
control for maximum heat.
• Push again to deactivate.
• Push the indicated side of the
control for minimum heat.
• Push again to deactivate.
The heated seat module resets at every ignition run cycle. While the
ignition is in the run position, activating the high or low heated seat
switch enables heating mode. When activated, they will turn off
automatically when the ignition is turned to the OFF position.
The indicator light will illuminate when the heated seats have been
activated.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
The driver and passenger seat must be in the upright position
and the lap belt must be snug and low across the hips while the
vehicle is moving.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they
can be properly restrained.
2004 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
76

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 (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.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
Before fastening the safety belt,
make sure the shoulder belt passes
through the belt holder on the top
of the seatback.
2004 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
77

When to use the automatic locking mode
•Anytime a child safety seat is installed in the vehicle. Refer to Safety
Restraints for Children orSafety Seats for Children later in this
chapter.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and return to the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
After any vehicle collision, the combination lap and shoulder belt
system at all passenger seating positions must be checked by a
qualified technician to verify that the “automatic locking retractor ”
feature for child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other
checks for proper seat belt system function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the safety belt assembly “automatic locking retractor ”feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly. In addition, all
safety belts should be checked for proper function. 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 passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioner is a device which removes excess webbing
from the safety belt system. The safety belt pretensioner uses the same
crash sensor system as the front air bag supplemental restraint system
(SRS). When the safety belt pretensioner deploys, webbing from the lap
and shoulder belt is tightened. The driver and front passenger seat belt
system (including retractors and buckles) must be replaced if the vehicle
is involved in a collision that results in deployment of front air bags and
safety belt pretensioners. Refer to the Safety 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 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
80

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 Thunderbird (tbr)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
83