2005 FORD E SERIES Owners Manual

Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature
Read steps1-5thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic 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
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
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
minute)
•Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt 9 times, ending with the safety
belt in the unbuckled state.
•After step 3 is complete, the airbag warning light will be turned on for
3 seconds.
•Beltminder will automatically exit programming mode without
changing its enable status if step 4 does not occur within 10 seconds
of the end of step 3.
4. Within 10 seconds of the light turning on, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt.
•This will disable the BeltMinder feature for that seating position if it is
currently enabled. As confirmation, the airbag warning light will flash
4 times per second for 3 seconds.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
81

•This will enable the BeltMinder feature for that seating position if it is
currently disabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning light
will flash 4 times per second for 3 seconds, followed by 3 seconds with
the light off, then followed by the airbag warning light flashing 4 times
per second for 3 seconds again.
5. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
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.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
82

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 and always properly use appropriate child restraints. Never
place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air bag. If you must
transport a forward-facing child in the front seat, move the seat all the
way back and use appropriate restraints.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
83

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.
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.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to theBody
Builders Layout Bookfor instructions about the appropriate
installation of additional equipment.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
84

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.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains a
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the air bag sensors to close
an electrical circuit that initiates air
bag inflation. The fact that the air
bags did not inflate in a collision
does not mean that something is
wrong with the system. Rather, it
means the forces were not sufficient
enough to cause activation. Air bags
are designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
85

The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After air bag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder or sodium compounds which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.
While the SRS is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with
a deploying air bag may also cause
abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because air bags must
inflate rapidly and with considerable
force, there is the risk of death or
serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or internal
injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly restrained or are
otherwise out of position at the time of air bag deployment. It is
extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away
from the air bag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.
The SRS consists of:
•driver and passenger air bag modules (which include the inflators and
air bags)
•one or more impact and safing sensors
•a readiness light and tone
•a diagnostic module
•and the electrical wiring which connects the components
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental air bag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the air bag system readiness light, the air
bag back up power and the air bag ignitors.
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.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
86

Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer toAir bag readinesssection
in theInstrument Clusterchapter. 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 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 (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 lb.] 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 of your
vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating position.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
87

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.
Ford recommends using child safety seats equipped with LATCH
attachments, attached to LATCH anchors and tether anchors. Some child
seat manufacturers sell LATCH accessory belts that attach child seats
that are not equipped with LATCH attachments onto LATCH anchors.
SeeAttaching safety seats with LATCH attachments for child seat
anchorsin this section for seating positions with LATCH anchors.
If you install a forward-facing child safety seat using the vehicle safety
belts:
•use only seats equipped with lap-shoulder belts;
•forward-facing child safety seats can be used in the center of the
three-passenger 2nd row bench seat only if a top tether strap is used;
•Ford recommends placing forward-facing safety seats in the 2nd row
and using top tether straps for added protection.
For more information on top tether straps, seeAttaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this section.
Any booster seat that places the vehicle’s lap belt or shoulder belt
around a shield above and ahead of the child’s hips should not be used in
this vehicle.
Because the last row of seats is not equipped with either child
tether or LATCH anchors and is spaced closer to the row of
seats in front,Do notuse forward-facing or rear-facing child seats
(other than belt-positioning boosters) in the last row.
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
REVIEW COPY
2005 Econoline(eco), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
88