Page 117 of 320

Heated seats (if equipped)
To operate the heated seats:
•Push control located on the seat
to activate.
•Push again to deactivate.
The heated seat icon in the Dual Automatic Temperature Control
(DATC) will illuminate when activated.
REAR SEATS
Folding down the 60/40 rear seats (if equipped)
If the rear seat is equipped with adjustable head restraints, they should
be placed in the full down position before folding the seat back down.
1. Pull upward on the release handle
to cycle the seats to the load-floor
position.
2. Rotate the seatback downward
into the load floor position.
3. Press down on the top outboard
area of the seatback until a click is
heard. The seat is now latched in
the floor position.
To return the seat to the upright position:
•Pull the release handle upward to unlatch the seat.
•Rotate the seatback upward until the seatback latches in the upright
position. The seatback will click when it is locked into position.
Folding down the 40/20/40 rear seats or bucket seats
Ensure that the headrest is in the down position and no objects such as
books, purses or briefcases are on the floor in front of the second row
seats before folding them down.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
117
Page 119 of 320

To return the seat to a seating
position:
1. Push the seat down and latch to
the floor with a moderate amount of
effort and speed.
2. Make sure the seat is latched to
the floor.
3. Push the handle forward just
enough so that the seat back is
released.
4. Bring the seat back to an upright position. The seatback should lock
into position.
Note:If the seat back is “locked out” and cannot return to the upright
position, repeat Step 2 and unlatch the seat from the floor. Repeat
latching to the floor with a moderate amount of force and momentum.
Your seats are equipped with an Interlock Safety Mechanism which will
not allow the seats to return to a usable position if the seat is not fully
latched to the floor!
To exit the 3rd row seat, pull the
red access control lever up releasing
the seat from the floor and rotate
the seat up towards the front seat.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
119
Page 120 of 320

Always latch the vehicle seat to the floor, whether the seat is
occupied or empty. If not latched, the seat may cause injury
during a sudden stop.
Folding the middle 2nd row seat (If equipped)
To fold the seatback down:
1. Locate the lever on the top left of
the seatback.
2. Pull the lever up and push the
seatback toward the front of the
vehicle.
3. Press down on the top outboard
area of the seatback until a click is
heard.
To return the seatback to the
upright position:
1. Pull the lever and lift the
seatback toward the rear of the
vehicle.
2. Rotate the seatback until you
hear a click, locking it in the upright
position.
Third row seat (if equipped)
3rd row stow feature
The 3rd row seat has a tip/stow feature to increase cargo space without
removing the seat from the vehicle.
Lower the head restraints before putting the seat in the stowed position.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
120
Page 126 of 320

Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been
closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check
seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.
Energy Management Feature
•This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management
feature at the front seating positions to help further reduce the risk of
injury in the event of a head-on collision.
•This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to
extend the seat belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps
reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest.
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 when checked
according to the procedures inWorkshop Manual. Failure to replace
the Belt and Retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Front and rear seats
2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
126
Page 127 of 320

•Front and rear seats
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph (8
km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode
When to use the automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
This mode should be usedany timea child safety seat is installed in a
passenger front or outboard rear seating position (if equipped). Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in the rear seat
whenever possible. Refer toSafety restraints for childrenorSafety
seats for childrenlater in this chapter.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
127
Page 128 of 320
How to use the automatic locking mode
•Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
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 activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
128
Page 129 of 320

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 seat belt assembly “automatic locking retractor” feature or
any other seat belt function is not operating properly. In addition, all
seat 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
right front passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioner removes some slack from the safety belt
system at the start of a crash. The safety belt pretensioner uses the
same crash sensor system as the front airbags and Safety Canopy
system (if equipped). When the safety belt pretensioner deploys, the lap
and shoulder belt are tightened.
When the optional Safety Canopysystem and/or the front airbags are
activated, the safety belt pretensioners for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions will be activated when the respective seatbelt
is properly buckled.
The driver and the right front passenger seat belt system
(including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be
replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in
deployment of front air bags or Safety Canopyand safety belt
pretensioners.
Refer to theSafety belt maintenancesection in this chapter.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
129
Page 130 of 320

Safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the front and
second row outboard seating
positions.
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height,
squeeze the button and slide the
height adjuster up or down. Release
the button and pull down on the
height adjuster to make sure it is locked in place.
Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety
belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt and
increase the risk of injury in a collision.
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 warning light and indicator chime
The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
REVIEW COPY
2005 Explorer(exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
130