Seating and Safety Restraints 89Seating 89
Safety restraints 96
Air bags 107
Child restraints 116
Tires, Wheels and Loading 128Tire Information 132
Tire Inflation 133
Changing tires 137
Wheel lug nut torque 148
Vehicle loading 160
Trailer towing 167
Trailer Brake Controller-Integrated 171
Recreational towing 177
Driving 178Starting 178
Brakes 183
Transmission operation 187
Roadside Emergencies 213Getting roadside assistance 213
Hazard flasher switch 214
Fuel pump shut-off switch 214
Fuses and relays 215
Jump starting 224
Wrecker towing 229
Customer Assistance 231Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 239
Cleaning 240Table of Contents
2
2005 F250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA_English (fus)
To access this information, special equipment must be directly connected to the
recording modules. Ford Motor Company and Ford of Canada do not access event
data recorder information without obtaining consent, unless pursuant to court order
or where required by law enforcement, other government authorities or other third
parties acting with lawful authority. Other parties may seek to access the information
independently of Ford Motor Company and Ford of Canada.
Vehicle Modification Data Recording
Some aftermarket products may cause severe engine and/or transmission damage;
refer to the What is not covered section in The new vehicle limited warranty for
your vehicle chapter of your vehicle’s Warranty Guide for more information. Some
vehicles are equipped with Powertrain Control Systems that can detect and store
information about vehicle modifications that increase horsepower and torque output;
this information cannot be erased and will stay in the system’s memory even if the
modification is removed. When a dealer or repair facility works on your vehicle, it may
be necessary for them to access the information in the Powertrain Control System.
This information will likely identify if any unauthorized modifications have been made
to the system and may be used to determine if repairs will be covered by warranty.
Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic controls.
Please read the section Supplemental 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
placed in front of an active passenger air bag.
Notice to owners of diesel-powered vehicles
Read the 6.0 Liter Power Stroke Direct Injection Turbo Diesel Owner’s Guide
Supplement for information regarding correct operation and maintenance of your
Diesel-powered light truck.
Notice to owners of pickup trucks and utility type vehicles
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other types
of vehicles.
Before you drive your vehicle, please read this Owner’s Guide carefully. Your vehicle
is not a passenger car. As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury
or death.
Be sure to read Driving off road in the Driving chapter.
2005 F250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA_English (fus) Introduction
7
To gain access to the cupholders
and tray, pull down on the armrest.
To gain access to the 60/40 load
floor, store the cushion in the
upright locked position. Pull up on
the straps located at the sides of the
load floor, and rotate forward until
resting on the carpet.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit in the back
seat where they can be properly restrained.
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
supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
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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.
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.
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.
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2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
The front outboard and rear outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The front outboard passenger and
rear seat outboard safety 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.
On SuperCab and Crew Cab models, the front seat belt system can also
be made to lock manually by quickly pulling on the shoulder belt.
Rear seat belts (if equipped) cannot be made to lock up by pulling
quickly on the belt.
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 used any time a 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 to Safety restraints for children or Safety
seats for children later in this chapter.
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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
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
After any vehicle collision, the front passenger and rear outboard
seat belt systems must be checked by a qualified technician to
verify that the “automatic locking retractor” feature for child seats is
still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be checked
for proper function.
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USA_English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
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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. 1in4ofuswillbe
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
“I’m not going far” 3of4 fatal crashes occur within 25
miles (40 km) 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.
“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.
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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.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, refer to Interior in the Cleaning
chapter.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
2005 F250/350/450/550 (f23)
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