2005 Mercury Grand Marquis belt

If... Then...
The driver’s and front
passenger’s safety belts are
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position or less than 1-2
minutes have elapsed since the
ignition switch has been turned
ON...The BeltMinder
feature will not
activate.
The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt is not
buckled when the vehicle has
reached at least 3 mph
(5 km/h) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to
ON...The BeltMinder
feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every 30
seconds, repeating for approximately
5 minutes or until the safety belts are
buckled.
The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt becomes
unbuckled for approximately 1
minute while the vehicle is
traveling at least 3 mph
(5 km/h) and more than 1-2
minutes have elapsed since the
ignition switch has been turned
to ON...The BeltMinder
feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every 30
seconds, repeating for approximately
5 minutes or until the safety belts are
buckled.
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
106

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”3of4fatal crashes occur within25
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 deathto front seat
occupants by45% 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.
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
107

Reasons given... Consider...
“I have an airbag” Airbags 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
BeltMinder
chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the
risk of injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the
BeltMinder
feature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles
the BeltMinder
feature for that seating position, the BeltMinder
is
disabled for the current ignition cycle. The BeltMinder
feature will
re-enable during the same ignition cycle if the occupant buckles and
remains buckled for approximately 30 seconds. Confirmation is not given
for the one time disable.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinderfeature
The driver and front passenger BeltMinder
are
deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating
one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will
terminate the process.
Read Steps1-4thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
Note: The driver and front passenger BeltMinder
features must be
disabled/enabled separately. Both cannot be disable/enabled during the
same key cycle.
The driver and front passenger BeltMinder
features can be
deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•The parking brake is set
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
108

•The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)
•The ignition switch is in the OFF position
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
BeltMinder
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. For the seating position being disabled, at a moderate speed, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt 9 times, ending in the unbuckled state.
(Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.)
•After Step 3, the restraint system warning light (airbag light) will be
turned on for three seconds.
4. Within 10 seconds of the light turning on, at a moderate speed, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable the BeltMinder
feature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning
light will flash 4 times per second for 3 seconds.
•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 restraint system
warning light flashing 4 times per second for 3 seconds again.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there isa8inch(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.
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
109

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 safety 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 toInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
110

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.
Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a
deploying airbag.
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.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.
Never place your arm over the air bag module as a deploying air
bag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries.
Ford Motor Company recommends that a certified technician
inspect all steering column assemblies in use in vehicles involved
in a collision. Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the steering
column assembly could result in severe injury or death in the event of
a collision.
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
111

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.
If the safety belt pretensioners deploy in an accident, they will
not function again ( belt will not extract or retract) and must be
replaced immediately. Failure to replace the retractor assemblies will
increase the risk of injury.
Front passenger sensing system
The front passenger sensing system will turn off the front passenger’s
frontal airbag under certain conditions. The driver’s airbag is not part of
the front passenger sensing system. The front passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of the front passenger’s seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine if the front passenger’s frontal
airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or not.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208
and is designed to turn off the front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
•the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in
the front seat,
•the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant
seat that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,
•the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing
child restraint that is installed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions,
•the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat,
•a front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of
time,
•A smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown child restraints,
or a small adult occupies the front passenger seat.
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
115

Even with the front passenger sensing system, children 12 and
under should be properly restrained in the back seat.
When the front passenger seat is
occupied and the sensing system
has turned off the passenger’s
frontal airbag, thepassenger airbag
offorpass airbag offindicator will
light and stay lit to remind you that
the front passenger frontal airbag is off. When the front passenger seat is
not occupied (empty seat) or in the event that the front passenger
frontal airbag is enabled (may inflate), the indicator light will be unlit.
The indicator light is located on the instrument panel to the right of the
radio over the glove box.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front
passenger’s frontal airbag when a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing
child restraint, or a booster seat is detected. If the child restraint has
been installed and the indicator is not lit, then turn the vehicle off,
remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the restraint
following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to enable (may inflate)
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag anytime the system senses that
a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbags to be
enabled, the indicator will be unlit and stay unlit to remind you that the
airbag is enabled (may inflate).
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the front passenger’s seat, but the
passenger airbag offorpass airbag offindicator is lit, it could be that
the person isn’t sitting properly in the seat. If this happens, turn the
vehicle off and ask the person to place the seatback in the full upright
position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with
the person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle and have the
person remain in this position for about two minutes. This will allow the
system to detect that person and then enable the passenger’s airbag. If
the indicator lamp remains lit even after this, then the occupant should
be advised to ride in the back seat.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it’s
very important that they continue to sit upright, with their back against
the seatback, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor while the
vehicle is still in motion. Sitting improperly can increase the chance of
2005 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
116