2005 Mercury Mountaineer belt

Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition switch
is turned to the ON position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8
seconds.
The driver’s safety belt is buckled
while the indicator light is
illuminated and the warning chime
is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver’s safety belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
BeltMinder
The BeltMinderfeature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the
driver that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently
sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the
instrument cluster.
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before 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 BeltMinderfeature 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
safety belt is buckled.
The driver’s safety belt is buckled
while the safety belt indicator light
is illuminated and the safety belt
warning chime is sounding...The BeltMinderfeature will not
activate.
The driver’s safety belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position...The BeltMinderfeature will not
activate.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
126

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.
BeltMinderreminds 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 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
127

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
BeltMinderchime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the
risk of injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the
BeltMinderfeature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, the BeltMinderwill be disabled for that ignition
cycle only.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinderfeature
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the gearshift is in P (Park)
•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 (If vehicle is equipped
with Autolamps, the Autolamps featureMUSTbe turned off.)
Read Steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
128

BeltMinderdeactivation/activation procedure
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 1–2
minutes)
•Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. At a moderate speed, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three
times, ending with the safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or
during BeltMinderwarning activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
5. At a moderate speed, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three
times, ending with the safety belt unbuckled.
•After Step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off, at a
moderate speed, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable BeltMinderif it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinderif it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinderis provided by flashing the
safety belt warning light four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinderis provided by flashing the
safety belt warning light four times per second for three seconds,
followed by three seconds with the safety belt warning light off, then
followed by flashing the safety belt warning light four times per second
for three seconds again.
9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
129

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 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
130

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.
To properly position yourself away from the airbag:
•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.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
131

Safety Canopysystem (if equipped)
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the headliner at the siderail
that may come into contact with a
deploying Safety Canopy. Failure
to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury
in the event of a collision.
Do not lean your head on the door. The Safety Canopycould
injure you as it deploys from the headliner.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Safety Canopy
system, its fuses, the A, B, or C pillar trim, or the headliner on a
vehicle containing a Safety Canopy. See your Ford or Lincoln
Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an airbag SRS and Safety
Canopysystem is provided.
To reduce risk of injury, do not obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the inflatable Safety Canopy.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
135

How does the Safety Canopysystem work?
The design and development of the
Safety Canopysystem included
recommended testing procedures
that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as
the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing
procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of
side airbags (including the Safety
Canopy).
The Safety Canopysystem
consists of the following:
•An inflatable nylon curtain with a
gas generator concealed behind
the headliner and above the doors
(one on each side of the vehicle).
•A headliner that will flex to open
above the side doors to allow Safety Canopydeployment.
•The same warning light, electronic control and diagnostic unit as used
for the front airbags.
•Two side crash sensors mounted at the base of the B-pillar (one on
each side of the vehicle).
•Two side crash sensors located at the c-pillar behind the rear doors
(one on each side of the vehicle).
•Roll over sensor in the restraints control module (RCM).
The Safety Canopysystem, in combination with safety belts, can help
reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact
collision or rollover event.
Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the second or third row seats (if equipped). The Safety Canopywill
not interfere with children restrained using a properly installed child or
booster seat because it is designed to inflate downward from the
headliner above the doors along the side window openings.
The Safety Canopysystem is designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the side crash sensor to
close an electrical circuit that initiates Safety Canopyinflation or when
a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
2005 Mountaineer(mnt)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
136