2006 FORD FIVE HUNDRED airbag

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.
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.
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 airbag 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
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in
your vehicle.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 lb. (18 kg) and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder
belt will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury in a crash.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use
of a belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
2006 Five Hundred(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
138

Move a child to a different seating location if the shoulder belt
does not stay positioned on the shoulder during use.
Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the
booster seat.
Never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the
back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of
the body and may increase the risk of injury or death in a collision.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can
slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or death in a
collision.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
•Review and follow the information
presented in theAirbag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
•Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
2006 Five Hundred(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
141

•Place seat back in upright position.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode.
•LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to 48
lb (22 kg) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used for
children up to 60 lb (27 kg) in a child restraint, and to provide upper
torso restraint for children up to 80 lb (36 kg) using an upper torso
harness and a belt-positioning booster.
Ford Motor Company recommends the use of a child safety seat having a
top tether strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position with
LATCH and tether anchors. For more information on top tether straps
and anchors, refer toAttaching safety seats with tether strapsin this
chapter. For more information of LATCH anchors refer toAttaching
safety seats with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
attachmentsin this chapter.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions included
with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install
and use the safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden
stop or collision.
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers should never be placed
in front of an active passenger airbag.
Installing child safety seats with combination lap and shoulder
belts
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.NEVERplace a
rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If you must use
a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the way
back.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
2006 Five Hundred(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
142

Do not use chemical solvents or strong detergents when cleaning
the steering wheel or instrument panel to avoid contamination of
the airbag system.
•Be certain to wash or wipe your hands clean if you have been in
contact with certain products such as insect repellent and suntan
lotion in order to avoid possible damage to the interior painted
surfaces.
INTERIOR TRIM
•Clean the interior trim areas with a damp cloth, then with a clean, dry
cloth; you may also use Motorcraft Dash & Vinyl Cleaner (ZC-38-A).
•Do not use household or glass cleaners as these may damage the
finish.
INTERIOR
For fabric, carpets, cloth seats, safety belts and seats equipped with side
airbags:
•Remove dust and loose dirt with a vacuum cleaner.
•Remove light stains and soil with Motorcraft Professional Strength
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (ZC-54).
•If grease or tar is present on the material, spot-clean the area first
with Motorcraft Spot and Stain Remover (ZC-14).
•If a ring forms on the fabric after spot cleaning, clean the entire area
immediately (but do not oversaturate) or the ring will set.
•Do not use household cleaning products or glass cleaners, which can
stain and discolor the fabric and affect the flame retardant abilities of
the seat materials.
Do not use cleaning solvents, bleach or dye on the vehicle’s
safety belts, as these actions may weaken the belt webbing.
Do not use chemical solvents or strong detergents when cleaning
the seat-mounted side airbag (if equipped). Such products could
contaminate the side airbag system and affect performance of the side
airbag in a collision.
2006 Five Hundred(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Cleaning
227

A
Accessory delay ..........................63
Air cleaner filter .......................259
Air conditioning ....................42, 44
Airbag supplemental restraint
system ........................123, 132, 134
and child safety seats ............125
description ..............123, 132, 134
disposal ....................................137
driver airbag ............125, 133, 135
indicator light .................131, 137
operation .................125, 133, 135
passenger airbag .....125, 133, 135
side airbag ...............................132
All Wheel Drive (AWD),
driving off road .........................185
Antifreeze
(see Engine coolant) ................239
Anti-lock brake system
(see Brakes) ..............................176
Anti-theft system ..................96, 99
arming the system ....................99
disarming a triggered
system .....................................100
triggering .................................100
Audio system (see Radio) ...17, 20
Automatic transaxle
fluid, adding ....................256–257
fluid, checking ................256–257
fluid, refill capacities ..............260
fluid, specification ..................264
Automatic transmission
driving an automatic
overdrive .........................181–182
Axle
lubricant specifications ..........262
B
Battery .......................................237acid, treating emergencies .....237
jumping a disabled battery ....208
maintenance-free ....................237
replacement, specifications ...259
servicing ..................................237
BeltMinder
...............................117
Brakes ........................................175
anti-lock ...................................176
anti-lock brake system (ABS)
warning light ...........................176
fluid, checking and adding ....256
fluid, refill capacities ..............260
fluid, specifications .........262, 264
lubricant specifications ..262, 264
parking ....................................177
shift interlock ..........................179
Bulbs ............................................52
C
Capacities for refilling fluids ....260
Cargo net .....................................83
Cassette tape player ...................17
Cell phone use ..............................7
Changing a tire .........................201
Child safety restraints ..............138
child safety belts ....................138
Child safety seats ......................141
attaching with tether straps ..145
in front seat ............................142
in rear seat ..............................142
Cleaning your vehicle
engine compartment ..............225
instrument panel ....................226
interior .....................................227
interior trim ............................227
plastic parts ............................225
washing ....................................223
waxing .....................................224
2006 Five Hundred(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Index
271