2006 LINCOLN MARK LT Owners Manual

AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
1. Airbag cover
The airbag supplemental restraint system is designed to work in
conjunction with the safety belts to help protect the driver and front
outboard passenger from certain upper body injuries. The term
“supplemental restraint” means the airbags are intended as a supplement
to the safety belts. Airbags alone cannot protect as well as airbags plus
safety belts in impacts for which the airbags are designed to deploy, and
airbags do not offer any protection in crashes for which they do not
deploy.
The airbag supplemental restraint system consists of:
•driver and passenger dual stage airbag modules (which include the
inflators and airbags).
•one or more impact and safing sensors.
•the same indicator light, RCM (restraints control module) and
diagnostic unit used for the Personal safety system.
•Front passenger sensing system
•Passenger airbag off indicator light.
The airbag supplemental restraints are an integral part of the Personal
Safety System. They are designed to be deployed in cases where the
Personal Safety System has determined the occupant conditions and
crash severity are appropriate to activate these devices. Refer to the
Personal Safety Systemsection in this chapter.
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Important SRS precautions
All occupants of the vehicle,
including the driver, should
always properly wear their safety
belts, even when an airbag (SRS)
is provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat if your vehicle has a back seat. Rear facing infant seats
should NEVER be placed in the front seats. This is because the back of
the infant seat is too close to the inflating airbag and the risk of a fatal
injury to the infant when the airbag inflates is substantial.
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 cover.
Never place your arms or feet over the airbag module as a
deploying airbag can result in serious 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.
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Do not put anything on or
over the airbag cover (1).
Placing objects on or over the
airbag cover may cause those
objects to be thrown by the airbag
into your face and torso or may
result in a failure of the airbag to
inflate properly, both of which
could result in serious injury.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the airbag
supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. See your Ford or
Lincoln Mercury dealer.
The front passenger airbag is not designed to offer protection to
an occupant in the center front seating position.
Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of the vehicle
(including frame, bumper, front end body structure and tow
hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system, increasing the
risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the airbag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to theBody
Builders Layout Bookfor instructions about the appropriate
installation of additional equipment.
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Children and airbags
For additional important safety
information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat
than in the front seat. Failure to
follow these instructions may
increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
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.
How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?
The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
The fact that the airbags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Airbags are
designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impact, or rear-impacts.
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The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder (to lubricate the bag) or
sodium compounds (e.g., baking
soda) that result from the
combustion process that inflates the
airbag. Small amounts of sodium
hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, it may also
cause minor abrasions, swelling or temporary hearing loss. Because
airbags must inflate rapidly and with considerable force, there is the risk
of death or serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or
internal injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly
restrained or are otherwise out of position at the time of airbag
deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly
restrained as far away from the airbag cover as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.
Several airbag system components get hot after inflation. Do not
touch them after inflation.
If the airbag has deployed,the airbag will not function again
and must be replaced immediately.If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses readiness lights in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer toAirbag readinessin the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
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A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness lights will either
flash or stay lit.
•The readiness lights will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and/or light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced at
your dealership or by a qualified technician immediately. Unless serviced,
the system may not function properly in the event of a collision.
Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles (including
pretensioners)
See your local dealership or qualified technician. Airbags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.
Front passenger sensing system
The front passenger sensing system will turn off the front passenger’s
frontal airbag under certain conditions. The driver’s frontal 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,
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•A smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown child restraints,
or a small adult occupies the front passenger seat.
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 offor
pass 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 in the
center stack of the instrument panel
just above the radio. To confirm that
the indicator light is functional, it
will momentarily illuminate when the ignition is turned to the ON
position.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front
passenger’s frontal airbag when a rear facing child 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 airbag 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 off” or “pass airbag off” indicator 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.
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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
injury in a crash event. For example, if an occupant slouches, lies down,
turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward or sideways, or puts one or
both feet up, the chance of injury during a crash is greatly increased.
Sitting improperly out of position or with the seatback reclined
too far can take off weight from the seat cushion and affect the
decision of the passenger sensing system, resulting in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Always sit upright against your seatback, with your feet on the floor.
The front passenger sensing system may detect small or medium objects
placed on the seat cushion. For most objects that are in the front
passenger seat, the passenger airbag will be disabled. Even though the
passenger airbag is disabled, thepass airbag offlight may or may not
be illuminated according to the table below.
ObjectsPass Airbag Off
Indicator LightPassenger Airbag
Empty seat Unlit Disabled
Small (i.e. 3 ring
binder, small purse,
bottled water)Unlit Disabled
Medium (i.e. heavy
briefcase, fully packed
luggage)Lit Disabled
Empty seat, Small or
medium object with
safety belt buckledLit Disabled
In case there is a problem with the
passenger sensing system, the
airbag readiness light in the
instrument cluster will stay lit. Do
NOT attempt to repair or service
the system; take your vehicle immediately to the dealer.
The front passenger airbag is not designed to offer protection to
an occupant in the center front seating position.
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Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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