2007 FORD ESCAPE Owners Manual

Safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments at the front outboard
seating positions. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height,
squeeze and hold the buttons on the
side and slide the height adjuster up
or down. Release the buttons and
pull down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.
Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety
belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt and
increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
front passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioners activate during frontal collisions, and in
side collisions and rollovers when the vehicle is equipped with the
optional Safety Canopysystem. A safety belt pretensioner is a device
which tightens the webbing of the lap and shoulder belts in such a way
that they fit more snugly against the body.
The driver and front passenger safety belt system (including
retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be replaced if the
vehicle is involved in a collision that results in deployment of front
airbags, seat-mounted side airbags and Safety Canopy(if equipped),
and safety belt pretensioners.
Failure to replace the safety belt assembly under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of
a collision.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is an 8 inch
(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.
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 an
authorized dealer 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.
Safety belt warning light and indicator chime
The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 minute and the warning
chime sounds 6 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 BeltMinder
feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders by
intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning
lamp in the instrument cluster when the driver’s and front passenger’s
safety belt is unbuckled.
The BeltMinder
feature uses information from the front passenger
sensing system to determine if a front seat passenger is present and
therefore potentially in need of a warning. To avoid activating the
BeltMinder
feature for objects placed in the front passenger seat,
warnings will only be given to large front seat occupants as determined
by the front passenger sensing system.
Both the driver’s and passenger’s safety belt usages are monitored and
either may activate the BeltMinder
feature. The warnings are the same
for the driver and the front passenger. If the BeltMinder
warnings have
expired (warnings for approximately 5 minutes) for one occupant (driver
or front passenger), the other occupant can still activate the BeltMinder

feature.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 5 km/h
(3 mph) 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 5 km/h
(3 mph) 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.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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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 events36700 crashes occur every day.The
more we drive, the more we are
exposed torareevents, even for
good drivers.1in4ofuswillbe
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
I’m not going far3of4fatal crashes occur within
25miles of home.
Belts are uncomfortableYour Ford safety belts are designed 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 hurryPrime time for an accident.
BeltMinder
reminds us to take a few
seconds to buckle up.
Safety belts don’t workSafety belts,when used properly,
reduce risk of deathto front seat
occupants by45% in cars,and by
60% in light trucks.
Traffic is lightNearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes,many when
no other vehicles are around.
Belts wrinkle my clothesPossibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.
2007 Escape(204)
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Reasons given... Consider...
The people I’m with don’t
wear beltsSet 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.
I have an airbagAirbags 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 clearNot a good idea.Peoplewho are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE.Safety belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN’TPICK OUR
CRASH.
Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt or insert a latchplate
into the buckle to avoid the BeltMinder
chime. To do so may
adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag system
One time disable
If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles
the safety belt for that seating position, the BeltMinder
is disabled for
the current ignition cycle. The BeltMinder
feature will 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.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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Seating and Safety Restraints
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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
•The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)
•The gearshift is in N (Neutral) (manual transmission)
•The ignition switch is in the OFF position
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
While the design allows you to deactivate your BeltMinder
,this
system is designed to improve your chances of being safely
belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave the
BeltMinder
system activated for yourself and others who may use the
vehicle. 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, 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, 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.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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Seating and Safety Restraints
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•After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
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.
2007 Escape(204)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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