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•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Ford Motor Company recommends that all passenger safety belt
assemblies and attaching hardware should be inspected by an
authorized dealer after any collision to verify that theautomatic
locking retractorfeature for child seats is still working properly. Safety
belt assemblies should be inspected by an authorized dealer and must
be replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted. Failure to
replace the belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
Safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments at the front and second
row 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.
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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.
Third row comfort guide
Note:Before stowing the third row seat or folding the third row seat
back down, the center seat lap/shoulder belt needs to either have the
cross lap tongue stowed in the pocket on the belt or the entire belt
needs to be stowed in the roof.
The safety belt for the 3rd row
center occupant may be stowed in
the ceiling if it has been detached
from the seat to carry large cargo.
Remove the safety belt from the
stowage area on the ceiling and
buckle the small tongue on the end
of the safety belt to the mini-buckle
on the left side of the center seat
position.
The third row center lap/shoulder
belt is equipped with a Belt Comfort
Guide located in a pocket on the
back of the seat. The guide is
attached to the driver’s side head
restraint, and is used to adjust the
comfort of the shoulder belt for
smaller occupants in the center
position of the 3rd row seat. To
adjust the comfort guide:
•Slip the shoulder belt into the
belt guide.
•Slide the guide up or down along the head restraint post so that the
belt is centered on the occupant’s shoulder.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended,a9inch(23cm)or
12 inch (31 cm) safety belt extension assembly can be added (part
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numbers 611C22–A and 611C22–B respectively). These assemblies can
be obtained from an authorized dealer.
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, replacing 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), child safety seat tether bracket
assemblies (if equipped), LATCH child seat tether anchors and lower
anchors (if equipped), and attaching hardware, should be inspected after
a collision. Ford 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,
except as described in theReplacing the front safety belt assemblies
after a collisionsection of this chapter. 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.
Refer toInteriorin theCleaningchapter.
Replacing the front safety belt assemblies after a collision
The front outboard safety belt assemblies have a special energy
management retractors designed to further reduce the risk of injury in
the event of a head-on collision. These retractors should be replaced if
they were used in any accident in which the front airbags deploy. If the
safety belt assemblies are not replaced, there may be increased risk of
injury in the event of a subsequent collision.
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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.
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.
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 by
intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning
light in the instrument cluster when the driver’s and front passenger’s
safety belt is unbuckled.
The BeltMinderfeature 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
BeltMinderfeature 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 BeltMinderfeature. The warnings are the same
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for the driver and the front passenger. If the BeltMinderwarnings have
expired (warnings for approximately 5 minutes) for one occupant (driver
or front passenger), the other occupant can still activate the BeltMinder
feature.
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 BeltMinderfeature 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 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 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 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 the
safety belts are buckled.
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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 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 within
25miles (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.
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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 or insert a latchplate
into the buckle to avoid the BeltMinderchime. 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 BeltMinderis disabled for
the current ignition cycle. The BeltMinderfeature 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 BeltMinderare
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 BeltMinderfeatures must be
disabled/enabled separately. Both cannot be disable/enabled during the
same key cycle.
The driver and front passenger BeltMinderfeatures 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)
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•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
BeltMindersystem activated for yourself and others who may use the
vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
BeltMinderfeature 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 BeltMinderfeature 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 BeltMinderfeature 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.
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