2008 FORD EXPLORER seats

The control buttons are located on
the driver-side rear quarter trim
panel (accessible from the liftgate
area).
Push the bottom portion of the
control button to lower the desired
seatback.
Push the top of the control button
to return the seatback to its original
position.
The power fold down seats will operate for 30 minutes after the
ignition switch is in the 1 (OFF/Lock) position. The transmission
must be in P (Park), and the liftgate or liftgate glass must be
open. Similar to the Battery Saver feature, the power 3rd row
seat will be disabled 30 minutes after turning the vehicle off. If
the power 3rd row seat is disabled after 30 minutes, the seat can
be enabled by opening any door, pressing the unlock control on
the remote entry transmitter, pressing any keyless keypad button
(if equipped), or turning the ignition key.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
176

The fact that the pretensioners or airbags did not activate for both front
seat occupants in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with
the system. Rather, it means the Personal Safety System™ determined
the accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not
appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front airbags are designed
to activate only in frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollovers,
side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient
longitudinal deceleration.
Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints
The dual-stage airbags offer the capability to tailor the level of airbag
inflation energy. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more
common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is used for
the most severe impacts. Refer toAirbag supplemental restraints
section in this chapter.
Front crash severity sensor
The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the
severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable
information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This
allows your Personal Safety System™ to distinguish between different
levels of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the
dual-stage airbags and safety belt pretensioners.
Driver’s seat position sensor
The driver’s seat position sensor allows your Personal Safety System™ to
tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage airbag based on seat
position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting
close to the driver airbag by providing a lower airbag output level.
Front passenger sensing system
For airbags to do their job they must inflate with great force, and this
force can pose a potentially deadly risk to occupants that are very close
to the airbag when it begins to inflate. For some occupants, this occurs
because they are initially sitting very close to the airbag. For other
occupants, this occurs when the occupant is not properly restrained by
safety belts or child safety seats and they move forward during pre-crash
braking. The most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary
injuries is to make sure all occupants are properly restrained. Accident
statistics suggest that children are much safer when properly restrained
in the rear seating positions than in the front.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
178

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a safety belt.
Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt
assembly which is made up of one buckle and one tongue that
are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm. 2)
Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside shoulder.
3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been
closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check
seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.
Energy Management Feature
•This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management
feature at the front seating positions to help further reduce the risk of
injury in the event of a head-on collision.
•This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to
extend the safety belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps
reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the safety belt assembly automatic locking retractor feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly when checked
by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the Belt and Retractor
assembly could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
181

Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Front and rear seats
2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
•Front and rear seats
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph (8
km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
182

Automatic locking mode
When to use the automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
This mode should be usedany timea child safety seat, except a
booster, is installed in passenger front or rear seating positions. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in the rear seat
whenever possible. Refer toSafety restraints for childrenorSafety
seats for childrenlater in this chapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
•Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
183

•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
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive mode.
After any vehicle collision, the combination lap and shoulder belt
system at all passenger seating positions must be checked by an
authorized dealer to verify that the “automatic locking retractor”
feature for child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other
checks for proper safety belt system function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the safety belt assembly “automatic locking retractor” feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly. In addition, all
safety belts should be checked for proper function. Failure to replace
the belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
right front passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioner tightens the safety belts firmly against the
occupant’s body at the start of the crash.
When the Safety Canopy™ system, seat-mounted side airbags, and/or the
front airbags are activated, the safety belt pretensioners for the driver
and right front passenger seating positions will be activated when the
respective seatbelt is properly buckled.
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™, and safety
belt pretensioners.
Refer to theSafety belt maintenancesection in this chapter.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
184

Front 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.
Second row comfort guide
The second row outboard
lap/shoulder belt is equipped with a
belt comfort guide. This guide is
attached to the quarter trim panel
and is used to adjust the comfort of
the shoulder belt for smaller
occupants in the outboard second
row seats.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
185

•When the front passenger sensing system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the indicator will be unlit and stay unlit.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front passenger’s seat, but the
passenger airbag offorpass airbag offindicator lamp is lit, it is
possible 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.
•Have the person 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 enable the passenger’s frontal airbag.
•If the indicator lamp remains lit even after this, the person should be
advised to ride in the rear seat.
OccupantPass Airbag Off
Indicator LampPassenger Airbag
Empty seat Unlit Disabled
Small child in child safety
seat or boosterLit Disabled
Small child with safety belt
buckled or unbuckledLit Disabled
Adult Unlit Enabled
Even with Advanced Restraints Systems, children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in the back seat.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it’s
very important that they continue to sit properly. A properly seated
occupant sits upright, leaning against the seat back, and centered on the
seat cushion, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor. 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 seat back reclined
too far can take off weight from the seat cushion and affect the
decision of the front passenger sensing system, resulting in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright against your seatback, with your feet on the floor.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
198