2010 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY warning

2. Child age 12 or under: A child age 12 or under must ride in the
front seat because:
• my vehicle has no rear seat;
• although children age 12 and under ride in the rear seat whenever
possible, children age 12 and under have no option but to sometimes
ride in the front seat because rear seat space is insufficient; or
• the child has a medical condition that, according to the child’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child’s condition.
3. Medical condition: A passenger has a medical condition that,
according to his or her physician:
• poses a special risk for the passenger if the airbag deploys; and
• makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag deployment
greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the airbag and
experiencing a crash without the protection offered by the airbag
WARNING: This vehicle has special energy management safety
belts for the driver and right front passenger. These particular
belts are specifically designed to work with airbags to help reduce the
risk of injury in a collision. The energy management safety belt is
designed to give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents
to reduce concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the
risk of certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a
crash, if the airbag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt
might permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to
incur a serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the
heavier the occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the airbag is
turned ON for any person who does not qualify under the NHTSA
deactivation criteria.Seating and Safety Restraints
194
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also see Airbag supplemental restraint system
(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.
Important child restraint precautions
WARNING: Always make sure your child is secured properly in
a device that is appropriate for their height, age and weight.
Child safety restraints must be purchased separately from the vehicle.
Failure to follow these instructions and guidelines may result in an
increased risk of serious injury or death to your child.
WARNING: All children are shaped differently. The
Recommendations for Safety Restraints are based on probable
child height, age and weight thresholds from NHTSA and other safety
organizations or are the minimum requirements of law. Ford
recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician (CPST) and your pediatrician to make sure your child seat
is appropriate for your child, and is compatible with and properly
installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and CPST
contact the NHTSA toll free at 1-888-327-4236 or on the internet at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Failure to properly restrain children in safety
seats made especially for their height, age, and weight may result in an
increased risk of serious injury or death to your child. Seating and Safety Restraints
195
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Note: This vehicle is not equipped with LATCH lower anchors.
Restraint
Type Child
Weight Use any attachment method as indicated
below by “X”
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor) LATCH
(lower
anchors
only) Safety
belt
and
top
tether
anchor Safety
belt and
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor) Safety
belt
only
Rear
facing
child seat Up to
48 lb
(21 kg) XX
Forward
facing
child seat Up to
48 lb
(21 kg) XXX
Forward
facing
child seat Over
48 lb
(21 kg) XX
WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air
bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the vehicle seat all the way back. When possible, all children age 12
and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If
all children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating
position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat. Seating and Safety Restraints
197
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

WARNING: Always carefully follow the instructions and
warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to
determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by the vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child’s height, age, or weight or does not
properly fit the child may increase the risk of serious injury or death.
WARNING: 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, which may result in serious injury or
death.
WARNING: 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.
WARNING: Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a collision or
sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
WARNING: Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder
belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk
of injury or death in a collision.
WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
Transporting children
Always make sure your child is secured properly in a device that is
appropriate for their age, height and weight. All children are shaped
differently. The child height, age and weight thresholds provided are
recommendations or the minimum requirements of law. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides education andSeating and Safety Restraints
198
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. If all children cannot be seated and
restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the
largest child in the front seat.
Installing child safety seats with automatic locking mode
combination lap and shoulder belts
(front passenger and rear outboard seating positions)
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. If all children cannot be seated and
restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the
largest child in the front seat.
When installing a child safety seat with combination lap/shoulder belts:
• 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.
• Place vehicle seat back in upright position.
• This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
WARNING: Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.Seating and Safety Restraints
200
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

Installing the child safety seat
Perform the following steps when installing the child seat in the
outboard combination lap/shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is a forward facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear facing child seat.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
WARNING: An airbag can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Child seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless
the passenger airbag switch is turned off, See Passenger airbag on/off
switch .
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together. Seating and Safety Restraints
201
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

8. Remove remaining slack from the
belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, e.g., by pressing down or
kneeling on the child restraint while
pulling up on the shoulder belt in
order to force slack from the belt.
This is necessary to remove the
remaining slack that will exist once
the additional weight of the child is
added to the child restraint. It also
helps to achieve the proper
snugness of the child seat to the
vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean
towards the buckle will additionally
help to remove remaining slack from the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the
child seat is equipped). Refer to
Attaching child safety seats with
tether straps later in this chapter.
10. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward. There should be no
more than one inch (2.5 cm) of movement for proper installation.
11. Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician (CPST) to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed. In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for
referral to a CPST.
Installing child safety seats in cinch tongue combination lap and
shoulder belt seating positions (Regular Cab front center and
Super/Crew cab rear center positions)
The belt webbing below the tongue is the lap portion of the combination
lap/shoulder belt, and the belt webbing above the tongue is the shoulder
belt portion of the combination lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING: Always use both lap and shoulder safety belt in the
Regular Cab center seating position if applicable. Seating and Safety Restraints
203
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)

Note: Although the child seat illustrated is a forward facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear facing child seat.
1. Position the child safety seat in
the center seat.
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. If
you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
seat all the way back.
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
front of an active airbag.
2. Slide the tongue up the webbing.
3. While holding both shoulder and
lap portions next to the tongue,
route the tongue and webbing
through the child seat according to
the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure that the belt
webbing is not twisted.Seating and Safety Restraints
204
2010 F-250/350/450/550 (f23)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)