
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Personal Safety System™
The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal
crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further
reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze
different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in
a variety of frontal crash situations.
Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of:
•Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints.
•Front outboard safety belts with pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only), and safety belt usage sensors.
•Driver’s seat position sensor.
•Front passenger sensing system
•Passenger airbag off/on indicator lamp
•Front crash severity sensors.
•Restraints Control Module (RCM) with impact and safing sensors.
•Restraint system warning light and backup tone.
•The electrical wiring for the airbags, crash sensor(s), safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors, driver seat position
sensor, front passenger sensing system, and indicator lights.
How does the Personal Safety System work?
The Personal Safety System can adapt the deployment strategy of your
vehicle’s safety devices according to crash severity and occupant
conditions. A collection of crash and occupant sensors provides
information to the Restraints Control Module (RCM). During a crash, the
RCM may activate the safety belt pretensioners and/or either one or both
stages of the dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints based on crash
severity and occupant conditions.
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
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WARNING:Always transport children 12 years old and under in
the back seat and always properly use appropriate child
restraints.
The front passenger sensing system can automatically turn off the front
passenger airbag and passenger seat-mounted side airbag. The system is
designed to help protect small (child size) occupants from frontal airbag
deployments when they are seated or restrained in the front passenger
seat contrary to proper child-seating or restraint usage
recommendations. Even with this technology, parents areSTRONGLY
encouraged to always properly restrain children in the rear seat. The
sensor also turns off the passenger front airbag and passenger
seat-mounted side airbag when the passenger seat is empty and the
safety belt is unbuckled.
Front safety belt usage sensors
The front safety belt usage sensors detect whether or not the driver and
front outboard passenger safety belts are fastened. This information
allows your Personal Safety System to tailor the airbag deployment and
safety belt pretensioner activation depending upon safety belt usage.
Front safety belt pretensioners
The safety belt pretensioners at the front outboard seating positions are
designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against the occupant’s body
during frontal collisions, and in rollover and side collisions when the
Safety Canopyis activated. This helps increase the effectiveness of the
safety belts. In frontal collisions, the safety belt pretensioners can be
activated alone or, if the collision is of sufficient severity, together with
the front airbags.
Front safety belt energy management retractors
The front outboard safety belt energy management retractors allow
webbing to be pulled out of the retractor in a gradual and controlled
manner in response to the occupant’s forward momentum. This helps
reduce the risk of force-related injuries to the occupant’s chest by
limiting the load on the occupant. Refer toEnergy management feature
— front outboardsection in this chapter.
Determining if the Personal Safety System is operational
The Personal Safety System uses a warning light in the instrument
cluster or a back-up tone to indicate the condition of the system. Refer
to theWarning lights and chimessection in theInstrument Cluster
chapter. Routine maintenance of the Personal Safety System is not
required.
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WARNING:Several air bag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
WARNING:If the air bag has deployed,the air bag will not
function again and must be replaced immediately.If the air
bag is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury
in a collision.
The SRS consists of:
•driver and passenger airbag modules (which include the inflators and
airbags)
•seat-mounted side airbags. Refer toSeat-mounted side airbag system
later in this chapter
•safety belt pretensioners
•one or more impact and safing sensors
•a readiness light and tone
•and the electrical wiring which connects the components
•Side curtain airbag system. Refer toSafety CanopySystemlater in
this chapter.
•Front passenger sensing system. Refer toFront passenger sensing
systemlater in this chapter.
•“Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to
Front passenger sensing systemlater in this chapter.
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the airbag
backup power, the airbag ignitors and safety belt pretensioners.
Front passenger sensing system
The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208
and is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions.
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
disabled (will not inflate).
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WARNING: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.
If you think that the state of the passenger airbag status indicator lamp
is incorrect, check for the following:
•Objects lodged underneath the seat
•Objects between the seat cushion and the center console (if
equipped)
•Objects hanging off the seat back
•Objects stowed in the seatback map pocket (if equipped)
•Objects placed on the occupant’s lap
•Cargo interference with the seat
•Other passengers pushing or pulling on the seat
•Rear passenger feet and knees resting or pushing on the seat
The conditions listed above may cause the weight of a properly seated
occupant to be incorrectly interpreted by the front passenger sensing
system. The person in the front passenger seat may appear heavier or
lighter due to the conditions described in the list above.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of possible serious injury:
Do not stow objects in seat back map pocket (if equipped) or
hang objects off seat back if a child is in the front passenger seat.
Do not place objects underneath the front passenger seat or between
the seat and the center console (if equipped).
Check the passenger airbag status indicator lamp for proper airbag
status.
Failure to follow these instructions may interfere with the front
passenger seat sensing system.
In case there is a problem with the
front passenger sensing system, the
airbag readiness light in the
instrument cluster will stay lit.
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do the following:
The driver and/or adult passengers should check for any objects that
may be lodged underneath the front passenger seat or cargo interfering
with the seat.
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If objects are lodged and/or cargo is interfering with the seat; please take
the following steps to remove the obstruction:
•Pull the vehicle over.
•Turn the vehicle off.
•Driver and/or adult passengers should check for any objects lodged
underneath the front passenger seat or cargo interfering with the seat.
•Remove the obstruction(s) (if found).
•Restart the vehicle.
•Wait at least two minutes and verify that the airbag readiness light in
the instrument cluster is no longer illuminated
•If the airbag readiness light in the instrument cluster remains
illuminated, this may or may/not be a problem due to the front
passenger sensing system.
DO NOT attempt to repair or service the system; take your vehicle
immediately to an authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced front airbag system to
accommodate a person with disabilities, contact the Ford Customer
Relationship Center at the phone number shown in theCustomer
Assistancesection of thisOwner’s Guide.
WARNING:Any alteration/modification to the front passenger
seat may affect the performance of the front passenger sensing
system.
Determining if the system is operational
The supplemental restraint system uses a warning indicator light in the
instrument cluster or a backup tone to indicate the condition of the
system. Refer to theWarning lights and chimessection in the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness light (same light
for front and side airbag system)
will either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light 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.
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WARNING:If the side
airbag has deployed,the
airbag will not function again.
The side airbag system
(including the seat) must be
inspected and serviced by an
authorized dealer.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 a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to theWarning lights and
chimessection in theInstrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance
of the airbag is not required.
Any difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
•The readiness light (same light as used for front airbag system) will
either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is
turned to the on position.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the system may not
function properly in the event of a collision.
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Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to theAirbag readiness
section in theInstrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.
Any difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
•The readiness airbag light (same light as for front airbag system) will
either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light 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 light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your an authorized dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the system
may not function properly in the event of a collision or rollover event.
SOS Post-Crash Alert System™
The system automatically flashes the turn signal lamps and sounds the
horn three times at four second intervals in the event of a serious impact
that deploys an airbag (front, side, side curtain or Safety Canopy)or
the safety belt pretensioners.
The system can be turned off when any one of the following actions are
taken by the driver or any other person:
•pressing the hazard control button,
•or pressing the panic button on the remote entry transmitter.
The feature will continue to operate until the vehicle runs out of power.
Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles (including
pretensioners)
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also seeAirbag supplemental restraint system
(SRS)in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.
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WARNING:The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
Temperature A B C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire
to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 139. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by
law.
WARNING:The temperature grade for this tire is established
for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
TIRES
Tires are designed to give many thousands of miles of service, but they
must be maintained in order to get the maximum benefit from them.
Glossary of tire terminology
•Tire label:A label showing the OE (Original Equipment) tire sizes,
recommended inflation pressure and the maximum weight the vehicle
can carry.
•Tire Identification Number (TIN):A number on the sidewall of
each tire providing information about the tire brand and
manufacturing plant, tire size and date of manufacture. Also referred
to as DOT code.
•Inflation pressure:A measure of the amount of air in a tire.
•Standard load:A class of P-metric or Metric tires designed to carry a
maximum load at 35 psi [37 psi (2.5 bar) for Metric tires]. Increasing
the inflation pressure beyond this pressure will not increase the tire’s
load carrying capability.
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