Reasons given...Consider...
“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.
Belt-Minderreminds us to take a few
seconds to buckle up.
“Safety belts don’t work” Safety belts,when used properly,
reduce risk of death to front seat
occupants by 45% 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.
“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”.
WARNING: Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt or insert a
latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minder chime. To do
so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s airbag system.
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Deactivating/activating the Belt-MinderFeature (if equipped)
WARNING:While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave
the Belt-Minder system activated for yourself and others who may use
the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
Belt-Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
Note:The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder are deactivated/activated
independently. When deactivating/activating one seating position, do not
buckle the other position as this will terminate the process.
Read Steps 1 - 4 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder 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)
• The vehicle is off
• The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
1. Turn the vehicle on. Do not start the vehicle (Ready to Drive light
must not be lit)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (approximately one
minute).
• Once the next step is started, the procedure must be completed
within 60 seconds.
3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the safety
belt four times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled state.
•After Step 3, the safety belt warning light will turn on.
4. While the safety belt warning light is on, buckle and then unbuckle the
safety belt.
• After Step 4, the safety belt warning light will flash three times for
confirmation.
• This will disable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled.
• This will enable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled.
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WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
WARNING: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.
WARNING: Never place your arm over the airbag module as a
deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries.
To properly position yourself away from the airbag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position.
WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the airbag module.
Placing objects on or over the airbag inflation area may cause
those objects to be propelled by the airbag into your face and torso
causing serious injury.
WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. Contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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•a readiness light and tone
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components
• Side curtain airbag system. Refer to Side curtain airbag systemlater
in this chapter.
• Front passenger sensing system. Refer to Front passenger sensing
system later in this chapter.
• “Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to
Front passenger sensing system later 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
WARNING: Even with Advanced Restraints Systems, children 12
and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
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.
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 off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp for
proper airbag Status.
Failure to follow these instructions may interfere with the passenger
seat sensing system.
WARNING: Any alteration/modification to the front passenger
seat may affect the performance of the front passenger sensing
system.
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This system works with sensors that are part of the front passenger’s
seat and safety belt to detect the presence of a properly seated occupant
and determine if the front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled
(may inflate) or not.The front passenger sensing system
uses a pass airbag off indicator
which will illuminate and stay lit to
remind you that the front passenger
frontal airbag is disabled.
The indicator lamp is located under
the climate controls. The indicator
lamp will illuminate for a short
period of time when the ignition is turned to the on position to confirm
it is functional.
Note: When the passenger airbag off light is illuminated, the passenger
(seat mounted) side airbag may be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment injuries.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to disable (will not
inflate) the front passenger’s frontal airbag when the front passenger
seat is unoccupied, or a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing child
restraint, or a booster seat is detected.
• When the front passenger sensing system disables (will not inflate)
the front passenger frontal airbag, the passenger airbag status
indicator will illuminate the OFF lamp and stay lit to remind you that
the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled.
• If the child restraint has been installed and the passenger airbag
status indicator illuminates the ON lamp, then turn the vehicle off,
remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the restraint
following the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to enable (may inflate)
the front passenger’s frontal airbag anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting properly in the front passenger seat.
• When the front passenger sensing system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the passenger airbag status indicator will
illuminate the ON lamp and remain illuminated.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front passenger’s seat, but the
pass airbag off indicator 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.
PASS AIRBAG
OFF
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•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.
Occupant Pass Airbag Off
Indicator LampPassenger Airbag
Empty UnlitDisabled
Child LitDisabled
Adult UnlitEnabled
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.
If you think that the status of the passenger airbag off 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 passenger sensing system.
The person in the front passenger seat may appear heavier or lighter due
to the conditions described in the list above.
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To know if the front passenger sensing system is operating
properly, refer toCrash sensors and Airbag Indicator later in
this chapter.
If the airbag readiness lamp 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.
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 lamp is
no longer illuminated
• If the airbag readiness lamp 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 the Customer
Assistance section of this Owner’s Manual.
Determining if the system is operational
The system uses a warning indicator light in the instrument cluster or a
backup tone to indicate the condition of the system. 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.
• An information message will appear in the message center.
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How does the side airbag system work?
The design and development of the side airbag system included
recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side airbags.The side airbag system consists of
the following:
•An inflatable bag (airbag) with an
inflator concealed behind the
outboard bolster of the driver and
front passenger seatbacks.
• A special seat cover designed to
allow airbag deployment.
• The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic
unit as used for the front airbags.
• Crash sensors located on the
front doors and on the rocker
behind the C pillar (one sensor
on each pillar on each side of the
vehicle).
Side airbags, in combination with safety belts, can help reduce the risk of
severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision.
The side airbags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the airbag on the side affected by
the collision will be inflated. The airbag was designed to inflate between
the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection provided
occupants in side impact collisions.
The airbag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
acceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates airbag inflation.
The fact that the airbags did not inflate in a collision does not mean that
something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were
not of the type sufficient to cause activation. Side airbags are designed
to inflate in side-impact collisions, not roll-over, rear-impact, frontal or
near-frontal collisions, unless the collision causes sufficient lateral
deceleration.
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