GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children.
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 consult 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. In Canada, check with your local
St. John Ambulance office for referral to a CPST or for further
information, contact your provincial ministry of transportation, your
local St. John Ambulance office at http://www.sfa.ca, or Transport
Canada at 1–800–333–0371 (http://www.tc.gc.ca). 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.
Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Child size, height, weight, or ageRecommended
restraint type
Infants
or
toddlersChildren weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less
(generally age four or younger).Use a child safety
seat (sometimes
called an infant
carrier, convertible
seat, or toddler
seat).
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Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Child size, height, weight, or ageRecommended
restraint type
Small
childrenChildren who have outgrown or no
longer properly fit in a child safety
seat (generally children who are less
than 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall,
are greater than age four (4) and less
than age twelve (12), and between
40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and
upward to 100 lb (45 kg) if
recommended by your child restraint
manufacturer).Use a
belt-positioning
booster seat.
Larger
childrenChildren who have outgrown or no
longer properly fit in a belt-positioning
booster seat (generally children who
are at least 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall or greater than 80 lb
(36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if
recommended by child restraint
manufacturer).Use a vehicle safety
belt having the lap
belt snug and low
across the hips,
shoulder belt
centered across the
shoulder and chest,
and seatback upright.
•You are required by law to properly use safety seats for infants and
toddlers in the U.S. and Canada.
•Many states and provinces require that small children use approved
booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 ft 9 in.
(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your local and state or
provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety of
children in your vehicle.
•When possible, always properly restrain children twelve (12) years of
age and under in a rear seating position of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seating positions than in a front seating position.
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CHILD SEATS
Use a child safety seat (sometimes
called an infant carrier, convertible
seat, or toddler seat) for Infants,
toddlers or children weighing 40 lb
(18 kg) or less (generally age four
or younger)
CHILD SEAT POSITIONING
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
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.
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.
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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.
Restraint
TypeChild
WeightUse any attachment method as indicated
below by X
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and
top
tether
anchor)LATCH
(lower
anchors
only)Safety
belt
and
top
tether
anchorSafety
belt and
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor)Safety
belt
only
Rear
facing
child seatUp to
48 lb
(21 kg)XX
Forward
facing
child seatUp to
48 lb
(21 kg)XXX
Forward
facing
child seatOver
48 lb
(21 kg)XX
Note:The child seat must rest tightly against the vehicle seat. It may be
necessary to lift or remove the head restraint. See theSeatschapter for
information on head restraints.
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5. To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, do the following;
•Standard safety belt: grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
•Inflatable safety belt: grasp the lap
portion of the inflatable safety belt
and pull upward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
Note:Unlike the standard safety belt, the inflatable safety belt’s unique
lap portion locks the child seat for installation. The ability for the
shoulder portion of the belt to move freely is normal, even after the lap
belt has been put into the automatic locking mode.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click as it
retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is in
the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, repeat Steps 5 and 6.
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 (for standard safety belt) or pulling down
on the lap belt (for inflatable safety 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.
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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:Any alteration/modification to the front passenger
seat may affect the performance of the front passenger sensing
system.
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 passenger airbag status
indicator which will illuminate
indicating that the front passenger
frontal airbag is either ON (enabled)
or OFF (disabled). The indicator
lamp is located in the center stack
of the instrument panel.
Note:The passenger airbag status indicator OFF and ON lamps will
illuminate for a short period of time when the ignition is first turned on
to confirm it is functional.
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.
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SITTING IN THE CORRECT POSITION
WARNING:Sitting improperly out of position or with the
seatback reclined too far can take off weight from the seat
cushion and affect the decision of the 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:Do not recline the seatback as this can cause the
occupant to slide under the seat’s safety belt, resulting in severe
personal injury in the event of a collision.
WARNING:Do not place objects higher than the seatbacks to
reduce the risk of injury in a collision or during heavy braking or
when stopping suddenly.
When you use them properly, the
seat, head restraint, safety belt and
airbags will provide optimum
protection in the event of a collision.
We recommend that you follow
these guidelines:
•Sit in an upright position with the
base of your spine as far back as
possible.
•Do not recline the seatback more than 30 degrees.
•Adjust the head restraint so that the top of it is level with the top of
your head and as far forward as possible, remaining comfortable.
•Keep sufficient distance between yourself and the steering wheel. We
recommend a minimum of 10 inches (250 mm) between your
breastbone and the airbag cover.
•Hold the steering wheel with your arms slightly bent.
•Bend your legs slightly so that you can press the pedals fully.
•Position the shoulder strap of the safety belt over the center of your
shoulder and position the lap strap tightly across your hips.
Make sure that your driving position is comfortable and that you can
maintain full control of your vehicle.
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CARGO NETS (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:This net is not designed to restrain objects during a
collision or heavy braking.
The cargo net secures lightweight
objects in the cargo area. Attach the
net to the loops and anchors
provided.
ROOF RACKS AND LOAD CARRIERS (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:When loading the roof rail crossbars, it is
recommended to evenly distribute the load, as well as maintain a
low center of gravity. Loaded vehicles, with higher centers of gravity,
may handle differently than unloaded vehicles. Extra precautions, such
as slower speeds and increased stopping distance, should be taken
when driving a heavily loaded vehicle.
Note:The maximum recommended load is 100 pounds (45 kilograms),
evenly distributed on the crossbars.
Note:Loads should never be placed directly on the roof panel. The roof
panel is not designed to directly carry a load.
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