
PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
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.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
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WARNING: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.
WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an
accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle have lap and shoulder safety belts. All
occupants of the vehicle should always properly wear their safety belts,
even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder safety belts.
•Shoulder safety belt with automatic locking mode, (except driver
safety belt).
•Height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions
•Safety belt pretensioner at the front outboard seating positions.
•Belt tension sensor at the front outboard passenger seating position.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. Refer toSafety belt
warning light and indicator chimelater in this chapter.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash sensors and airbag indicatorin
theSupplemental Restraint Systemchapter.
The safety belt pretensioners at the front seating positions are designed
to tighten the safety belts when activated. In frontal and near-frontal
collisions, the safety belt pretensioners may be activated alone or, if the
collision is of sufficient severity, together with the front airbags. The
pretensioners may also activate when a side curtain airbag is deployed.
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Pregnant women should always
wear their safety belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.
Safety Belt Locking Modes
WARNING:After any vehicle collision, the safety 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, all safety belts should be
checked for proper function.
WARNING: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.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The driver safety belt has the first type of locking mode, and the
front outboard passenger and rear seat safety belts have both types of
locking modes described as follows:
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.
In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled out
too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull webbing
out again in a slow and controlled manner.
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•Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees) from the upright
position.
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.
Children and Airbags
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
seat all the way back.
Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front
seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
KNEE AIRBAG
The knee airbag is located under the instrument panel. The system
works along with the driver’s front airbag to help reduce injury to the
legs. When the driver’s airbag activates in a collision, the knee airbag
deploys from under the instrument panel. As with front and side airbags,
it is important to be properly seated and restrained to reduce the risk of
death or serious injury.
To know if the knee airbag is operating properly, refer toCrash
sensors and airbag indicatorlater in this chapter.
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•When the front passenger sensing system disables (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag, the indicator lamp will illuminate and stay
lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled.
•If the child restraint has been installed and the indicator lamp is not
lit, 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 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 off or 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.
•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 Unlit Disabled
Child Lit Disabled
Adult Unlit Enabled
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.
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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 this owner’s guide.
SIDE AIRBAGS
WARNING:Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near
the airbag cover, on the side of the seatbacks (of the front seats),
or in front seat areas that may come into contact with a deploying
airbag. Failure to follow these instructions may increase the risk of
personal injury in the event of a collision.
WARNING:Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of
accessory seat covers may prevent the deployment of the side
airbags and increase the risk of injury in an accident.
WARNING:Do not lean your head on the door. The side airbag
could injure you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag, its fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an airbag.
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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.
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.
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The system consists of the following:
•A label or embossed side panel indicating
that side airbags are fitted to your vehicle.
•Side airbags located inside the seatback of
the driver and front passenger seats.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash sensors and airbag indicator
later in this chapter.
•Front passenger sensing system
Note:The passenger sensing system will deactivate the passenger
seat-mounted side airbag if it detects an empty, unbuckled passenger
seat.
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.
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS
WARNING:Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near
the headliner at the siderail that may come into contact with a
deploying side curtain airbag. Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the event of a collision.
WARNING:Do not lean your head on the door. The curtain
airbag could injure you as it deploys from the headliner.
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the side
curtain airbags, its fuses, the A, B, or C pillar trim, or the
headliner on a vehicle containing side curtain airbags. Contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible.
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WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle including the driver
should always wear their safety belts even when an airbag SRS
and side curtain airbag is provided.
WARNING:To reduce risk of injury, do not obstruct or place
objects in the deployment path of the side curtain airbag.
WARNING:If the side curtain airbags have deployed,the side
curtain airbags will not function again. The side curtain
airbags (including the A, B and C pillar trim and headliner)
must be inspected and serviced by an authorized dealer.If the
side curtain airbag is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
A side curtain airbag will deploy during significant side collisions. The
side curtain airbags are mounted to the roof side-rail sheet metal, behind
the headliner, above each row of seats. In certain lateral collisions, the
side curtain airbag on the impacted side of the vehicle will be activated.
The side curtain airbags are designed to inflate between the side window
area and occupants to further enhance protection provided in side
impact collisions.
The system consists of the
following:
•Side curtain airbags fitted above
the trim panels over the front
and rear side windows identified
by a label or wording on the
headliner or roof-pillar trim.
•A flexible headliner which opens above the side doors to allow side air
curtain deployment.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash sensors and Airbag Indicator
later in this chapter.
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