2013 FORD FLEX child lock

SYMBOL GLOSSARY
WARNING:You risk death or serious injury to yourself and
others if you do not follow the instruction highlighted by the
warning symbol.
These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Symbol Description Symbol Description Symbol Description
Safety alertSee Owner’s
ManualAnti-lock
braking
system
Avoid
smoking,
flames, or
sparksBatteryBattery acid
Brake fluid –
non
petroleum
baseBrake systemCabin air
filter
Check fuel
capChild Safety
Door Lock
and UnlockChild seat
lower anchor
Child seat
tether anchorCruise
controlDo not open
when hot
Engine air
filterEngine
coolantEngine
coolant
temperature
Engine
oilExplosive
gasFan warning
Fasten safety
beltFront airbagFront fog
lamps
10Introduction
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

INSTALLING CHILD SEATS WITH LAP AND SHOULDER BELTS
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVERplace 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.
WARNING:Children 12 and under should be properly restrained
in the rear seat whenever possible.
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.
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.
•For second row seating positions, if needed, the recliner may be
adjusted slightly to improve child seat fit. If needed the head restraints
may be removed.
•For third row seating positions the head restraints may be stowed to
improve child seat fit, if needed. Refer toRear seatsin theSeats
chapter for information on folding the head restraints.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer to Step 5
below. This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
24Child Safety
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Perform the following steps when installing the child seat with
combination lap and 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.
Note:The ’Lock-off’ device on some child restraints may not
accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt. Follow all
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the ’Lock-off’ device. In some instances
these devices have been provided only for use in vehicles with safety belt
systems that would otherwise require a locking clip. This vehicle does
not require the use of a locking clip.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. After positioning the child safety seat in the proper seating position,
do the following:
•Standard safety belt: pull down
on the shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt and lap
belt together behind the belt
tongue.
Child Safety25
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

•Inflatable safety belt buckle
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.
Child Safety27
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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.
•Standard safety belt
•Inflatable safety belt
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). Refer to
Installing child safety seats with tether strapslater in this chapter.
28Child Safety
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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 and back. There should
be no more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) of
movement for proper installation.
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 WITH Lower Anchors AND
Tethers FOR CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING:Never attach two child safety seats to th same
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury
or death.
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.
Child Safety29
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
•When these locks are set, the
rear doors cannot be opened from
the inside.
•The rear doors can be opened
from the outside when the
childproof door locks are set, but
the doors are unlocked.
The childproof locks are located on
the rear edge of each rear door and
must be set separately for each
door. Setting the lock for one door
will not automatically set the lock
for both doors.
•Insert the key and turn to the lock position (key horizontal) to engage
the childproof locks.
•Insert the key and turn to the unlock position (key vertical) to
disengage the childproof locks.
Child Safety35
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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 and
rear inflatable safety belt).
•Height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions
•Retractor and anchor 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 and rear inflatable safety belts are designed
to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side collisions, and in rollovers.
The safety belt pretensioners on the retractor and anchor at the front
seating positions are designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against
the occupant’s body when 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.
Safety Belts37
2013 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)