2013 FORD TAURUS belt

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. During a crash, the
Restraints Control Module 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.
42Personal Safety System
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly or gently, and the risk
of injury from a deploying airbag is the greatest close to the trim
covering the airbag module.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
WARNING:Always transport children 12 years old and under in
the back seat and always properly use appropriate child
restraints.
WARNING:Never place your arm over the airbag module as a
deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries.
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.
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.
WARNING:Several airbag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
WARNING:If the airbag has deployed, the airbag will not
function again and must be replaced immediately. If the airbag is
not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
Supplementary Restraints System43
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air
bag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The airbags are a supplemental restraint system and are designed to
work with the safety belts to help protect the driver and right front
passenger from certain upper body injuries. Airbags DO NOT inflate
slowly; there is a risk of injury from a deploying airbag.
Note:You will hear a loud bang and see a cloud of harmless powdery
residue if an airbag deploys. This is normal.
The airbags inflate and deflate rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powdery residue or smell
the burnt propellant. This may consist of cornstarch, talcum powder (to
lubricate the bag) or sodium compounds (e.g., baking soda) that result
from the combustion process that inflates the airbag. Small amounts of
sodium hydroxide may be present which may irritate the skin and eyes,
but none of the residue is toxic. While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with a deploying airbag may also cause
abrasions or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also a possibility as a
result of the noise associated with a deploying airbag. Because airbags
must inflate rapidly and with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or
internal injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly
restrained or are otherwise out of position at the time of airbag
deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly
restrained as far away from the airbag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.
Routine maintenance of the airbags is not required.
SOS POST-CRASH ALERT SYSTEM™
The system flashes the turn signal lamps and sounds the horn
(intermittently) in the event of a serious impact that deploys an airbag
(front, side, side curtain or Safety Canopy) or the safety belt
pretensioners.
The horn and lamps will turn off when:
•the hazard control button is pressed
•the panic button is pressed on the remote entry transmitter, or
•the vehicle runs out of power.
44Supplementary Restraints System
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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.
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.
46Supplementary Restraints System
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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.
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.
•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.
Supplementary Restraints System47
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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
passenger airbag status indicator OFF 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 passenger airbag status indicator OFF lamp remains lit even
after this, the person should be advised to ride in the rear seat.
OccupantPassenger Airbag
Status IndicatorPassenger Airbag
EmptyOFF: Lit
Disabled
ON: Unlit
ChildOFF: Lit
Disabled
ON: Unlit
AdultOFF: Unlit
Enabled
ON: Lit
Note:When the passenger airbag status indicator OFF lamp is
illuminated, the passenger side airbag (seat mounted) may be disabled to
avoid the risk of airbag deployment injuries.
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.
48Supplementary Restraints System
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle including the driver
should always wear their safety belts even when an airbag SRS
and curtain airbag is provided.
WARNING:To reduce risk of injury, do not obstruct or place
objects in the deployment path of the curtain airbag.
WARNING:If the curtain airbags have deployed,the curtain
airbags will not function again. The curtain airbags
(including the A, B and C pillar trim and headliner) must be
inspected and serviced by an authorized dealer.If the curtain
airbag is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
The Safety Canopy will deploy during significant side collisions or when a
certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
The Safety Canopy is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet metal, behind
the headliner, above each row of seats. In certain lateral collisions or
rollover events, the Safety Canopy will be activated, regardless of which
seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed to inflate between the
side window area and occupants to further enhance protection provided
in side impact collisions and rollover events.
The system consists of the
following:
•Safety canopy 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 air
curtain deployment.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater
in this chapter.
52Supplementary Restraints System
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the second or third row seats. The Safety Canopy will not interfere with
children restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat
because it is designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the
doors along the side window opening.
The design and development of the Safety Canopy 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 (including the Safety
Canopy).
CRASH SENSORS AND AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING:Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
the vehicle (including frame, bumper, front end body structure
and tow hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle.
The vehicle has a collection of crash and occupant sensors which provide
information to the Restraints Control Module (RCM) which deploys
(activates) the front safety belt pretensioners, driver airbag, passenger
airbag, seat mounted side airbags, and the Safety Canopy. Based on the
type of accident (frontal impact, side impact or rollover) the restraints
control module will deploy the appropriate safety devices.
The restraints control module also monitors the readiness of the above
safety devices plus the crash and occupant sensors. The readiness of the
safety system is indicated by a warning indicator light in the instrument
cluster or by a backup tone if the warning light is not working. Refer to
Warning lamps and Indicatorsin theInstrument 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 will either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after the
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.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a collision.
Supplementary Restraints System53
2013 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)