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 (for example,
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
equipped on your vehicle, such as front, side, side curtain or Safety
Canopy.
The horn and lamps will turn off when:
•you press the hazard control button
•you press the panic button (if equipped) on the remote entry
transmitter, or
•your vehicle runs out of power.
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DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS
WARNING:Never place your arm or any objects over an airbag
module. Placing your arm over a deploying airbag can result in
serious arm fractures or other injuries. Objects placed 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: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 upon which the child seat is installed all the way back.
The driver and front passenger
airbags will deploy during significant
frontal and near-frontal crashes.
The driver and passenger front airbag system consists of:
•driver and passenger airbag modules
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater
in this chapter.
•front passenger sensing system
Proper Driver and Front Passenger Seating Adjustment
WARNING:The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches
(25 centimeters) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag
module. Failure to follow this could seriously increase the risk of injury
or death.
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If the airbag readiness lamp is lit, do the following:
The driver 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 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 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 theCustomer
Assistancesection of thisOwner’s Manual.
KNEE AIRBAG
A driver’s knee airbag is located under or within the instrument panel.
During a crash, the restraints control module may activate the driver’s
knee airbag based on crash severity and occupant conditions. Under
certain crash and occupant conditions, the driver’s knee airbag may
deploy but the driver’s front airbag may not activate. 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, seeCrash
Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin this chapter.
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The system consists of the
following:
•a tag on the seat back indicating
that side airbags are found on
your vehicle
•side airbags located inside the
seat back of the driver and front
passenger seats.
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater 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 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 crash.
WARNING:Do not lean your head on the door. The curtain
airbag could injure you as it deploys from the headliner.
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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 as you could be seriously
injured or killed. Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle including the driver
should always wear their safety belts even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system and side curtain airbag is provided.
Failure to properly wear your safety belt could seriously increase the
risk of injury or death.
WARNING:To reduce the 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 crash.
A side curtain airbag will deploy during significant side crashes.
The airbags are mounted to the roof side-rail sheet metal, behind the
headliner, above each row of seats. In certain sideways crashes, 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 crashes.
The system consists of:
•side curtain airbags located above
the trim panels over the front
and rear side windows identified
by a label or wording on the
headliner or roof-pillar trim.
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•a flexible headliner which opens above the side doors to allow side air
curtain deployment.
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater in
this chapter.
Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the back seats. The side curtain airbags 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 side curtain airbags 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 curtain airbags.
CRASH SENSORS AND AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING:Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
your 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 your vehicle.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash and occupant sensors which
provide information to the restraints control module which deploys
(activates) the front safety belt pretensioners, driver airbag, passenger
airbag, knee airbag, seat mounted side airbags, and the side curtain
airbags. Based on the type of crash (frontal impact or side impact) 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. See the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
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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 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 crash.
The safety belt pretensioners and the airbag supplemental restraint
system are designed to activate when the vehicle sustains frontal
deceleration sufficient to cause the restraints control module to deploy
a safety device.
The fact that the safety belt pretensioners or front airbags did not
activate for both front seat occupants in a crash does not mean that
something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the restraints
control module determined the accident conditions (such as crash
severity, belt usage) were not appropriate to activate these safety
devices.
•The design of the front airbags is to activate only in frontal and
near-frontal crashes (not rollovers, side impacts or rear impacts)
unless the crash causes sufficient frontal deceleration.
•The design of the safety belt pretensioners is to activate in frontal
and near-frontal crashes, and may also activate when a side curtain
deploys.
•The driver’s knee airbag may deploy based on crash severity and
occupant conditions.
•The design of the side airbags and side curtain airbags is to inflate in
certain side impact crashes. Side airbags may activate in other types
of crashes if the vehicle experiences sufficient sideways motion or
deformation.
AIRBAG DISPOSAL
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags must be
disposed of by qualified personnel.
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•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.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
WARNING:To minimize the risk of neck injury in the event of a
crash, the driver and passenger occupants should not sit in or
operate the vehicle, until the head restraint is placed in its proper
position. The driver should never adjust the head restraint while the
vehicle is in motion.
WARNING:The adjustable head restraint is a safety device.
Whenever possible, it should be installed and properly adjusted
when the seat is occupied.
WARNING:Install the head restraint properly to minimize the
risk of neck injury in the event of a crash.
Note:Adjust the seat back to an upright driving position before
adjusting any head restraint. 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. For occupants of extremely tall stature, adjust
the head restraint to its highest position.
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