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Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
ON: Unlit
Enabled
OFF: Unlit
Adult
ON: Lit
Note: When the passenger airbag
status indicator OFF light is illuminated,
the passenger (seat mounted) side
airbag may be disabled to avoid the
risk of airbag deployment injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on safety belts, it
is 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.
The conditions listed above may
cause the weight of a properly seated
occupant to be incorrectly interpreted
by the front passenger sensing
system. The person in the front
passenger seat may appear heavier
or lighter due to the conditions
described in the list above.
To know if the front
passenger sensing system is
operating properly, See
Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 50). 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. See
Getting the Services You Need
(page 248).
SIDE AIRBAGS
WARNINGS
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 crash.
Do not use accessory seat
covers. The use of accessory
seat covers may prev ent the
deployment of the side airbags and
increase the risk of injury in an
accident.
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Supplementary Restraints System
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SITTING IN THE CORRECT
POSITION
WARNINGS
Sitting improperly, out of
position or with the seat back
reclined too far can take weight off
the seat cushion and affect the
decision of the passenger sensing
system, resulting in serious injury or
death in the event of a crash. Always
sit upright against your seat back, with
your feet on the floor.
Do not recline the seat back as
this can cause the occupant to
slide under the safety belt, resulting
in serious injury in the event of a crash.
Do not place objects higher than
the seat back to reduce the risk
of serious injury in the event of a crash
or during heavy braking.
E68595
When you use them properly, the seat,
head restraint, safety belt and air bags
will provide optimum protection in the
event of a crash. 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 seat back 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. Make sure that you
remain comfortable.
• Keep sufficient distance between yourself and the steering wheel.
We recommend a minimum of 10
inches (25 centimeters) between
your breastbone and the air bag
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.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
WARNINGS
Fully adjust the head restraint
before you sit in or operate your
vehicle. This will help minimize the risk
of neck injury in the event of a crash.
Do not adjust the head restraint when
your vehicle is moving.
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Seats
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Press the ventilated seat symbol to
cycle through the various cooling
settings and off. Cooler settings are
indicated by more indicator lights.
If the engine falls below 350 RPM
while the ventilated seats are on, the
feature will turn itself off and you will
need to reactivate it.
Heated and ventilated seat air
filter replacement (if
equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with lifetime
air filters that are integrated with the
seats. Regular maintenance or
replacement is not needed.
REAR SEAT ARMREST
E144635
Fold the armrest down to use the
armrest and cupholder. To open the
storage lid, pull up on the latch
located between the cupholders.
Armrest pass-through
Note:Do not exceed 80 pounds (36
kilograms) of weight on the
pass-through door.
E152622
Release the latch, then pull down on
the door located in the back of the
armrest. You can store cargo of a
longer length such as skis or lumber.
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Seats
Page 185 of 468

Driving with a Trailer
Depending on the grade and the
weight of the trailer, your vehicle and
trailer may roll backwards slightly
when you start on a slope. To prevent
this from happening, do the following:
1. Pull the switch and hold it in thisposition.
2. Drive your vehicle, then release the switch when you notice that the
engine has developed sufficient
driving force.
Automatic release - drive away
release
Note: The driver's door must be closed
and the driver's safety belt must be
fastened before this feature will
operate.
Note: If the electric parking brake
warning lamp stays illuminated, the
electric parking brake will not
automatically release. You must
release the electric parking brake using
the electric parking brake switch.
Note: The engine must be running and
the accelerator pedal must be pressed
before the drive away release feature
will operate.
The brake system warning lamp will
go off to confirm that the electric
parking brake has been released. Note:
The electric parking brake drive
away release makes starting on a hill
easier. This feature will release the
parking brake automatically when the
vehicle has sufficient drive force to
move up the hill. To assure drive away
release when starting uphill, press the
accelerator pedal quickly.
Battery With No Charge
WARNING
You will not be able to apply or
release the electric parking brake
if the battery is low or has no charge.
If the battery is low or has no charge,
use jumper cables and a booster
battery.
HILL START ASSIST
WARNINGS
The system does not replace the
parking brake. When you leave
your vehicle, always apply the parking
brake and put the vehicle in position
P.
You must remain in your vehicle
once you have activated the
system.
During all times, you are
responsible for controlling your
vehicle, supervising the system and
intervening, if required.
If the engine is revved
excessively, or if a malfunction
is detected, the system will be
deactivated.
182
Brakes
Page 227 of 468

LOAD LIMIT
Vehicle Loading - with and
without a Trailer
This section will guide you in the
proper loading of your vehicle,
trailer or both, to keep your loaded
vehicle weight within its design
rating capability, with or without
a trailer. Properly loading your
vehicle will provide maximum
return of vehicle design
performance. Before loading your
vehicle, familiarize yourself withthe following terms for
determining your vehicle’s weight
ratings, with or without a trailer,
from the vehicle’s Tire Label or
Safety Compliance Certification
Label:
Base Curb Weight - is the weight
of the vehicle including a full tank
of fuel and all standard
equipment. It does not include
passengers, cargo, or optional
equipment.
Vehicle Curb Weight - is the
weight of your new vehicle when
you picked it up from your
authorized dealer plus any
aftermarket equipment.
E143816
PAYLOAD
Payload -
is the combined weight
of cargo and passengers that the
vehicle is carrying. The maximum
payload for your vehicle can be
found on the Tire Label on the
B-Pillar or the edge of the driver
door (vehicles exported outside
the US and Canada may not have
a Tire Label). Look for “THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF
OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX
kg OR XXX lb.” for maximum payload. The payload listed on the
Tire Label is the maximum
payload for the vehicle as built by
the assembly plant. If you install
any aftermarket or
authorized-dealer installed
equipment on the vehicle, you
must subtract the weight of the
equipment from the payload listed
on the Tire Label in order to
determine the new payload.
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Load Carrying
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WARNING
The appropriate loading
capacity of your vehicle can
be limited either by volume
capacity (how much space is
available) or by payload capacity
(how much weight the vehicle
should carry). Once you have
reached the maximum payload of
your vehicle, do not add more
cargo, even if there is space
available. Overloading or
improperly loading your vehicle
can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and vehicle rollover.
Example only:
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Load Carrying
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E142517
E143817
CARGO
Cargo Weight - includes all
weight added to the Base Curb
Weight, including cargo and
optional equipment. When towing,
trailer tongue load or king pin
weight is also part of cargo weight.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight) - is
the total weight placed on each
axle (front and rear) including
vehicle curb weight and all
payload.GAWR (Gross Axle Weight
Rating) - is the maximum
allowable weight that can be
carried by a single axle (front or
rear). These numbers are shown
on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label. The label shall
be affixed to either the door hinge
pillar, door-latch post, or the door
edge that meets the door-latch
post, next to the driver's seating
position.
The total load on each
axle must never exceed its
Gross Axle Weight Rating.
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Load Carrying
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Note: For trailer towing
information refer to the RV and
Trailer Towing Guide available at
an authorized dealer.
E143818
GVW
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) -
is the Vehicle Curb Weight, plus
cargo, plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) - is the maximum
allowable weight of the fully
loaded vehicle (including all
options, equipment, passengers
and cargo). It is shown on the Safety Compliance Certification
Label. The label shall be affixed
to either the door hinge pillar,
door-latch post, or the door edge
that meets the door-latch post,
next to the driver's seating
position.
The Gross Vehicle
Weight must never exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Example only:
E142523
227
Load Carrying