2015 FORD E SERIES Owners Manual

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.
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.
To properly position yourself away from the airbag:
•Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
•
Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees) from the upright position.
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After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts,
it is very important that they continue to sit properly. Properly seated
occupants sit upright, lean against the seat back, and center themselves
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 upon which the child seat is installed 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 crash.
Passenger Airbag ON and OFF Switch (If Equipped)
WARNING:An airbag ON and OFF switch may have been
installed in this vehicle. Before driving, always look at the face of
the switch to be sure the switch is in the proper position in accordance
with these instructions and warnings. Failure to put the switch in a
proper position can increase the risk of serious injury or death in a
crash.
Note:The passenger airbag ON and OFF switch may be on vehicles with
no rear seats and a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8500 pounds
(3856 kilograms). See theTowingchapter for more information.
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Turning the Passenger Airbag Off
WARNING:If the light fails to illuminate when the passenger air
bag switch is in the OFF position and the ignition switch is in
ON, contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING:In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the
switch, always remove the ignition key from the passenger air
bag ON and OFF switch.
WARNING:An infant in a rear-facing seat faces a high risk of
serious or fatal injuries from a deploying passenger airbag. Rear
facing infant seats should never be placed in the front seats, unless the
passenger airbag is turned off.
1. Insert the ignition key, turn the switch to
off, and hold it in the off position while
removing the key.
2. When the ignition is turned to off, the off
light illuminates briefly, momentarily shuts
off and then turns back on. This indicates
that the passenger airbag is deactivated.
Turning the Passenger Airbag Back On
WARNING:The safety belts for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions have been specifically designed to
function together with the airbags in certain types of crashes. When
you turn off your airbag, you not only lose the protection of the airbag,
you also may reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt system, which
was designed to work with the airbag. If you are not a person who
meets the requirements stated in the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration or Transport Canada deactivation criteria, turning off
the airbag can increase the risk of serious injury or death in a crash.
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WARNING:If your vehicle has rear seats, always transport
children who are 12 and younger in a rear seating position.
Always use safety belts and child restraints properly. Do not place a
child in a rear facing infant seat in the front seat unless your vehicle is
equipped with an airbag ON and OFF switch and the passenger airbag
is turned off. This is because the back of the infant seat is too close to
the inflating airbag and the risk of a fatal injury to the infant when the
airbag inflates is substantial.
WARNING:If the OFF light is illuminated when the passenger
airbag switch is in the ON position and the ignition switch is in
ON, have the passenger airbag switch serviced at an authorized dealer
immediately.
The passenger airbag remains off until you turn it back on.
1. Insert the ignition key and turn the
switch to on.
2. The OFF light will briefly illuminate
when the ignition is turned on. This
indicates that the passenger airbag is
operational.
The passenger side airbag should always be on (the airbag OFF light
should not be illuminated) unless the passenger is a person who meets
the requirements stated either in Category 1, 2 or 3 of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration/Transport Canada deactivation
criteria which follows.
The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an
airbag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life
threatening injuries, airbags must open with great force, and this force
can pose a potentially deadly risk in some situations, particularly when a
front seat occupant is not properly buckled up. The most effective way
to reduce the risk of unnecessary airbag injuries without reducing the
overall safety of the vehicle is to make sure all occupants are properly
restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front seat. This provides the
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protection of safety belts and permits the airbags to provide the
additional protection they were designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your airbag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing
benefits of the airbag and you are also reducing the effectiveness of the
safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles are designed to
work as a safety system with the airbags.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deactivation
Criteria (excluding Canada)
WARNING:This vehicle has special energy management safety
belts for the driver and right front passenger. These particular
belts are specifically designed to work with airbags to help reduce the
risk of injury in a crash. The energy management safety belt is designed
to give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the airbag is turned off, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the airbag is turned on for
any person who does not qualify under the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration deactivation criteria.
1.Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
•the vehicle has no rear seat;
•the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing
infant seat; or
•the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
2.Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
•the vehicle has no rear seat;
•although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or
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•the child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
3.Medical condition.A passenger has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
•causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk for the passenger;
and
•makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag in a crash greater
than the potential harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield in a
crash.
Transport Canada Deactivation Criteria (Canada Only)
WARNING:This vehicle has special energy management safety
belts for the driver and right front passenger. These particular
belts are specifically designed to work with airbags to help reduce the
risk of injury in a crash. The energy management safety belt is designed
to give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the airbag is turned off, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the airbag is turned on for
any person who does not qualify under the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration deactivation criteria.
1.Infant:An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
•my vehicle has no rear seat;
•the rear seat in my vehicle cannot accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat; or
•the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the infant’s condition.
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2.Child age 12 or under:A child age 12 or under must ride in the
front seat because:
•my vehicle has no rear seat;
•although children age 12 and under ride in the rear seat whenever
possible, children age 12 and under have no option but to sometimes
ride in the front seat because rear seat space is insufficient; or
•the child has a medical condition that, according to the child’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child’s condition.
3.Medical condition:A passenger has a medical condition that,
according to his or her physician:
•poses a special risk for the passenger if the airbag deploys; and
•makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag deployment
greater than the potential harm from turning off the airbag and
experiencing a crash without the protection offered by the airbag
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. The restraints
control module deploys (activates) the front safety belt pretensioners,
driver airbag and passenger airbag. Based on the type of accident, 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 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 theInstrument
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 airbags did not activate 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 or
near-frontal crashes and may deploy in rollovers if the vehicle is
equipped with roll stability control.
AIRBAG DISPOSAL
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags must be
disposed of by qualified personnel.
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