2017 FORD FLEX light

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Always drive and ride with your
seatback upright and the lap belt
snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make
sure children sit where they can be
properly restrained.
Never let a passenger hold a child on
his or her lap while your vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a crash. All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your safety belt could seriously increase
the risk of injury or death. It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a
vehicle. In a crash, people riding in
these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride
in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be
sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat
and using a safety belt properly. In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a safety
belt. Each seating position in your vehicle
has a specific safety belt assembly
which is made up of one buckle and
one tongue that are designed to be used
as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the
shoulder belt under the arm. 2) Never
swing the safety belt around your neck over
the inside shoulder. 3) Never use a single
belt for more than one person. WARNINGS
When possible, all children 12 years
old and under should be properly
restrained in a rear seating position.
Failure to follow this could seriously
increase the risk of injury or death. 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. Front and rear seat occupants,
including pregnant women, should
wear safety belts for optimum
protection in an accident. All seating positions in your 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 safety belt
and rear inflatable safety belt).
• Height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• Safety belt pretensioner at the front
outboard seating positions.
• Belt tension sensor at the front
outboard passenger seating position. •
Safety belt warning light and chime. •
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing SeatbeltsE71880 E67017

Pregnant women should always wear their
seatbelt. Position the lap belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt low
across the hips below the belly and worn
as tight as comfort allows. Position the
shoulder belt to cross the middle of the
shoulder and the center of the chest.
Seatbelt Locking Modes
WARNINGS
After a crash, have a qualified
technician check all the seatbelts to
make sure the seatbelts including
the automatic locking retractor feature for
child restraints operate properly. We
recommend replacing any system that has
damage or does not operate properly.
Failure to do so can result in personal injury
or death in the event of a sudden stop or
another crash. You must replace the seatbelt if the
automatic locking retractor or any
other seatbelt function is not
operating correctly. Failure to replace the
seatbelt and retractor assembly could
increase the risk of injury in a crash. All safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The
driver seatbelt has the vehicle sensitive
locking mode. The front outboard
passenger and rear seat belts have both
the vehicle sensitive locking mode and the
automatic locking mode.
Vehicle Sensitive Mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which
allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and
locking in response to vehicle movement.
For example, if the driver brakes suddenly
or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle
receives an impact of about 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination
seatbelts lock to help reduce forward
movement of the driver and passengers. In addition, the retractor is designed to lock
if you pull the webbing out too quickly. If
this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and
pull the webbing out again in a slow and
controlled manner.
Automatic Locking Mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt
automatically pre-locks. The belt still
retracts to remove any slack in the
shoulder belt. The automatic locking mode
is not available on the driver seatbelt.
When to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode
Use this mode any time a child safety seat,
except a booster, is installed in passenger
front or rear seating positions. Properly
restrain children 12 years old and under in
a rear seating position whenever possible.
See
Child Safety (page 18).
How to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode
Non-inflatable seatbelts 1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
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To adjust the shoulder belt height:
1.
Press the side release buttons and slide
the height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the buttons and pull down on the height adjuster to make sure it is
locked in place.
SEATBELT WARNING LAMP
AND INDICATOR CHIME This lamp illuminates and an
audible warning will sound if the
driver's safety belt has not been
fastened when the vehicle's ignition is
turned on.
Conditions of operation Then...
If...
The safety belt warning light illuminates 1-2 minutes and the warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver's safety belt is not buckled
before the ignition switch is turned to the on position...
The safety belt warning light and warningchime turn off.
The driver's safety belt is buckled while the
indicator light is illuminated and the warning chime is sounding...
The safety belt warning light and indicatorchime remain off.
The driver's safety belt is buckled before
the ignition switch is turned to the on posi- tion...
SEATBELT REMINDER
Belt-Minder™
This feature supplements the safety belt
warning function by providing additional
reminders that intermittently sound a tone
and illuminate the safety belt warning light
when you are in the driver seat or you have
a front seat passenger and a safety belt is
unbuckled. The system uses information from the
front passenger sensing system to
determine if a front seat passenger is
present and therefore potentially in need
of a warning. To avoid the system turning
on the Belt-Minder feature for objects you
place on the front passenger seat, only the
front seat passengers receive warnings as
determined by the front passenger sensing
system.
If the Belt-Minder warnings expire
(warnings for about five minutes) for one
passenger (driver or front passenger), the
other passenger can still cause the
Belt-Minder feature to turn on.
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Then...
If...
The Belt-Minder feature will not activate.
You and the front seat passenger buckle
your safety belts before you switch the
ignition on or less than 1– 2 minutes elapse
after you switch the ignition on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates and a
warning tone sounds for 6 seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about 5 minutes
or until you and the front seat passenger
buckle your safety belts.
You or the front seat passenger do not
buckle your safety belts before your vehicle
reaches at least 6 mph (9.7 km/h) and 1–
2
minutes elapse after you switch the ignition
on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates and a
warning tone sounds for 6 seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about 5 minutes
or until you and the front seat passenger
buckle your safety belts.
The safety belt for the driver or front
passenger is unbuckled for about 1 minute
while the vehicle is traveling at least 6 mph
(9.7 km/h) and more than 1–
2 minutes
elapse after you switch the ignition on...
Deactivating and Activating the
Belt-Minder Feature WARNING
While the system allows you to
switch this feature off, the intent of
the system is to remind you to wear
your safety belt to improve your chance to
survive an accident. We recommend you
leave the system switched on for yourself
and others who may use the vehicle. Note:
The driver and front passenger
warnings switch on and off independently.
When you perform this procedure for one
seating position, do not buckle the other
position as this will terminate the process.
Note: If you are using MyKey, you cannot
disable the Belt-Minder. Also, if you have
previously disabled the Belt-Minder, it will
be re-enabled during the use of MyKey. See
MyKey ™ (page 57). . Read Steps 1–4 thoroughly before
proceeding with the programming
procedure.
Before following the procedure, make sure
that:
•
The parking brake is set.
• The transmission is in park (P).
• The ignition is off.
• The driver and front passenger safety
belts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the
vehicle.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (about 1 minute). After Step
2, wait an additional 5 seconds before
proceeding with Step 3. Once you start
Step 3, you must complete the
procedure within 20 seconds.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Seatbelts

3. For the seating position you are
switching off, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt three times at a moderate
speed, ending in the unbuckled state.
After Step 3, the safety belt warning
light turns on.
4. While the safety belt warning light is on, buckle and then unbuckle the
safety belt. After Step 4, the safety belt
warning light flashes for confirmation.
• This will switch the feature off for that
seating position if it is currently on.
• This will switch the feature on for that
seating position if it is currently off.
CHILD RESTRAINT AND
SEATBELT MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child
safety seat systems periodically to make
sure they work properly and are not
damaged. Inspect the vehicle and child
seat safety belts to make sure there are no
nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if necessary.
All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle
assemblies, buckle support assemblies
(slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt
height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder
belt guide on seat back (if equipped), child
safety seat LATCH and tether anchors, and
attaching hardware, should be inspected
after a crash. Read the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions for additional
inspection and maintenance information
specific to the child restraint. Ford Motor Company recommends that
all safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles
involved in a crash be replaced. However,
if the crash was minor and an authorized
dealer finds that the belts do not show
damage and continue to operate properly,
they do not need to be replaced. Safety
belt assemblies not in use during a crash
should also be inspected and replaced if
either damage or improper operation is
noted.
Properly care for safety belts. See Vehicle
Care (page 266).
SEATBELT EXTENSION WARNINGS
Persons who fit into the vehicle's
seatbelt should not use an extension.
Unnecessary use could result in
serious personal injury in the event of a
crash. Only use extensions provided free of
charge by Ford Motor Company
dealers. The dealer will provide an
extension designed specifically for this
vehicle, model year and seating position.
The use of an extension intended for
another vehicle, model year or seating
position may not offer you the full
protection of your vehicle ’s seatbelt
restraint system. Never use seatbelt extensions to
install child restraints.
Do not use a seatbelt extension with
an inflatable seatbelt.
Do not use extensions to change the
fit of the belt across the torso, over
the lap or to make the seatbelt
buckle easier to reach. 41
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Seatbelts

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 seat outboard safety belts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only) and safety
belt usage sensors.
• Driver seat position sensor.
• Front passenger sensing system.
• Passenger airbag off and on indicator
lamp.
• Front crash severity sensors.
• Restraints control module with impact
and safing sensors.
• Restraint system warning light and
backup tone.
• The electrical wiring for the airbags,
crash sensors, 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 the 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
deploy the safety belt pretensioners, one
or both stages of the dual-stage airbags
based on crash severity and occupant
conditions.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Personal Safety System
™

DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS
WARNINGS
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. 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.
• Front passenger sensing system. · Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 50). Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment WARNING
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA)
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.
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.
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. 45
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE151127 E67017

•
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.
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 seat, but the airbag OFF
indicator lamp is lit, it is possible that the
person is not 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 frontal airbag.
• If the indicator OFF lamp remains lit
even after this, the person should be
advised to ride in the rear seat. Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
Disabled
OFF: Lit
Empty
ON: Unlit Disabled
OFF: Lit
Child
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 seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seatback, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Supplementary Restraints System