2017 FORD FLEX sensor

•
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
50
).
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.
SAFETY CANOPY™ WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the headliner
at the siderail that may come into
contact with a deploying curtain airbag.
Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash. Do not lean your head on the door.
The curtain airbag could injure you
as it deploys from the headliner.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the curtain airbags, its fuses,
the A, B, C or D pillar trim, or the
headliner on a vehicle containing curtain
airbags as you could be seriously injured
or killed. Contact your authorized dealer
as soon as possible. WARNINGS
All occupants of your vehicle
including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system and
curtain airbag is provided. Failure to
properly wear your safety belt could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. To reduce risk of injury, do not
obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the curtain
airbag. If the curtain airbags have deployed,
the curtain airbags will not function
again. The curtain airbags (including
the A, B, C and D 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 crash. The Safety Canopy will deploy during
significant side crashes 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 sideways crashes
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 crashes
and rollover events.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

The system consists of the following:
•
Safety canopy 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.
• A flexible headliner which opens above
the side doors to allow air curtain
deployment · Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 50).
Children 12 years old and under should
always be properly restrained in the rear
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. 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, passenger
airbag, seat mounted side airbags, the
Safety Canopy and rear inflatable safety
belts. Based on the type of crash, 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. 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 not
illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
• The readiness light will either flash or
stay lit.
• A series of five beeps will be heard. The
tone pattern will repeat periodically
until the problem, the light or both are
repaired.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE75004 E67017 E67017

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 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 (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 safety belt pretensioners and rear
inflatable safety belts are designed to
activate in frontal, near-frontal, side
and rollover crashes.
• The design of the side airbags is to
inflate in certain side crashes. Side
airbags may activate in other types of
crashes if the vehicle experiences
sufficient sideways motion or
deformation.
• The design of the Safety Canopy is to
inflate in certain side impact crashes
and when a certain likelihood of
rollover is detected by the rollover
sensor. The Safety Canopy may
activate in other types of crashes if the
vehicle experiences sufficient sideways
motion or deformation, or a certain
likelihood of rollover.
AIRBAG DISPOSAL
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Airbags must be disposed of by
qualified personnel.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Supplementary Restraints System

Opening a Rear Door From the
Inside
Pull the interior door handle twice to
unlock and open a rear door. The first pull
unlocks the door and the second pull
opens the door.
Activating Intelligent Access (If
Equipped)
The intelligent access key must be within
3 ft (1 m)
of your vehicle.
At a Door
Pull a front exterior door handle to unlock
and open the door. Do not touch the lock
sensor on the front of the handle. The locking sensors are on the front door
handles.
Touch the locking area on the front of the
door handle to lock your vehicle. There is
a brief delay before you can unlock your
vehicle again.
Note:
Keep the door handle clean to make
sure the system operates correctly.
Note: Your vehicle does not automatically
lock. If you do not touch a locking sensor
your vehicle will remain unlocked. At the Liftgate
Press the exterior liftgate release button
on the top of the liftgate pull-cup handle.
See
Manual Liftgate (page 66).
Smart Unlocks for Integrated
Keyhead Transmitter
(If Equipped)
This helps to prevent you from locking
yourself out of your vehicle if the key is still
in the ignition.
When you open one of the front doors and
lock your vehicle with the power door lock
control, all the doors will lock then unlock
and the horn will sound twice if the key is
still in the ignition.
You can still lock your vehicle with the key
in the ignition by either:
• Using the keyless entry keypad with the
driver door closed.
• Pressing the lock button on the remote
control even if the doors are not closed.
If both front doors are closed, you can lock
your vehicle by any method, regardless of
whether the key is in the ignition or not.
Smart Unlocks for Intelligent
Access Keys
(If Equipped)
This helps to prevent you from locking your
key inside the passenger compartment or
rear cargo area.
When you electronically lock your vehicle
with any door open, transmission in park
(P) and the ignition off, the system will
search for an intelligent access key in the
passenger compartment after you close
the last door. If the system finds a key, all
of the doors will immediately unlock and
the horn sounds twice, indicating that a
key is inside.
You can override the smart unlock feature
and intentionally lock the intelligent access
key inside your vehicle.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Doors and LocksE185863

Note:
Entering your vehicle while the
liftgate is closing can cause your vehicle to
bounce and activate obstacle detection. To
prevent this, let the power liftgate close
completely before you enter your vehicle.
Before driving off, check the instrument
cluster for a liftgate or door ajar message or
warning indicator. Failure to do this could
result in unintentionally leaving the liftgate
open while driving.
When Opening
The system stops when it detects an
obstacle and a tone sounds. Once you
remove the obstacle, you can continue to
operate the liftgate.
Hands-Free Feature (If Equipped)
Make sure you have an intelligent access
transmitter within
3 ft (1 m) of the liftgate. 1. Move your foot under and away from
the rear bumper detection area in a
single-kick motion. Do not move your
foot sideways or the sensors may not
detect the motion. Kick between the
exhaust and hitch if your vehicle is
equipped with a hitch.
2. The liftgate will power open or close. Note:
Allow the power system to open the
liftgate. Manually pushing or pulling the
liftgate may activate the system ’s obstacle
detection feature and stop the power
operation or reverse its direction. Manually
interfering with the liftgate motion may also
replicate a strut failure.
Note: Splashing water may cause the
hands-free liftgate to open. Keep the
intelligent access key away from the rear
bumper detection area when washing your
vehicle.
KEYLESS ENTRY
SECURICODE™ Keyless Entry
Keypad
The keypad is near the driver window. It
illuminates when touched.
Note: If you enter your entry code too fast
on the keypad, the unlock function may not
work. Enter your entry code again more
slowly. 70
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Doors and LocksE239081 E138637

WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Note:
Fully defrost the windshield before
you switch the windshield wipers on.
Note: Make sure you switch the windshield
wipers off before entering a car wash.
Note: Clean the windshield and wiper
blades if they begin to leave streaks or
smears. If that does not resolve the issue,
install new wiper blades. See Changing
the Wiper Blades (page 258).
Note: Do not operate the wipers on a dry
windshield. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades or cause the wiper
motor to burn out. Always use the
windshield washers before wiping a dry
windshield. Rotate the end of the control:
•
Away from you to increase the wiper
speed.
• Toward you to decrease the wiper
speed.
Speed Dependent Wipers
When your vehicle speed increases, the
interval between wipes decreases.
AUTOWIPERS
(If Equipped)
Note: Fully defrost the windshield before
switching on the windshield wipers.
Note: Make sure you switch off the
windshield wipers before entering a car
wash. Note:
Clean the windshield and wiper
blades if they begin to leave streaks or
smears. If that does not resolve the issue,
install new wiper blades. See
Changing
the Wiper Blades (page 258).
Wet or winter driving conditions with ice,
snow or salty road mist can cause
inconsistent and unexpected wiping or
smearing. In these conditions, you can do
the following to help keep your windshield
clear:
• Lower the sensitivity of the autowipers
to reduce the amount of smearing.
• Switch to normal or high-speed wipe.
• Switch the autowipers off.
The autowipers feature uses a rain sensor,
located in the area around the interior
mirror. The rain sensor monitors the
amount of moisture on the windshield and
automatically turns on the wipers. It
adjusts the wiper speed by the amount of
moisture that the sensor detects on the
windshield.
Note: This autowiper feature is
automatically set to on and remains on until
you switch it off in the information display.
You can also switch the feature back on at
any time. 79
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Use the rotary control to adjust the
sensitivity of the rain sensor. Set the
control to low sensitivity, and the wipers
will turn on when the rain sensor detects
a large amount of moisture on the
windshield. Set the control to high
sensitivity, and the wipers will turn on when
the rain sensor detects a small amount of
moisture on the windshield.
Note:
When you set the wiper system to
intermittent wipe and the autowiper system
is on, the autowiper sensitivity setting
adjusts the wiper speed according to the
moisture on the windshield only. Use the
wiper lever to wipe the windshield
on-demand.
Keep the outside of the windshield clean.
The rain sensor is very sensitive. If the area
around the mirror is dirty, then the wipers
may operate if dirt, mist or insects hit the
windshield.
WINDSHIELD WASHERS
Note: Do not operate the wipers on a dry
windshield. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades or cause the wiper
motor to burn out. Always use the
windshield washers before wiping a dry
windshield.
Note: Do not operate the washers when
the washer reservoir is empty. This may
cause the washer pump to overheat. Press the end of the wiper lever to activate
the washer:
•
A brief press causes a single wipe
without washer fluid.
• A quick press and hold causes the
wipers to swipe the windshield three
times with washer fluid.
• A long press and hold activates the
wipers and washer fluid for up to 10
seconds.
A wipe occurs a few seconds after washing
to clear any remaining washer fluid. You
can switch this feature on and off through
the information display. See General
Information (page 99).
REAR WINDOW WIPER AND
WASHERS
Rear Window Wiper
Note: Make sure you switch off the wiper
system before using an automatic car wash. Rotate the control to select:
Intermittent operation - the
shortest pause between wipes.
2
Intermittent operation - the
longest pause between wipes.
1
Off.0
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Wipers and WashersE208497 E208498

INTERIOR MIRROR
WARNING
Do not adjust the mirror when your
vehicle is moving.
Note:
Do not clean the housing or glass of
any mirror with harsh abrasives, fuel or other
petroleum or ammonia-based cleaning
products.
You can adjust the interior mirror to your
preference. Some mirrors also have a
second pivot point. This lets you move the
mirror head up or down and from side to
side.
Auto-Dimming Mirror
Note: Do not block the sensors on the front
and back of the mirror. Mirror performance
may be affected. A rear center passenger or
raised rear center head restraint may also
block light from reaching the sensor.
The mirror will dim automatically to reduce
glare when bright lights are detected from
behind your vehicle. It will automatically
return to normal reflection when you select
reverse gear to make sure you have a clear
view when backing up.
SUN VISORS Rotate the sun visor toward the side
window and extend it rearward for extra
shade.
Illuminated Vanity Mirror
Lift the cover to switch the lamp on.
MOONROOF (If Equipped)
WARNINGS
Do not let children play with the
moonroof or leave them unattended
in the vehicle. They may seriously
hurt themselves. When closing the moonroof, you
should verify that it is free of
obstructions and make sure that
children and pets are not in the proximity
of the roof opening. You can manually open or close the sliding
shade when the moonroof is closed. Pull
the shade toward the front of your vehicle
to close it.
The moonroof controls are located on the
overhead console and have a one-touch
open and close feature. To stop it during
one-touch operation, press the control a
second time.
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Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Windows and MirrorsE138666 E162197