2017 FORD FLEX warning

recommendations and specifications that
are unique to your vehicle. This Owner
’s
Manual is written primarily for the U.S. and
Canadian Markets. Features or equipment
listed as standard may be different on units
built for export. Refer to this Owner ’s
Manual for all other required
information and warnings.
14
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Introduction

INSTRUMENT PANEL OVERVIEW
Air vent.
A
Wiper lever. See Windshield Wipers (page 79).
B
Direction Indicators. See
Direction Indicators (page 86).
C
Information display control. See
Information Display Control (page 77).
D
Instrument cluster. See
Instrument Cluster (page 93).
E
Information display control. See
Information Display Control (page 77).
F
Audio system. See
Audio System (page 313).
G
Hazard flasher switch. See
Hazard Warning Flashers (page 221).
H
Information and entertainment display. See Information Displays (page 99).
I
Passenger airbag indicator light. See Front Passenger Sensing System (page
46
).
J
Climate controls. See
Climate Control (page 116).
K
Keyless start button. See
Keyless Starting (page 149).
L
Audio control. See
Audio Control (page 76).
M
16
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing At a GlanceE232260

GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directions
on how to properly use safety restraints
for children.
WARNINGS
Always make sure your child is
secured properly in a device that is
appropriate for their height, age and
weight. Child safety restraints must be
bought separately from your vehicle.
Failure to follow these instructions and
guidelines may result in an increased risk
of serious injury or death to your child. All children are shaped differently.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and other safety
organizations, base their recommendations
for child restraints on probable child height,
age and weight thresholds, or on the
minimum requirements of the law. We
recommend that you check with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety WARNINGS
Technician (CPST) to make sure that you
properly install the child restraint in your
vehicle and that you consult your
pediatrician to make sure you have a child
restraint appropriate for your child. To
locate a child restraint fitting station and
CPST, contact NHTSA toll free at
1-888-327-4236 or go to
www.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contact
Transport Canada toll free at
1-800-333-0371 or go to www.tc.gc.ca to
find a Child Car Seat Clinic in your area.
Failure to properly restrain children in child
restraints made especially for their height,
age and weight, may result in an increased
risk of serious injury or death to your child. On hot days, the temperature inside
the vehicle can rise very quickly.
Exposure of people or animals to
these high temperatures for even a short
time can cause death or serious heat
related injuries, including brain damage.
Small children are particularly at risk. 18
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child Safety

Use a child safety seat (sometimes called
an infant carrier, convertible seat, or
toddler seat) for infants, toddlers or
children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less
(generally age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts WARNINGS
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. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in the
rear seat whenever possible. Depending on where you secure a
child restraint, and depending on the
child restraint design, you may block
access to certain seatbelt buckle
assemblies and LATCH lower anchors,
rendering those features potentially
unusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupants
should only use seating positions where
they are able to be properly restrained. When installing a child safety seat with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
•
Use the correct seatbelt buckle for that
seating position.
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper
buckle until you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle.
• Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child
seat and the release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling.
• Place the vehicle seat upon which the
child seat will be installed in the upright
position. •
For second-row seating positions,
adjust the recliner slightly to improve
child seat fit. If needed, remove the
head restraints.
• For third-row seating positions, stow
the head restraints to improve child
seat fit. See
Head Restraints (page
125).
• Put the seatbelt in the automatic
locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle
does not require the use of a locking
clip.
Perform the following steps when
installing the child seat with combination
lap and shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is
a forward facing child seat, the steps are
the same for installing a rear facing child
seat.
Note: The lock-off device on some child
restraints may not accommodate the
shoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt.
Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the lock-off
device. In some instances these devices
have been provided only for use in vehicles
with seatbelt systems that would otherwise
require a locking clip.
Standard seatbelts 20
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE142528

Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Never attach two child safety seats
to the same anchor. In a crash, one
anchor may not be strong enough to
hold two child safety seat attachments
and may break, causing serious injury or
death. Depending on where you secure a
child restraint, and depending on the
child restraint design, you may block
access to certain seatbelt buckle
assemblies or LATCH lower anchors,
rendering those features potentially
unusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupants
should only use seating positions where
they are able to be properly restrained. The LATCH system is composed of three
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors
located where the seatback and seat
cushion meet (called the seat bight) and
one top tether anchor located behind that
seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats have
two rigid or webbing mounted
attachments that connect to the two lower
anchors at the LATCH equipped seating
positions in your vehicle. This type of
attachment method eliminates the need
to use seatbelts to attach the child seat,
however the seatbelt can still be used to
attach the child seat. For forward-facing
child seats, the top tether strap must also
be attached to the proper top tether
anchor, if a top tether strap has been
provided with your child seat.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child seat installation at the seating
positions marked with the child seat
symbol. Second-row bucket seats and third-row
passenger side
Second-row bench seats and third-row
passenger side
The LATCH anchors are located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seatback below the symbols
as shown. Follow the child seat
manufacturer's instructions to properly
install a child seat with LATCH
attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child
safety seats with tether straps. See Using
Tether Straps later in this chapter.
25
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE190825 E190826 E144054

Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child seat only to the anchors shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center
Seating Use)
WARNING
The standardized spacing for LATCH
lower anchors is 11 inches (28
centimeters) center to center. Do not
use LATCH lower anchors for the center
seating position unless the child seat
manufacturer's instructions permit and
specify using anchors spaced at least as
far apart as those in this vehicle. The lower anchors at the center of the
second row bench seat are spaced 20.5
inches (52 centimeters) apart. The
standardized spacing for LATCH lower
anchors is 11 inches (28 centimeters)
center to center. A child seat with rigid
LATCH attachments cannot be installed
at the center seating position. LATCH
compatible child seats (with attachments
on belt webbing) can only be used at this
seating position provided that the child
seat manufacturer
’s instructions permit
use with the anchor spacing stated. Do not
attach a child seat to any lower anchor if
an adjacent child seat is attached to that
anchor.
Each time you use the safety seat, check
that the seat is properly attached to the
lower anchors and tether anchor, if
applicable. Tug the child seat from side to
side and forward and back where it is
secured to your vehicle. The seat should
move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases. Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety
Seats
When used in combination, either the
seatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors may
be attached first, provided a proper
installation is achieved. Attach the tether
strap afterward, if included with the child
seat.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety
seats include a tether strap
which extends from the back of
the child safety seat and hooks to an
anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child
seat for information about ordering a
tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether
strap if the tether strap on your safety seat
does not reach the appropriate top tether
anchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has been
installed using either the safety belt, the
lower anchors of the LATCH system, or
both, you can attach the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view):
Second row bucket seats and third row
passenger side 26
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child Safety E190827

4. Tighten the child safety seat tether
strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases.
If your child restraint system is equipped
with a tether strap, and the child restraint
manufacturer recommends its use, we also
recommend its use. Second row bucket (40/40)Second row bench (60/40)
Third row seat
Note:
The cargo tie downs at the rear edge
of the floor are not tether anchors. BOOSTER SEATS WARNING
Never place, or allow a child to place,
the shoulder belt under a child's arm
or behind the back because it
reduces the protection for the upper part
of the body and may increase the risk of
injury or death in a crash. Note:
Some booster seat safety belt guides
may not accommodate the shoulder portion
of the inflatable safety belt.
28
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE190830 E190831 E190832

Children and booster seats vary in size and
shape. Choose a booster that keeps the
lap belt low and snug across the hips,
never up across the stomach, and lets you
adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest
and rest snugly near the center of the
shoulder. The following drawings compare
the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt
uncomfortably close to the neck and a
shoulder belt that could slip off the
shoulder. The drawings also show how the
lap belt should be low and snug across the
child's hips.If the booster seat slides on the vehicle
seat upon which it is being used, placing a
rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet
liner under the booster seat may improve
this condition. Do not introduce any item
thicker than this under the booster seat.
Check with the booster seat
manufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING WARNINGS
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 vehicle seat
upon which the child seat is installed all
30
Flex (), enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE142596 E142597