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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. 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.
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FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM
WARNINGS
Even with Advanced Restraints
Systems, children 12 and under should
be properly restrained in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could seriously
increase the risk of injury or death. Sitting improperly out of position or
with the seatback reclined too far can
take off weight from the seat cushion and
affect the decision of the front passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury or
death in a crash. Always sit upright against
your seatback, with your feet on the floor. Any alteration or modification to the
front passenger seat may affect the
performance of the front passenger sensing
system which could seriously increase the
risk of injury or death. The front passenger sensing system uses a
passenger airbag status indicator which will
illuminate indicating that the front passenger
frontal airbag is either ON (enabled) or OFF
(disabled). The indicator lamp is located in
the center stack of the instrument panel.
Note:
When the ignition is first turned on, the
passenger airbag status indicator OFF and
ON lamps will illuminate for a short period
to confirm it is functional.
The front passenger sensing system is
designed to disable (will not inflate) the front
passenger frontal airbag under certain
conditions:
• The front passenger seat is unoccupied.
• The system determines an infant is
present in a child restraint. •
A passenger takes their weight off of the
seat for a period of time.
• If there is a problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
Even with this technology, parents are
strongly encouraged to always properly
restrain children in the rear seat.
• 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 your
vehicle off, remove the child restraint
from your vehicle and reinstall the
restraint following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
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The front passenger sensing system works
with sensors that are part of the front
passenger seat and safety belt. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a
properly seated occupant and determine if
the front passenger frontal airbag should be
enabled.
•
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 passenger airbag
status indicator OFF lamp is lit, it is possible
that the person is not sitting properly in the
seat. If this happens:
• Turn your 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 your 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's frontal airbag.
• If the indicator OFF lamp remains lit even
after this, you should advise the person
to ride in the rear seat.
Note: When the passenger airbag status
indicator OFF lamp is illuminated, the
passenger side airbag (seat mounted) may
be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment issues.
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 seatback, 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. If you think that the state of the passenger
airbag status indicator lamp is incorrect,
check for the following:
•
Objects lodged underneath the seat.
• Objects between the seat cushion and
the center console.
• Objects hanging off the seatback.
• Objects stowed in the seatback map
pocket.
• Objects placed on the occupant's lap.
• Cargo interference with the seat
• Other passengers pushing or pulling on
the seat.
• Rear passenger feet and knees resting
or pushing on the seat.
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
previous list.
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Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors and
Airbag Indicator (page 52).
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do the
following:
The driver and adult passengers should
check for objects lodged underneath the
front passenger seat or cargo interfering with
the seat.
If objects are lodged or cargo is interfering
with the seat, please take the following steps
to remove the obstruction:
• Pull your vehicle over.
• Turn your vehicle off.
• Driver or adult passengers should check
for any objects lodged underneath the
front passenger seat or cargo interfering
with the seat.
• Remove the obstruction(s) (if found).
• Restart your vehicle. •
Wait at least two minutes and verify that
the airbag readiness light in the
instrument cluster is no longer
illuminated.
• If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument cluster remains illuminated,
this may or may not be a problem due to
the front passenger sensing system.
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.
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. WARNINGS
Do not use accessory seat covers. The
use of accessory seat covers may
prevent the deployment of the side airbags
and increase the risk of injury in an accident. Do not lean your head on the door. The
side airbag could injure you as it
deploys from the side of the seatback. Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag, its fuses or the seat
cover on a seat containing an airbag as you
could be seriously injured or killed. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible. If the side airbag has deployed, the
airbag will not function again. The side
airbag system (including the seat) must be
inspected and serviced by an authorized
dealer. If the airbag is not replaced, the
unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury
in a crash. 49
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The side airbags are located on the outboard
side of the seatbacks of the front seats. In
certain sideways crashes, the airbag on the
side affected by the crash will be inflated.
The airbag was designed to inflate between
the door panel and occupant to further
enhance the protection provided occupants
in side impact crashes.
The system consists of the following:
•
A label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are fitted to
your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the driver and
front passenger seatbacks.
• Front passenger sensing system. •
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page 52).
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. DRIVER AND PASSENGER KNEE
AIRBAGS
Driver and passenger knee airbags are
located under or within the instrument panel.
During a crash, the restraints control module
may activate the driver and passenger knee
airbags (individually or both) based on crash
severity and respective occupant conditions.
Under certain crash and occupant conditions,
the driver and passenger knee airbags may
deploy (individually or both) but the
corresponding front airbag may not activate.
As with front and side airbags, it is important
to be properly seated and restrained to
reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
Make sure the knee airbags are
operating properly.
See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator
(page
52).
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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, or C 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. 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. WARNINGS
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 and C 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. 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 a readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 52).
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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 seatbelt system, the adaptive
collapsible steering column, driver airbag,
passenger airbag, knee airbag(s), seat
mounted side airbags, Safety Canopy and
optional rear inflatable seatbelts. 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 a backup tone (if equipped).
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 (If
equipped). The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem, the light
or both 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.
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The seatbelt pretensioners and the front
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 seatbelt 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 seatbelt pretensioners and rear
inflatable seatbelts are designed to
activate in frontal, near-frontal and side
crashes and rollovers.
• The knee airbag(s) may deploy based on
crash severity and occupant conditions. •
The design of the side airbags is to inflate
in certain side impact 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 or
rollover events. 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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