2018 FORD FLEX sensor

Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
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
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 greatly
increases. Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors
and Airbag Indicator (page 50).
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. See
Getting the Services You Need
(page
227). 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. 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. 48
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

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
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 supplementary restraint
system or associated components.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death. All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their seatbelts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your seatbelt 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 airbag.
If a supplementary restraint system
component has deployed, it will not
function again. Have the system and
associated components inspected as soon
as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death. 49
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE152533 E67017

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 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). Always properly restrain children 12 years
old and under 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.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE75004 E67017

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.
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 (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

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)
General Information
You can unlock and lock the vehicle
without taking the keys out of your pocket
or purse when your intelligent access key
is within
3 ft (1 m) of your vehicle.
Intelligent access uses a sensor on the
back of the door handle for unlocking and
a separate sensor on the face of each door
handle for locking.
The system will not function if:
• Your vehicle battery has no charge.
• The key battery has no charge.
• The key frequencies are jammed.
Note: The system may not function if the
passive key is close to metal objects or
electronic devices, for example keys or a cell
phone.
Note: If the system does not function, use
the key blade to lock and unlock your
vehicle. See
Remote Control (page 53).
Unlocking Using Intelligent Access With your intelligent access key within
3 ft
(1 m) of your vehicle, touch the unlock
sensor on the back of the door handle for
a brief period and then pull on the door
handle to unlock, being careful to not
touch the lock sensor at the same time or
pulling the door handle too quickly. The
intelligent access system requires a brief
delay to authenticate your intelligent
access key fob.
Locking Using Intelligent Access With your intelligent access key within
3 ft
(1 m) of your vehicle, touch the outer door
handle lock sensor for approximately one
second to lock, being careful to not touch
the unlock sensor on the back of the door
handle at the same time. After locking, you
can immediately pull on the door handle
to confirm locking occurred without
inadvertently unlocking.
At the Liftgate
Press the exterior liftgate release button
on the top of the liftgate pull-cup handle.
See
Manual Liftgate (page 69).
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.
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Note:
The system uses a sensor and is
designed to control the temperature of the
steering wheel and to prevent it from
overheating.
Note: In warm temperatures, the steering
wheel quickly reaches its maximum
temperature and the system reduces the
current to the heating element. This could
cause you to think that the system has
stopped working but it has not. This is
normal.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Steering Wheel

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: If streaks or smears appear on the
windshield, clean the windshield and the
wiper blades. If that does not resolve the
issue, install new wiper blades.
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 away from you for long wipe
interval.
• Rotate toward you for short wipe
interval.
Speed Dependent Wipers
When your vehicle speed increases, the
interval between wipes decreases.
AUTOWIPERS (If Equipped)
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:
If streaks or smears appear on the
windshield, clean the windshield and the
wiper blades. If that does not resolve the
issue, install new wiper blades.
Note: If you switch autolamps and
autowipers on, the headlamps turn on when
the windshield wipers continuously operate.
Wet or winter driving conditions with ice,
snow or salty road mist can cause
inconsistent and unexpected wiping or
smearing. Use the rotary control to adjust the
sensitivity of the autowipers. When you
select low sensitivity, the wipers operate
when the sensor detects a large amount
of water on the windshield. When you
select high sensitivity, the wipers operate
when the sensor detects a small amount
of water on the windshield.
Keep the outside of the windshield clean.
The rain sensor is very sensitive and the
wipers may operate if dirt, mist or insects
hit the windshield.
In these conditions, you can do the
following:
•
Lower the sensitivity of the autowipers
to reduce the amount of smearing on
the windshield.
• Switch to normal or high-speed wipe.
• Switch autowipers off.
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Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201801, Second Printing Wipers and WashersE208496 E256816

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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