2018 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT Owners Manual

The safety belt pretensioners at the front
seating positions are designed to tighten
the safety belts when activated. In frontal
and near-frontal crashes, the safety belt
pretensioners may be activated alone or,
if the crash is of sufficient severity, together
with the front airbags. The pretensioners
may also activate when the Safety Canopy
is deployed.
FASTENING THE SEATBELTS
The front outermost and rear safety
restraints in your vehicle are combination
lap and shoulder belts.
1. Insert the seatbelt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) until you hear a snap and feel it
latch.
Note: Make sure that the seatbelt tongue
is properly fastened in the seatbelt buckle. 2.
Press the button to release the seatbelt
tongue.
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy WARNING
Always ride and drive with your
seatback upright and properly fasten
your seatbelt. Fit the lap portion of
the seatbelt snugly and low across the
hips. Position the shoulder portion of the
seatbelt across your chest. Pregnant
women must follow this practice. See the
following figure. 30
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Pregnant women should always wear their
seatbelt. The lap belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt should
be positioned low across the hips below
the belly and worn as tight as comfort
allows. The shoulder belt should be
positioned 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. The driver seatbelt has the first type of
locking mode, and the front outboard
passenger and rear seat seatbelts have
both types of locking modes described as
follows:
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 you brake suddenly or turn
a corner sharply, or your vehicle receives
an impact of approximately 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
the seatbelt retractor locks, slowly lower
the height adjuster to allow the seatbelt
to retract. If the retractor does not unlock,
pull the seatbelt out slowly then feed a
small length of webbing back toward the
stowed position. For rear seatbelts, recline
the rear seat backrest or push the seat
backrest cushion away from the seatbelt.
Feed a small length of webbing back
toward the stowed position.
Automatic Locking Mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt
automatically pre-locks. The seatbelt still
retracts to remove any slack in the
shoulder belt. The automatic locking mode
is not available on the driver seatbelt.
Using Automatic Locking Mode
You should use automatic locking mode
when a child safety seat, except a booster,
is on the front passenger seat or rear seat.
Children 12 years old and under should be
correctly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible.
See Child
Safety (page 16). 1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until you pull the entire
seatbelt out.
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3. Let the seatbelt retract.
Note:
As the seatbelt retracts, you will hear
a clicking sound. This indicates the seatbelt
is now in the automatic locking mode.
Disengaging Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic
locking mode and return the seatbelt to
the vehicle sensitive mode.
SEATBELT HEIGHT
ADJUSTMENT WARNING
Position the safety belt height
adjuster so that the safety belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
Failure to adjust the safety belt correctly
could reduce its effectiveness and increase
the risk of injury in a crash. 1. Press the button.
2. Slide the height adjuster up or down.
3. Release the button 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 seatbelt has not been
fastened when the vehicle's ignition is
turned on.
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2
2
3 E71880

Conditions of operation
Then
If
The seatbelt warning light illuminates andthe warning chime sounds for a few seconds.
The driver seatbelt is not buckled before
the ignition switch is turned to the on posi- tion...
The seatbelt warning light and warningchime turn off.
The driver seatbelt is buckled while the
indicator light is illuminated and the warning chime is sounding...
The seatbelt warning light and indicatorchime remain off.
The driver seatbelt is buckled before the
ignition switch is turned to the on position...
SEATBELT REMINDER
Belt-Minder™
This feature supplements the seatbelt
warning function by providing additional
reminders that intermittently sound a tone
and illuminate the seatbelt warning light
when you are in the driver seat or you have
a front seat passenger and a seatbelt 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 seatbelts before you switch the igni-
tion on or less than 1– 2 minutes elapse after
you switch the ignition on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
seatbelt 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 seatbelts.
You or the front seat passenger do not
buckle your seatbelts 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
seatbelt 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 seatbelts.
The seatbelt 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
deactivate it, this system is designed
to improve your chances of being
safely belted and surviving an accident.
We recommend you leave the system
activated 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.
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
seatbelts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the
vehicle.
2. Wait until the seatbelt 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 30 seconds.
3. For the seating position you are switching off, buckle then unbuckle the
seatbelt four times at a moderate
speed, ending in the unbuckled state.
After Step 3, the seatbelt warning light
turns on.
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4. While the seatbelt warning light is on,
buckle and then unbuckle the seatbelt.
After Step 4, the seatbelt 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 219). 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. If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fasten the
seatbelt over your lap and shoulder, an
extension that is compatible with the
seatbelts is available free of charge from
Ford Motor Company dealers. Only Ford
seatbelt extensions made by the original
equipment seatbelts manufacturer should
be used with Ford seatbelts. Ask your
authorized dealer if your extension is
compatible with your Ford vehicle restraint
system.
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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.
The Vehicle Personal Safety System
consists of:
•
Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag
supplemental restraints.
• Front seat outboard safety belts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors 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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™

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Airbags do not inflate slowly or
gently, and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is the greatest close
to the trim covering the airbag module. 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. Even with advanced restraints
systems, properly restrain children
12 and under in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. Do not place your arms on the airbag
cover or through the steering wheel.
Failure to follow this instruction
could result in personal injury. Keep the areas in front of the airbags
free from obstruction. Do not affix
anything to or over the airbag covers.
Objects could become projectiles during
airbag deployment or in a sudden stop.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of
an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
restraint is installed all the way back. 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. WARNINGS
Several airbag system components
get hot after inflation. To reduce the
risk of injury, do not touch them after
inflation. 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. The airbags are a supplemental restraint
system and are designed to work with the
seatbelts to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain upper
body injuries. Airbags do not inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a deploying
airbag.
Note:
You will hear a loud bang and see a
cloud of harmless powdery residue if an
airbag deploys. This is normal.
The airbags inflate and deflate rapidly
upon activation. After airbag deployment,
it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powdery
residue or smell the burnt propellant. This
may consist of cornstarch, talcum powder
(to lubricate the bag) or sodium
compounds (for example, baking soda)
that result from the combustion process
that inflates the airbag. Small amounts of
sodium hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but none of
the residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with a
deploying airbag may also cause abrasions
or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also
a possibility as a result of the noise
associated with a deploying airbag.
Because airbags must inflate rapidly and
with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures,
facial and eye injuries or internal injuries,
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