GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directions onhow to properly use safety restraints forchildren.
WARNINGS
Always make sure your child is securedproperly in a device that is appropriatefor their height, age and weight. Child safetyrestraints must be bought separately fromyour vehicle. Failure to follow theseinstructions and guidelines may result in anincreased risk of serious injury or death toyour child.
WARNINGS
All children are shaped differently. TheNational Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration and other safetyorganizations, base their recommendationsfor child restraints on probable child height,age and weight thresholds, or on theminimum requirements of the law. Werecommend that you check with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger Safety Technician(CPST) to make sure that you properly installthe child restraint in your vehicle and thatyou consult your pediatrician to make sureyou have a child restraint appropriate foryour child. To locate a child restraint fittingstation and CPST, contact NHTSA toll freeat 1-888-327-4236 or go to
WARNINGS
www.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contactTransport Canada toll free at 1-800-333-0371or go to www.tc.gc.ca to find a Child Car SeatClinic in your area. Failure to properly restrainchildren in child restraints made especiallyfor their height, age and weight, may resultin an increased risk of serious injury or deathto your child.
On hot days, the temperature insidethe vehicle can rise very quickly.Exposure of people or animals to these hightemperatures for even a short time can causedeath or serious heat related injuries,including brain damage. Small children areparticularly at risk.
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Child Safety
Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended restraint typeChild size, height, weight, or ageChild
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertible seat, or toddlerseat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally age four oryounger).Infants or toddlers
Use a belt-positioning booster seat.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a childsafety seat (generally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m)tall, are greater than age four and less than age 12, and between40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg) ifrecommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Small children
Use a vehicle safety belt having the lap beltsnug and low across the hips, shoulder beltcentered across the shoulder and chest, andseatback upright.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a belt-positioning booster seat (generally children who are at least 4 ft.9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) ifrecommended by child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
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Child Safety
4. Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to the directionthe tongue is coming from) for thatseating position until you hear a snap andfeel the latch engage. Make sure thetongue is latched securely by pulling onit.
5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulder portionof the belt and pull downward until youpull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
6.Allow the belt to retract to remove slack.The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate itis in the automatic locking mode.
7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractor tomake sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode (you should notbe able to pull more belt out). If theretractor is not locked, unbuckle the beltand repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling up on the shoulder belt in orderto force slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remaining slackthat exists once the extra weight of the
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5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the lap portion ofthe inflatable seatbelt and pull upwarduntil you pull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
Note:Unlike the standard seatbelt, theinflatable seatbelt's unique lap portion locksthe child restraint for installation. The abilityfor the shoulder portion of the belt to movefreely is normal, even after the lap belt hasbeen put into the automatic locking mode.
Note:The lock-off device on some childrestraints may not accommodate theshoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt.Follow all instructions provided by themanufacturer of the child restraint regardingthe necessary and proper use of the lock-offdevice. In some instances, these deviceshave been provided only for use in vehicleswith seatbelt systems that would otherwiserequire a locking clip.
6.Allow the belt to retract to remove slack.The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate itis in the automatic locking mode.
7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractor tomake sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode (you should notbe able to pull more belt out). If theretractor is not locked, unbuckle the beltand repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling down on the lap belt in order toforce slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remaining slackthat will exist once the extra weight ofthe child is added to the child restraint.It also helps to achieve the propersnugness of the child restraint to yourvehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean towardthe buckle will additionally help toremove remaining slack from the belt.
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If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seatupon which it is being used, placing arubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet linerunder the booster seat may improve thiscondition. Do not introduce any item thickerthan this under the booster seat. Check withthe booster seat manufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT POSITIONING
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild seat. Never place a rear-facingchild seat in front of an active airbag. If youmust use a forward-facing child seat in thefront seat, move the vehicle seat upon whichthe child seat is installed all the way back.When possible, all children age 12 and undershould be properly restrained in a rearseating position. If all children cannot beseated and restrained properly in a rearseating position, properly restrain the largestchild in the front seat.
WARNINGS
Always carefully follow the instructionsand warnings provided by themanufacturer of any child restraint todetermine if the restraint device isappropriate for your child's size, height,weight, or age. Follow the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions and warningsprovided for installation and use inconjunction with the instructions andwarnings provided by your vehiclemanufacturer. A safety seat that is improperlyinstalled or utilized, is inappropriate for yourchild's height, age, or weight or does notproperly fit the child may increase the risk ofserious injury or death.
Never let a passenger hold a child onhis or her lap while your vehicle ismoving. The passenger cannot protect thechild from injury in a crash, which may resultin serious injury or death.
WARNINGS
Never use pillows, books, or towels toboost a child. They can slide aroundand increase the likelihood of injury or deathin a crash.
Always restrain an unoccupied childseat or booster seat. These objectsmay become projectiles in a crash or suddenstop, which may increase the risk of seriousinjury.
Never place, or allow a child to place,the shoulder belt under a child's armor behind the back because it reduces theprotection for the upper part of the body andmay increase the risk of injury or death in acrash.
To avoid risk of injury, do not leavechildren or pets unattended in yourvehicle.
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Child Safety
Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X
Combined weight ofchild and child seatRestraint TypeSafety belt onlySafety belt andLATCH (loweranchors and toptether anchor)
Safety belt and toptether anchorLATCH (loweranchors only)LATCH (loweranchors and toptether anchor)
XXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childseat
XOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childseat
XXXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild seat
XXOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild seat
Note:The child seat must rest tightly againstthe vehicle seat upon which it is installed. Itmay be necessary to lift or remove the headrestraint. See Seats (page 149).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doorscannot be opened from the inside.
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Child Safety
FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM
WARNINGS
Even with advanced restraints systems,properly restrain children 12 and underin a rear seating position. Failure to followthis could seriously increase the risk of injuryor death.
Sitting improperly, out of position orwith the seatback reclined too far cantake weight off the seat cushion and affectthe decision of the passenger sensingsystem, resulting in serious injury or deathin the event of a crash. Always sit uprightagainst your seat back, with your feet on thefloor.
Any alteration or modification to thefront passenger seat may affect theperformance of the front passenger sensingsystem. This could seriously increase the riskof injury or death.
This system works with sensors that are partof the front passenger seat and seatbelt todetect the presence of a properly-seatedoccupant and determine if the frontpassenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled(may inflate) or not.
The front passenger sensing system uses apassenger airbag status indicator thatilluminates indicating that the frontpassenger frontal airbag is either ON(enabled) or OFF (disabled).
The indicator lamp is in the center stack ofthe instrument panel.
Note:The passenger airbag status indicatorOFF and ON indicator lamps illuminate fora short period of time when you first switchthe ignition on to confirm it is functional.
The front passenger sensing system isdesigned to disable (will not inflate) the frontpassenger frontal airbag when the frontpassenger seat is unoccupied, or a rearfacing infant seat, a forward-facing childrestraint, or a booster seat is detected. Evenwith this technology, parents are stronglyencouraged to always properly restrainchildren in the rear seat. The sensor alsoturns off the passenger front airbag whenthe passenger seat is empty.
•When the front passenger sensingsystem disables (will not inflate) the frontpassenger frontal airbag, the passengerairbag status indicator will illuminate theOFF lamp and stay lit to remind you thatthe front passenger frontal airbag isdisabled.
•If the child restraint has been installedand the passenger airbag status indicatorilluminates the ON lamp, then turn thevehicle off, remove the child restraintfrom the vehicle and reinstall the restraintfollowing the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions.
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After all occupants have adjusted their seatsand put on seatbelts, it is very important thatthey continue to sit properly. A properlyseated occupant sits upright, leaning againstthe seat back, and centered on the seatcushion, with their feet comfortably extendedon the floor. Sitting improperly can increasethe chance of injury in a crash event. Forexample, if an occupant slouches, lies down,turns sideways, sits forward, leans forwardor sideways, or puts one or both feet up, thechance of injury during a crash is greatlyincreased.
The conditions listed above may cause theweight of a properly seated occupant to beincorrectly interpreted by the front passengersensing system. The person in the frontpassenger seat may appear heavier or lighterdue to the conditions described in the listabove.
To know if the front passengersensing system is operatingproperly, See Crash Sensors andAirbag Indicator (page 55).
Do not attempt to repair or service thesystem. Take your vehicle immediately to anauthorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced frontairbag system to accommodate a personwith disabilities, contact the Ford CustomerRelationship Center. See Getting theServices You Need (page 273).
SIDE AIRBAGS
WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mountequipment on or near the airbag cover,on the side of the seatbacks (of the frontseats), or in front seat areas that may comeinto contact with a deploying airbag. Failureto follow these instructions may increase therisk of personal injury in the event of a crash.
Do not use accessory seat covers. Theuse of accessory seat covers mayprevent the deployment of the side airbagsand increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door. Theside airbag could injure you as itdeploys from the side of the seatback.
WARNINGS
Do not attempt to service, repair, ormodify the seat airbag supplementalrestraint systems, its fuses or the seat coveron a vehicle containing seat airbags as youcould be seriously injured or killed. Contactyour authorized dealer as soon as possible.
If the side airbag has deployed, theairbag will not function again. The sideairbag system (including the seat) must beinspected as soon as possible. If the airbagis not replaced, the unrepaired area willincrease the risk of injury in a crash.
The side airbags are on the outboard sideof the seatbacks of the front seats. In certainsideways crashes, the side airbags will beinflated. The airbag was designed to inflatebetween the door panel and occupant tofurther enhance the protection providedoccupants in side impact crashes.
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