2019 FORD FLEX light

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap belt
snug and low across the hips. WARNING:
Children must always
be properly restrained. WARNING:
Never let a passenger
hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a crash. WARNING:
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. WARNING: It is extremely dangerous
to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of
a vehicle. In a crash, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be seriously injured
or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and seatbelts. Make sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
properly using a seatbelt. Failure to follow
this warning could result in serious
personal injury or death. WARNING:
In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seatbelt. WARNING:
Each seating position in
your vehicle has a specific seatbelt
assembly made up of one buckle and one
tongue designed to be used as a pair. Use
the shoulder belt on the outside shoulder
only. Never wear the shoulder belt under
the arm. Never use a single seatbelt for
more than one person. WARNING:
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. WARNING: Seatbelts and seats may
be hot in a vehicle that is in the sunshine.
The hot seatbelts or seats may burn a
small child. Check seat covers and buckles
before you place a child anywhere near
them.
All seating positions in your vehicle have
lap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupants
of the vehicle should always properly wear
their seatbelts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
• Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
• Shoulder seatbelt with automatic
locking mode, (except driver seatbelt
and rear inflatable seatbelt).
• Height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• Seatbelt pretensioner at the front
outboard seating positions.
• Belt tension sensor at the front
outboard passenger seating position. •
Seatbelt warning light and chime.
34
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing SeatbeltsE71880

Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so
the belt rests across the middle of your
shoulder. To adjust the shoulder belt height:
1.
Press the side release buttons and slide
the height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the buttons 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.
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 safety belt
warning function by providing additional
reminders that intermittently sound a tone
and illuminate the safety belt warning light
when you are in the driver seat or you have
a front seat passenger and a safety belt 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.
39
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing SeatbeltsE209844 E71880

Then...
If...
The Belt-Minder feature will not activate.
You and the front seat passenger buckle
your safety belts before you switch the
ignition on or less than 1– 2 minutes elapse
after you switch the ignition on...
The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt 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 safety belts.
You or the front seat passenger do not
buckle your safety belts 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
safety belt 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 safety belts.
The safety belt 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 switch this feature off, the intent of
the system is to remind you to wear your
safety belt to improve your chance to
survive an accident. We recommend you
leave the system switched on 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.
Note: If you are using MyKey, you cannot
disable the Belt-Minder. Also, if you have
previously disabled the Belt-Minder, it will
be re-enabled during the use of MyKey. See
MyKey ™
(page 57). . 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 safety
belts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the
vehicle.
2. Wait until the safety belt 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 20 seconds.
40
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Seatbelts

3. For the seating position you are
switching off, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt three times at a moderate
speed, ending in the unbuckled state.
After Step 3, the safety belt warning
light turns on.
4. While the safety belt warning light is on, buckle and then unbuckle the
safety belt. After Step 4, the safety belt
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 seatbelts and child
safety seat systems periodically to make
sure they work properly and are not
damaged. Inspect the vehicle and child
restraint seatbelts to make sure there are
no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if
necessary. All vehicle seatbelt assemblies,
including retractors, buckles, front seatbelt
buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped),
shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seat
backrest (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. We recommend that all seatbelt
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. Seatbelt assemblies
not in use during a crash should also be
inspected and replaced if either damage
or improper operation is noted.
Properly care for seatbelts. See Vehicle
Care (page 265).
SEATBELT EXTENSION WARNING:
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. WARNING:
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. WARNING:
Never use seatbelt
extensions to install child restraints. WARNING:
Do not use a seatbelt
extension with an inflatable seatbelt. WARNING:
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.
41
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Seatbelts

This 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 analyzes different
occupant conditions and crash severity
before activating the appropriate safety
devices to help better protect occupants
in a variety of frontal crash situations.
Your vehicle's Personal Safety System
consists of:
•
Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag
supplemental restraints.
• Front seat outermost seatbelts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only) and seatbelt
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
tone.
• The electrical wiring for the airbags,
crash sensors, seatbelt pretensioners,
front seatbelt 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 seatbelt pretensioners, one or
both stages of the dual-stage airbags
based on crash severity and occupant
conditions.
43
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Personal Safety System
™

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,
particularly to occupants who are not
properly restrained or are otherwise out of
position at the time of airbag deployment.
Thus, it is extremely important that
occupants be properly restrained as far
away from the airbag module as possible
while maintaining vehicle control.
Routine maintenance of the airbags is not
required.
DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS
WARNING: Do not place your arms
on the airbag cover or through the steering
wheel. Failure to follow this instruction
could result in personal injury. WARNING:
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. WARNING:
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. The driver and front passenger airbags will
deploy during significant frontal and near
frontal crashes.
The driver and passenger front airbag
system consists of:
•
Driver and passenger airbag modules.
• Front passenger sensing system. · Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator
(page 50).
Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment WARNING: National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at
least
10 in (25 cm) 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.
45
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE151127 E67017

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
225). SIDE AIRBAGS WARNING:
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. WARNING:
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. WARNING:
Do not lean your head
on the door. The side airbag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the
seatback. WARNING:
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.
48
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017

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.
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.
51
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017