2019 FORD FLEX belt

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

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.
42
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
™

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: 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. 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:
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:
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. WARNING:
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. WARNING:
Several airbag system
components get hot after inflation. To
reduce the risk of injury, do not touch them
after inflation. WARNING:
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.
44
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints System

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 is greatly
increased.
Children and Airbags
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. 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. FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM 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:
Sitting improperly, out
of position or with the seatback reclined
too far can take weight off the seat cushion
and affect the decision of the passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury
or death in the event of a crash. Always sit
upright against your seat back, with your
feet on the floor. WARNING:
Any alteration or
modification to the front passenger seat
may affect the performance of the front
passenger sensing system. This could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
This system works with sensors that are
part of the front passenger seat and
seatbelt to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine
if the front passenger frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inflate) or not. The front passenger sensing system uses
a passenger airbag status indicator that
illuminates indicating that the front
passenger frontal airbag is either on
(enabled) or off (disabled).
46
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE142846 E253275

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

WARNING: 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.
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™ WARNING:
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. WARNING:
Do not lean your head
on the door. The curtain airbag could injure
you as it deploys from the headliner. WARNING:
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. 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.
49
Flex (TP3) , enUSA, Edition date: 201803, Second-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE152533 E67017

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