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:
Do not allow a
passenger to hold a child on their lap
when your vehicle is moving. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death in the event of a
sudden stop or 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:
Properly secure
children 12 years old and under in a rear
seating position whenever possible. If
you are unable to properly secure all
children in a rear seating position,
properly secure the largest child on the
front seat. If you must use a forward
facing child restraint on the front seat,
move the seat as far back as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions could
result in personal 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).
• Height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• Seatbelt pretensioner at the front and
second row outermost seating
positions.
• Belt tension sensor at the front
outboard passenger seating position.
35
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Seatbelts
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
WARNING: 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. WARNING:
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 21).
37
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Seatbelts
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 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 296). 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 our 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 way the seatbelt fits
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
our dealers. Only use our seatbelt
extensions made by the original equipment
seatbelt manufacturer with our seatbelts.
Ask your authorized dealer if your extension
is compatible with your vehicle restraint
system.
41
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Seatbelts
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.
43
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Supplementary Restraints 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.
44
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE151127 E67017
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:
Do not stow objects
in the seatback map pocket or hang
objects off a seatback if a child is in the
front passenger seat. Do not place
objects under the front passenger seat
or between the seat and the center
console. Check the passenger airbag
indicator lamp for proper airbag status.
Failure to follow these instructions may
interfere with the front passenger seat
sensing system and increase the risk of
serious injury. 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.
45
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE142846
The front passenger sensing system uses
a passenger airbag indicator which will
illuminate indicating that the front
passenger frontal airbag is either ON
(enabled) or OFF (disabled).
The indicator lamp is in the center stack of
the instrument panel.
Note:
When you first switch the ignition on,
the indicator lamp illuminates for a short
period of time to confirm it is functional.
The front passenger sensing system is
designed to disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag when a rear
facing infant seat, a forward-facing child
restraint, or a booster seat is detected.
Even with this technology, parents are
strongly encouraged to always properly
restrain children in the rear seat. The
sensor also turns off the passenger front
airbag when the passenger seat is empty.
• When the front passenger sensing
system disables (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag, the OFF
indicator lamp will illuminate and stay
illuminated to remind you that the front
passenger frontal airbag is disabled.
• If the child restraint has been installed
and the passenger airbag status
indicator illuminates the ON lamp, then
turn the vehicle off, remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall
the restraint following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions. The front passenger sensing system is
designed to enable (may inflate) the front
passenger frontal airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size
is sitting properly in the front passenger
seat.
•
When the front passenger sensing
system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the ON
indicator lamp illuminates.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger seat, but the airbag OFF
indicator lamp is illuminated, it is possible
that the person is not sitting properly in the
seat. If this happens:
• Turn the vehicle off and ask the person
to place the seatback in the full upright
position.
• Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the
person ’s legs comfortably extended.
• Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to
detect that person and enable the
passenger frontal airbag.
• If the OFF indicator lamp remains
illuminated even after this, the person
should be advised to ride in the rear
seat.
46
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE279408
Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag indicator
Occupant
Disabled
OFF: Lit
Empty
ON: Unlit Disabled
OFF: Lit
Child
ON: Unlit Enabled
OFF: Unlit
Adult
ON: Lit
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 seat back, 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.
If you think that the status of the passenger
airbag off indicator lamp is incorrect, check
for the following:
• Objects lodged underneath the seat.
• Objects between the seat cushion and
the center console.
• Objects hanging off the seatback.
• Objects stowed in the seatback map
pocket.
• Objects placed on the occupant's lap.
• Cargo interference with the seat.
• Other passengers pushing or pulling on
the seat.
• Rear passenger feet and knees resting
or pushing on the seat. The conditions listed above may cause the
weight of a properly seated occupant to
be incorrectly interpreted by the front
passenger sensing system. The person in
the front passenger seat may appear
heavier or lighter due to the conditions
described in the list above.
Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors
and Airbag Indicator (page 50).
If the airbag readiness light is illuminated,
do the following:
The driver and adult passengers should
check for objects lodged underneath the
front passenger seat, or cargo interfering
with the seat.
If there are lodged objects, or cargo is
interfering with the seat, take the following
steps to remove the obstruction:
• Pull the vehicle over.
• Turn the vehicle off.
• Driver and adult passengers should
check for any objects lodged
underneath the front passenger seat
or cargo interfering with the seat.
• Remove the obstruction(s) (if found).
• Restart the vehicle.
47
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Supplementary Restraints SystemE67017