2020 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT Owners Manual

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

1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until you pull the entire
seatbelt out.
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 seatbelt
height adjuster so that the seatbelt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
Failure to adjust the seatbelt 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
indicator chime will sound if the
driver seatbelt has not been
fastened when the vehicle's ignition is
turned on.
38
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing SeatbeltsE142591 E165022
1
2
2
3 E71880

Conditions of operation
Then
If
The seatbelt warning lamp illuminates andthe indicator 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 lamp and indicatorchime turn off.
The driver seatbelt is buckled while the
warning lamp is illuminated and the indic- ator chime is sounding...
The seatbelt warning lamp 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.
39
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-Printing Seatbelts

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.
40
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

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 seatbelts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors and seatbelt usage sensors.
• Driver seat position sensor.
• Front passenger sensing system.
• Passenger airbag status indicator.
• Front crash severity sensors.
• Restraints control module with impact
and safing sensors.
• Restraint system warning lamp 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.
42
2020 Transit Connect (CHC) Canada/United States of America, CG3739en enUSA, Edition date: 201903, First-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.
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