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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) or neutral
(N). •
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 one 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 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
restraint systems periodically to make sure
they work properly and are not damaged.
Inspect the vehicle 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 seatback (if equipped), rear
inflatable seatbelts (if equipped), child
restraint 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.
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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 Cleaning
the Interior (page 345).
SEATBELT EXTENSIONS 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 Lincoln 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. 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
Lincoln Motor Company dealers. Only Lincoln
seatbelt extensions made by the same
company which made the original equipment
seatbelts, should be used with Lincoln
seatbelts. Ask your authorized dealer if your
extension is compatible with your Lincoln
vehicle restraint system.
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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 outermost seatbelts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors and seatbelt usage sensors.
• Driver seat position sensor.
• Passenger seat position sensor.
• Front passenger sensing system.
• Passenger airbag off and on indicators.
• 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 indicators.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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 57).
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. 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.
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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. The front passenger sensing system uses a
passenger airbag status indicator which
illuminates 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 passenger airbag status indicator off and
on lamps illuminate for a short period to
confirm it is functional. The front passenger sensing system is
designed to disable (will not inflate) the front
passenger frontal airbag under certain
conditions:
•
The front passenger seat is unoccupied.
• The system determines an infant is
present in a child restraint.
• A passenger takes their weight off of the
seat for a period of time.
• If there is a problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
Even with this technology, parents are
strongly
encouraged to always properly
restrain children in the rear seat.
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•
When the front passenger sensing
system disables (will not inflate) the front
passenger frontal airbag, the passenger
airbag status indicator illuminates the off
lamp and stays lit to remind you that the
front passenger frontal airbag is disabled.
• If you have installed the child restraint
and the passenger airbag status indicator
illuminates the on lamp, then switch your
vehicle off, remove the child restraint
from your vehicle and reinstall the
restraint following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
The front passenger sensing system works
with sensors that are part of the front
passenger seat and seatbelt. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a
properly seated occupant and determine if
the front passenger frontal airbag should be
enabled.
• When the front passenger sensing
system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the passenger
airbag status indicator illuminates the on
lamp and remains illuminated. If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger seat, but the passenger airbag
status indicator off lamp is lit, it is possible
that the person is not sitting properly in the
seat. If this happens:
•
Switch your vehicle off and ask the
person to place the seat backrest in an
upright position.
• Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the
person's legs comfortably extended.
• Restart your vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This allows the system to detect
that person and enable the passenger
frontal airbag.
• If the indicator off lamp remains lit even
after this, you should advise the person
to ride in the rear seat.
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.
If you think that the state of the passenger
airbag status 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 seat backrest.
• Objects stowed in the seat backrest 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.
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