• Height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• Safety belt pretensioner at the front
outboard seating positions.
E71880€ Safety belt warning light and chime.
FASTENING THE SEATBELTS
The front outboard and rear safety
restraints in the vehicle are combination
lap and shoulder belts.
E142587
1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper
buckle (the buckle closest to the
direction the tongue is coming from)
until you hear a snap and feel it latch.
Make sure you securely fasten the
tongue in the buckle.
E142588
2. To unfasten, press the release button
and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
Using the Seatbelt with Cinch
Tongue (Front Center and Rear
Center Seats Only)
The cinch tongue slides up and down the
belt webbing when the belt is stowed or
while putting seatbelts on. When the lap
and shoulder seatbelt is buckled, the cinch
tongue allows the lap portion to be
shortened, but pinches the webbing to
keep the lap portion from getting longer.
The cinch tongue is designed to slip during
a crash, so always wear the shoulder belt
properly and do not allow any slack in
either the lap or shoulder portions.
Before you can reach and latch a lap and
shoulder belt having a cinch tongue into
the buckle, you may have to lengthen the
lap belt portion of it.
E1162708E162708
1. To lengthen the lap belt, pull some
webbing out of the shoulder belt
retractor.
2. While holding the webbing below the
tongue, grasp the tip (metal portion)
of the tongue so that it is parallel to the
webbing and slide the tongue upward.
3. Provide enough lap belt length so that
the tongue can reach the buckle.
38
Seatbelts
Fastening the Cinch Tongue
WARNING: Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
1. Pull the lap and shoulder belt from the
retractor so that the shoulder belt
portion of the seatbelt crosses your
shoulder and chest.
2. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If the
belt is twisted, remove the twist.
3. Insert the belt tongue into the proper
buckle for your seating position until
you hear a snap and feel it latch.
4. Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened to the buckle by pulling on
the tongue.
While you are fastened in the seatbelt, the
lap and shoulder belt with a cinch tongue
adjusts to your movement. However, if you
brake hard, turn hard, or if your vehicle
receives an impact of 5 mph (8 km/h) or
more, the seatbelt will become locked and
help reduce your forward movement.
Lap Belts
WARNING: Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
The front center lap belt does not adjust
automatically.
E208768
Insert the tongue into the correct buckle
(the buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from). To lengthen the
belt, turn the tongue at a right angle to the
belt and pull across your lap until it reaches
the buckle. To tighten the belt, pull the
loose end of the belt through the tongue
until it fits snugly across the hips.
E208769
Shorten and fasten the belt when not in
use.
39
Seatbelts
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy
WARNING: Always ride and drive
with your seatback upright and properly
fasten your seatbelt. Fit the lap portion
of the seatbelt snugly and low across
the hips. Position the shoulder portion of
the seatbelt across your chest. Pregnant
women must follow this practice. See
the following figure.
E1422590
Pregnant women should always wear their
seatbelt. Position the lap belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt low
across the hips below the belly and worn
as tight as comfort allows. Position the
shoulder belt to cross the middle of the
shoulder and the center of the chest.
Seatbelt Locking Modes
WARNING: If your vehicle is
involved in a crash, have the seatbelts
and associated components inspected
as soon as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death.The safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The
driver seatbelt has the first type of locking
mode. The front outboard passenger and
rear outboard 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 the driver brakes suddenly
or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle
receives an impact of about 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination
seatbelts will 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 prelocks. The belt still
retracts to remove any slack in the
shoulder belt. The automatic locking mode
is not available on the driver seatbelt or
optional front center or rear center
seatbelt.
40
Seatbelts
Ford Motor Company produces a towing
manual for all authorized tow truck
operators. Have your tow truck operator
refer to this manual for proper hook-up
and towing procedures for your vehicle.
It is acceptable to have your two-wheel
drive vehicle towed with the front wheels
on the ground (without dollies) and the
rear wheels off the ground.
TOWING POINTS
WARNING: Using recovery hooks
is dangerous and should only be done by
a person familiar with proper vehicle
recovery safety practices. Improper use
of recovery hooks may cause hook failure
or separation from the vehicle and could
result in serious injury or death.
WARNING: Always slowly remove
the slack from the recovery strap prior
to pulling. Failure to do so can introduce
significantly higher loads which can
cause the recovery hooks to break off, or
the recovery strap to fail which can cause
serious injury or death.
WARNING: Never link two straps
together with a clevis pin. These heavy
metal objects could become projectiles
if the strap breaks and can cause serious
injury or death.
Your vehicle comes equipped with
frame-mounted front recovery hooks.
These hooks should never have a load
applied to them greater than the gross
vehicle weight rating of your vehicle.Before using recovery hooks:
• Make sure all attaching points are
secure and capable of withstanding
the applied load.
• Never use chains, cables or tow straps
with metal hook ends.
• Only use recovery straps that have a
minimum breaking strength two to
three times the gross vehicle weight of
the stuck vehicle.
• Make sure the recovery strap is in good
condition and free of visible cuts, tears
or damage.
• Use a damper device such as a tarp,
heavy blanket or piece of carpet
draped over the recovery strap to help
absorb the energy in the event the
strap breaks.
• Make sure the stuck vehicle is not
loaded heavier than its gross vehicle
weight rating specified on the
certification label.
• Always align the tow vehicle and stuck
vehicle in a straight line (within 10
degrees).
• Keep bystanders to the sides of the
vehicle, at a distance of at least twice
the length of the recovery strap. This
helps avoid injury from the hazard of a
recovery hook or strap breaking, or a
vehicle lurching into their path.
193
Roadside Emergencies
Air Brakes
WARNING: Do not manually adjust
the automatic slack adjusters to correct
excessive push rod stroke as it may result
in reduced brake effectiveness and a
vehicle crash. Excessive push rod stroke
indicates that a problem exists with the
automatic adjuster, with the installation
of the adjuster, or with foundation brake
components that manual adjustment
does not remedy. Seek service from a
qualified facility for excessive push rod
stroke.
Inspection and Adjustment
Establish a regular schedule for periodic
cleaning, lubrication and adjustment
inspection based on vehicle use. Exact
maintenance intervals are difficult to
predetermine due to vehicle applications
and operating conditions. If you are
uncertain of the proper schedule for your
vehicle, contact an authorized dealer.
Regular inspections should include:
• Periodic checking (every service
interval) of push rod travel or brake
adjustment. This is essential for
effective braking. Brake chamber push
rods on original equipment chambers
now incorporate an orange paint
marker near the base of the push rodas a stroke indicator to aid in
adjustment checks. If the push rod is
clean and the brakes are out of
adjustment, you can see the orange
marker protruding from the chamber
when the brakes are applied.
• Checking the brake lining (every service
interval). When brake linings or blocks
wear within 0.063 in (1.6 mm) they
must be replaced.
• Periodic checking (every service
interval) of the air compressor filter.
Check the filter minder and when the
indicator is near or on the red line
marked Service, replace the filter and
reset the service filter minder.
Do not back off or disconnect the front
brakes so that they are less effective,
letting the rear brakes do all the stopping
of your vehicle. Do not overlook the brakes
on the trailer either. Brake condition on the
trailer is just as important as the tractor.
Proper brake balance on trucks and
tractor-trailers is essential for effective
braking.
Once a year, inspect the entire brake
system:
• Rubber components for deterioration.
A qualified technician should inspect
these components and replace them
as necessary. Replacement intervals
vary according to the severity and
length of vehicle service.
• Condition of brake drums, brake
chambers and slack adjusters.
• System for air leaks.
• Hose or pipes for rust, damage and
deterioration.
• Operation of service and parking
brakes.
Periodically inspect parts such as air brake
chamber diaphragm, air compressor and
air cleaner. Replace any parts if you can
consider them unserviceable.
256
Maintenance