warning FORD EXPEDITION EL 2009 Owners Manual

WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag SRS, its fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an
airbag. Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle should always wear
their safety belts even when an airbag SRS is provided.
How does the side airbag system work?
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.
The side airbag system consists of
the following:
• An inflatable nylon bag (airbag)
with an inflator concealed behind
the outboard bolster of the driver
and front passenger seatbacks.
• A special seat cover designed to
allow airbag deployment.
• The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic
unit as used for the front airbags.
• Crash sensors located on the
front doors and C pillars (one
sensor on each pillar on each side
of the vehicle).
Side airbags, in combination with
safety belts, can help reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a
significant side impact collision.
The side airbags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the airbag on the side affected by
the collision 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 collisions.
The airbag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates airbag inflation.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
222

The fact that the airbags did not inflate in a collision does not mean that
something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were
not of the type sufficient to cause activation. Side airbags are designed
to inflate in side-impact collisions, not roll-over, rear-impact, frontal or
near-frontal collisions, unless the collision causes sufficient lateral
deceleration.
WARNING: Several air bag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
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 collision.
Safety Canopy  system
WARNING: Do not place
objects or mount equipment
on or near the headliner at the
siderail that may come into
contact with a deploying Safety
Canopy
. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk
of personal injury in the event of a
collision.
WARNING: Do not lean your head on the door. The Safety
Canopy
could injure you as it deploys from the headliner.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
223

WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
Safety Canopy
system, its fuses, the A, B, C or D pillar trim, or
the headliner on a vehicle containing a Safety Canopy
. See your
authorized dealer.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle including the driver
should always wear their safety belts even when an airbag SRS
and Safety Canopy
system is provided.
WARNING: To reduce risk of injury, do not obstruct or place
objects in the deployment path of the inflatable Safety Canopy
.
How does the Safety Canopy  system work?
The design and development of the
Safety Canopy
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 (including the Safety
Canopy
).
The Safety Canopy
system consists
of the following:
• An inflatable nylon curtain with a
gas generator concealed behind
the headliner and above the doors
(one on each side of vehicle).
• A headliner designed to flex open above the side doors to allow Safety
Canopy
deployment.
• The same readiness airbag light, electronic control and diagnostic unit
as used for the front airbags.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
224

• Two crash sensors mounted in the front doors (one on each side of
the vehicle).
• Two crash sensors located at the C pillar behind the rear doors (one
on each side of the vehicle).
• Rollover sensor in the restraints control module (RCM).
The Safety Canopy
system, in combination with safety belts, can help
reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact
collision or rollover event.
Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the second or third row seats. The Safety Canopy
will not interfere with
children restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat
because it is designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the
doors along the side window opening.
The Safety Canopy
system is designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the side crash sensor to
close an electrical circuit that initiates Safety Canopy
inflation or when
a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
The Safety Canopy
is mounted to roof side-rail sheet metal, behind the
headliner, along the entire side of the vehicle. In certain lateral collisions
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy
system will be activated,
regardless of which seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy
is designed
to inflate between the side window area and occupants to further
enhance protection provided in side impact collisions and rollover events.
The fact that the Safety Canopy
did not activate in a collision does not
mean that something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the
forces were not of the type sufficient to cause activation. The Safety
Canopy
is designed to inflate in certain side impact collisions or rollover
events, not in rear impact, frontal or near-frontal collisions, unless the
collision causes sufficient lateral deceleration or rollover.
WARNING: Several Safety Canopy
system components get hot
after inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
225

WARNING: If the Safety
Canopy
system has
deployed, the Safety Canopy
will
not function again unless replaced.
The Safety Canopy
system
(including the A, B, C, and D
pillar trim and headliner) must be
inspected and serviced by an
authorized dealer. If the Safety
Canopy
is not replaced, it will
not function again, which will
increase the risk of injury in a
future collision.
Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to the Airbag readiness
section in the Instrument Cluster chapter. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.
Any difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
• The readiness light (same light as for front airbag system) will either
flash or stay lit.
• The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is
turned on.
• A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible. Unless serviced, the system may
not function properly in the event of a collision or rollover event.
S.O.S. Post Crash Alert
The S.O.S Post Crash Alert automatically flashes the turn signal lamps
and sounds the horn three times at four second intervals in the event of
a serious impact that deploys an airbag (front, side, side curtain or
Safety Canopy
) or the safety belt pretensioners.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
226

The S.O.S. Post Crash Alert can be turned off when any one of the
following actions are taken by the driver or any other person:
• pressing the hazard control button,
• or pressing the panic button on the remote entry transmitter.
The feature will continue to operate until the vehicle runs out of power.
Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles
(including pretensioners)
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also see Airbag supplemental restraint system
(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.
Important child restraint precautions
WARNING: Always make sure your child is secured properly in
a device that is appropriate for their height, age and weight.
Child safety restraints must be purchased separately from the vehicle.
Failure to follow these instructions and guidelines may result in an
increased risk of serious injury or death to your child.
WARNING: All children are shaped differently. The
Recommendations for Safety Restraints are based on probable
child height, age and weight thresholds from NHTSA and other safety
organizations or are the minimum requirements of law. Ford
recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician (CPST) and your pediatrician to make sure your child seat
is appropriate for your child, and is compatible with and properly
installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and CPST
contact the NHTSA toll free at 1-888-327-4236 or on the internet at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Failure to properly restrain children in safety
seats made especially for their height, age, and weight may result in an
increased risk of serious injury or death to your child.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
227

Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Re-
straint
Type Child
Weight Use any attachment method as indicated be-
low by “X”
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor) LATCH
(lower
anchors
only) Safety
belt
and
top
tether
anchor Safety
belt and
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor) Safety
belt
only
Rear fac-
ing child
seat Up to
48 lb
(21 kg) XX
Forward
facing
child seat Up to
48 lb
(21 kg) XXX
Forward
facing
child seat Over
48 lb
(21 kg) XX
WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air
bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the vehicle seat all the way back. When possible, all children age 12
and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If
all children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating
position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
229

WARNING: Always carefully follow the instructions and
warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to
determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by the vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child’s height, age, or weight or does not
properly fit the child may increase the risk of serious injury or death.
WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision, which may result in serious injury or
death.
WARNING: Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.
They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or
death in a collision.
WARNING: Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a collision or
sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
WARNING: Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder
belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk
of injury or death in a collision.
WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
230

• Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to help prevent accidental unbuckling.
• Place vehicle seat back in upright position.
• Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer to step 5
below.
WARNING: Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.
Perform the following steps when installing the child seat with
combination lap/shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is a forward facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear facing child seat.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
233

Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Refer to Attaching child safety seats with tether straps later in this
chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
WARNING: Never attach two child safety seats to the same
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious
injury or death.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, and have
attached the top tether strap to the proper top tether anchor, do not
tighten the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle seat
cushion when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just
touching the vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tug the
child seat from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to
the vehicle. The seat should move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
Combining safety belt and LATCH lower anchors for attaching
child safety seats
When used in combination, either the safety belt or the LATCH lower
anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved.
Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child seat. Refer
to Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
in this chapter.
Attaching child safety seats with tether straps
Many forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
extends from the back of the child safety seat and hooks to an anchoring
point called the top tether anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety seats. Contact the manufacturer of your
child seat for information about ordering a tether strap, or to obtain a
longer tether strap if the tether strap on your safety seat does not reach
the appropriate top tether anchor in the vehicle.
2009 Expedition (exd)
Owners Guide, 2nd Printing
USA (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
237