FORD EXPLORER 2011 5.G Owners Manual

REAR SEATS
Second row head restraints
Your vehicle may be equipped with two types of second row head
restraints:
•Outboard seat head restraints–The outboard head restraints are
not vertically adjustable, but they can be folded and also removed.
To fold the outboard head restraint,
pull the release strap.
To remove the outboard head
restraint, start with it folded and
then press and hold both release
buttons and pull it upwards.
•Center seat head restraint (if equipped)–The center head
restraint is vertically adjustable and can also be removed. For details
about how to raise, lower and remove the second row center head
restraint, refer toAdjustable head restraintsat the beginning of this
chapter.
WARNING:To minimize the risk of neck injury in the event of a
crash, the driver and passenger occupants should not sit in
and/or operate the vehicle, until the head restraint is placed in its
proper position. The driver should never adjust the head restraint
while the vehicle is in motion.
Seating and Safety Restraints
170
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Adjusting second row bucket and bench seat back
Lift the handle to adjust seatback.
Using same control will fold the
seatback flat.
Note:For the bench seat only,
make sure the center safety belt is
unbuckled before folding the
seatback.
WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING:Reclining the seatback can cause an occupant to
slide under the seat’s safety belt, resulting in severe personal
injuries in the event of a collision.
Adjusting second row seats (six–passenger vehicles only)
Lift the control to adjust the seat
forward or backward.
Accessing the third row seats
Fold and tumble the second row seat to access the third row. Remove
items from the second row seat and ensure that no bulky objects such as
purses or briefcases are on the floor in front of the second row seats
before tumbling them. For second row bench seats, make sure the center
safety belt is unbuckled before folding the seatback.
Note:You may have to move the front row seat forward to allow the 2nd
row seat to be fully tumbled.
1. Stow the center head restraint (if equipped) by pressing the head
restraint release button while sliding the head restraint fully down.
Seating and Safety Restraints
171
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

2. Fold the head outboard restraint
by pulling the head restraint release
strap.
Note:Outboard head restraints do
not adjust vertically.
3. Lift the handle located on the
side of the seat.
The seatback will fold flat.
4. Lift the handle all the way up
until the seat releases from the
floor. Rotate the seat forward to
allow access to the third row.
Seating and Safety Restraints
172
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

5. To return the seatback to the
floor from tumbled position, rotate
the seat down until you hear it
latching to the floor.
6. To return the seatback to the
upright position
•Lift the seatback toward the rear
of the vehicle, and
•Rotate the seatback until you
hear a click, locking it in the
upright position.
Note:The seatback will not raise if
the rear latch hooks are not
properly engaged to the floor
striker. If the seatback does not raise, then repeat steps 3 and 4.
7. Pull the head restraint back up to its normal adjusted position.
WARNING:Before returning the seatback to its original
position, make sure that cargo or any objects are not trapped
behind the seatback. After returning the seatback to its original
position, pull on the seatback to ensure that it has fully latched. An
unlatched seat may become dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or
collision.
Seating and Safety Restraints
173
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

2nd row power fold and tumble seat (six–passenger vehicles only)
WARNING:Ensure that the seat is unoccupied when folding it
down. Folding the seat while occupied could result in occupant
injury or damage to the seat.
Press the control located at the
back of the rear door opening one
time to fold the seat back down and
tumble the seat forward for access
to the 3rd row.
Exiting the third row seat
1. Stow the head restraints:
•Center head restraints (if equipped):Press the head restraint
release button while sliding the head restraint fully down.
•Outboard head restraints:Pull the head restraint release strap.
Note:Outboard head restraints do not adjust vertically.
2. Pull on the strap located on the
back of the second row seat. This
will fold the seatback forward. Pull
the strap a second time to tumble
the seat forward, allowing easy exit
from the 3rd row seat.
Seating and Safety Restraints
174
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

3. To return the seatback to the
floor from tumbled position, rotate
the seat down until you hear it
latching to the floor.
4. To return the seatback to the
upright position
•Lift the seatback toward the rear
of the vehicle, and
•Rotate the seatback until you
hear a click, locking it in the
upright position.
Note:The seatback will not raise if
the rear latch hooks are not
properly engaged to the floor
striker. If the seatback does not raise, then repeat steps 3 and 4.
5. Pull the head restraint up to its normal position.
WARNING:Before returning the seatback to its original position,
make sure that cargo or any objects are not trapped behind the
seatback. After returning the seatback to its original position, pull on the
seatback to ensure that it has fully latched. An unlatched seat may
become dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or collision.
Ensure that the rear latch hooks are
properly engaged with the floor
striker.
Note: Ensure that the seat and
seatback are latched securely in
position. Keep floor area free of
objects that would prevent proper
seat engagement.
Seating and Safety Restraints
175
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:Do not adjust or release the seat floor latch while
vehicle is in motion. Do not operate the vehicle with seats in
tumbled position. Always latch the vehicle seat to the floor, whether
the seat is occupied or empty. If not latched or if the seat is tumbled,
the seat may cause injury during a sudden stop.
Stowing the third row seat (manual seat)
1. Remove all objects from the seat
and stowage tub.
2. Fold the head restraints by
pulling the head restraint release
strap.
3. From the rear of the vehicle, fold
the seatback by pulling and holding
the number 1 strap while pushing
the seatback forward. Release strap
once seatback starts rotating
forward.
4. Release the cushion latches by
pulling the number 2 strap while
pulling on the strap located at the
top of the seatback to tumble the
seat all the way into the tub in the
floor.
1
2
Seating and Safety Restraints
176
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Note:Do not use the seat anchors as cargo tie downs.
Note:Do not use the third row
seatback as a load floor when the
seatback is folded.
Note:Ensure that the area under the seat is free of objects before
stowing it.
Unstowing the third row seat
Note:Ensure that there are no objects such as books, purses or brief
cases on the load floor before unstowing the seat. Failure to remove all
objects from the top of the load floor prior to unstowing it may cause
damage to the seat.
Note:Ensure the area under the load floor is free of objects before
unstowing it.
1. Unlatch and lift the seat out of the tub in the floor by squeezing and
pulling up on the handle. Once the seat is at a vertical position, push the
seat over, letting it fall onto the latches.
Seating and Safety Restraints
177
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

2. To return the seatback to upright
position, pull the number 1 strap,
then while holding the number 1
strap, pull the long strap located on
the seatback to raise the seatback.
3. Pull the head restraints up to
their normal positions.
WARNING:Ensure seat is latched to vehicle floor by
pushing/pulling on seat. If not latched, the seat may cause injury
during a sudden stop.
WARNING:Before returning the seatback to its original
position, make sure that cargo or any objects are not trapped
behind the seatback. After returning the seatback to its original
position, pull on the seatback to ensure that it has fully latched. An
unlatched seat may become dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or
collision.
WARNING:Do not drive
the vehicle when the third
row seat is rotated backwards.
During a sudden stop, the safety
belts are not functional in this
position, and during a sudden
stop, the third row seat can
rapidly tip back to the forward
position, all of which may result in
serious injury.
Note:Do not use seat in this position or damage to seat may occur.
1
Seating and Safety Restraints
178
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

PowerFoldthird-row seat (if equipped)
The third row seat features a power one-touch operation that allows you
to adjust the Left, Right, or Both seats into a NORMAL, STOW or FOLD
position with just one touch of a button. The third row seat also includes
obstacle detection that allows the seat to stop and reverse direction if it
hits an obstacle so that the obstacle can be removed.
The third row power seat buttons are located behind the third row seats
on the left-hand quarter trim panel.
Note:The power fold seats work only when the vehicle is in P (Park)
and the tailgate is open. If the ignition is off and the feature is still
running, the battery saver will turn it off after 10 minutes. You can
reactivate the power seats by pressing
on the remote entry key
transmitter or by using the unlock procedure on the keyless entry
keypad. Refer to theLocks and Securitychapter.
Press the seat selection button (4) to select either right-hand seat, the
left-hand seat or both. First select the seat you would like to adjust, then
select one of the following:
•Press the NORMAL button (1) to return the seat to the normal
seating position.
•Press the STOW button (2) to stow the seat into the tub floor.
•Press the FOLD button (3) (the top portion of the button) to fold
down the seatback.
Note:Pressing a different button while the power seat feature is already
being performed may cause the first selected seat movement to be
cancelled. Allow the first seat movement to be completed before pressing
a button for another function.
Note:Ensure that there are no objects such as books, purses or brief
cases on the load floor before unstowing the seat. Failure to remove all
objects from the top of the load floor prior to unstowing it may cause
damage to the seat.
1234
NORMAL
STOWRH
BOTH
LHFOLD
Seating and Safety Restraints
179
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)