warning FORD FLEX 2014 1.G Owner's Manual

Pregnant women should always
wear their safety belts. 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 will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.
Safety Belt Locking Modes
WARNING:After any vehicle crash, the safety belt system at all
passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized
dealer to verify that the automatic locking retractor feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all safety belts should be
checked for proper function.
WARNING:The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced if
the safety belt assembly automatic locking retractor feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly when checked
by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the belt and retractor
assembly could increase the risk of injury in crashes.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The driver safety belt has the first locking mode and the front
outboard passenger and rear seat safety belts have both types of locking
modes described as follows:
Vehicle Sensitive Mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder or lap 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 safety belts will lock to help reduce forward
movement of the driver and passengers.
In addition, the retractor(s) is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled
out too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull
webbing out again in a slow and controlled manner.
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Safety Belt Extension Assembly
WARNING:Do not use extensions to change the fit of the
shoulder belt across the torso.
WARNING:Do not use extensions with an inflatable safety belt.
Safety belt extensions are vehicle-specific. See an authorized dealer to
make sure you obtain the proper safety belt extension for your vehicle.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. A safety belt extension is not available for the inflatable safety belt.
Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too short for
you when fully extended.
SAFETY BELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING:Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt
and increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so the belt rests across the middle
of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height:
1. Squeeze the buttons and slide the
height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the buttons and pull
down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.
SAFETY BELT WARNING LIGHT AND INDICATOR CHIME
This lamp illuminates and an audible warning will sound if the
driver’s safety belt has not been fastened when the vehicle’s
ignition is turned on.
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Conditions of Operation
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
SAFETY BELT-MINDER®
This feature supplements the safety belt warning function by providing
additional reminders by intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating
the safety belt warning light when the driver’s or front passenger’s seat is
occupied and the safety belt 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 activating the Belt-Minder feature for objects
placed in the front passenger seat, warnings will only be given to front
seat occupants as determined by the front passenger sensing system.
If the Belt-Minder warnings have expired (warnings for about five
minutes) for one occupant (driver or front passenger), the other
occupant can still activate the Belt-Minder feature.
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If... Then...
The driver’s and front
passenger’s safety belts are
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position or less than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature will not
activate.
The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt is not
buckled when the vehicle has
reached at least 6 mph
(9.7 km/h) and 1-2 minutes
have elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for six seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about five
minutes or until the safety belts are
buckled.
The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt becomes
unbuckled for about one
minute while the vehicle is
traveling at least 6 mph
(9.7 km/h) and more than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...The Belt-Minder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for six seconds every
25 seconds, repeating for about five
minutes or until the safety belts are
buckled.
Deactivating and Activating the Belt-Minder® Feature
WARNING:While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave
the Belt-Minder system activated for yourself and others who may use
the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate or activate
the Belt-Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
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Note:The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder are deactivated and
activated independently. When deactivating or activating one seating
position, do not buckle the other position as this will terminate the
process.
Read Steps1-5thoroughly before proceeding with the programming
procedure.
Note:If you are using MyKey®, the Belt-Minder cannot be disabled.
Also, if the Belt-Minder has been previously disabled, it will be
re-enabled during the use of MyKey®. See theMyKey®chapter.
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder features can be deactivated
or activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•the parking brake is set
•the transmission selector lever is in positionP
•the ignition is off
•the driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
1. Turn the ignition on. Do not start the engine.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (about one minute).
3. Wait 10 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns off.
•Step 4 must be completed within 20 seconds after the completion of
Step 3.
4. For the seating position being disabled buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt three times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled
state.
•After Step 4, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
5. Within about seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle then
unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled.
•This will enable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it is
currently disabled.
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REAR INFLATABLE SAFETY BELT (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the rear
inflatable safety belt as you could be seriously injured or killed.
Note:
The rear inflatable safety belts are compatible with most infant and
child safety car seats and belt positioning booster seats when properly
installed. This is because they are designed to fill with a cool gas at a lower
pressure and at a slower rate than traditional airbags. After inflation, the
shoulder portion of the safety belt remains cool to the touch.
The rear inflatable safety belts are located in the shoulder portion of the
safety belts of the second-row outboard seating positions.
The rear inflatable safety belt consists of the following:
•an inflatable bag located in the shoulder safety belt webbing
•lap safety belt webbing with automatic locking mode
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness indicator
SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin theSupplemental
Restraint Systemchapter.
How Does the Rear Inflatable Safety Belt System Work?
WARNING:If the rear inflatable safety belt has deployed, it will
not function again. The rear inflatable safety belt system must be
replaced by an authorized dealer.
•The rear inflatable safety belts will function like standard restraints in
everyday usage.
•During a crash of sufficient force, the inflatable
belt will inflate from inside the webbing.
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PERSONAL SAFETY SYSTEM™
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.
Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of:
•Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints.
•Front outboard safety belts with pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only), and safety belt usage sensors.
•Driver’s seat position sensor.
•Front passenger sensing system.
•Passenger airbag off and on indicator lamp.
•Front crash severity sensors.
•Restraints control module with impact and safing sensors.
•Restraint system warning light and backup tone.
•The electrical wiring for the airbags, crash sensor(s), safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt 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 your
vehicle’s 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 activate the safety belt pretensioners
and/or either one or both stages of the dual-stage airbag supplemental
restraints based on crash severity and occupant conditions.
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PRINCIPLES 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 safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system is provided. Failure to properly
wear your safety belt could seriously increase the risk of injury or
death.
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
WARNING:Never place your arm over the airbag module, as a
deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries.
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat all the way back.
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag supplemental restraint systems or its fuses as you could be
seriously injured or killed. Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING:Several airbag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation as this may result in
serious injury.
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WARNING:If the airbag has deployed, the airbag will not function
again and must be replaced immediately. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The airbags are a supplemental restraint system and are designed to
work with the safety belts 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.
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.
SOS POST-CRASH ALERT SYSTEM™
The system flashes the turn signal lamps and sounds the horn
(intermittently) in the event of a serious impact that deploys an airbag
equipped on your vehicle, such as front, side, side curtain or Safety
Canopy®.
The horn and lamps will turn off when:
•the hazard control button is pressed
•the panic button (if equipped) is pressed on the remote entry
transmitter, or
•your vehicle runs out of power.
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DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS
WARNING:Never place your arm or any objects over an airbag
module. Placing your arm over a deploying airbag can result in
serious arm fractures or other injuries. Objects placed on or over the
airbag inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the
airbag into your face and torso causing serious injury.
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat 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
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater in
this chapter.
•front passenger sensing system
Proper Driver and Front Passenger Seating Adjustment
WARNING:The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches
(25 centimeters) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag
module. Failure to follow this could seriously increase the risk of injury or
death.
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