height FORD FLEX 2014 1.G Owners Manual

Introduction 9
Child Safety 17
Child seat positioning...................................19
Booster seats.........................................21
Installing child seats....................................24
Child safety locks......................................36
Safety Belts 37
Fastening the safety belts................................39
Safety belt height adjustment.............................42
Safetybeltwarninglightandindicatorchime..................42
Safety belt-minder.....................................43
Rear inflatable safety belt................................46
Child restraint and safety belt maintenance...................48
Personal Safety System 49
Supplementary Restraints System 50
Driver and passenger airbags.............................52
Front passenger sensing system...........................53
Side airbags..........................................57
Safety canopy curtain airbags.............................59
Crash sensors and airbag indicator.........................61
Airbag disposal........................................62
Keys and Remote Control 63
General information on radio frequencies.....................63
Remote control.......................................64
Keys...............................................64
Replacing a lost key or remote control.......................70
Table of Contents1
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children.
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 bought separately from your 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 consulting your pediatrician to make sure your
child seat is appropriate for your child, and is compatible with and
properly installed in your 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. In Canada, check with your local
St. John Ambulance office for referral to a CPST or for further
information, contact your provincial ministry of transportation, or locate
your local St. John Ambulance office by searching for St. John
Ambulance on the internet, or Transport Canada at 1–800–333–0371
(http://www.tc.gc.ca). 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.
Child Safety17
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Child size, height, weight, or ageRecommended
restraint type
Infants or
toddlersChildren weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or
less (generally age four or younger).Use a child safety
seat (sometimes
called an infant
carrier, convertible
seat, or toddler
seat).
Small
childrenChildren who have outgrown or no
longer properly fit in a child safety
seat (generally children who are less
than 4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall, are
greater than age four (4) and less
than age twelve (12), and between
40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and
upward to 100 lb (45 kg) if
recommended by your child restraint
manufacturer).Use a
belt-positioning
booster seat.
Larger
childrenChildren who have outgrown or no
longer properly fit in a
belt-positioning booster seat
(generally children who are at least
4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater
than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg)
if recommended by child restraint
manufacturer).Use a vehicle safety
belt having the lap
belt snug and low
across the hips,
shoulder belt
centered across the
shoulder and chest,
and seat back
upright.
•You are required by law to properly use safety seats for infants and
toddlers in the United States and Canada.
•Many states and provinces require that small children use approved
booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 pounds (36 kilograms). Check your local and
state or provincial laws for specific requirements about the safety of
children in your vehicle.
•When possible, always properly restrain children twelve (12) years of
age and under in a rear seating position of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seating positions than in a front seating position. SeeFront
Passenger Sensing Systemin theSupplementary Restraints System
chapter for more information.
18Child Safety
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

CHILD SEAT POSITIONING
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
vehicle seat upon which the child seat is installed 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.
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 your
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 your vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a crash, 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 crash.
WARNING:Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a crash or sudden
stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
Child Safety19
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

BOOSTER SEATS
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 crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for children who have outgrown or no
longer properly fit in a child safety seat (generally children who are less
than 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four (4) and
less than age twelve (12), and between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and
80 pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) if
recommended by your child restraint manufacturer). Many state and
provincial laws require that children use approved booster seats until
they reach age eight (8), a height of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, or
80 pounds (36 kilograms).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions when the child is seated without a booster seat.
•Can the child sit all the way
back against their vehicle seat
with knees bent comfortably at
the edge of the seat cushion?
•Can the child sit without
slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunction with your vehicle lap and
shoulder belt.
Child Safety21
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. Failure
to follow this could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
WARNING:Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a
small child. Check seat covers and buckles before you place a child
anywhere near them.
WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an
accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle have lap and shoulder safety belts. All
occupants of the vehicle should always properly wear their safety belts,
even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•lap and shoulder safety belts.
•shoulder safety belt with automatic locking mode (except driver and
rear inflatable safety belt).
•height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions
•safety belt pretensioner at the front outboard seating positions.
•belt tension sensor at the front outboard passenger seating position.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. SeeSafety Belt
Warning Light and Indicator Chimelater in this chapter.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin the
Supplemental Restraint Systemchapter.
The safety belt pretensioners and rear inflatable safety belts are designed
to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side crashes, and in rollovers. The
safety belt pretensioners at the front seating positions are designed to
tighten the safety belts firmly against the occupant’s body when activated.
This helps increase the effectiveness of the safety belts. In frontal crashes,
the safety belt pretensioners can be activated alone or, if the crash is of
sufficient severity, together with the front airbags.
38Safety Belts
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

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.
42Safety Belts
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

CHILD RESTRAINT AND SAFETY BELT MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), rear inflatable
safety belts (if equipped), child safety seat LATCH and tether anchors,
and attaching hardware, should be inspected after a crash. See the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions for additional inspection and
maintenance information specific to the child restraint.
Ford Motor Company recommends that all safety belt 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.
Safety belt assemblies not in use during a crash should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, seeInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
48Safety Belts
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

When hooking-up a trailer using a weight-distributing hitch, always use
the following procedure:
1. Park your vehicle, without the trailer, on a level surface.
2. Measure the height of the top of your vehicle’s front wheel opening
on the fender. This is H1.
3. Attach the trailer to your vehicle without the weight-distributing bars
connected.
4. Measure the height of the top of your vehicle’s front wheel opening
on the fender a second time. This is H2.
5. Install and adjust the tension in the weight distributing bars so that
the height of the front fender is approximately halfway between H1
and H2.
6. Check that the trailer is level. If not level, adjust the ball height
accordingly and repeat Steps 3–6.
Safety Chains
Note:Never attach safety chains to the bumper.
Always connect the safety chains to the hook retainers of your vehicle
hitch.
To connect the safety chains, cross them under the trailer tongue and
allow enough slack for turning tight corners. Do not allow the chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
WARNING:Do not connect a trailer’s hydraulic brake system
directly to your vehicle’s brake system. Your vehicle may not have
enough braking power and your chances of having a collision greatly
increase.
Electric brakes and manual, automatic or surge-type trailer brakes are
safe if you install them properly and adjust them to the manufacturer’s
specifications. The trailer brakes must meet local and federal regulations.
The rating for the tow vehicle’s braking system operation is at
the gross vehicle weight rating, not the gross combined weight
rating.
Separate functioning brake systems are required for safe control
of towed vehicles and trailers weighing more than 1500 pounds
(680 kilograms) when loaded.
Towing255
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)

•(1) 8 feet (2.4 meters)
•(2) Center height of lamp to
ground
•(3) 25 feet (7.6 meters)
•(4) Horizontal reference line
2. Measure the height of the
headlamp bulb center from the
ground and mark an 8 foot
(2.4 meter) horizontal reference line
on the vertical wall or screen at this
height (a piece of masking tape works well). The center of the lamp is
marked bya3millimeter circle on the headlamp lens
3. Turn on the headlamps to illuminate the wall or screen and open the
hood.
To see a clearer light pattern for adjusting, you may want to block the
light from one headlamp while adjusting the other.
On the wall or screen you will
observe a flat zone of high intensity
light located at the top of the right
hand portion of the beam pattern. If
the top edge of the high intensity
light zone is not at the horizontal
reference line, the headlamp will
need to be adjusted.
4. Locate the vertical adjuster on
each headlamp. Using a Phillips #2
screwdriver, turn the adjuster either
clockwise or counterclockwise in
order to adjust the vertical aim of
the headlamp. The horizontal edge
of the brighter light should touch
the horizontal reference line.
5. Close the hood and turn off the lamps.
HORIZONTAL AIM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE AND IS
NON-ADJUSTABLE.
Maintenance309
2014 Flex(471)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013
USA(fus)