LINCOLN NAVIGATOR 2004 Owners Manual

Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver 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 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 safety belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position... The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
BeltMinder 
The BeltMinder
feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the
driver that the driver ’ s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently
sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the
instrument cluster.
If... Then...
The driver ’ s safety belt is not
buckled approximately 5 seconds
after the safety belt warning light
has turned off... The BeltMinder
feature is
activated - the safety belt warning
light illuminates and the warning
chime sounds for 6 seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for
approximately 5 minutes or until
safety belt is buckled.
The driver ’ s safety belt is buckled
while the safety belt indicator light
is illuminated and the safety belt
warning chime is sounding... The BeltMinder
feature will not
activate.
The driver ’ s safety belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position... The BeltMinder
feature will not
activate.
The purpose of the BeltMinder
is to remind occasional wearers to wear
safety belts all of the time.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
191

The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)
Reasons given... Consider...
“ Crashes are rare
events ” 36 700 crashes occur every day. The more we
drive, the more we are exposed to “ rare ” events,
even for good drivers. 1 in 4 of us will be
seriously injured in a crash during our
lifetime.
“ I ’ m not going far ” 3of4 fatal crashes occur within 25 miles of home.
“ Belts are
uncomfortable ” We design our safety belts to enhance comfort. If
you are uncomfortable - try different positions for
the safety belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as possible; this can
improve comfort.
“ I was in a hurry ” Prime time for an accident. BeltMinder

reminds us to take a few seconds to buckle up.
“ Seat belts don ’ t
work ” Safety belts, when used properly, reduce risk of
death to front seat occupants by 45% in cars,
and by 60% in light trucks.
“ Traffic is light ” Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle
crashes, many when no other vehicles are around.
“ Belts wrinkle my
clothes ” Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more
than wrinkle your clothes, particularly if you are
unbelted.
“ The people I ’ m
with don ’ t wear
belts ” Set the example, teen deaths occur 4 times more
often in vehicles with TWO or MORE people.
Children and younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
“ I have an air bag ” Air bags offer greater protection when used with
safety belts. Frontal airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear and side crashes or rollovers.
“ I ’ d rather be
thrown clear ” Not a good idea. People who are ejected are 40
times more likely to DIE. Safety belts help
prevent ejection, WE CAN ’ T “ PICK OUR CRASH ” .
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
192

Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt to avoid the Belt
Minder
chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk
of injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt
Minder
feature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, BeltMinder
will be disabled for that ignition cycle
only.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder  feature
Read step s1-9 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder
feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
• The parking brake is set
• The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)
• The ignition switch is in the OFF position
• All vehicle doors are closed
• The driver ’ s safety belt is unbuckled
• The parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped
with Autolamps, this will not affect the procedure.)
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
BeltMinder
feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1 – 2
minutes)
• Steps 3 – 5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder

warning activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
193

5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled.
• After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,
buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.
• This will disable BeltMinder
if it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder
is provided by flashing the
safety belt warning light four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder
is provided by flashing the
safety belt warning light four times per second for three seconds,
followed by three seconds with the safety belt warning light off, then
followed by flashing the safety belt warning light four times per second
for three seconds again.
9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is a 20 cm
(8 inch) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly can be obtained from your dealer at no cost.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended.
Do not use extensions to change the fit of the shoulder belt
across the torso.
Safety belt maintenance
Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Inspect the safety belts to make sure
there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if necessary. All safety belt
assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front seat belt buckle
assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder
belt height adjusters, shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), child
safety seat LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching hardware, should
be inspected after a collision. Ford Motor Company recommends that all
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
194

safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision was minor and a qualified technician
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 collision should also be inspected and replaced if either
damage or improper operation is noted.
Refer to Interior in the Cleaning chapter.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important SRS precautions
The SRS is designed to work with
the safety belt to help protect the
driver and right front passenger
from certain upper body injuries. Air
bags DO NOT inflate slowly; there is
a risk of injury from a deploying air
bag.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag (SRS) is
provided.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
195

Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 25 cm (10 inches)
between an occupant ’ s chest and the driver air bag module.
Never place your arm over the air bag module as a deploying air
bag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries.
To properly position yourself away from the air bag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position.
Do not put anything on or over the air bag module. Placing
objects on or over the air bag inflation area may cause those
objects to be propelled by the air bag into your face and torso causing
serious injury.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag
supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. See your Ford or
Lincoln Mercury dealer.
The front passenger air bag is not designed to offer protection to
an occupant in the center front seating position.
Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of the vehicle
(including frame, bumper, front end body structure and tow
hooks) may affect the performance of the air bag system, increasing
the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to the Body
Builders Layout Book for instructions about the appropriate installation
of additional equipment.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
196

Children and air bags
Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front
seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
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 seat all the way back.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates air
bag inflation.
The fact that the air bags 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. The driver and passenger airbags are designed to inflate
in frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or
rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient longitudinal
deceleration.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
197

The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After air bag
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 (e.g., baking
soda) that result from the
combustion process that inflates the
air bag. 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 air bag may also cause abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because air bags 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 air bag deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be
properly restrained as far away from the air bag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.
Several air bag system components get hot after inflation. Do not
touch them after inflation.
If the air bag has deployed, the air bag will not function
again and must be replaced immediately. If the air bag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger air bag modules (which include the inflators and
air bags),
• one or more impact and safing sensors and diagnostic monitor (RCM),
• a readiness light and tone
• the electrical wiring which connects the components.
The RCM (restraints control module) monitors its own internal circuits
and the supplemental air bag electrical system wiring (including the
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
198

impact sensors, the system wiring, the air bag system readiness light, the
air bag back up power and the air bag ignitors).
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 Air bag readiness section
in the Instrument cluster chapter. Routine maintenance of the air bag is
not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
• The readiness light 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/or light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your dealership or by a qualified technician immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a
collision.
Safety Canopy  system
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.
Do not lean your head on the door. The Safety Canopy
could
injure you as it deploys from the headliner.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus) Seating and Safety Restraints
199

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Safety Canopy

system, its fuses, the A, B, or C pillar trim, or the headliner on a
vehicle containing a Safety Canopy
. See your Ford or Lincoln
Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an air bag SRS and Safety
Canopy
system is provided.
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 Air Bag 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 warning light, electronic control and diagnostic unit as used
for the front airbags.
2004 Navigator (nav)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English (fus)Seating and Safety Restraints
200