IAT sensor LINCOLN TOWN CAR 2003 Owners Manual

SAFETY RESTRAINTS
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 air bag-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 the following items:
•Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints
•Driver and front passenger side air bags
•Front safety belts with pretensioners, energy management retractors,
and safety belt usage sensors
•Driver’s seat position sensor
•Passenger occupant classification sensor
•Front crash severity sensor
•Restraints Control Module (RCM) with impact and safing sensors
•Restraint system warning light and back-up tone
•The electrical wiring for the air bags, crash sensor(s), safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors, driver seat position
sensor, passenger occupant classification sensor, 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 (RCM). During a crash, the
RCM activates the safety belt pretensioners and/or either one or both
stages of the dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints based on crash
severity and occupant conditions.
The fact that the pretensioners or air bags did not activate for both front
seat occupants in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with
the system. Rather, it means the Personal safety system determined the
accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not
appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front air bags and
pretensioners are designed to activate only in frontal and near-frontal
collisions, not rollovers, side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision
causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
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Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints
The dual-stage air bags offer the capability to tailor the level of air bag
inflation energy. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more
common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is used for
the most severe impacts. Refer toAir bag supplemental restraints
section in this chapter.
Front crash severity sensor
The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the
severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable
information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This
allows your Personal safety system to distinguish between different levels
of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the dual-stage
air bags and safety belt pretensioners.
Driver’s seat position sensor
The driver’s seat position sensor allows your Personal safety system to
tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage air bag based on seat
position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting
close to the driver air bag by providing a lower air bag output level.
Passenger occupant classification sensor (OCS)
For air bags to do their job they must inflate with great force, and this
force can pose a potentially deadly risk to occupants that are very close
to the air bag when it begins to inflate. For some occupants, this occurs
because they are initially sitting very close to the air bag. For other
occupants, this occurs when the occupant is not properly restrained by
seat belts or child safety seats and they move forward during pre-crash
braking. The most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary
injuries is to make sure all occupants are properly restrained. Accident
statistics suggest that children are much safer when properly restrained
in the rear seating positions than in the front.
Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.NEVERplace 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.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
The passenger occupant classification sensor can automatically turn off
the passenger front air bag and side air bag (if equipped). The system is
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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. 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.
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.
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The SRS consists of the following items:
•Driver and passenger air bag modules (which include the inflators and
air bags)
•Driver and passenger side air bags
•One or more impact and safing sensors
•A readiness light and tone
•A diagnostic module
•The electrical wiring which connects the components
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits as well as the
supplemental air bag electrical system warning (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the air bag system readiness light, the air
bag back up power and the air bag ignitors.
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.
If the safety belt pretensioners deploy in an accident, they will
not function again ( belt will not extract or retract) and must be
replaced immediately. Failure to replace the retractor assemblies will
increase the risk of injury.
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 toAir bag readinesssection
in theInstrument clusterchapter. 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.
AIR
BAG
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How does the side air bag 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 air bag system consists of
the following:
•An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator 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 air bags.
•Two crash sensors located near the side of the vehicle.
Side air bags, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce the risk of
severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision.
The side air bags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the air bag on the side affected
by the collision will be inflated. The air bag was designed to inflate
between the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact collisions.
The air bag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
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. Side air bags 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.
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As your vehicle moves closer to the
obstacle, lights will illuminate in the
display and increase in number
(starting at two, then to four).
When the distance to the obstacle is
within 45 cm (18 in.), the number of lights will increase to six.
If the system detects a object that is
rapidly approaching the rear of the
vehicle at such a rate that
emergency braking is required, six
lights will rapidly flash on and off. If
the flashing lights are seen while you are in R (Reverse), slow down
immediately until the lights either stop flashing or are no longer
illuminated.
The extended rear park aid is
automatically enabled when the gear
selector is placed in R (Reverse)
and the ignition is ON. A park aid
control allows the driver to disable
the extended rear park aid only
when the ignition is ON, and the
gear selector is in R (Reverse).
The OFF indicator remains
illuminated when the system is
disabled. The system defaults to ON
every time the ignition is turned on. Press the control to disable or
enable the system.
The indicator will remain illuminated to indicate a failure of the extended
rear park aid.
Always keep the sensors (located on the rear bumper/fascia) free
from snow, ice and large accumulations of dirt (do not clean the
sensors with sharp objects). These elements may cause the
system to operate inaccurately.
If the vehicle sustains damage to the rear bumper/fascia, leaving
it misaligned or bent, the sensing zone may be altered causing
inaccurate measurement of obstacles or false alarms.
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