seats FORD ESCAPE 2014 3.G User Guide

10. Before placing the child in the seat,
forcibly move the seat forward and
back to make sure the seat is securely
held in place. To check this, grab the
seat at the belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and forward and
back. There should be no more than
1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of movement
for proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician to make certain the child
restraint is properly installed. In Canada,
check with your local St. John Ambulance
office for referral to a Certified Passenger
Seat Technician.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Never attach two child safety seats
to the same anchor. In a crash, one
anchor may not be strong enough to
hold two child safety seat attachments
and may break, causing serious injury or
death.
Depending on where you secure a
child restraint, and depending on the
child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle
assemblies or LATCH lower anchors,
rendering those features potentially
unusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupants
should only use seating positions where
they are able to be properly restrained.
The LATCH system is composed of three
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors
located where seat back and seat cushion
meet (called the seat bight) and one top
tether anchor located behind that seating
position.LATCH compatible child safety seats have
two rigid or webbing mounted
attachments that connect to the two lower
anchors at the LATCH equipped seating
positions in your vehicle. This type of
attachment method eliminates the need
to use safety belts to attach the child seat,
however the safety belt can still be used
to attach the child seat. For forward-facing
child seats, the top tether strap must also
be attached to the proper top tether
anchor, if a top tether strap has been
provided with your child seat.
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Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child seat installation at the seating
positions marked with the child seat
symbol.
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22
Child Safety

The LATCH anchors are located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seat back below the symbols
as shown. Follow the child seat
manufacturer's instructions to properly
install a child seat with LATCH
attachments. Follow the instructions on
attaching child safety seats with tether
straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child seat only to the anchors shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center
Seating Use)
WARNING
The standardized spacing for LATCH
lower anchors is 11 inches (28
centimeters) center to center. Do not
use LATCH lower anchors for the center
seating position unless the child seat
manufacturer's instructions permit and
specify using anchors spaced at least as
far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the
second row rear seat are spaced 18 inches
(46 centimeters) apart. A child seat with
rigid LATCH attachments cannot be
installed at the center seating position.
LATCH compatible child seats (with
attachments on belt webbing) can only be
used at this seating position provided that
the child seat manufacturer's instructions
permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child seat to any lower
anchor if an adjacent child seat is attached
to that anchor.
Each time you use the safety seat, check
that the seat is properly attached to the
lower anchors and tether anchor, if
applicable. Tug the child seat from side to
side and forward and back where it is
secured to your vehicle. The seat should
move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases.
Combining Safety Belt and LATCH
Lower Anchors for Attaching Child
Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the
safety belt or the LATCH lower anchors
may be attached first, provided a proper
installation is achieved. Attach the tether
strap afterward, if included with the child
seat.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety
seats include a tether strap
which extends from the back of
the child safety seat and hooks to an
anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child
seat for information about ordering a
tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether
strap if the tether strap on your safety seat
does not reach the appropriate top tether
anchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has been
installed using either the safety belt, the
lower anchors of the LATCH system, or
both, you can attach the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view):
23
Child Safety

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Always drive and ride with your
seatback upright and the lap belt
snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make
sure children sit where they can be
properly restrained.
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.
All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided.
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a
vehicle. In a crash, people riding in
these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride
in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be
sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat
and using a safety belt properly.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
Each seating position in your vehicle
has a specific safety belt assembly
which is made up of one buckle and
one tongue that are designed to be used
as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the
shoulder belt under the arm. 2) Never
swing the safety belt around your neck over
the inside shoulder. 3) Never use a single
belt for more than one person.
When possible, all children 12 years
old and under should be properly
restrained in a rear seating position.
WARNINGS
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.
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 safety
belt)
• height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions
• retractor and anchor pretensioner at
the front outboard seating positions
• belt tension sensor at the front
outboard passenger seating position
• safety belt warning light and chime
• crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator.
26
Safety Belts

E142590
Pregnant women should always wear their
safety belt. 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
WARNINGS
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.
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 type of
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 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 approximately 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 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.
Automatic Locking Mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is
automatically pre-locked. The belt will still
retract to remove any slack in the shoulder
belt. The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver safety belt.
When to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode
This mode should be used any time a child
safety seat, except a booster, is installed
in passenger front or rear seating positions.
Children 12 years old and under should be
properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. See Child
Safety (page 14).
28
Safety Belts

How to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode
E142591
1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull
downward until the entire belt is pulled
out.
Allow the belt to retract. As the belt
retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This
indicates the safety belt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
How to Disengage the Automatic
Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic
locking mode and turn on the vehicle
sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
How to Extract Safety Belts in the
Rear Outboard Positions
Safety belts in the rear outboard positions
can lock if the seatback is returned firmly
to its upright position. You can unlock the
safety belts using the following
procedures.
For vehicles where the rear seats recline:
1. Recline the seat to its full rear recline
position.
2. The safety belt should then unlock.3. Return the seatback to its desired
upright position.
For vehicles with rear seats that do not
recline or are locked with the seat in its full
rear recline position:
1. Grasp the safety belt webbing at the
top of the seatback.
2. Pull the safety belt webbing forward,
firmly.
3. After pulling the safety belt forward,
allow the safety belt to feed back into
the safety belt retractor as much as
possible. If necessary, press the
seatback down to allow the safety belt
webbing to retract further.
4. The safety belt should then unlock.
5. If the safety belt does not unlock,
repeat steps 1-3.
Safety Belt Extension Assembly
WARNING
Do not use extensions to change the
fit of the shoulder belt across the
torso.
If the safety belt is too short when fully
extended, you can obtain a safety belt
extension assembly from an authorized
dealer.
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.
29
Safety Belts

After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on safety belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seat back, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
feet comfortably extended on the floor.
Sitting improperly can increase the chance
of injury in a crash event. For example, if
an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans forward or
sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
Children and Airbags
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 upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.
E142846
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 crash.
KNEE AIRBAG
A driver's knee airbag is located under the
instrument panel. During a crash, the
restraints control module may activate the
driver's knee airbag based on crash severity
and occupant conditions. Under certain
crash and occupant conditions, the driver’s
knee airbag may deploy but the driver’s
front airbag may not activate. As with front
and side airbags, it is important to be
properly seated and restrained to reduce
the risk of death or serious injury.
Make sure the knee airbag is
operating properly. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator
(page 42).
FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM
WARNINGS
Even with Advanced Restraints
Systems, children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in a
rear seating position. Failure to follow this
could seriously increase the risk of injury or
death.
Sitting improperly out of position or
with the seatback reclined too far
can take off weight from the seat
cushion and affect the decision of the front
passenger sensing system, resulting in
serious injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright against your seat
back, with your feet on the floor.
Any alteration or modification to the
front passenger seat may affect the
performance of the front passenger
sensing system which could seriously
increase the risk of injury or death.
37
Supplementary Restraints System

Passenger airbag Passenger airbag status
indicator Occupant
Disabled Unlit Empty
Disabled Lit Child
Enabled Unlit Adult
Note:When the passenger airbag status
indicator lamp is illuminated, the passenger
side airbag (seat mounted) may be disabled
to avoid the risk of airbag deployment
injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on safety belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seatback, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
feet comfortably extended on the floor.
Sitting improperly can increase the chance
of injury in a crash event. For example, if
an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans forward or
sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
If you think that the status of the passenger
airbag off indicator lamp is incorrect, check
for the following:
• Objects lodged underneath the seat
• Objects between the seat cushion and
the center console
• Objects hanging off the seatback
• Objects stowed in the seatback map
pocket
• Objects placed on the occupant's lap
• Cargo interference with the seat
• Other passengers pushing or pulling on
the seat
• Rear passenger feet and knees resting
or pushing on the seatThe conditions listed above may cause the
weight of a properly seated occupant to
be incorrectly interpreted by the passenger
sensing system. The person in the front
passenger seat may appear heavier or
lighter due to the conditions described in
the list above.
Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors
and Airbag Indicator (page 42).
If the airbag readiness lamp is lit, do
the following:
The driver or adult passengers should
check for objects that lodged underneath
the front passenger seat, or cargo
interfering with the seat.
If there are lodged objects, or cargo is
interfering with the seat, take the following
steps to remove the obstruction:
• Pull the vehicle over.
• Turn the vehicle off.
• Driver or adult passengers should
check for any objects lodged
underneath the front passenger seat
or cargo interfering with the seat.
• Remove the obstruction(s) (if found).
• Restart the vehicle.
39
Supplementary Restraints System

• Wait at least two minutes and verify
that the airbag readiness lamp is no
longer illuminated.
• If the airbag readiness lamp remains
illuminated, this may or may not be a
problem due to the front passenger
sensing system.
Do not attempt to repair or service the
system; take your vehicle immediately to
an authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced
front airbag system to accommodate a
person with disabilities, contact your
authorized dealer.
SIDE AIRBAGS
WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the airbag
cover, on the side of the seatbacks
(of the front seats), or in front seat areas
that may come into contact with a
deploying airbag. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of
personal injury in the event of a crash.
Do not use accessory seat covers.
The use of accessory seat covers
may prevent the deployment of the
side airbags and increase the risk of injury
in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door.
The side airbag could injure you as it
deploys from the side of the
seatback.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag, its fuses or the
seat cover on a seat containing an
airbag as you could be seriously injured or
killed. Contact your authorized dealer as
soon as possible.
WARNINGS
If the side airbag has deployed, the
airbag will not function again. The
side airbag system (including the
seat) must be inspected and serviced by
an authorized dealer. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase
the risk of injury in a crash.
The side airbags are located on the
outboard side of the seatbacks of the front
seats. In certain sideways crashes, the
airbag on the side affected by the crash
will be inflated. The airbag was designed
to inflate between the door panel and
occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact crashes.
E152533
The system consists of the following:
• A label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are fitted
to your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the driver
and front passenger seatbacks.
• Front passenger sensing system.
·Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 42).
Note:The passenger sensing system will
deactivate the passenger seat-mounted
side airbag if it detects an empty passenger
seat.
40
Supplementary Restraints System

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.
SAFETY CANOPY™
WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the headliner
at the siderail that may come into
contact with a deploying curtain airbag.
Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash.
Do not lean your head on the door.
The curtain airbag could injure you
as it deploys from the headliner.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the curtain airbags, its fuses,
the A, B, or C pillar trim, or the
headliner on a vehicle containing curtain
airbags as you could be seriously injured
or killed. Contact your authorized dealer
as soon as possible.
All occupants of your vehicle
including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system and
curtain airbag is provided. Failure to
properly wear your safety belt could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
To reduce risk of injury, do not
obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the curtain
airbag.
WARNINGS
If the curtain airbags have deployed,
the curtain airbags will not function
again. The curtain airbags (including
the A, B and C pillar trim and headliner)
must be inspected and serviced by an
authorized dealer. If the curtain airbag is
not replaced, the unrepaired area will
increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The Safety Canopy will deploy during
significant side crashes or when a certain
likelihood of a rollover event is detected
by the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopy
is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet
metal, behind the headliner, above each
row of seats. In certain sideways crashes
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy will
be activated, regardless of which seats are
occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed
to inflate between the side window area
and occupants to further enhance
protection provided in side impact crashes
and rollover events.
E75004
The system consists of the following:
• Safety canopy curtain airbags located
above the trim panels over the front
and rear side windows identified by a
label or wording on the headliner or
roof-pillar trim.
• A flexible headliner which opens above
the side doors to allow air curtain
deployment
41
Supplementary Restraints System

• The crash sensors and monitoring
system have a readiness indicator. See
Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator
(page 42).
Children 12 years old and under should
always be properly restrained in the rear
seats. The Safety Canopy will not interfere
with children restrained using a properly
installed child or booster seat because it
is designed to inflate downward from the
headliner above the doors along the side
window opening.
The design and development of the Safety
Canopy 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
(including the Safety Canopy).
CRASH SENSORS AND
AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING
Modifying or adding equipment to
the front end of your vehicle
(including frame, bumper, front end
body structure and tow hooks) may affect
the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify
the front end of your vehicle.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash and
occupant sensors which provide
information to the restraints control
module which deploys (activates) the
front safety belt pretensioners, driver
airbag, passenger airbag, seat mounted
side airbags, and the Safety Canopy. Based
on the type of accident (frontal impact,
side impact or rollover) the restraints
control module will deploy the appropriate
safety devices.
The restraints control module also
monitors the readiness of the above safety
devices plus the crash and occupant
sensors. The readiness of the safety
system is indicated by a warning indicator
light in the instrument cluster or by a
backup tone if the warning light is not
working. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by
one or more of the following:
• The readiness light will not illuminate
immediately after the ignition is turned
on.
• The readiness light will either flash or
stay lit.
• A series of five beeps will be heard. The
tone pattern will repeat periodically
until the problem, the light or both are
repaired.
If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized
dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the
system may not function properly in the
event of a crash.
42
Supplementary Restraints System