belt FORD ESCORT 1997 7.G Owners Manual

Safety belt
The safety warning light/chime is a
reminder to fasten your safety belt.
One of the following will take
place:
²If the lap/shoulder belt is not
buckled before the key is turned
to the ON position, the
will
illuminate for approximately one
minute or until the safety belt is
buckled.
²If the lap/shoulder belt is
buckled while
is illuminated
and the chime is sounding, both
will turn off.
²If the lap/shoulder belt is
buckled before the key is turned
to the ON position, neither light
or chime will activate.
Upshift (if equipped)
Illuminates when it is best to shift
to the next highest manual
transaxle gear for the maximum
fuel economy.
Brake
Illuminates when the parking brake
is activated and the ignition is
keyed to ON or the brake fluid
level is low. In addition, with the
parking brake off, the light will
illuminate when the engine is
cranked.
!P
BRAKE
Instrumentation
8

Engine coolant
Illuminates when there is low
coolant level or a problem with the
engine coolant system. Stop the
vehicle and check the engine
coolant level as soon as possible.
The light will also briefly illuminate
when the ignition key is turned to
ON and the engine is off. For more
information on engine coolant,
refer toChecking and adding
engine coolantin the
Maintenance and carechapter.
Liftgate ajar (if equipped)
Illuminates when the ignition is in
the ON position and the liftgate is
open.
Many of the lights illuminate
briefly when you start the vehicle.
For more information on warning
light illumination, refer to
Preparing to start the vehiclein
theStartingchapter.
Warning chimes
Safety belt warning chime
For information on the safety belt
warning chime, refer to the
Seating and safety restraints
chapter.
Supplemental restraint system
(SRS) warning chime
For information on the SRS
warning chime, refer to the
Seating and safety restraints
chapter.
CHECK
COOLANT
Instrumentation
10

SAFETY RESTRAINTS
PRECAUTIONS
The use of safety belts helps to
restrain you and your passengers
in case of a collision. In most
states and in Canada, the law
requires the use of safety belts.
To reduce the risk of
serious injury in a
collision, always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and
the lap belt snug and low across
the hips.
Safety belts must be worn
by all vehicle occupants to
be properly restrained and help
reduce the risk of injury in a
collision.
To prevent the risk of
injury make sure children
sit where they can be properly
restrained.
It is extremely dangerous
to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In
a collision, 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.
Seating and safety restraints
55

Be sure everyone in your
vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
USING THE SAFETY
RESTRAINTS PROPERLY
Combination lap and shoulder
belts
Insert the tongue into the slot to
fasten.
Push the red release button and
remove the tongue from the slot to
unfasten.
The lap belts should fit
snugly and as low as
possible around the hips, not
around the waist.
The outboard safety restraints in
the vehicle are combination lap
and shoulder safety belts. The
front and rear seat passenger
outboard safety belts have the two
types of locking modes.
Seating and safety restraints
56

Vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the
normal retractor mode, which
locks the belts in response to
vehicle movement. For example, if
the driver brakes suddenly or turns
a corner sharply, the combination
safety belts will lock to restrain
forward movement of the driver
and passengers.
The retractor can be made to lock
by pulling sharply on the belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the occupant is
locked in a certain position by the
shoulder belt and the belt does not
adjust tightness during vehicle
movement.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic
locking mode
²When a tight lap and shoulder
belt fit is desired.
²Any timea child safety seat is
installed in the vehicle. For
more information on the proper
use of a child safety seat, refer
toChildren and infant or
child safety seatslater in this
chapter.
Seating and safety restraints
57

Using the automatic locking
mode
The automatic locking mode must
be used when installing an
aftermarket child safety seat in any
outboard passenger seat.
1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder belt portion
and pull downward until the entire
belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the
belt retracts, you will hear a
clicking sound. This indicates that
the safety belt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
Canceling the automatic locking
mode
Disconnect the combination lap
and shoulder belt and allow it to
completely retract. This will cancel
the automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency locking) mode.
Seating and safety restraints
58

Front seat safety belt height
adjustment
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
²To lower the height of the
shoulder belt:
Push the button down.
Slide down.
²To raise the height of the
shoulder belt:
Slide up.
Pull down on the height
adjustment assembly to make sure
it is locked in place.
Lap belt
A lap belt is located in the center
of the rear seat.
Adjusting the lap belt
Because the lap belt does not have
a retractor to automatically adjust
itself during vehicle movement, the
lap belt should be adjusted before
use.
²To shorten the belt:
Seating and safety restraints
59

Buckle the belt. Pull the loose end
of the belt until snug.
²To lengthen the belt:
Tip and pull the tongue.
The lap belt must fit snugly and as
low as possible around the hips.
Do not wear the lap belt around
your waist.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically for damage and to
ensure that they work properly.
Seating and safety restraints
60

The short plastic boot on the front
safety belt at the passenger
inboard buckle location covers an
energy absorbing sew pattern on
the safety belt. In the event of a
collision, the sew pattern may
release, and the orange portion of
the warning label may become
visible. If this occurs, the safety
belt and buckle must be replaced.
Failure to follow these
instructions will affect the
performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal
injury.
Seating and safety restraints
61

SAFETY BELT INDICATOR
LIGHT AND WARNING CHIME
illuminates in the instrument
cluster and a chime sounds to
remind the occupants to fasten
their safety belts.
Conditions of operation
If...Then...
The driver's safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition key is
turned to ON...The safety belt indicator
illuminates for one to two minutes
and the warning chime sounds for
4-8 seconds.
The driver's side safety belt is
buckled while the indicator light is
illuminated and the warning
chime is sounding...The safety belt indicator light and
the warning chime turn off.
The driver's safety belt is buckled
before the ignition key is turned
to ON...The safety belt indicator light and
warning chime remain off.
AIR BAG PRECAUTIONS
Your vehicle is equipped with an
air bag supplemental restraint
system (SRS) designed to work
with the safety belts to help
protect you and your right front
seat passenger in the event of a
collision.
All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts, even when an air
bag SRS is provided.
Seating and safety restraints
62