child seat FORD EXPEDITION 1997 1.G Owners Manual

4. Push up on the seat to verify
that it is latched into the floor.
5. Verify that the safety belts can
move freely on either side of the
seat.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
PRECAUTIONS
The use of safety belts helps to
restrain both driver and passengers
in case of a collision. Most states
and in Canada, the law requires
the use of safety belts.
Always drive and ride with
your seatback upright and
the lap belt snug and low across
the hips.
All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts, even when an air
bag Supplemental Restraint
System is provided.
To prevent the risk of
injury, make sure children
sit where they can be properly
restrained.
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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 or if the vehicle
receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or
more, the combination safety belts
will lock to help reduce the
forward movement of the driver
and passengers.
The retractor can be made to lock
by pulling on the belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is
automatically prelocked; however,
the belt will retract to remove any
slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not
available on the driver shoulder
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
information on the proper use of
a child safety seat, refer to
Child safety seatslater in this
chapter.
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Using automatic locking mode
The automatic locking mode must
be used when installing a 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 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.
Adjusting the lap belt
A lap belt is located in the center
of the rear seat and third row seat
(if equipped).
Because the lap belt does not have
a retractor to automatically adjust
itself during vehicle movement, the
lap belt must be adjusted before
use.
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To raise the height of the shoulder
belt:
²Slide up.
²Pull down on the height adjuster
to make sure that it is locked in
place.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically to make sure that they
work properly and are not
damaged. If your vehicle has been
involved in an accident, have all
the safety belts and child seat
anchoring brackets (if equipped)
examined by a qualified technician.
Refer toCleaning and caring for
your vehiclein theMaintenance
and carechapter for more
information on maintaining your
safety belts.
Failure to replace the
safety belt assembly
under the above conditions
could result in severe
personal injuries in the event
of a collision.
Safety belt extension assembly
For some people, the safety belt
may be too short even when it is
fully extended. You can add about
20 cm (8 in.) to the belt length
with a safety belt extension
assembly (part # 611C22). Safety
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Do not attempt to service,
repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint
System or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Children and air bags
For additional important safety
information, read all information
on safety restraints in this guide.
Children should always wear their
safety belts. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
Rear-facing child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in the front
seats.
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A difficulty with the system is
indicated by one or more of the
following:
²The readiness light will either
flash or stay lit.
²The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
²A group of five beeps will be
heard. The tone pattern will
repeat periodically until the
problem and 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.
Disposal of air bags and air bag
equipped vehicles
For disposal of air bags or air bag
equipped vehicles, see your local
dealership or qualified technician.
Air bags MUST BE disposed of by
qualified personnel.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR
CHILDREN
Important child restraint
precautions
You are required by law to use
safety restraints for children in the
U.S. and Canada. If small children
ride in your vehicle (generally
children who are four years old or
younger and who weigh 18 kg [40
lbs] or less), you must put them in
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safety seats made especially for
children. Check your local and
state laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety
of children in your vehicle.
Never let a passenger hold
a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The
passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
Do not leave children,
unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
Always follow the instructions and
warnings that come with any infant
or child restraint you might use.
If possible, place children in the
rear seat of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are
safer when properly restrained in
rear seating positions than when
they are restrained in front seating
positions.
CHILDREN AND SAFETY BELTS
Children who are too large for
child safety seats (as specified by
your child safety seat
manufacturer) should always wear
safety belts.
Follow all the important safety
restraint and air bag precautions
that apply to adult passengers in
your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt
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can be positioned so it does not
cross or rest in front of the child's
face or neck, the child should wear
the lap and shoulder belt. Moving
the child closer to the center of
the vehicle may help provide a
good shoulder belt fit.
If the shoulder belt cannot be
properly positioned:
²move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (if
equipped)
OR
²if the child is the proper size,
restrain the child in a safety
seat.
Do not leave children,
unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
To improve the fit of lap and
shoulder belts on children who
have outgrown child safety seats,
Ford recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster seat that is
labelled as conforming to all
Federal motor vehicle safety
standards. Belt-positioning booster
seats raise the child and provide a
shorter, firmer seating cushion that
encourages safer seating posture
and better fit of lap and shoulder
belts on the child. A
belt-positioning booster should be
used if the shoulder belt rests in
front of the child's face or neck, or
if the lap belt does not fit snugly
on both thighs, or if the thighs are
too short to let the child sit all the
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way back on the seat cushion
when the lower legs hang over the
edge of the seat cushion. You may
wish to discuss the special needs
of your child with your
pediatrician.
INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY
SEATS IN THE REAR SEATING
POSITIONS
To install a child safety seat in a
center rear seating position:
1. Tip the tongue and pull to
lengthen the lap belt.
2. Place the child safety seat in the
center seating position.
3. Route the lap belt through the
child safety seat according to the
manufacturer's instructions.
4. Insert the tongue into the
proper buckle.
5. Push down on the child safety
seat while pulling the loose part of
the belt webbing to tighten the
belt.
6. Before placing the child in the
safety seat, forcibly tilt the seat
from side to side and forward and
back to make sure that the seat is
held securely in place. If the child
seat moves excessively, repeat
steps five and six, install a tether
strap or properly install the child
seat in another seating position.
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Installing child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seating positions
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
If you choose to install a child
safety seat in the front passenger
seat, move the seat as far back as
possible.
Rear-facing child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in the front
seats.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
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