belt FORD EXPEDITION 2000 1.G Owner's Manual

Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of accessory seat
covers may prevent the deployment of the side air bags and
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door. The side air bag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag
Supplemental Restraint System, its fuses or the seat cover on a
seat containing an air bag. 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 is provided.
How does the side air bag system work?
The side air bag system consists of
the following:
²An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator concealed
behind the outboard bolster of
the driver and front passenger
seatbacks.
²A special seat cover designed to
allow airbag deployment.
²The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic
unit as used for the front air
bags.
²Two crash sensors located under
the outboard side of the front
seats, attached to the floor.
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
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119

properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating
position.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat.
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 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.
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 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.
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122

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Review and follow the information
presented in theAir Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
²Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
²Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the
buckle.
²Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
²Place seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front and outboard rear seating
positions) (if equipped).
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123

Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position which is capable
of providing a tether anchorage. For more information on top tether
straps, refer toAttaching safety seats with tether straps.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions included
with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install
and use the safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden
stop or collision.
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.
An air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat. If you must
use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move seat all
the way back.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
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124

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.
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125

5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
extracted and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle and
pull up on the shoulder belt while
pushing down with your knee on the
child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat steps
two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
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126

Installing child safety seat in the second row center seating
position with an automatic locking retractor
1. Place the child safety seat in the center seating position.
2. In a continuous motion, pull out enough webbing from the retractor to
route the tongue through the child seat.
3. While holding the webbing to prevent it from retracting, route the
webbing through the child seat according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle for that seating position until
you hear and feel the buckle engage. Make sure the buckle is latched
securely by pulling on the webbing.
5. If you have not pulled out enough webbing to reach, allow the
webbing to fully retract before attempting to pull it out again and repeat
steps 2 through 4.
6. Pull the webbing through the child seat toward the buckle while
pushing down with your knee on the child seat.
7. Allow the safety belt to retract to remove any slack in the belt. It will
make a clicking noise while doing this.
8. Before placing the child in the seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward and
back to make sure the seat is securely held in place.
9. Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each
use.
Installing child safety seat in the third row center seating position
(if equipped)
1. Place the child safety seat in the center seating position.
2. Route the tongue end through the child seat according to the child
seat manufacturers instructions. If the tongue will not reach the buckle,
lengthen the amount of belt by turning the tongue at a right angle to the
belt and pulling on it until it reaches the buckle. Be sure the belt
webbing is not twisted.
3. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle for that seating position
(buckle closest to the direction the tongue is coming from) until you
hear and feel the buckle engage. To tighten the belt, pull the loose end
of the belt through the tongue until all the slack is removed from the
belt. Make sure the buckle is latched securely by pulling on the webbing.
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127

PREPARING TO START YOUR VEHICLE
Engine starting is controlled by the powertrain control system. This
system meets all Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment standard
requirements regulating the impulse electrical field strength of radio
noise.
When starting a fuel-injected engine, avoid pressing the accelerator
before or during starting. Only use the accelerator when you have
difficulty starting the engine. For more information on starting the
vehicle, refer toStarting the enginein this chapter.
Extended idling at high engine speeds can produce very high
temperatures in the engine and exhaust system, creating the risk
of fire or other damage.
Do not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in dry grass or other dry
ground cover. The emission system heats up the engine
compartment and exhaust system, which can start a fire.
Do not start your vehicle in a closed garage or in other enclosed
areas. Exhaust fumes can be toxic. Always open the garage door
before you start the engine. SeeGuarding against exhaust fumesin
this chapter for more instructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes inside your vehicle, have your dealer
inspect your vehicle immediately. Do not drive if you smell
exhaust fumes.
Important safety precautions
A computer system controls the engine's idle revolutions per minute
(RPM). When the engine starts, the idle RPM runs faster to warm the
engine. If the engine idle speed does not slow down automatically, have
the vehicle checked. Do not allow the vehicle to idle for more than 10
minutes at the higher engine RPM.
Before starting the vehicle:
1. Make sure all vehicle occupants have buckled their safety belts. For
more information on safety belts and their proper usage, refer to the
Seating and safety restraintschapter.
Starting
129

Make sure the corresponding lights illuminate briefly. If a light fails to
illuminate, have the vehicle serviced.
²If the driver's safety belt is fastened, the
light may not illuminate.
STARTING THE ENGINE
1. Turn the key to 5 (START)
without pressing the accelerator
pedal and release as soon as the
engine starts. The key will return to
4 (ON).
2. If the temperature is above ±12ÉC
(10ÉF) and the engine does not
start within five seconds on the first
try, turn the key to OFF, wait 10
seconds and try again.
3. If the temperature is below -12É C (10É F) and the engine does not
start in 15 seconds on the first try, turn the key OFF and wait 10
seconds and try again. If the engine does not start in two attempts, press
the accelerator pedal all the way to floor and hold. Turn the key to
START position.
4. When the engine starts, release the key, then release the accelerator
pedal gradually as the engine speeds up.
5. After idling for a few seconds, apply the brake and release the parking
brake.
Using the engine block heater (if equipped)
An engine block heater warms the engine coolant, which improves
starting, warms up the engine faster and allows the heater-defroster
system to respond quickly. Use of an engine block heater is strongly
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BRAKEPRND2CRUISE DOOR
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SELECT/RESET
4X4
LOW
RANGE
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SUSP THEFT
FUEL DOOR SERVICE
ENGINE
SOONLOW
FUEL
0MPHRPMX1000km/h
20406080
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20
40
60
3
2
1
5
4
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To avoid injury, never run the engine with one wheel off the
ground, such as when changing a tire.
PREPARING TO DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Your vehicle has special design and equipment features to make it
capable of performing in a wide variety of circumstances. These special
design features, such as larger tires and increased ground clearance, give
the vehicle a higher center of gravity than a passenger car.
Vehicles with a higher center of gravity such as utility and
four-wheel drive vehicles handle differently than vehicles with a
lower center of gravity. Utility and four-wheel drive vehicles arenot
designed for cornering at speeds as high as passenger cars any more
than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform satisfactorily under
off-road conditions. Avoid sharp turns, excessive speed and abrupt
maneuvers in these vehicles. Failure to drive cautiously could result in
an increased risk of vehicle rollover, personal injury and death.
Loaded vehicles, with a higher center of gravity, may handle
differently than unloaded vehicles. Extra precautions, such as
slower speeds and increased stopping distance, should be taken when
driving a heavily loaded vehicle.
Your vehicle has the capability to haul more cargo and people than most
passenger cars. Depending upon the type and placement of the load,
hauling people and cargo may raise the center of gravity of the vehicle.
Use extra caution while becoming familiar with your vehicle. Know the
capabilities and limitations of both you as a driver and your vehicle.
Driving
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