FORD EXPEDITION EL 2009 Owners Manual

Safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and right
front passenger. Adjust the height of
the shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To lower the shoulder belt height,
squeeze the side release buttons
with your thumb and finger and
slide the height adjuster down. To
raise the height of the shoulder belt,
squeeze the side release buttons
and slide the height adjuster up. Pull down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.
WARNING: Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt
and increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Second row comfort guide
The second row outboard
lap/shoulder belt is equipped with a
belt comfort guide. This guide is
attached to the quarter trim panel
and is used to adjust the comfort of
the shoulder belt for smaller
occupants in the outboard second
row seats.
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To adjust the comfort guide:
1. Slip the shoulder belt into the
belt guide. (The portion of the belt
between the latch tongue and the
D-ring, not the portion where the
belt exits from the quarter trim
panel.)
2. Slide the guide up or down along
the webbing so that the belt is
centered on the occupant’s shoulder.
WARNING: Position the safety belt comfort guide so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety
belt and increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is an 8 inch
(20 cm) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly can be obtained 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.
WARNING: Do not use extensions to change the fit of the
shoulder belt across the torso.
Safety belt warning light and indicator chime
The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
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Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position... The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding... The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position... The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
Belt-Minder 
The Belt-Minder
feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the
driver that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently
sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the
instrument cluster.
When the Belt-Minder
feature is activated, the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime sounds for 6 seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for approximately 5 minutes or until the safety
belts are buckled.
The Belt-Minder
feature uses two different warning chimes. During the
first minute of activation, the warning chime will sound once every
second. The remaining warning chimes will sound twice every second
while the system is activated.
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If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is
not buckled approximately
five seconds after the safety
belt warning light has
turned off... The Belt-Minder
feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light illuminates
and the warning chime sounds for six
seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for
approximately five minutes or until safety
belt is buckled.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the safety
belt indicator light is
illuminated and the safety
belt warning chime is
sounding... The Belt-Minder
feature will not
activate.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position... The Belt-Minder
feature will not
activate.
The purpose of the Belt-Minder
is to remind occasional wearers to wear
safety belts all of the time.
The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)
Reasons given... Consider...
“Crashes are rare events” 36700 crashes occur every day. The
more we drive, the more we are exposed
to “rare” events, even for good drivers.
1 in 4 of us will be seriously injured in
a crash during our lifetime.
“I’m not going far” 3of4 fatal crashes occur within 25 miles
of home.
“Belts are uncomfortable” We design our safety belts to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable - try
different positions for the safety belt
upper anchorage and seatback which
should be as upright as possible; this can
improve comfort.
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Reasons given... Consider...
“I was in a hurry” Prime time for an accident.
Belt-Minder
reminds us to take a few
seconds to buckle up.
“Safety belts don’t work” Safety belts, when used properly,
reduce risk of death to front seat
occupants by 45% in cars, and by 60%
in light trucks.
“Traffic is light” Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes, many when no
other vehicles are around.
“Belts wrinkle my clothes” Possibly, but a serious crash can do much
more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.
“The people I’m with don’t
wear belts” Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with TWO or
MORE people. Children and younger
brothers/sisters imitate behavior they see.
“I have an airbag” Airbags offer greater protection when
used with safety belts. Frontal airbags are
not designed to inflate in rear and side
crashes or rollovers.
“I’d rather be thrown clear” Not a good idea. People who are ejected
are 40 times more likely to DIE.
Safety belts help prevent ejection, WE
CAN’T “PICK OUR CRASH”.
WARNING: Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt or insert a
latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minder
chime. To
do so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag
system
One-time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition on cycle, Belt-Minder
will be disabled for that ignition cycle
only.
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Deactivating/activating the Belt-Minder  feature (if equipped)
Read Step s1-4t horoughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The driver Belt-Minder
feature can be deactivated/activated by
performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
• The parking brake is set
• The gearshift is in P (Park)
• The ignition switch is in the off position
• The driver and passenger safety belts are unbuckled
WARNING: While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder
, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you
leave the Belt-Minder
system activated for yourself and others who
may use the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not
deactivate/activate the Belt-Minder
feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the on position. DO NOT START THE
ENGINE.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (Approximately one
minute).
• Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
3. At a moderate speed, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt nine times,
ending in the unbuckled state. Step 3 must be completed within
50 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns off.
• After Step 3, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
4. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
• This will disable the Belt-Minder
feature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds.
• This will enable the Belt-Minder
feature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by three
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seconds with the light off, then followed by the safety belt warning
light flashing four times per second for three seconds again.
AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important SRS precautions
The SRS is designed to work with
the safety belt to help protect the
driver and right front passenger
from certain upper body injuries.
Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a
deploying airbag.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air
bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
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WARNING: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.
WARNING: Never place your arm over the airbag module as a
deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries.
To properly position yourself away from the airbag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position.
WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the airbag module.
Placing objects on or over the airbag inflation area may cause
those objects to be propelled by the airbag into your face and torso
causing serious injury.
WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. Contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING: The front passenger airbag is not designed to offer
protection to an occupant in the center front seating position.
WARNING: Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
the 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 the
vehicle.
WARNING: Additional equipment may affect the performance of
the airbag sensors increasing the risk of injury.
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Children and airbags
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 collision.
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 all the
way back.
How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?
The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates airbag
inflation.
The fact that the airbags 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. The 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.
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The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
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
airbag. 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 airbag may also cause abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags 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 airbag deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be
properly restrained as far away from the airbag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.
WARNING: Several air bag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
WARNING: If the airbag has deployed, the airbag will not
function again and must be replaced immediately. If the
airbag is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger airbag modules (which include the inflators and
airbags),
• seat-mounted side airbags. Refer to Seat-mounted side airbag system
later in this chapter
• Safety Canopy
system. Refer to Safety Canopy
system later in this
chapter.
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