lock FORD EXPLORER 1997 2.G Owner's Manual

SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Important safety restraints
precautions
The use of safety belts helps to
restrain both driver and passengers
in case of a collision. In most
states and 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.
Lock the doors of your
vehicle before driving to
lessen the risk of the door
coming open in a collision.
Cargo should always be
secured to prevent it from
shifting and causing damage to
the vehicle or harm to
passengers.
To prevent the risk of
injury, make sure children
sit where they can be properly
restrained.
uno_safety_res_prec
uno_using_sr_properly
Seating and safety restraints
83

Using safety restraints properly
Combination lap and shoulder
belts
Insert the tongue into the slot in
the buckle fasten.
Push the red release button and
remove the tongue from the slot to
unfasten.
The outboard safety restraints in
the vehicle are combination lap
and shoulder belts. The front and
rear seat passenger outboard
safety belts have two types of
locking modes.
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, turns a
corner sharply or your vehicle
receives an impact of 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 sharply on the belt.
uno_comb_lap_sh_belts
uno_man_lock_lap_sh_belt
uno_automatic_locking_mode
Seating and safety restraints
84

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 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
information on the proper use of
a child safety seat, refer to
Child safety seatslater in this
chapter.
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.
uno_when_to_use_almode
uno_using_auto_locking_mode
uno_cancel_air
Seating and safety restraints
85

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.
Front seat safety belt height
adjustment
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so that the belt rests across
the middle of your shoulder.
To lower the height of the shoulder
belt:
²Push the button down.
²Slide down.
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.uno_front_sbelt_height_adjust
uno_lap_belts
Seating and safety restraints
86

anchorage. For more information
on top tether straps seeAttaching
safety seats with tether strapsin
this chapter.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Use the correct safety belt
buckle for that seating position.
²Make 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 seatbacks in the upright
position.
²Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer
toUsing the automatic locking
modein this chapter.
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
com_installing_seats.01
Seating and safety restraints
98

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 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
Seating and safety restraints
100

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.
Attaching safety seats with
tether strap
Some manufacturers make safety
seats that include a tether strap
that goes over the back of the
vehicle seat and attaches to an
anchoring point. Other
manufacturers offer the tether
strap as an accessory. Contact the
manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
Tether anchor hardware
Attachment holes (at each rear
seating position) have been
provided in your vehicle to attach
anchor hardware, if required.
Tether anchor hardware kits (part
number 613D74), including
instructions, may be obtained at no
charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Only use the tether
attachment hole locations
shown in the illustrations. The
tether anchor may not perform
properly if the wrong mounting
location is used.
uno_tether_straps
uno_integrated_info
Seating and safety restraints
101

The second row seatback
must be fully locked before
operating the child restraint
system. Check the position of the
seatback release lever.
Never use the Built-In
Child Seat as a booster
cushion with the adult safety
belts. A child using the adult
belts could slide forward and out
from under the safety belts.
1. Grasp the strap and pull toward
you approximately one inch, then
slide hand under the head restraint
and slide upwards to the full
position.
2. Pull both Velcrotstraps to
release the child seat cushion.
Seating and safety restraints
103

If both tongues do not
latch in the buckle, do not
use the child seat. See your
dealer for repairs.
8. Fasten the right and left chest
clip halves together and adjust the
clip to comfortably hold the
shoulder belts in place over the
child's chest.
The chest clip is designed to easily
pull apart in a collision. the clip
helps to keep belts snug on a
sleeping or squirming child.
9. Pull on the safety belt tongues
to ensure that they are both
securely latched. If they are not
properly latched, repeat steps
seven and eight.
If necessary, the shoulder belt may
be put in automatic locking mode
(ALR) to limit the child's
movement in the seat. The ALR
mode should be used if the child is
sleeping or attempting to get out
of the seat.
If not placed in ALR mode, the
child seat shoulder belts are in
vehicle sensitive (emergency
locking) mode, which allow some
movement of the shoulder belts
(like adult shoulder belts).
In emergency locking mode, the
shoulder belts of the child seat will
lock in response to hard braking,
hard cornering or if your vehicle is
involved in a collision with an
impact of 8 km/h (5 mph) or more.
uno_alr_in_seat
Seating and safety restraints
106

Activating the automatic locking
mode (ALR) on the built-in child
safety seat
1. Fully extend the right shoulder
belt.
2. Allow the belts to tighten snugly
against the child's shoulders.
Deactivating the automatic
locking mode (ALR) on the
built-in child safety seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip and
remove the left and right safety
belt tongues from the crotch
buckle.
2. Allow the shoulder belts to fully
retract.
Removing your child from the
built-in child safety seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip by
squeezing the release tabs together
and pulling the two sides apart.
2. Press the release button on the
crotch buckle.
3. Slide the shoulder belts off the
child's shoulders and remove the
child from the seat.
²If ALR is activated, hold either
left or right shoulder belt out
fully while helping the child
slide arms out of the belts.
uno_canceling_alr_in_seat
uno_removing_child_from_seat
Seating and safety restraints
107