belt FORD EXPLORER 1998 2.G User Guide

All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when air bag SRS is provided.
Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near the air bag
cover on the steering wheel or in front seat areas that may come
into contact with a deploying air bag. Failure to follow this instruction
may increase the risk of personal injury in the event of a collision.
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.
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.
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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 safety seats made especially for children. Check your
local and state or provincial 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.
Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.
When possible, place children in the rear seat of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating position.
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 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.
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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.
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:
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 seat back in upright position.
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²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode.
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.
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.
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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 for that seating
position until you hear and feel the
latch engage. Make sure the tongue
is latched securely by pulling on it.
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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.
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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.
Attaching safety seats with tether straps
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 anchorage hardware
A tethered seat can be installed in the front seat. Put the tether strap
over the seatback and attach it to a anchor bracket.
An anchor bracket can be installed on the rear edge of the front seat
cushion.
The provision (attaching hole) is provided in the rear edge of the front
passenger seat cushion frame. The anchorbracket must be installed using
the instructions provided with the kit.
Tether anchorage hardware kits (part number 613D74) including
instructions, may be obtained at no charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Tighten the anchor according to specifications. Otherwise, the
safety seat may not be properly secured and the child may be
injured in a sudden stop or collision.
BUILT-IN CHILD SEATS
Built-in child safety seat (if equipped)
The rear seat may include a built-in child seat. This child seat conforms
to all Federal and local motor vehicle safety standard. Read the labels
located on the child seat cushion and shoulder belt for information on
the built-in child seat.
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Use the built-in child seatonlyif the child is at least 9 months old,
weighs 9±29 kg (20±60 lb) and the child's shoulders (top) are below the
shoulder harness slots in the built-in child seat.
Children not meeting these requirements should be secured in an
approved aftermarket seat. Refer toChildren and infant or child
safety seatsin this chapter.
Placing your child in the built-in child seat
Failure to follow all of the instructions on the use of this child
restraint system can result in your child striking the vehicle's
interior during a sudden stop or crash.
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 25 mm (1 inch),
then slide hand under the head
restraint and slide upwards to the
full position.
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4. Unfold the cushion protector flap
onto adult seat cushion
5. If connected, disconnect the chest clip and buckles.
6. Place the child in the seat and
position the left shoulder belt over
the child's left shoulder first, then
place the right shoulder belt over
the child's right shoulder.
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7. Insert the left and right safety
belt tongues into the left and right
slots of the crotch buckle. Verify
that the indicator window on each
tongue is green to ensure proper
safety belt connections.
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.
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