lock FORD EXPLORER 2008 4.G Workshop Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: FORD, Model Year: 2008, Model line: EXPLORER, Model: FORD EXPLORER 2008 4.GPages: 384, PDF Size: 3.31 MB
Page 174 of 384

4. Lift up on the head restraint until
it locks into its original position.
Before returning the seatback to its original position, make sure
that cargo or any objects are not trapped behind the seatback.
After returning the seatback to its original position, pull on the
seatback to ensure that it has fully latched. An unlatched seat may
become dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or collision.
Note: In vehicles equipped with 3rd row seats, the 2nd row
recline/unlatch handle on the outboard sides of both 60% and 40% seats
should not be used as a grab handle to raise the entire seat up from
cargo mode (kneeling position), or to lower it from its tumbled position.
This handle is there only to recline the seat back and to unlatch the rear
seat/floor attachment, in order to tumble the seat in the forward
direction. To raise the seat up from the cargo mode (kneeling position),
the entire seat should be lifted up using the seat back or the seat
cushion area as a grabbing surface.
Exiting the 3rd row
1. Lower the head restraints. See
Folding down the 2nd row 60/40
seats and buckets seatsearlier in
this section.
2. Pull on the lever/strap (as
equipped) located at the bottom
right of the seat back to release the
seat from the floor, and rotate the
seat up towards the front seat.
3. Follow the directions above to
return the seatback from the load floor and to the upright position.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
174
Page 176 of 384

The control buttons are located on
the driver-side rear quarter trim
panel (accessible from the liftgate
area).
Push the bottom portion of the
control button to lower the desired
seatback.
Push the top of the control button
to return the seatback to its original
position.
The power fold down seats will operate for 30 minutes after the
ignition switch is in the 1 (OFF/Lock) position. The transmission
must be in P (Park), and the liftgate or liftgate glass must be
open. Similar to the Battery Saver feature, the power 3rd row
seat will be disabled 30 minutes after turning the vehicle off. If
the power 3rd row seat is disabled after 30 minutes, the seat can
be enabled by opening any door, pressing the unlock control on
the remote entry transmitter, pressing any keyless keypad button
(if equipped), or turning the ignition key.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
176
Page 181 of 384

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a safety belt.
Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt
assembly which is made up of one buckle and one tongue that
are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the
outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm. 2)
Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside shoulder.
3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been
closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check
seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.
Energy Management Feature
•This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management
feature at the front seating positions to help further reduce the risk of
injury in the event of a head-on collision.
•This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to
extend the safety belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps
reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the safety belt assembly automatic locking retractor feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly when checked
by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the Belt and Retractor
assembly could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
181
Page 182 of 384

Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Front and rear seats
2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the
buckle.
•Front and rear seats
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph (8
km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
182
Page 183 of 384

Automatic locking mode
When to use the automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
This mode should be usedany timea child safety seat, except a
booster, is installed in passenger front or rear seating positions. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in the rear seat
whenever possible. Refer toSafety restraints for childrenorSafety
seats for childrenlater in this chapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
•Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
183
Page 184 of 384

•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive mode.
After any vehicle collision, the combination lap and shoulder belt
system at all passenger seating positions must be checked by an
authorized dealer to verify that the “automatic locking retractor”
feature for child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other
checks for proper safety belt system function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the safety belt assembly “automatic locking retractor” feature or
any other safety belt function is not operating properly. In addition, all
safety belts should be checked for proper function. Failure to replace
the belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
right front passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioner tightens the safety belts firmly against the
occupant’s body at the start of the crash.
When the Safety Canopy™ system, seat-mounted side airbags, and/or the
front airbags are activated, the safety belt pretensioners for the driver
and right front passenger seating positions will be activated when the
respective seatbelt is properly buckled.
The driver and front passenger safety belt system (including
retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be replaced if the
vehicle is involved in a collision that results in deployment of front
airbags, seat-mounted side airbags and Safety Canopy™, and safety
belt pretensioners.
Refer to theSafety belt maintenancesection in this chapter.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
184
Page 185 of 384

Front safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments at the front outboard
seating positions. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height,
squeeze and hold the buttons on the
side and slide the height adjuster up
or down. Release the buttons and
pull down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.
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 safety 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.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
185
Page 209 of 384

•Those with a high back.
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequately supports your
child’s head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
Either type can be used at any seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lb. (18 kg).
If needed, when installing some high back child restraints, the head
restraints of the second row seating positions can be removed. Insert a
thin pointed object, such as a paper clip or pushpin, into the hole of
each head restraint guide and while lifting up remove the head restraint.
Store the head restraint in a secure location in the vehicle. To re-install
the head restraint, line the posts up in the holes on the seat back with
the head restraint strap facing the outside of the vehicle and push down
until the head restraint locks into place. Lift gently to ensure it is locked
into place.
If the head restraint has been removed from a seating position to
accommodate a high back child restraint, the head restraint must
be re-installed prior to use of the seat by any other occupant in order
to reduce the risk of personal injury in the event of a collision.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
209
Page 211 of 384

Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can
slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or death in a
collision.
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:
•Review and follow the information
presented in theAirbag
supplemental restraint system
(SRS) section in this chapter.
•Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
•Insert 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.
•Keep 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.
•Place seat back in upright position.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front and outboard rear seating
positions) (if equipped) section in this chapter.
•LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to
48 lb. (22 kg) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used for
children up to 60 pounds (27 kg) in a child restraint, and to provide
upper torso restraint for children up to 80 lb. (36 kg) using an upper
torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
211
Page 214 of 384

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
pulled out 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 move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward. There should be no
more than one inch of movement for
proper installation.
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 2
through 9.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
2008 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
214