seats FORD EXPLORER 2023 User Guide

BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING: Do not put the shouldersection of the seatbelt or allow the childto put the shoulder section of theseatbelt under their arm or behind theirback. Failure to follow this instructioncould reduce the effectiveness of theseatbelt and increase the risk of injury ordeath in a crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety restraint(generally children who are less than 57 in(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age 4 andless than age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg)and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb(45 kg) if recommended by your childrestraint manufacturer). Many state andprovincial laws require that children useapproved booster seats until they reachage eight, a height of 57 in (1.45 m) tall, or80 lb (36 kg).
Booster seats should be used until you cananswer YES to ALL of these questionswhen seated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way backagainst their vehicle seat backrest withknees bent comfortably at the edge ofthe seat cushion?
•Can the child sit without slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across thehips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on theshoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this forthe whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunctionwith your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has aremovable shield, remove the shield. If avehicle seating position has a low seatbackrest or no head restraint, a backlessbooster seat may place your child's head(as measured at the tops of the ears)above the top of the seat. In this case,move the backless booster to anotherseating position with a higher seat backrestor head restraint and lap and shoulderbelts, or consider using a high back boosterseat.
33
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingChild SafetyE142595 E68924

•High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannotfind a seating position that adequatelysupports your child's head, a high backbooster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size andshape. Choose a booster that keeps thelap belt low and snug across the hips,never up across the stomach, and lets youadjust the shoulder belt to cross the chestand rest snugly near the center of theshoulder. The following drawings comparethe ideal fit (center) to a shoulder beltuncomfortably close to the neck and ashoulder belt that could slip off theshoulder. The drawings also show how thelap belt should be low and snug across thechild's hips.
34
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingChild SafetyE70710 E142596 E142597

If the booster seat slides on the vehicleseat upon which it is being used, placing arubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpetliner under the booster seat may improvethis condition. Do not introduce any itemthicker than this under the booster seat.Check with the booster seatmanufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
WARNING: Properly securechildren 12 years old and under in a rearseating position whenever possible. Ifyou are unable to properly secure allchildren in a rear seating position,properly secure the largest child on thefront seat. If you must use a forwardfacing child restraint on the front seat,move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Always carefully followthe instructions and warnings providedby the manufacturer of any childrestraint to determine if the restraintdevice is appropriate for your child's size,height, weight, or age. Follow the childrestraint manufacturer's instructions andwarnings provided for installation anduse in conjunction with the instructions
and warnings provided by your vehiclemanufacturer. A safety seat that isimproperly installed or utilized, isinappropriate for your child's height, age,or weight or does not properly fit thechild may increase the risk of seriousinjury or death.
WARNING: Do not allow apassenger to hold a child on their lapwhen your vehicle is moving. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death in the event of asudden stop or crash.
WARNING: Do not use pillows,books or towels to boost your child'sheight. Failure to follow this instructioncould result in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Properly secure childrestraints or booster seats when they arenot in use. They could become projectilesin a sudden stop or crash. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
WARNING: Do not put the shouldersection of the seatbelt or allow the childto put the shoulder section of theseatbelt under their arm or behind theirback. Failure to follow this instructioncould reduce the effectiveness of theseatbelt and increase the risk of injury ordeath in a crash.
WARNING: Do not leave childrenor pets unattended in your vehicle.Failure to follow this instruction couldresult in personal injury or death.
35
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingChild Safety

Recommendations for Attaching Child Safety Restraints for Children
Use Any Attachment Method as Indicated Below by X
CombinedWeight ofChild andChildRestraint
RestraintType
SeatbeltOnlySeatbeltand LATCH(LowerAnchorsand TopTetherAnchor)
Seatbeltand TopTetherAnchor
LATCH(LowerAnchorsOnly)
LATCH(LowerAnchorsand TopTetherAnchor)
XXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)
Rear facingchildrestraint
XOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)
Rear facingchildrestraint
XXXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)
Forwardfacingchildrestraint
XXOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)
Forwardfacingchildrestraint
Note:The child restraint must rest tightlyagainst the vehicle seat upon which it isinstalled. It may be necessary to lift orremove the head restraint. See Seats (page144).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
WARNING: You cannot open therear doors from inside if you have put thechild safety locks on.
36
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingChild Safety

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ridewith your seatback upright and the lapbelt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING: Children must alwaysbe properly restrained.
WARNING: Do not allow apassenger to hold a child on their lapwhen your vehicle is moving. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death in the event of asudden stop or crash.
WARNING: All occupants of yourvehicle, including the driver, shouldalways properly wear their seatbelts,even when an airbag supplementalrestraint system is provided. Failure toproperly wear your seatbelt couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: It is extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area, insideor outside of a vehicle. In a crash, peopleriding in these areas are more likely to beseriously injured or killed. Do not allowpeople to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not equipped with seats andseatbelts. Make sure everyone in yourvehicle is in a seat and properly using aseatbelt. Failure to follow this warningcould result in serious personal injury ordeath.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, anunbelted person is significantly morelikely to die than a person wearing aseatbelt.
WARNING: Each seating positionin your vehicle has a specific seatbeltassembly made up of one buckle andone tongue designed to be used as a pair.Use the shoulder belt on the outsideshoulder only. Never wear the shoulderbelt under the arm. Never use a singleseatbelt for more than one person.
WARNING: Even with advancedrestraints systems, properly restrainchildren 12 and under in a rear seatingposition. Failure to follow this couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: Seatbelts and seatsmay be hot in a vehicle that is in thesunshine. The hot seatbelts or seats mayburn a small child. Check seat covers andbuckles before you place a childanywhere near them.
All seating positions in your vehicle havelap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupantsof the vehicle should always properly weartheir seatbelts, even when an airbagsupplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
•Shoulder seatbelt with automaticlocking mode, (except driver seatbelt).
•Height adjuster at the front outermostseating positions.
•Seatbelt pretensioners at the frontoutermost and second row outermostseating positions.
•Belt tension sensor at the frontoutermost passenger seating position.
•Seatbelt warning light and chime.
38
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingSeatbeltsE71880

Seatbelt fastened.A
Seatbelt not fastened.B
Seatbelt recently unfastened.C
FaultD
Deactivating and Activating theBelt-Minder Feature - Front outermostseats only
WARNING: While the systemallows you to deactivate it, this systemis designed to improve your chances ofbeing safely belted and surviving anaccident. We recommend you leave thesystem activated for yourself and otherswho may use the vehicle.
Note:The driver and front passengerwarnings switch on and off independently.When you perform this procedure for oneseating position, do not buckle the otherposition as this terminates the process.
Read Steps 1 - 4 before starting theprocedure.
Make sure that:
•You set the parking brake.
•The transmission is in park (P).
•The ignition is off.
•You close all vehicle doors.
•You unbuckle the driver and frontpassenger seatbelts.
1.Switch the ignition on. Do not start theengine.
2.Wait until the seatbelt warning lampturns off (about one minute). AfterStep 2, wait an additional five secondsbefore proceeding with Step 3. Onceyou start Step 3, you must completethe procedure within 60 seconds.
3.For the seating position you areswitching off, buckle then unbuckle theseatbelt three times at a moderatespeed, ending in the unbuckled state.After Step 3, the seatbelt warning lampturns on.
4.When the seatbelt warning lamp is on,buckle then unbuckle the seatbelt.After Step 4, the seatbelt warning lampflashes for confirmation.
•This switches the feature off if it iscurrently on.
•This switches the feature on if it iscurrently off.
CHILD RESTRAINT AND
SEATBELT MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle seatbelts and childsafety seat systems periodically to makesure they work properly and are notdamaged. Inspect the vehicle and childrestraint seatbelts to make sure there areno nicks, tears or cuts. Replace ifnecessary. All vehicle seatbelt assemblies,including retractors, buckles, front seatbeltbuckle assemblies, buckle supportassemblies (slide bar-if equipped),shoulder belt height adjusters (ifequipped), shoulder belt guide on seatbackrest (if equipped), child safety seatLATCH and tether anchors, and attachinghardware, should be inspected after acrash. Read the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions for additionalinspection and maintenance informationspecific to the child restraint.
43
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingSeatbeltsE274703

After all occupants have adjusted theirseats and put on seatbelts, it is veryimportant that they continue to sitproperly. A properly seated occupant sitsupright, leaning against the seatback, andcentered on the seat cushion, with theirfeet comfortably extended on the floor.Sitting improperly can increase the chanceof injury in a crash event. For example, ifan occupant slouches, lies down, turnssideways, sits forward, leans forward orsideways, or puts one or both feet up, thechance of injury during a crash is greatlyincreased.
Children and Airbags
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injurea child in a child restraint. Never place arear-facing child restraint in front of anactive airbag. If you must use aforward-facing child restraint in the frontseat, move the seat upon which the childrestraint is installed all the way back.
Children must always be properlyrestrained. Accident statistics suggest thatchildren are safer when properly restrainedin the rear seating positions than in thefront seating position. Failure to followthese instructions may increase the risk ofinjury in a crash.
FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM
WARNING: Even with advancedrestraints systems, properly restrainchildren 12 and under in a rear seatingposition. Failure to follow this couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: Sitting improperly, outof position or with the seatback reclinedtoo far can take weight off the seatcushion and affect the decision of thepassenger sensing system, resulting inserious injury or death in the event of acrash. Always sit upright against yourseat back, with your feet on the floor.
WARNING: Any alteration ormodification to the front passenger seatmay affect the performance of the frontpassenger sensing system. This couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
This system works with sensors that arepart of the front passenger seat andseatbelt to detect the presence of aproperly-seated occupant and determineif the front passenger frontal airbag shouldbe enabled (may inflate) or not.
The front passenger sensing system usesa passenger airbag status indicator thatilluminates indicating that the frontpassenger frontal airbag is either on(enabled) or off (disabled).
48
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingSupplementary Restraints SystemE142846 E181984

After all occupants have adjusted theirseats and put on seatbelts, it is veryimportant that they continue to sitproperly. A properly seated occupant sitsupright, leaning against the seat backrest,and centered on the seat cushion, withtheir feet comfortably extended on thefloor. Sitting improperly can increase thechance of injury in a crash event. Forexample, if an occupant slouches, liesdown, turns sideways, sits forward, leansforward or sideways, or puts one or bothfeet up, the chance of injury during a crashgreatly increases.
Make sure the front passengersensing system is operatingproperly. See Crash Sensorsand Airbag Indicator (page 52).
Do not attempt to repair or service thesystem. Take your vehicle immediately toan authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advancedfront airbag system to accommodate aperson with disabilities, contact ourCustomer Relationship Center. SeeGetting the Services You Need (page298).
SIDE AIRBAGS
WARNING: Do not place objectsor mount equipment on or near theairbag cover, on the side of the front orrear seatbacks, or in areas that maycome into contact with a deployingairbag. Failure to follow theseinstructions may increase the risk ofpersonal injury in the event of a crash.
WARNING: Accessory seat coversnot released by Ford Motor Companycould prevent the deployment of theairbags and increase the risk of injuriesin a crash.
WARNING: Do not lean your headon the door. The side airbag could injureyou as it deploys from the side of theseatback.
WARNING: Do not attempt toservice, repair, or modify thesupplementary restraint system orassociated components. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
WARNING: If a supplementaryrestraint system component hasdeployed, it will not function again. Havethe system and associated componentsinspected as soon as possible. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
The side airbags are on the outermost sideof the front seat backrests. In certainsideways crashes or rollover events, theside airbags will be inflated. The airbagwas designed to inflate between the doorpanel and occupant to further enhance theprotection provided to occupants in sideimpact crashes.
50
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingSupplementary Restraints SystemE67017 E152533

The Safety Canopy will deploy duringsignificant side crashes or when a certainlikelihood of a rollover event is detectedby the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopyis mounted to the roof side-rail sheetmetal, behind the headliner, above eachrow of seats. In certain sideways crashesor rollover events, the Safety Canopy willbe activated, regardless of which seats areoccupied. The Safety Canopy is designedto inflate between the side window areaand occupants to further enhanceprotection provided in side impact crashesand rollover events.
The system consists of the following:
•Safety canopy curtain airbags abovethe trim panels over the front and rearside windows identified by a label orwording on the headliner or roof-pillartrim.
•A flexible headliner which opens abovethe side doors to allow air curtaindeployment
· Crash sensors and monitoringsystem with readiness indicator.See Crash Sensors and AirbagIndicator (page 52).
Always properly restrain children 12 yearsold and under in the rear seats. The SafetyCanopy will not interfere with childrenrestrained using a properly installed childor booster seat because it is designed toinflate downward from the headliner abovethe doors along the side window opening.
The design and development of the SafetyCanopy included recommended testingprocedures that were developed by agroup of automotive safety experts knownas the Side Airbag Technical WorkingGroup. These recommended testingprocedures help reduce the risk of injuriesrelated to the deployment of side airbags(including the Safety Canopy).
CRASH SENSORS AND
AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING: Modifying or addingequipment to the front of your vehiclecould affect the performance of theairbag system, increasing the risk ofinjury. This includes the hood, bumpersystem, frame, front body structure, towhooks, hood pins, push bar andsnowplows.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash andoccupant sensors which provideinformation to the restraints controlmodule. The restraints control moduledeploys (activates) the seatbeltpretensioners, driver airbag, passengerairbag, knee airbag(s), seat mounted sideairbags and the Safety Canopy. Based onthe type of crash, the restraints controlmodule deploys the appropriate safetydevices.
52
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingSupplementary Restraints System E75004 E67017

POWER LIFTGATE
WARNING: It is extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area, insideor outside of a vehicle. In a crash, peopleriding in these areas are more likely to beseriously injured or killed. Do not allowpeople to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not equipped with seats andseatbelts. Make sure everyone in yourvehicle is in a seat and properly using aseatbelt. Failure to follow this warningcould result in serious personal injury ordeath.
WARNING: Make sure that you fullyclose the liftgate to prevent exhaustfumes from entering your vehicle. If youare unable to fully close the liftgate,open the air vents or the windows toallow fresh air to enter your vehicle.Failure to follow this instruction couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Keep keys out of reachof children. Do not allow children tooperate or play near an open or movingpower liftgate. You should supervise theoperation of the power liftgate at alltimes.
Note: Make sure that you close the liftgatebefore operating or moving your vehicle,especially in an enclosure, like a garage ora parking structure. This could damage theliftgate and its components.
Note: Do not hang anything, for examplea bike rack, from the glass or liftgate. Thiscould damage the liftgate and itscomponents.
Note:Make sure that you fully close theliftgate to prevent cargo from falling out.
The liftgate only operates with thetransmission in park (P).
If there is a problem with the open or closerequest, a tone sounds for one of thefollowing reasons:
•The ignition is on and the transmissionis not in park (P).
•The battery voltage is below theminimum operating voltage.
•The liftgate is not fully closed and yourvehicle speed is at or above 3 mph(5 km/h).
If the liftgate starts to close after it hasfully opened, this indicates there may beexcessive weight on the liftgate or apossible strut failure. A repetitive tonesounds and the liftgate closes undercontrol. If the liftgate continues to closeafter opening, have the system checkedby an authorized dealer. Remove anyexcessive weight from the liftgate.
Opening and Closing the Liftgate
WARNING: Make sure all personsare clear of the power liftgate areabefore using the power liftgate control.
Note: Make sure the area behind yourvehicle is free from obstruction and thatthere is enough room for you to operate theliftgate. Objects too close to your vehicle,for example a wall, garage door or anothervehicle may come into contact with themoving liftgate. This could damage theliftgate and its components.
Note:Be careful when opening or closingthe liftgate in a garage or other enclosedarea to avoid damaging the liftgate.
Note: Do not leave the liftgate open whenyou are driving. This could damage theliftgate and its components.
73
2023 Explorer (CTW) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 202209, First-PrintingLiftgate