child seat FORD F150 1997 10.G Owners Manual

Auxiliary power point
This 12V power point is an
additional power source for
electrical accessories.
Do not plug optional electrical
accessories into the cigarette
lighter. Use the power point.
Passenger air bag deactivate
switch
This switch must be used to
deactivate the passenger air bag
whenever a child seat is used in
the right front or center front
passenger seat position. Refer to
Passenger air bag deactivate
switchin theSeating and safety
restraintschapter.
Audio system
Refer to the ªAudio Guideº in your
Owner's Portfolio.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
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Controls and features
22

All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts.
To prevent the risk of
injury, make sure children
sit where they can be properly
restrained.
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.
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movement of the driver and
passengers.
The front seat belt system can also
be made to lock manually by
quickly pulling on the shoulder
belt. Rear seat belts (if equipped)
cannot be made to lock up by
pulling quickly on the belt.
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.
When to use the automatic
locking mode
²When a tight lap/shoulder belt
fit is desired.
²Any time a child safety seat is
installed in the vehicle. Refer to
Children and infant or child
safety seatslater in this chapter.
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61

Using the 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.
Cancelling the automatic
locking mode
Disconnect the combination
lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
completely retract to cancel the
automatic locking mode and
activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode.
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62

Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver safety belt is not
buckled when the ignition key is
turned to On...The safety belt indicator
illuminates for 1-2 minutes and
the reminder chime sounds for 4-8
seconds.
The driver safety belt is buckled
while the indicator light is
illuminated and the reminder
chime is sounding...The safety belt indicator light and
the reminder chime turn off.
The driver safety belt is buckled
before the ignition key is turned to
On...The safety belt indicator light and
the safety belt reminder chime
remain off.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems
periodically to make sure that they
work properly and are not
damaged. Check the safety belts to
make sure that there are no nicks,
wear or cuts. If your vehicle has
been involved in an accident, have
all the safety belts and child seat
anchoring brackets (if equipped)
examined by a qualified technician.
Failure to replace the
safety belt assembly under
the above conditions could result
in severe personal injuries in the
event of a collision.
Safety belt extension assembly
For some people, the safety belt
may be too short even when it is
fully extended. You can add about
20 cm (8 in.) to the belt length
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The right front passenger
air bag is not designed to
restrain occupants in the front
seating position.
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or
near the air bag covers that may
come into contact with an
inflating air bag.
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.
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Children should always wear their
safety belts. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
Rear-facing child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in the front
seats.
How does the air bag
supplemental restraint system
work?
The SRS is designed to activate
when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration,
similar to hitting a fixed barrier
head on at 12±24 km/h (8±14
mph).
The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
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68

Keep the passenger air bag
turned on unless there is a
rear-facing infant seat installed in
the front seat. When the
passenger air bag switch is
turned off, the passenger air bag
will not inflate in a collision.
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 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.
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Always follow the instructions and
warnings that come with any infant
or child restraint you might use.
If possible, place children in the
rear seat of your vehicle. Accident
statistics suggest that children are
safer when properly restrained in
rear seating positions than when
they are restrained in front seating
positions.
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.
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