FORD F150 1998 10.G Repair Manual

The right front passenger
air bag is not designed to
restrain occupants in the center
front seating position.
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.
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61

Air bag can kill or injure a
child in a child seat. Child
seats should never be placed in
the front seats, unless passenger
air bag switch is turned off. See
Passenger air bag deactivate
switch.
How does the air bag
supplemental restraint system
work?
The SRS is designed to activate
when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
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
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation.
The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation.
After air bag deployment, it is
normal to notice a smoke-like,
powdery residue or smell the burnt
propellant. This may consist of
cornstarch, talcum powder (to
lubricate the bag) or sodium
compounds (e.g., baking soda) that
result from the combustion process
that inflates the air bag. Small
amounts of sodium hydroxide may
be present which may irritate the
skin and eyes, but none of the
residue is toxic.
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62

Several air bag system
components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them
after inflation.
If the air bag is inflated,
the air bag will not
function again and must be
replaced immediately.Ifthe
air bag is not replaced, the
unrepaired area will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
The SRS consists of:
²driver and passenger air bag
modules (which include the
inflators and air bags),
²one or more impact and safing
sensors,
²a readiness light and tone
²and the electrical wiring which
connects the components.
The diagnostic module monitors its
own internal circuits and the
supplemental air bag electrical
system warning (including the
impact sensors), the system wiring,
the air bag system readiness light,
the air bag back up power and the
air bag ignitors.
Determining if the system is
operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in
the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the
system. Refer to theAir bag
readinesssection in the
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63

Instrumentationchapter. Routine
maintenance of the air bag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is
indicated by one or more of the
following:
²The readiness light will either
flash or stay lit.
²The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
²A series of five beeps will be
heard. The tone pattern will
repeat periodically until the
problem and light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the SRS
serviced at your dealership or by a
qualified technician immediately.
Unless serviced, the system may
not function properly in the event
of 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.
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64

Passenger air bag deactivate
switch
Your vehicle has a passenger air
bag deactivate switch. This switch
MUST be used to activate or
deactivate the passenger air bag
whenever a child seat is used in
the right front or center front
passenger seat position.
Keep the passenger air bag
turned on unless there is a
child 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.
If the passenger air bag switch is
turned off, it increases the
likelihood of injury to forward
facing occupants in the passenger
seat.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
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65

Turning the passenger
air bag off
1. Insert the ignition key, turn the
switch to OFF and remove the key.
2. When the ignition is turned to
the ON position the OFF light
illuminates briefly, momentarily
shuts off and then turns back on.
This indicates that the passenger
air bag is deactivated.
If the light fails to
illuminate when the
passenger air bag switch is in the
OFF position and the ignition
switch is in ON, have the
passenger air bag switch serviced
at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer immediately.
In order to avoid
inadvertent deployment of
the passenger air bag, always
remove the ignition key from the
passenger air bag deactivate
switch.
Turning the passenger air bag
back on
The passenger air bag remains
OFF until you turn it back ON.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
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66

1. Insert the ignition key and turn
the switch to ON.
2. The OFF light will briefly
illuminate when the ignition is
turned to On. This indicates that
the passenger air bag is
operational.
If the light is illuminated
when the passenger air
bag switch is in the ON position
and the ignition switch is in ON,
have the passenger air bag
switch serviced at your Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer
immediately.
Keep the passenger air bag
turned on unless there is a
child 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.
PASSENGER AIRBAG
ON
OFF OFF
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67

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.
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68

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.
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.
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69

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.
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