warning FORD F250 1997 Owner's Manual

107
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[SS10500(F )02/96]
Important Safety Belt Information
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[SS10600(F )02/96]
The use of safety belts helps to restrain you and
your passengers in case of a collision. In most
states and in Canada the law requires their use.
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[SS10700(F )02/96]
Safety belts provide best restraint when:
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[SS10750(F )03/96]
RWARNING
All occupants of the vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their safety
belts, failure to do so may increase the
risk of personal injury in the event of a
collision.
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[SS10800(F )02/96]
q
the seatback is upright
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[SS10900(F )02/96]
q
the occupant is sitting upright (not slouched)
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[SS11000(F )02/96]
q
the lap belt is snug and low on the hips
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[SS11100(F )02/96]
q
the shoulder belt is snug against the chest
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[SS11200(F )02/96]
q
the knees are straight forward
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[SS11300(F )02/96]
To help you remember to fasten your safety belt,
a warning light may come on and a chime may
sound. SeeSafety Belt Warning Light and Chimein
theInstrumentationchapter.
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[SS11500(F )02/96]
See the following sections in this chapter for
directions on how to properly use these safety
belts. Also seeSafety Restraints for Childrenin this
chapter for special instructions about using
safety belts for children.
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108
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[SS11600(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Always drive and ride with your seatback
upright and the lap belt snug and low
across the hips.
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[SS11650(F )05/96]
RWARNING
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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[SS11700(F )05/96]
RWARNING
Cargo should always be secured to
prevent it from shifting and causing
damage to the vehicle or harm to
passengers.
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[SS11800(F )02/96]
RWARNING
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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[SS11900(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Children should always ride with the
seatback in the fully upright position.
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109
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[SS12000(F )05/96]
RWARNING
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 it
around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for
more than one person.
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[SS12100(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Lock the doors of your vehicle before
driving to lessen the risk of the door
coming open in a collision.
% [SS12150(F )05/96]
Dual Locking Mode Retractors
[SS12200(F )01/96]
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual locking
mode retractor on the shoulder belt portion of
the combination lap/shoulder safety belt for
front seat passenger and rear seat outboard
passengers.
[SS12500(F )01/96]
Vehicle Sensitive (Emergency) Locking Mode
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[SS12600(F )01/96]
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt
retractor will allow the occupant freedom of
movement, locking tight only on hard braking,
hard cornering or impacts of approximately
5 mph (8 km/h) or more.
[SS12700(F )01/96]
The front seat belt retractor can also be made to
lock by pulling/jerking on the belt.
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112the belt tongue into the proper buckle until you
hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the
tongue is securely fastened to the buckle by
pulling on tongue.
[SS14800(F )01/96]
10-1/2 pica art:0020639-D*
[SS15100(F )05/96]
RWARNING
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 it
around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for
more than one person.
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[SS15200(F )01/96]
To tighten the lap portion of the belt, pull up on
the shoulder belt until it fits you snugly. The
belt should rest as low on your hips as possible.
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[SS15400(F )01/96]
Due to folding rear seats, sometimes the buckles
and tongues toward the center of the vehicle
may be hidden by the rear edge of the seat
cushion. Pull them out so they will be accessible.
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113 [SS15500(F )01/96]
While you are fastened in the seat belt, the
combination lap and shoulder belt adjusts to
your movement. However, if you brake hard,
turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact
of 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the lap and
shoulder belt will become locked and help
reduce your forward movement.
[SS15510(F )05/96]
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
(If equipped)
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[SS15520(F )05/96]
Driver and right front passenger
[SS15530(F )05/96]
The driver and right front passenger shoulder
belt height is adjustable to one of five (5)
positions.
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[SS15540(F )05/96]
To adjust the belt down, push the release button
on the adjuster down and slide the adjuster
down. Then release the button and make sure
the adjuster is firmly in one of the positions. To
adjust the belt up, slide the adjuster up. (You do
not have to push the release button.) Slide it up
or down until the belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder.
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[SS15550(F )05/96]
RWARNING
Position the shoulder belt height adjuster
so that the belt rests across the middle of
your shoulder. Be sure the shoulder belt is
properly positioned on your shoulder each
time you use the belt. If the shoulder belt
is off your shoulder, on your upper arm
or neck, there is a greater risk of severe
injury in a collision.
*
[SS15560(F )05/96]
NOTE: Be sure the belt is properly positioned
on your shoulder each time you use
the belt.
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120
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RWARNING
Failure to follow these instructions will
affect the performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal injury.
%
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[SS25500(F )01/96]
Safety Restraints for Children
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[SS25600(F )01/96]
In the U.S. and Canada, you are required by law
to use safety restraints for children. If small
children ride in your vehicle Ð this generally
includes children who are four years old or
younger and who weigh 40 pounds (18 kg) or
less Ð you must put them in safety seats that
are made specially for children. Safety belts
alone do not provide maximum protection for
these children. Check your local and state laws
for specific requirements.
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[SS25700(F )02/96]
RWARNING
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.
*
[SS25900(F )03/96]
RWARNING
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.
*
[SS26000(F )05/96]
When possible, put 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 positions.
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121
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[SS26100(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Do not install a child seat in a center
facing jump seat.
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[SS26200(F )01/96]
RWARNING
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.
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[SS26300(F )03/96]
RWARNING
Do not leave children, unreliable adults,
or pets unattended in your vehicle.
%*
[SS26400(F )01/96]
Safety Belts for Children
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[SS26500(F )01/96]
Children who are too large for child safety seats
should always wear safety belts. (See instructions
with your child seat, or contact its manufacturer,
to determine maximum size of child that will
safely fit in the seat.)
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[SS26600(F )01/96]
RWARNING
If safety belts are not properly worn and
adjusted as described, the risk of serious
injury to the child in a collision will be
much greater.
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[SS26700(F )01/96]
If the shoulder belt portion of one of the lap and
shoulder belts can be positioned so that 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.
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122 [SS26800(F )04/96]
RWARNING
If the shoulder belt cannot be properly
positioned, move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (preferably in a
rear seat) and use the lap belt.
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[SS26900(F )01/96]
Lap belts and the lap belt portion of lap and
shoulder belts should always be worn snugly
and below the hips, touching the child's thighs.
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[SS27000(F )02/96]
RWARNING
Children should always ride with the
seatback in the fully upright position.
%*
[SS27100(F )01/96]
Safety Seats for Children
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[SS27200(F )01/96]
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the
size and weight of the child. Always follow the
safety seat manufacturer's instructions when
installing and using the safety seat.
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[SS27300(F )01/96]
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 seeAttaching
Safety Seats With Tether Strapsin this chapter.
[SS27400(F )01/96]
When installing a child safety seat, be sure to
use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating
position making sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle and for a shoulder/lap
belt combination with a sliding tongue make
sure the retractor is in the ªautomatic locking
mode.º
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[SS28300(F )05/96]
All child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or by the
lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
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123
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[SS28400(F )03/96]
RWARNING
If you do not properly secure the safety
seat, the child occupying the seat may be
injured during a collision or sudden stop.
An unsecured safety seat could also injure
other passengers.
*
[SS28500(F )03/96]
RWARNING
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.
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[SS28600(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Seatbacks should be upright for use with
child safety seats.
*
[SS28700(F )05/96]
RWARNING
Always keep the buckle release button
pointing upward and away from the child
seat, with the tongue between the child
seat and the release button as shown in
the following illustration.
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133 %
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[SS34500(F )04/96]
Attaching Safety Seats With Tether Straps
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[SS34600(F )01/96]
General Instructions
[SS34700(F )01/96]
Some manufacturers make safety seats that
include an upper tether strap that goes over the
seatback 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.
[SS34800(F )05/96]
You can install a tether strap anchor bracket to
the cab inner back panel by using a tether
anchor bracket kit (613D20) available at no
charge from any Ford dealer.
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[SS35100(F )01/96]
Read and carefully follow the instructions
provided with the kit for installation of the child
tether strap anchor.
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[SS35200(F )01/96]
Follow the child seat manufacturer's instructions
to attach the tether strap to the tether bracket.
[SS35600(F )01/96]
Ford recommends placement of tethered safety
seats in a rear seating position (Crew Cab and
Super Cab with forward facing rear seat only)
with the tether strap installed to the tether
anchoring point as shown in the instructions
provided with the child tether strap anchor kit.
*
[SS35900(F )01/96]
RWARNING
Only use the tether attachment hole
locations shown in the illustrations. The
tether anchor may not perform properly if
the wrong mounting location is used.
File:06ltssf.ex
Update:Tue May 28 08:44:33 1996
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