seats FORD F250 2003 Owners Manual

Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
Please read the sectionSupplemental Restraint System (SRS)
in theSeating and safety restraintschapter. Failure to follow
the specific warnings and instructions could result in personal injury.
Front seat mounted rear facing child or infant seats should
NEVERbe used in front of a passenger side air bag unless the
air bag can be and is turned OFF.
Notice to owners of diesel-powered vehicles
Read the 6.0 Liter Power Stroke Direct Injection Turbo Diesel Owner’s
Guide Supplement for information regarding correct operation and
maintenance of your Diesel-powered light truck.
Notice to owners of pickup trucks and utility type vehicles
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles.
Before you drive your vehicle, please read this Owner’s Guide carefully.
Your vehicle is not a passenger car. As with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss of vehicle
control, vehicle rollover, personal injury or death.
Be sure to readDriving off roadin theDrivingchapter.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Introduction
7

HEATER ONLY SYSTEM
(IF EQUIPPED)
1.Fan speed adjustment:Controls
the volume of air circulated in the
vehicle.
2.Temperature selection:
Controls the temperature of the
airflow in the vehicle.
3.Air flow selections:Controls the direction of the airflow in the
vehicle. See the following for a brief description on each control.
:Distributes outside air through the instrument panel vents.
OFF:Outside air is shut out and the fan will not operate.
:Distributes outside air through the instrument panel vents and the
floor vents.
:Distributes outside air through the floor vents.
:Distributes outside air through the windshield defroster vents and
floor vents.
:Distributes outside air through the windshield defroster vents.
Operating tips
•To reduce fog build up on the windshield during humid weather, place
the air flow selector in the
position.
•To reduce humidity build up inside the vehicle during cold or warm
weather, do not drive with the air flow selector in the OFF position.
•Under normal weather conditions, do not leave the air flow selector in
OFF when the vehicle is parked. This allows the vehicle to“breathe”
using the outside air inlet vents.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the air
flow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Climate Controls
Climate Controls
35

Operating tips
•To reduce fog build up on the windshield during humid weather, place
the air flow selector in the
position.
•To reduce humidity build up inside the vehicle: do not drive with the
air flow selector in the OFF or MAX A/C position.
•Under normal weather conditions, do not leave the air flow selector in
MAX A/C or OFF when the vehicle is parked. This allows the vehicle
to“breathe”using the outside air inlet vents.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the
airflow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:
1. Select
2. Select A/C
3. Modulate the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to the highest setting.
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents towards the side windows
To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents
located in the middle of the instrument panel.
Do not place objects on top of the instrument panel as these
objects may become projectiles in a collision or sudden stop.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Climate Controls
37

•Type A
Press the control to move the seat
forward, backward, up or down.
•Type B
Press the control to move the seat
forward or backward.
Using the manual lumbar support
For more lumbar support, turn the
lumbar support control toward the
front of vehicle.
For less lumbar support, turn the
lumbar support control toward the
rear of vehicle.
Heated seats (if equipped)
To operate the heated seats, do the following:
•Push control to activate.
•Push again to deactivate.
The indicator light on the control will illuminate when activated.
The system automatically shuts off after 10 minutes.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
76

FOLDING UP THE REAR SEATS (IF EQUIPPED—SUPERCAB
ONLY)
The rear seatback has a split 60/40 seat. Each seat cushion can be
flipped up into the seatback position.
1. Pull lever to release seat cushion.
2. Rotate seat cushion up until it
locks into vertical storage position.
RETURNING THE SEAT TO SEATING POSITION
Always be sure that the seat is in a latched position, whether the
seat is occupied or empty. If not latched, the seat may cause
injury during a sudden stop.
1. Pull lever on the side of the seat to release seat cushion from storage
position.
2. Push seat cushion down until it locks into horizontal position.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they
can be properly restrained.
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.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
77

All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag (SRS) is
provided.
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.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 is installed in a
passenger front or outboard rear seating position (if equipped). 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.
•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.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
80

How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
After any vehicle collision, the front passenger and rear outboard
seat belt systems must be checked by a qualified technician to
verify that the“automatic locking retractor”feature for child seats is
still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be checked
for proper function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if
the seat belt assembly“automatic locking retractor”feature or
any other seat belt function is not operating properly when checked
according to the procedures in Workshop Manual. Failure to replace
the Belt and Retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
Energy Management Feature
•This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management
feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
•The front outboard seat belt systems have a retractor assembly that is
designed to pay out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is
designed to help reduce the belt force acting on the occupant’s chest.
Safety belt replacement label
The short plastic boot on the front
safety belt at the passenger
outboard anchor location covers a
“Replace Belt”label on the safety
belt.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
81

In the event of a collision, the
colored label (REPLACE BELT)
may become visible. If this occurs,
the safety belt must be replaced.
Whenever the yellow
portion of the label is
visible, the safety belt must be
replaced.
Failure to follow these
instructions will affect the
performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal
injury.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
front outboard passenger seating positions.
The Seat Integrated Restraints (SIR) seat (which has shoulder belts
attached to the corners of the front seat back) is equipped with a buckle
pretensioner. Do NOT place objects between the seats, this could
interfere with the functioning of the pretensioner. For the SuperCab and
CrewCab base bench seats and all Regular Cab seating positions, the
safety belts are equipped with a retractor pretensioner.
The driver and front outboard passenger safety belt pretensioners are
designed to activate only during certain frontal or near-frontal collisions
with sufficient longitudinal deceleration. A safety belt pretensioner is a
device which tightens the webbing of the lap and shoulder belts during
some collisions in such a way that they fit more snugly against the body.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
82

Children and air bags
For additional important safety information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
Children must always be properly restrained. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of injury in a collision.
An infant in a rear-facing seat faces a high risk of serious or fatal
injuries from a deploying passenger air bag. Rear facing infant
seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless the passenger
air bag is turned off. SeePassenger air bag ON/OFF switch.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag 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. Air bags are
designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impact, or rear-impacts.
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.
2003 F250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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