child restraint FORD FLEX 2013 1.G User Guide

6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click as it
retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is in
the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, e.g., by pressing down or kneeling on the child restraint while
pulling up on the shoulder belt (for standard safety belt) or pulling down
on the lap belt (for inflatable safety belt) in order to force slack from the
belt. This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will exist once
the additional weight of the child is added to the child restraint. It also
helps to achieve the proper snugness of the child seat to the vehicle.
Sometimes, a slight lean towards the buckle will additionally help to
remove remaining slack from the belt.
•Standard safety belt
•Inflatable safety belt
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). Refer to
Installing child safety seats with tether strapslater in this chapter.
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10. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward and back. There should
be no more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) of
movement for proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician (CPST) to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed. In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for
referral to a CPST.
INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY SEATS WITH Lower Anchors AND
Tethers FOR CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING:Never attach two child safety seats to th same
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury
or death.
WARNING:Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.
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The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
•Second row bucket seats and
third-row passenger side
•Second row bench seats and
third-row passenger side
Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not
tighten the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle seat
cushion when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just
touching the vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
1. Route the tether strap.
•Second row outboard seat positions:Route the child safety seat
tether strap over the seatback, under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts. If needed the head restraint can be removed
to improve the fit of the child safety seat or tether strap.
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•Second row center seat positions:Route the child safety seat
tether strap over the top of the the head restraint. If needed the head
restraint can be removed to improve the fit of the child safety seat or
tether strap. SeeRear seatsin this chapter for head restraint
information.
•Third row seat position:Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the seatback, under the head restraint and between the head
restraint posts. If needed, the head restraint may be folded down to
improve the fit of the child safety seat or tether strap. SeeRear seats
in theSeatschapter for head restraint information.
2. Locate the correct anchor for the selected rear seating position.
•2nd row bucket (40/40)
•2nd row bench (60/40)
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•Third row seat
Note: The cargo tie-downs at the rear edge of the floor are not tether
anchors.
3. Clip the tether hook to the anchor as shown. The tether hook may be
twisted 1/2 turn to improve installation.
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event of a collision.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
If your child restraint system is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also recommends
its use.
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
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WARNING: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.
WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an
accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle have lap and shoulder safety belts. All
occupants of the vehicle should always properly wear their safety belts,
even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder safety belts.
•Shoulder safety belt with automatic locking mode, (except driver and
rear inflatable safety belt).
•Height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions
•Retractor and anchor pretensioner at the front outboard seating
positions.
•Belt tension sensor at the front outboard passenger seating position.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. Refer toSafety Belt
Warning Light and Indicator Chimelater in this chapter.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin
theSupplemental Restraint Systemchapter.
The safety belt pretensioners and rear inflatable safety belts are designed
to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side collisions, and in rollovers.
The safety belt pretensioners on the retractor and anchor at the front
seating positions are designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against
the occupant’s body when activated. This helps increase the effectiveness
of the safety belts. In frontal collisions, the safety belt pretensioners can
be activated alone or, if the collision is of sufficient severity, together
with the front airbags.
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Pregnant women should always
wear their safety belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.
Safety Belt Locking Modes
WARNING:After any vehicle collision, the safety belt system at
all passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized
dealer to verify that the automatic locking retractor feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all safety belts should be
checked for proper function.
WARNING:BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE
REPLACED if the safety belt assembly automatic locking
retractor feature or any other safety belt function is not operating
properly when checked by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.
The driver safety belt has the first locking mode and the front outboard
passenger and rear seat safety belts have both types of locking modes
described as follows:
Vehicle sensitive mode:This is the normal retractor mode, which
allows free shoulder or lap belt length adjustment to your movements
and locking in response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver
brakes suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an
impact of approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the combination safety
belts will lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and
passengers.
In addition, the retractor(s) is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled
out too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull
webbing out again in a slow and controlled manner.
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•After Step 4, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
5. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds.
•This will enable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by three
seconds with the light off, then followed by the safety belt warning
light flashing four times per second for three seconds again.
REAR INFLATABLE SAFETY BELT (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the rear
inflatable safety belt.
The rear inflatable safety belts are fitted in the shoulder portion of the
safety belts of the second-row outboard seating positions.
Note:The rear inflatable safety belts are compatible with most infant
and child safety car seats and belt positioning booster seats when
properly installed. This is because they are designed to fill with a cooled
gas at a lower pressure and at a slower rate than traditional airbags.
After inflation, the shoulder portion of the safety belt remains cool to the
touch.
The rear inflatable safety belt consists of the following:
•An inflatable bag located in the shoulder safety belt webbing.
•Lap safety belt webbing with automatic locking mode.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. SeeSafety belt warning
lights and indicatorsin this chapter.
•Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator. SeeCrash sensors and
Airbag Indicatorin theSupplemental Restraint System
chapter.
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CHILD RESTRAINT AND SAFETY BELT MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), rear inflatable
safety belts (if equipped), child safety seat LATCH and tether anchors,
and attaching hardware, should be inspected after a collision. Refer to
the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions for additional inspection
and maintenance information specific to the child restraint. Ford Motor
Company recommends that all safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles
involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was minor
and an authorized dealer finds that the belts do not show damage and
continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced. Safety
belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also be inspected and
replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, refer toInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
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