seats FORD FLEX 2019 User Guide

•
Can the child sit all the way back
against their vehicle seat backrest with
knees bent comfortably at the edge of
the seat cushion?
• Can the child sit without slouching?
• Does the lap belt rest low across the
hips?
• Is the shoulder belt centered on the
shoulder and chest?
• Can the child stay seated like this for
the whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunction
with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats •
Backless booster seats If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the shield. If a
vehicle seating position has a low seat
backrest or no head restraint, a backless
booster seat may place your child's head
(as measured at the tops of the ears)
above the top of the seat. In this case,
move the backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat backrest
or head restraint and lap and shoulder
belts, or consider using a high back booster
seat.
•
High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannot
find a seating position that adequately
supports your child's head, a high back
booster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size and
shape. Choose a booster that keeps the
lap belt low and snug across the hips,
never up across the stomach, and lets you
adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest
and rest snugly near the center of the
shoulder. The following drawings compare
the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt
uncomfortably close to the neck and a
shoulder belt that could slip off the
shoulder. The drawings also show how the
lap belt should be low and snug across the
child's hips.
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manufacturer's instructions and warnings
provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and
warnings provided by your vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is
improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child's height, age,
or weight or does not properly fit the child
may increase the risk of serious injury or
death.
WARNING: Do not allow a
passenger to hold a child on their lap when
your vehicle is moving. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death in the event of a sudden stop or
crash. WARNING:
Do not use pillows,
books or towels to boost your child's
height. Failure to follow this instruction
could result in personal injury or death. WARNING:
Properly secure child
restraints or booster seats when they are
not in use. They could become projectiles
in a sudden stop or crash. Failure to follow
this instruction could result in personal
injury or death. WARNING:
Do not put the shoulder
section of the seatbelt or allow the child
to put the shoulder section of the seatbelt
under their arm or behind their back. Failure
to follow this instruction could reduce the
effectiveness of the seatbelt and increase
the risk of injury or death in a crash. WARNING: Do not leave children or
pets unattended in your vehicle. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death.
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Recommendations for Attaching Child Safety Restraints for Children
Use Any Attachment Method as Indicated Below by X
Combined Weight ofChild and Child
Restraint
Restraint
Type Seatbelt
Only
Seatbelt
and LATCH (Lower
Anchors and Top Tether
Anchor)
Seatbelt
and Top Tether
Anchor
LATCH
(Lower
Anchors Only)
LATCH
(Lower
Anchors and Top Tether
Anchor)
X
X
Up to 65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child
restraint
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child
restraint
X
X
X
Up to
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Forward
facingchild
restraint
X
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Forward
facingchild
restraint
Note: The child restraint must rest tightly
against the vehicle seat upon which it is
installed. It may be necessary to lift or
remove the head restraint. See Seats (page
121
).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doors
cannot be opened from the inside.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap belt
snug and low across the hips. WARNING:
Children must always
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 crash. WARNING:
All occupants of your
vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their seatbelts, even when
an airbag supplemental restraint system
is provided. Failure to properly wear your
seatbelt could seriously increase the risk
of injury or death. WARNING: It is extremely dangerous
to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of
a vehicle. In a crash, 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 seatbelts. Make sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
properly using a seatbelt. Failure to follow
this warning could result in serious
personal injury or death. WARNING:
In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seatbelt. WARNING:
Each seating position in
your vehicle has a specific seatbelt
assembly made up of one buckle and one
tongue designed to be used as a pair. Use
the shoulder belt on the outside shoulder
only. Never wear the shoulder belt under
the arm. Never use a single seatbelt for
more than one person. WARNING:
Even with advanced
restraints systems, properly restrain
children 12 and under in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. WARNING: Seatbelts and seats may
be hot in a vehicle that is in the sunshine.
The hot seatbelts or seats may burn a
small child. Check seat covers and buckles
before you place a child anywhere near
them.
All seating positions in your vehicle have
lap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupants
of the vehicle should always properly wear
their seatbelts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
• Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
• Shoulder seatbelt with automatic
locking mode, (except driver seatbelt
and rear inflatable seatbelt).
• Height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• Seatbelt pretensioner at the front
outboard seating positions.
• Belt tension sensor at the front
outboard passenger seating position. •
Seatbelt warning light and chime.
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2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull
downward until you pull the entire belt
out. As the belt retracts, you will hear
a clicking sound. This indicates the
seatbelt is now in the automatic
locking mode.
Rear outboard inflatable seatbelts (second
row only –if equipped)1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the lap portion of the belt and pull upward until you pull the entire
belt out.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking sound.
This indicates the seatbelt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
How to Disengage the Automatic
Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic
locking mode and activate the vehicle
sensitive (emergency) locking mode. Rear Inflatable Seatbelt (If Equipped) WARNING:
Do not attempt to
service, repair, or modify the
supplementary restraint system or
associated components. Failure to follow
this instruction could result in personal
injury or death.
Note: The rear inflatable seatbelts 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
seatbelt remains cool to the touch.
The rear inflatable seatbelts are in the
shoulder portion of the seatbelts of the
second-row outboard seating positions.
The rear inflatable seatbelt consists of the
following:
• An inflatable bag in the shoulder
seatbelt webbing.
• Lap seatbelt webbing with automatic
locking mode.
• Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See
Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
50
).
How does the rear inflatable seatbelt
system work? WARNING:
If a supplementary
restraint system component has deployed,
it will not function again. Have the system
and associated components inspected as
soon as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death.
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The rear inflatable seatbelts function like
standard restraints in everyday usage.
During a crash of sufficient force, the
inflatable belt inflates from inside the
webbing.
The fully inflated belt's increased diameter
more effectively holds the occupant in the
appropriate seating position, and spreads
crash forces over more area of the body
than regular seatbelts. This helps reduce
pressure on the chest and helps control
head and neck motion for passengers. The rear inflatable seatbelts are designed
to inflate in frontal or near-frontal crashes,
some side impact crashes and rollovers.
The fact that the rear inflatable seatbelt
did not inflate in a crash does not mean
that something is wrong with the system.
Rather, it means the forces were not of the
type sufficient to cause activation.
Stowing the Rear Inflatable Seatbelt
The rear inflatable seatbelt has a snap
retainer for stowing the seatbelt against
the quarter trim panel when it is not in use.
This prevents the seatbelt tongue from
rattling against the side of the seat and
keeps it out of the way when folding or
tumbling the second row seats.
Press the retainer on the seatbelt onto the
mating snap to stow. To use the seatbelt,
pull it away from the quarter trim panel.
SEATBELT HEIGHT
ADJUSTMENT
WARNING: Position the safety belt
height adjuster so that the belt rests across
the middle of your shoulder. Failure to
adjust the safety belt properly could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt
and increase the risk of injury in a crash.
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After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seatback, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
feet comfortably extended on the floor.
Sitting improperly can increase the chance
of injury in a crash event. For example, if
an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans forward or
sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
Children and Airbags
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure
a child in a child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of an
active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
restraint is installed all the way back. Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seating positions than in the
front seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the risk of
injury in a crash. FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM WARNING:
Even with advanced
restraints systems, properly restrain
children 12 and under in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. WARNING:
Sitting improperly, out
of position or with the seatback reclined
too far can take weight off the seat cushion
and affect the decision of the passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury
or death in the event of a crash. Always sit
upright against your seat back, with your
feet on the floor. WARNING:
Any alteration or
modification to the front passenger seat
may affect the performance of the front
passenger sensing system. This could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
This system works with sensors that are
part of the front passenger seat and
seatbelt to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine
if the front passenger frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inflate) or not. The front passenger sensing system uses
a passenger airbag status indicator that
illuminates indicating that the front
passenger frontal airbag is either on
(enabled) or off (disabled).
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Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Occupant
ON: Unlit Enabled
OFF: Unlit
Adult
ON: Lit
Note: When the passenger airbag status
indicator off light is illuminated, the
passenger (seat mounted) side airbag may
be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seatback, and
centered on the seat cushion, with their
feet comfortably extended on the floor.
Sitting improperly can increase the chance
of injury in a crash event. For example, if
an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans forward or
sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash greatly
increases. Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors
and Airbag Indicator (page 50).
Do not attempt to repair or service the
system. Take your vehicle immediately to
an authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced
front airbag system to accommodate a
person with disabilities, contact the Ford
Customer Relationship Center. See
Getting the Services You Need
(page
225). SIDE AIRBAGS WARNING:
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or near the airbag
cover, on the side of the seatbacks (of the
front seats), or in front seat areas that may
come into contact with a deploying airbag.
Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash. WARNING:
Do not use accessory
seat covers. The use of accessory seat
covers may prevent the deployment of the
side airbags and increase the risk of injury
in an accident. WARNING:
Do not lean your head
on the door. The side airbag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the
seatback. WARNING:
Do not attempt to
service, repair, or modify the airbag, its
fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing
an airbag as you could be seriously injured
or killed. Contact your authorized dealer
as soon as possible.
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WARNING: If the side airbag has
deployed, the airbag will not function
again. The side airbag system (including
the seat) must be inspected and serviced
by an authorized dealer. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase
the risk of injury in a crash.
The side airbags are located on the
outboard side of the seatbacks of the front
seats. In certain sideways crashes, the
airbag on the side affected by the crash
will be inflated. The airbag was designed
to inflate between the door panel and
occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact crashes. The system consists of the following:
•
A label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are fitted
to your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the driver
and front passenger seatbacks.
• Front passenger sensing system. •
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See
Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
50
). Note:
The passenger sensing system will
deactivate the passenger seat-mounted
side airbag if it detects an empty passenger
seat.
The design and development of the side
airbag system included recommended
testing procedures that were developed
by a group of automotive safety experts
known as the Side Airbag Technical
Working Group. These recommended
testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side
airbags.
SAFETY CANOPY™ WARNING:
Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or near the headliner
at the siderail that may come into contact
with a deploying curtain airbag. Failure to
follow these instructions may increase the
risk of personal injury in the event of a
crash. WARNING:
Do not lean your head
on the door. The curtain airbag could injure
you as it deploys from the headliner. WARNING:
Do not attempt to
service, repair, or modify the
supplementary restraint system or
associated components. Failure to follow
this instruction could result in personal
injury or death. WARNING:
All occupants of your
vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their seatbelts, even when
an airbag supplemental restraint system
is provided. Failure to properly wear your
seatbelt could seriously increase the risk
of injury or death.
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WARNING: To reduce risk of injury,
do not obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the airbag. WARNING:
If a supplementary
restraint system component has deployed,
it will not function again. Have the system
and associated components inspected as
soon as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death.
The Safety Canopy will deploy during
significant side crashes or when a certain
likelihood of a rollover event is detected
by the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopy
is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet
metal, behind the headliner, above each
row of seats. In certain sideways crashes
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy will
be activated, regardless of which seats are
occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed
to inflate between the side window area
and occupants to further enhance
protection provided in side impact crashes
and rollover events. The system consists of the following:
•
Safety canopy curtain airbags above
the trim panels over the front and rear
side windows identified by a label or
wording on the headliner or roof-pillar
trim.
• A flexible headliner which opens above
the side doors to allow air curtain
deployment · Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator
(page 50).
Always properly restrain children 12 years
old and under in the rear seats. The Safety
Canopy will not interfere with children
restrained using a properly installed child
or booster seat because it is designed to
inflate downward from the headliner above
the doors along the side window opening.
The design and development of the Safety
Canopy included recommended testing
procedures that were developed by a
group of automotive safety experts known
as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing
procedures help reduce the risk of injuries
related to the deployment of side airbags
(including the Safety Canopy).
CRASH SENSORS AND
AIRBAG INDICATOR WARNING:
Modifying or adding
equipment to the front end of the vehicle
(including frame, bumper, front end body
structure and tow hooks) may affect the
performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify
the front end of the vehicle.
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