belt FORD RANGER 1998 2.G User Guide

Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver's safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition switch
is turned to the ON position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates for one to two minutes
and the warning chime sounds for
four to eight seconds.
The driver's safety belt is buckled
while the indicator light is
illuminated and the warning chime
is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver's safety belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
Safety belt maintenance
Check the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Check the safety belts to make sure there
are no nicks, wears or cuts. All safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front seat belt buckle assemblies (slide bar)
(if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped), child safety
seat tether bracket assemblies (if equipped), and attaching hardware,
should be inspected after a collision. Ford recommends that all safety
belt assemblies used in vehicles involved in a collision be replaced.
However, if the collision was minor and a qualified technician 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.
Failure to replace the safety belt assembly under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of
a collision.
Refer toCleaning and maintaining the safety beltsin the
Maintenance and caresection.
Seating and safety restraints
46

AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions
The supplemental restraint system
is designed to work with the safety
belt to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain
upper body injuries.
Air bags DO NOT inflate slowly or
gently and the risk of injury from a
deploying air bag is greatest close to
the trim covering the air bag
module.
All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
properly wear their safety belts even when air bag SRS is
provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always use appropriate child restraints.
NHTSA recommends a minimum distance of at least ten (10)
inches between an occupant's chest and the air bag module.
OFFRSM
SET
ACC
COAST OFF ON
SRS
ABS
CHECK
ENGINEFH
H
H
!
PBRAKEELSPEED
CONTO/D
OFFPRND21LL10MPH 205060
70
304080
90
km/h
0 0 010 100
1
20
10 0 0 0 0 0406080100
120
140
160
180
20
OFFA/CMAX
A/C
TUNESEEK
12
34AM-FM
ON
OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
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47

Turning the passenger air bag back on
The passenger air bag remains OFF until you turn it back ON.
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.
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.
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.
ON
OFF
OFF
PASSENGER AIRBAG
Seating and safety restraints
52

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.
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.
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.
Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump seat.
Seating and safety restraints
53

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.
²Place seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode.
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, refer toAttaching safety seats with tether straps.
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.
Seating and safety restraints
54

1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
Air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat. If you must use a
forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move seat all the way
back.
Air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat. Child seats
should be never be placed in the front seats, unless passenger
air bag switch is turned off. SeePassenger air bag deactivation
switch.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
Seating and safety restraints
55

3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle for that seating
position until you hear and feel the
latch engage. Make sure the tongue
is latched securely by pulling on it.
5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
extracted and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
Seating and safety restraints
56

7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle and
pull up on the shoulder belt while
pushing down with knee on the
child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. 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, unbuckle the belt and repeat steps
two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
Attaching safety seats with tether straps
Some manufacturers make safety seats that include a tether strap that
goes over the back of the vehicle seat 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.
In SuperCabs equipped with Center Facing Jump Seats, the tether strap
anchor bracket should be installed only at the center of the cab's back
panel with the child seat in the front center seating position. Installing
an anchor bracket at the right rear of the cab may increase risk of injury
to an occupant of the right rear center facing jump seat in the event of a
collision or a sudden stop. If a tether child seat is installed in the right
Seating and safety restraints
57

front seating position, secure the tether strap to the webbing of the
buckled right rear lap belt.
You can attach a tether strap anchor bracket to the cab inner back panel
by using a tether anchor kit (613D74) available at no charge from any
Ford dealer.
Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump seat.
Tether anchorage hardware
Tether anchorage hardware kits (part number 613D74) including
instructions, may be obtained at no charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Tighten the anchor according to specifications. Otherwise, the
safety seat may not be properly secured and the child may be
injured in a sudden stop or collision.
Seating and safety restraints
58

PREPARING TO START YOUR VEHICLE
Engine starting is controlled by the ignition system. This system meets
all Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment standard requirements
regulating the impulse electrical field strength of radio noise.
When starting a fuel-injected engine, avoid pressing the accelerator
before or during starting. Only use the accelerator when you have
difficulty starting the engine. For more information on starting the
vehicle, refer toStarting the enginein this chapter.
Extended idling at high engine speeds can produce very high
temperatures in the engine and exhaust system, creating the risk
of fire or other damage.
Do not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in dry grass or other dry
ground cover. The emission system heats up the engine
compartment and exhaust system, which can start a fire.
Do not start your vehicle in a closed garage or in other enclosed
areas. Exhaust fumes can be toxic. Always open the garage door
before you start the engine. SeeGuarding against exhaust fumesin
this chapter for more instructions.
If you smell exhaust fumes inside your vehicle, have your dealer
inspect your vehicle immediately. Do not drive if you smell
exhaust fumes.
Important safety precautions
A computer system controls the engine's idle revolutions per minute
(RPM). When the engine starts, the idle RPM runs faster to warm the
engine. If the engine idle speed does not slow down automatically, have
the vehicle checked. Do not allow the vehicle to idle for more than ten
minutes.
Before starting the vehicle:
1. Make sure all vehicle occupants have buckled their safety belts. For
more information on safety belts and their proper usage, refer to the
Seating and safety restraintschapter.
Starting
59