FORD TAURUS 1996 User Guide

9
Safety Restraints
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[SR00500(ALL)04/95]
Important Safety Belt Information
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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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Safety belts provide best restraint when:
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q
the seatback is upright
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q
the occupant is sitting upright (not slouched)
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q
the lap belt is snug and low on the hips
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q
the shoulder belt is snug against the chest
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q
the knees are straight forward
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[SR02200(ALL)07/95]
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
theWarning Lights and Gaugeschapter.
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[SR02300(ALL)07/95]
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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10
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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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RWARNING
Make sure that you and your passengers
wear safety belts. Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
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RWARNING
Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. Never swing it around the neck over
the inside shoulder. Never use a single
belt for more than one person or across
more than one seating position. 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.
Failure to follow these precautions could
increase the risk and/or severity of injury
in a collision.
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11
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RWARNING
Ford recommends that all safety belt
assemblies and attaching hardware should
be inspected by a qualified technician
after any collision. Safety belt assemblies
not in use during a collision should also
be inspected and replaced if either
damage or improper operation is noted.
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[SR02900(ALL)08/95]
RWARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury in a
collision, children should always ride with
the seatback upright.
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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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RWARNING
Lock the doors of your vehicle before
driving to lessen the risk of the door
coming open in a collision.
File:03fcsrt.ex
Update:Mon Jan 22 15:46:18 1996
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12
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Combination Lap and Shoulder
Belts
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While your vehicle is in motion, 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/shoulder belt locks
and helps reduce your forward movement.
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After you get into your vehicle, close the door
and lock it. Then adjust the seat to the position
that suits you best.
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Pull the combination lap/shoulder belt from the
retractor so that the shoulder portion of the belt
crosses your shoulder and chest. Be sure the belt
is not twisted. If it is, remove the twist. Insert
the 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.
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quarter page art:0010018-B
Fastening the front seat combination lap and shoulder belt
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NOTE: Be sure to read and understand
Important Safety Belt Informationat
the beginning of this chapter.
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13 [SR04500(ALL)06/95]
one third page art:0000685-I
Unfastening the combination lap and shoulder belts Ð
front and rear outboard seating positions
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While the belt retracts, guide the tongue to its
original position to prevent it from striking you
or the vehicle.
[SR05625(ALL)04/95]
Safety Belts for Front Outboard Passenger
and Rear Outboard Seating Positions
(Except Wagon Rear-Facing Seat)
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[SR05650(ALL)08/95]
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual locking
mode retractor on theshoulderbelt portion of
the combination lap/shoulder safety belt for the
front seat outboard passenger and rear outboard
passengers.
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Dual locking mode retractors operate in two
ways:
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Vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode
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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. The retractor can also
be made to lock by pulling the belt out quickly.
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14 %
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Automatic locking mode
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In this operating mode, the shoulder belt
retractor will be automatically locked and will
remain locked when the combination
lap/shoulder safety belt is buckled, and does not
allow the occupant freedom of movement. This
mode provides the following:
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[SR05775(ALL)08/95]
q
A tight lap/shoulder belt on the occupant.
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q
Child safety seat installation.
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RWARNING
Rear-facing infant seats should never be
placed in the front seats.
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This modemust be usedwhen installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat and rear
outboard seats where dual locking retractors are
provided.
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To switch the retractor from the emergency
locking mode to the automatic locking mode,
perform the following steps:
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1. Buckle the lap/shoulder combination belt.
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2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt is
extracted and, when allowed to retract, a
clicking sound is heard. At this time, the belt
retractor is in the automatic locking mode
(child restraint mode).
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3. A clicking sound will continue to be heard
as the belt is allowed to retract. This
indicates that the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode.
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15
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NOTE: When the combination lap/shoulder
belt is unbuckled and allowed to
retract completely, the retractor will
switch to the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode. See the
detailed instructions underSafety Seats
for Childrenin this chapter.
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
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Driver and right front passenger
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You can adjust the shoulder belt height to one of
five (5) positions.
[SR05962(ALL)06/95]
To adjust the belt down, pinch the release
button. To adjust the belt up, slide the adjuster
up. (You do not have to pinch the release
button.)
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Make sure the adjuster is firmly in one of the
five positions. The belt should be adjusted up or
down until the belt rests on your shoulder near
your neck.
[SR05966(ALL)06/95]
one third page art:0001402-B
The shoulder belt height adjuster
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16
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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.
[SR06000(ALL)04/95]
Safety Belts for Rear-Facing Occupants
(Wagon)
[SR06050(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Never use child safety seats in the third
seat of a wagon.
[SR06060(ALL)10/95]
Your vehicle is equipped with safety seat belts
containing an adjust tongue at the rear-facing
seating positions.
[SR06075(ALL)10/95]
When the adjust tongue of the lap/shoulder
combination seat belt is latched into the buckle,
the tongue will allow the lap portion to become
shorter, but locks the webbing in place to restrict
it from becoming longer.
[SR06125(ALL)10/95]
Before you can reach and latch a combination
lap and shoulder belt having an adjust tongue
into the buckle, you may have to lengthen the
lap belt portion of it. To lengthen the lap belt,
pull some webbing out of the shoulder belt
retractor. While holding the webbing below the
tongue, grasp the tongue so that it is parallel to
the webbing and slide the tongue upward.
Provide enough lap belt length so that the
tongue can reach the buckle.
File:03fcsrt.ex
Update:Mon Jan 22 15:46:18 1996
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17 [SR06175(ALL)10/95]
To fasten the belt, pull the combination lap and
shoulder belt from the retractor so that the
shoulder belt portion of the safety belt crosses
your shoulder and chest. Be sure the belt is not
twisted. If the belt is twisted remove the twist.
Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for
your seating position until you hear a snap and
feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened to the buckle by pulling on the tongue.
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RWARNING
The lap belts should fit snugly and as low
as possible around the hips, not around
the waist.
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RWARNING
All front and rear seat outboard
occupants (including pregnant women)
should wear lap and shoulder belts, for
optimum protection in a collision.
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[SR06251(ALL)05/95]
RWARNING
Failure to follow these precautions could
increase the risk and/or severity of injury
in a collision. 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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[SR06275(ALL)03/95]
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.
File:03fcsrt.ex
Update:Mon Jan 22 15:46:18 1996
ProCarManuals.com

18 [SR06301(ALL)10/95]While you are fastened in the seat belt, the
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 safety belt will become
locked and help reduce your forward movement.
[SR06500(ALL)03/95]
To unfasten the belt, push the red release button
on the end of the buckle. This allows the tongue
to unlatch from the buckle. While the belt
retracts, guide the tongue to its original position
to prevent it from striking you or the vehicle.
[SR06550(ALL)02/95]
one third page art:0000029-F
Unfastening the combination lap and shoulder belts for the
rear-facing third seat (wagon)
File:03fcsrt.ex
Update:Mon Jan 22 15:46:18 1996
ProCarManuals.com