belt FORD TAURUS 1997 User Guide

extended. Do not use extensions to change the fit of
the shoulder belt across the torso.
Safety belt warning light and indicator chime
The seat belt warning light illuminates in the
instrument cluster and a chime sounds to remind
the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver's safety
belt is not buckled
before the ignition
key is turned to ON...The safety belt indicator
illuminates for one to two
minutes and the warning
chime sounds for four to
eight seconds.
The driver's side
safety belt is buckled
while the indicator
light is illuminated
and the warning
chime is sounding...The safety belt indicator
light and warning chime
turn off.
The driver's safety
belt is buckled before
the ignition key is
turned to ON...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
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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.
Refer toCleaning and maintaining the safety
beltsin theMaintenance and Caresection.
IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM (SRS) PRECAUTIONS
The supplemental
restraint system is
designed to:
²work with the safety
belt to protect the
driver and right front passenger
²reduce certain upper body injuries
Failure to follow these instructions will
affect the performance of the safety belts
and increase the risk of personal injury.
The right front passenger air bag is not
designed to restrain occupants in the front
seating position.
Do not place objects or mount equipment on
or near the air bag covers that may come
into contact with an inflating air bag.
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Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify
the Air Bag Supplemental Restraint System
or its fuses. See your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer.
CHILDREN AND AIR BAGS
For additional important safety information, read all
information on safety restraints in this guide.
Children should always wear their safety belts.
Failure to follow these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
Rear-facing
child seats or
infant carriers should
never be placed in
the front seats.
HOW DOES THE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL
RESTRAINT SYSTEM WORK?
The SRS is designed to
activate when the
vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal
deceleration, similar to
hitting a fixed barrier
head on at 12±24 km/h
(8±14 mph).
The fact that the air
bags did not inflate in
a collision does not
mean that something is
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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.
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:
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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.
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.
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 cafety 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:
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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 seatback in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode.
Refer toUsing the automatic 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.
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Installing child safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating positions
1. Position the child
safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap
and shoulder belt.
If you choose to install a child safety seat in the
front passenger seat, move the seat as far back as
possible.
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers
should never be placed in the front seats.
2. Pull down on the
shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the
shoulder and lap belt
portions together, route
the tongue through the
child seat according to
the child seat
manufacturers'
instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not
twisted.
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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.
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
PRESS
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(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.
Front seats
To install a tether from a child safety seat in the
front seat:
1. Buckle the lap/shoulder belt (in the seat behind
the front passenger seat in which the child safety
seat will be installed).
2. Pull all the stored belt out of the rear seat
retractor to switch the retractor to automatic locking
mode.
3. Let the retractor wind up the slack from the
lap/shoulder belt.
4. Install the child safety seat in the front seat. Refer
toInstalling child safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating positions. Hook the
tether strap hook around the webbing near the
center of the shoulder portion of the locked
lap/shoulder belt.
5. Tighten the tether strap.
Rear seats
If you must use a tethered safety seat on one of the
rear seats, you can anchor the strap to the
appropriate tether anchor directly behind that seat
position.
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BUILT-IN CHILD SEATS
Built-in child safety seat (wagon - if equipped)
The second row bench seat may include a built-in
child seat. This child seat conforms to all Federal
and local motor vehicle safety standards. Read the
labels located on the child seat cushion and shoulder
belt for information on the built-in child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonlyif the child is at least
one year old, weighs 10±27 kg (22±60 lbs.) and the
child's shoulders fit below the shoulder harness slots
on the built-in child seat.
Children not meeting these requirements should be
secured in an approved aftermarket seat. Refer to
Children and infant or child safety seatsin this
chapter.
Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are equipped with a
retractor that locks when both tongues are latched
into the crotch safety belt buckle. The retractor will
automatically snug the belts around the child. If the
belts do not remain snug, take the vehicle to the
dealer for child seat repair. The belts will not snug
during a collision.
Placing your child in the built-in child seat
Failure to follow all of the instructions on
the use of this child restraint system can
result in your child striking the vehicle's interior
during a sudden stop or crash.
Never use the Built-In Child Seat as a
booster cushion with the adult safety belts.
A child using the adult belts could slide forward
and out from under the safety belts.
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