FORD TAURUS 1999 3.G Manual Online

receives an impact of 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the
combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically
pre-locked. The belt will still retract to remove any
slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not available on the
driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
²When a tight lap/shoulder fit is desired.
²Anytimea child safety seat is installed in the
vehicle. Refer toSafety Restraints for Children
orSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this chapter.
How to use the automatic locking mode
²Buckle the
combination lap and
shoulder belt.
²Grasp the shoulder
portion and pull
downward until the
entire belt is
extracted.
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81

²Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you
will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the
safety belt is now in the automatic locking mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and
allow it to retract completely to disengage the
automatic locking mode and activate the vehicle
sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
After any vehicle collision, the seat belt
system at all outboard seating positions
(except driver, which has no ªautomatic locking
retractorº feature) must be checked by a qualified
technician to verify that the ªautomatic locking
retractorº feature for child seats is still functioning
properly, in addition to other checks for proper
seat belt system function.
BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST
BE REPLACED if the seat belt assembly
ªautomatic locking retractorº feature or any other
seat belt function is not operating properly when
checked according to the procedures in Workshop
Manual.
Failure to replace the Belt and Retractor
assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
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82

Front safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety
belt height adjustments
for the driver and front
passenger. Adjust the
height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests
across the middle of
your shoulder.
To lower the shoulder belt height, push the button
and slide the height control down. To raise the
height of the shoulder belt, slide the height adjuster
up. Pull down on the height adjustment assembly to
make sure it is locked in place.
Position the shoulder 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 collision.
Center rear lap belt (sedan)
The safety belt in the center rear seating position
has a detachable shoulder belt and does not contain
the automatic locking mode (ALR).
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83

To attach the shoulder
belt to the lap belt, pull
the shoulder belt out
from the retractor in
the seatback and insert
into the lap belt
connecting pin into the
wide end of the key
slot on the shoulder
belt. Pull the
connecting pin into the
narrow end of the key
slot until you hear a
snap and feel it latch.
Make sure the shoulder
belt is securely
fastened to the lap belt
by pulling up on the shoulder belt.
Lap belts
Adjusting the lap belt
The lap belt does not adjust automatically.
The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as
possible around the hips, not around the
waist.
Insert the tongue into
the correct buckle (the
buckle closest to the
direction the tongue is
coming from). To
lengthen the belt, turn
the tongue at a right
angle to the belt and
pull across your lap
until it reaches the
buckle. To tighten the
belt, pull the loose end of the belt through the
tongue until it fits snugly across the hips.
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84

Shorten and fasten the
belt when not in use.
Safety belts for rear-facing occupants
(wagon only)
Never use child safety seats in the third seat
of a wagon.
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belts containing
an adjust tongue at the rear-facing seating positions.
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.
Before you 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 length so that
the tongue can reach the buckle.
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 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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85

The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as
possible around the hips, not around the
waist.
Front and rear seat occupants, including
pregnant women, should wear safety belts
for optimum protection in an accident.
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.
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.
While you are fastened in the seat belt, the shoulder
belt adjusts to your movement. However, if you
brake hard, turn hard or your vehicle receives an
impact of 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the safety belt
will become locked and help reduce your forward
movement.
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.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt assembly is too short, even when
fully extended, 20 cm (8 inches) can be added to
the safety belt assembly by adding a safety belt
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86

extension assembly (part number 611C22). Safety
belt extension assemblies can be obtained from your
dealer at no cost.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same
supplier as the safety belt. Manufacturer
identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if
the safety belt is too short for you when fully
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 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.
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87

Safety belt maintenance
Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make
sure they work properly and are not damaged.
Inspect the safety belts to make sure there are no
nicks, wears or cuts, replacing if necessary. All
safety belt assemblies, including retractors, buckles,
front seat belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
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 inspect and if necessary 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 theMaintenance and caresection.
AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
(SRS)
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ENGINE
SOONLOW
COOLANTTHEFT102030405060
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78
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88

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 an air bag SRS is provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and
under in the back seat and always properly
use appropriate child restraints.
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) recommends a
minimum distance of at least 25 cm (ten
[10] inches) between an occupant's chest and the
driver air bag module.
Never place your arm over the air bag
module as a deploying air bag can result in
serious arm fractures or other injuries.
Steps you can take to properly position yourself
away from the airbag:
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89

²Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while
still reaching the pedals comfortably.
²Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees)
from the upright position.
Do not put anything on or over the air bag
module. Placing objects on or over the air
bag inflation area may cause those objects to be
propelled by the air bag into your face and torso
causing serious injury.
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 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 collision.
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90