belt FORD TAURUS 2001 4.G Owners Manual

These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Vehicle Symbol Glossary
Safety Alert
See Owner's Guide
Fasten Safety BeltAir Bag-Front
Air Bag-SideChild Seat
Child Seat Installation
WarningChild Seat Tether
Anchorage
Brake SystemAnti-Lock Brake System
Brake Fluid -
Non-Petroleum BasedTraction Control
Master Lighting SwitchHazard Warning Flasher
Fog Lamps-FrontFuse Compartment
Fuel Pump ResetWindshield Wash/Wipe
Windshield
Defrost/DemistRear Window
Defrost/Demist
Power Windows
Front/RearPower Window Lockout
Introduction
4

Safety belt
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned to the ON position
to remind you to fasten your safety
belts. For more information, refer to
theSeating and safety restraints
chapter.
Door ajar
Illuminates when the ignition is in
the ON position and any door is
open. It may also momentarily
illuminate after the engine is started
and all doors are closed.
Check fuel cap
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned to the ON position
to ensure your bulb is working.
When this light turns on, check the
fuel filler cap. Continuing to operate
the vehicle with the check fuel cap
light on, can activate theService Engine Soon/Check Enginewarning
light. When the fuel filler cap is properly re-installed, the light(s) will
turn off after a period of normal driving. This period will vary depending
on driving conditions.
It may take a long period of time for the system to detect an
improperly installed fuel filler cap.
For more information, refer toFuel filler capin theMaintenance and
carechapter.
Instrumentation
9

Engine oil pressure
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned to the ON position
and the engine is off. Illuminates
when the oil pressure falls below the
normal range. Stop the vehicle as
soon as safely possible and switch off the engine immediately. Check the
oil level and add oil if needed. Refer toEngine oilin theMaintenance
and carechapter.
Charging system
Illuminates when the ignition is
turned to the ON position and the
engine is off. The light also
illuminates when the battery is not
charging properly, requiring
electrical system service.
Air bag readiness
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned ON. If the light
fails to illuminate, continues to flash
or remains on, have the system
serviced immediately.
Safety belt warning chime
Sounds to remind you to fasten your safety belts.
For information on the safety belt warning chime, refer to theSeating
and safety restraintschapter.
Belt minder chime
Sounds intermittently to remind you to fasten your safety belts.
For information on the safety belt minder chime, refer to theSeating
and safety restraintschapter.
Supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning chime
For information on the SRS warning chime, refer to theSeating and
safety restraintschapter.
Instrumentation
13

Adjusting the front manual seat
Never adjust the driver's seat or seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Do not pile cargo higher than the seatbacks to reduce the risk of
injuring people in a collision or sudden stop.
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
Reclining the seatback can reduce the effectiveness of the seat's
safety belt in the event of a collision.
Lift handle to move seat forward or
backward.
Pull lever up to adjust seatback.
Seating and safety restraints
85

Adjusting the front power seat (if equipped)
Never adjust the driver's seat or seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Do not pile cargo higher than the seatbacks to avoid injuring
people in a collision or sudden stop.
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
Reclining the seatback can reduce the effectiveness of the seat's
safety belt in the event of a collision.
The control is located on the outboard side of the seat cushion.
Press to raise or lower the front
portion of the seat cushion.
Press to raise or lower the rear
portion of the seat cushion.
Press the control to move the seat
forward, backward, up or down.
Seating and safety restraints
86

3rd seat (wagon only)
The third seat faces the rear of the vehicle. For height and weight limits,
see the label on the seat cushion. When the seat is down, the back of
your wagon has a flat surface for carrying cargo.
To open up the seat:
1. Unlock the floor panel with the
key, then use the handle to fold the
floor panel toward the front of the
car.
2. Remove the cargo cover. The
cargo cover must be removed or the
seatback will not latch in the
upright position.
3. Lift the remote latch release on
the left side of the compartment
and fold the remaining floor panel
until it latches. Make sure the
seatback is locked in the upright
position.
To close the seat, make sure the safety belts are properly stowed, then
lift the remote latch release and push the seat down until it latches. Pull
up on the handle and push the floor panel into place.
Seating and safety restraints
88

SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Personal Safety System
The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal
crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further
reduce the risk of air bag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze
different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in
a variety of frontal crash situations.
Your vehicle's Personal Safety System consists of:
²Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints. Refer
to theAir bag supplemental restraintssection in this chapter.
²Front safety belts with pretensioners, energy management retractors,
and safety belt usage sensors. Refer to theSafety beltssection in this
chapter.
²Driver's seat position sensor.
²Front crash severity sensor.
²Restraints Control Module (RCM) with impact and safing sensors.
²An indicator light and back-up tone.
²The electrical wiring for the air bags, crash sensor(s), safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors and driver's seat position
sensor.
How does the personal safety system work?
The Personal Safety System uses a collection of sensors to gather
information about the driver's seat position, driver and front outboard
passenger's safety belt usage and accident severity. Then, dual-stage
inflating air bags are combined with safety belt pretensioners and energy
management retractors to help provide enhanced occupant protection in
frontal crashes.
The driver's seat position sensor determines if the seat is fore or aft of a
reference position. Similarly, the safety belt usage sensors determine if
the driver and front outboard passenger safety belts are fastened. These
sensors provide the ability to tailor the air bag deployment based upon
how close the driver's seat is to the steering wheel and whether or not
the safety belts are fastened.
The dual-stage air bags offer the ability to tailor the air bag inflation with
two energy levels. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more
Seating and safety restraints
89

common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is provided
for the most severe impacts. Whether or not the air bag deploys at all
can also be different for the driver versus the passenger based upon
driver's seat position and safety belt usage allowing further tailoring of
the system.
Determining if the personal safety system is operational
The Personal Safety System uses a warning indicator light in the
instrument cluster or a back-up tone to indicate the condition of the
system. Refer to theRestraints Warning Indicatorsection in the
Instrumentationchapter. Routine maintenance of the Personal Safety
System is not required.
The RCM (restraints control module) monitors its own internal circuits
and the circuits for the air bag supplemental restraints, crash sensor(s),
safety belt pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors and driver's seat
position sensor. In addition, the RCM also monitors the restraints
warning indicator light in the instrument cluster. A difficulty with the
system is indicated by one or more of the following:
²The indicator light will either
flash or stay lit.
²The indicator light will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
²A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and indicator light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the Personal
Safety System serviced at your dealership or by a qualified technician
immediately. Unless serviced, the system may not function properly in
the event of a collision.
Seating and safety restraints
90

When are the front air bags and pretensioners deployed?
Front air bags and pretensioners are
designed to activate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient
longitudinal deceleration. The fact
that the pretensioners or air bags
did not activate in a collision does
not mean that something is wrong
with the system. Rather, it means
the Personal Safety System
determined the occupant conditions
or crash severity were not appropriate to activate these safety devices.
Safety belt precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they
can be properly restrained.
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.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag SRS is
provided.
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.
Seating and safety restraints
91

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
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.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) until you hear a snap and feel
it latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
Seating and safety restraints
92