child seat FORD THUNDERBIRD 2002 11.G Owners Manual

Seating and safety restraints 95
Seating 95
Safety restraints 99
Air bags 109
Child restraints 122
Driving 132
Starting 132
Brakes 136
Traction control 138
Transmission operation 140
Vehicle loading 146
Trailer towing 148
Recreational towing 152
Roadside emergencies 153
Hazard flasher switch 154
Fuses and relays 156
Changing tires 164
Jump starting 169
Wrecker towing 176
Customer assistance 177
The dispute settlement board 180
Utilizing the mediation/arbitration 183
Getting assistance outside the U.S. and Canada 183
Ordering additional owner's literature 184
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 186
Cleaning 187
Cleaning your vehicle 187
Underbody preservation 192
Table of contents
2

Special instructions
For your safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
By operating other electronic equipment (e.g. mobile telephone
without exterior aerial) electromagnetic fields can occur which
can cause malfunctions of the vehicle electronics. Therefore you should
observe the instructions of the equipment manufacturers
Please read the sectionAir bagin theSeating and safety
restraintschapter. Failure to follow the specific warnings and
instructions could result in personal injury.
Front seat mounted rear facing child or baby seats should
NEVERbe used in front of a passenger side air bag unless the
air bag can be and is turned OFF.
Introduction
7

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
8

5. Remove the bulb retaining ring by
rotating it counterclockwise (when
viewed from the rear) to free it
from the bulb socket, and slide the
ring off the plastic base. Keep the
ring to retain the new bulb.
6. Without turning, remove the old
bulb from the lamp assembly by
pulling it straight out of the lamp
assembly.
To install the new bulb:
Handle a halogen headlamp bulb carefully and keep out of
children's reach. Grasp the bulb only by its plastic base and do
not touch the glass. The oil from your hand could cause the bulb
to break the next time the headlamps are operated.
NOTE:If the bulb is accidentally touched, it should be cleaned with
rubbing alcohol before being used.
1. With the flat side of the new bulb's plastic base facing upward, insert
the glass end of the bulb into the lamp assembly. Turn the bulb left or
right to align the grooves in the plastic base with the tabs in the lamp
assembly. When the grooves are aligned, push the bulb into the lamp
assembly until the plastic base contacts the rear of the lamp assembly.
2. Install the bulb retaining ring over the plastic base and lock the ring
by rotating clockwise until it snaps into place.
3. Connect the electrical connector to the bulb.
4. Install the headlamp on vehicle by aligning the lamp on the vehicle,
push rearward to fully seat the lamp assembly and install the screw on
the headlamp.
5. Push the two retainer pins down.
6. Turn the headlamps on and make sure they work properly. If the
headlamp was correctly aligned before you changed the bulb, you should
not need to align it again.
Lights
55

SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
The driver and passenger seat must be in the upright position
and the lap belt must be snug and low across the hips while the
vehicle is moving.
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.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a safety 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.
Seating and safety restraints
99

²This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay
out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant's chest.
After any vehicle collision, the seat belt system at all passenger
seating positions must be checked by a qualified technician to
verify that the ªautomatic locking retractorº feature for child seats is
still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be checked
for proper 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.
Vehicle sensitive mode
The safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The safety belts have two types of locking modes described below.
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will
lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Seating and safety restraints
101

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
²Anytimea child safety seat is installed in the vehicle. Refer toSafety
Restraints for ChildrenorSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this
chapter.
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 passenger
seating positions 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. In addition, all
seat belts should be checked for proper function.
Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly could increase
the risk of injury in collisions.
Safety belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
front passenger seating positions.
The safety belt pretensioner is a device which removes excess webbing
from the safety belt system. The safety belt pretensioner uses the same
crash sensor system as the front air bag supplemental restraint system
(SRS). When the safety belt pretensioner deploys, webbing from the lap
and shoulder belt is tightened. The driver and front passenger seat belt
system (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be
replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in
Seating and safety restraints
103

Reasons given... Consider...
ªSeat belts don't
workºSafety belts,when used properly,reduce risk of
deathto front seat occupants by45% in cars,
and by60% in light trucks.
ªTraffic is lightºNearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle
crashes,many when no other vehicles are around.
ªBelts wrinkle my
clothesºPossibly, but a serious crash can do much more
than wrinkle your clothes, particularly if you are
unbelted.
ªThe people I'm
with don't wear
beltsºSet the example, teen deaths occur 4 times more
often in vehicles with TWO or MORE people.
Children and younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
ªI have an air bagº Air bags offer greater protection when used with
safety belts. Frontal airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear and side crashes or rollovers.
ªI'd rather be
thrown clearºNot a good idea.Peoplewho areejected are 40
times more likely to DIE.Safety belts help
prevent ejection, WE CAN'T ªPICK OUR CRASHº.
Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt to avoid the Belt
Minder chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk of
injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt
Minder feature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an ignition
ON cycle, Belt Minder will be disabled for that ignition cycle only.
Deactivating/activating the belt minder feature
Read steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The Belt Minder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
²The parking brake is set.
²The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission).
Seating and safety restraints
106

9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is a 20 cm
(8 inch) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly 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 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, tears or cuts. Replace 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), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if
equipped), child safety seat tether bracket assemblies (if equipped),
LATCH child seat tether anchors and lower anchors (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 safety beltsin theCleaning
chapter.
Seating and safety restraints
108

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 air bag:
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.
Modifications to the front end of the vehicle, including frame,
bumper, front end body structure and tow hooks may affect the
performance of the air bag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Do not
modify the front end of the vehicle.
Children and air bags
For additional important safety
information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
Children must always be properly
restrained. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
Seating and safety restraints
110