seats LINCOLN MKC 2015 User Guide

Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety
seats include a tether strap which
extends from the back of the child
safety seat and hooks to an anchoring point
called the top tether anchor. Tether straps
are available as an accessory for many older
safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child seat
for information about ordering a tether strap,
or to obtain a longer tether strap if the tether
strap on your safety seat does not reach the
appropriate top tether anchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has been installed
using either the safety belt, the lower
anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you
can attach the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are
in the following positions (shown from top
view): Perform the following steps to install a child
safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:
If you install a child seat with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child seat off
your vehicle seat cushion when the child is
seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child seat.
Keeping the child seat just touching your
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a
severe crash. 1. Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the back of the seat. For outboard
seating positions, route the tether strap
under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts. For the center
seating positions, route the tether strap
over the top of the head restraint. If
needed, the head restraints can also be
removed. 2. Locate the correct anchor on the back
panel of the rear seat for the selected
seating position. The anchors are labeled
with the tether strap symbol and are
partially covered by the gap panel. Pull
the panel back to fully expose the
anchors.
30
MKC (TME), enUSA Child Safety E142537 E142538

3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as
shown.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap
according to the manufacturer's
instructions. If your child restraint system
is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends
its use, Ford also recommends its use. BOOSTER SEATS WARNING
Never place, or allow a child to place,
the shoulder belt under a child's arm
or behind the back because it reduces the
protection for the upper part of the body and
may increase the risk of injury or death in a
crash. Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety seat (generally
children who are less than 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four
(4) and less than age twelve (12), and
between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and 80
pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to 100
pounds (45 kilograms) if recommended by
your child restraint manufacturer). Many state
and provincial laws require that children use
approved booster seats until they reach age
eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters)
tall, or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).Booster seats should be used until you can
answer YES to ALL of these questions when
seated without a booster seat:
•
Can the child sit all the way back against
their vehicle seat back with knees bent
comfortably at the edge of the seat
cushion?
• Can the child sit without slouching?
• Does the lap belt rest low across the
hips?
• Is the shoulder belt centered on the
shoulder and chest?
• Can the child stay seated like this for the
whole trip?
31
MKC (TME), enUSA Child SafetyE142539 E142595

Always use booster seats in conjunction with
your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
•
Backless booster seats If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the shield. If a
vehicle seating position has a low seat back
or no head restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child's head (as measured at
the tops of the ears) above the top of the
seat. In this case, move the backless booster
to another seating position with a higher seat
back or head restraint and lap and shoulder
belts, or consider using a high back booster
seat. •
High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannot
find a seating position that adequately
supports your child's head, a high back
booster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size and
shape. Choose a booster that keeps the lap
belt low and snug across the hips, never up
across the stomach, and lets you adjust the
shoulder belt to cross the chest and rest
snugly near the center of the shoulder. The
following drawings compare the ideal fit
(center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably
close to the neck and a shoulder belt that
could slip off the shoulder. The drawings also
show how the lap belt should be low and
snug across the child's hips.
32
MKC (TME), enUSA Child SafetyE68924 E70710

Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X
Combined weight of
child and child seat
Restraint Type
Safety belt only
Safety belt and
LATCH (lower
anchors and top tether anchor)
Safety belt and top
tether anchor
LATCH (lower
anchors only)
LATCH (lower
anchors and top tether anchor)
X
X
Up to 65 lb (29 kg)
Rear facing child
seat
X
Over 65 lb (29 kg)
Rear facing child
seat
X
X
X
Up to 65 lb (29 kg)
Forward facing
child seat
X
X
Over 65 lb (29 kg)
Forward facing
child seat
Note: The child seat must rest tightly against
the vehicle seat upon which it is installed. It
may be necessary to lift or remove the head
restraint. See Seats (page 141). CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doors
cannot be opened from the inside.
35
MKC (TME), enUSA Child Safety

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
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 your vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a crash. All occupants of your vehicle, including
the driver, should always properly wear
their safety belts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided. WARNINGS
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a
vehicle. In a crash, 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. When possible, all children 12 years old
and under should be properly
restrained in a rear seating position. WARNINGS
Safety belts and seats can become hot
in a vehicle that has been closed up in
sunny weather; they could burn a small child.
Check seat covers and buckles before you
place a child anywhere near them. Front and rear seat occupants,
including pregnant women, should
wear safety belts for optimum protection in
an accident. All seating positions in this vehicle have lap
and shoulder safety belts. All occupants of
the vehicle should always properly wear their
safety belts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•
lap and shoulder safety belts
• shoulder safety belt with automatic
locking mode, (except driver safety belt)
• height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions
37
MKC (TME), enUSA Safety Belts

Using Safety Belts During Pregnancy
WARNING
Always ride and drive with your
seatback upright and the safety belt
properly fastened. The lap portion of the
safety belt should fit snug and be positioned
low across the hips. The shoulder portion of
the safety belt should be positioned across
the chest. Pregnant women should also
follow this practice. See the following figure. Pregnant women should always wear their
safety belt. The lap belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt should be
positioned low across the hips below the
belly and worn as tight as comfort will allow.
The shoulder belt should be positioned to
cross the middle of the shoulder and the
center of the chest.
Safety Belt Locking Modes
WARNINGS
After any vehicle crash, the safety belt
system at all passenger seating
positions must be checked by an authorized
dealer to verify that the automatic locking
retractor feature for child seats is still
functioning properly. In addition, all safety
belts should be checked for proper function. BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY
MUST BE REPLACED if the safety belt
assembly automatic locking retractor feature
or any other safety belt function is not
operating properly when checked by an
authorized dealer. Failure to replace the belt
and retractor assembly could increase the
risk of injury in crashes. All safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The
driver safety belt has the first type of locking
mode, and the front outboard passenger and
rear seat safety belts have both types of
locking modes described as follows:
Vehicle Sensitive Mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which
allows 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 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the
combination safety belts will lock to help
reduce forward movement of the driver and
passengers.
In addition, the retractor is designed to lock
if the webbing is pulled out too quickly. If this
occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull
webbing out again in a slow and controlled
manner.
39
MKC (TME), enUSA Safety BeltsE142590

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
This mode should be used any time a child
safety seat, except a booster, is installed in
passenger front or rear seating positions.
Children 12 years old and under should be
properly restrained in a rear seating position
whenever possible. See Child Safety (page
23).
How to Use the Automatic Locking Mode 1.
Buckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until the entire belt is pulled
out.
Allow 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
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt and allow it to retract completely to
disengage the automatic locking mode and
turn on the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
How to Extract Safety Belts in the Rear
Outboard Positions
Safety belts in the rear outboard positions
can lock if the seatback is returned firmly to
its upright position. You can unlock the safety
belts using the following procedures.
For vehicles where the rear seats recline:
1. Recline the seat to its full rear recline
position.
2. The safety belt should then unlock.
3. Return the seatback to its desired upright
position.
For vehicles with rear seats that do not
recline or are locked with the seat in its full
rear recline position:
40
MKC (TME), enUSA Safety BeltsE142591

Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment
WARNING
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) recommends
a minimum distance of at least 10 inches (25
centimeters) between an occupant’ s chest
and the driver airbag module. To properly position yourself away from the
airbag:
•
Move your seat to the rear as far as you
can while still reaching the pedals
comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly (one or two
degrees) from the upright position.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats
and put on safety belts, it is very important
that they continue to sit properly. A properly
seated occupant sits upright, leaning against
the seat back, and centered on the seat
cushion, with their feet comfortably extended
on the floor. Sitting improperly can increase the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies down,
turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward
or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
Children and Airbags
WARNING
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag. If you
must use a forward-facing child seat in the
front seat, move the seat upon which the
child seat is installed all the way back. 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 crash.
FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM
WARNINGS
Even with Advanced Restraints
Systems, children 12 and under should
be properly restrained in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could seriously
increase the risk of injury or death. Sitting improperly out of position or
with the seat back reclined too far can
take off weight from the seat cushion and
affect the decision of the front passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury or
death in a crash. Always sit upright against
your seat back, with your feet on the floor.
49
MKC (TME), enUSA Supplementary Restraints SystemE142846

If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger seat, but the airbag off indicator
lamp is lit, it is possible that the person isn
’t
sitting properly in the seat. If this happens:
• Turn the vehicle off and ask the person
to place the seat back in the full upright
position. •
Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the
person ’s legs comfortably extended. •
Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to
detect that person and enable the
passenger’ s frontal airbag.
• If the indicator OFF lamp remains lit even
after this, the person should be advised
to ride in the rear seat. Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status indicator
Occupant
Disabled
OFF: Lit
Empty
ON: Unlit Disabled
OFF: Lit
Child
ON: Unlit Enabled
OFF: Unlit
Adult
ON: Lit
Note: When the passenger airbag status
indicator OFF light is illuminated, the
passenger (seat mounted) side airbag may
be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment injuries. After all occupants have adjusted their seats
and put on safety belts, it is very important
that they continue to sit properly. A properly
seated occupant sits upright, leaning against
the seat back, and centered on the seat
cushion, with their feet comfortably extended
51
MKC (TME), enUSA Supplementary Restraints System

on the floor. Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies down,
turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward
or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
The conditions listed above may cause the
weight of a properly seated occupant to be
incorrectly interpreted by the front passenger
sensing system. The person in the front
passenger seat may appear heavier or lighter
due to the conditions described in the list
above.
Make sure the front passenger
sensing system is operating
properly. See Crash Sensors and
Airbag Indicator (page 55).
Do not attempt to repair or service the
system. Take your vehicle immediately to an
authorized dealer.
If it is necessary to modify an advanced front
airbag system to accommodate a person
with disabilities, contact the Ford Customer
Relationship Center.
See Getting the
Services You Need (page 254). SIDE AIRBAGS WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the airbag cover,
on the side of the seatbacks (of the front
seats), or in front seat areas that may come
into contact with a deploying airbag. Failure
to follow these instructions may increase the
risk of personal injury in the event of a crash. Do not use accessory seat covers. The
use of accessory seat covers may
prevent the deployment of the side airbags
and increase the risk of injury in an accident. Do not lean your head on the door. The
side airbag could injure you as it
deploys from the side of the seatback. Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag, its fuses or the seat
cover on a seat containing an airbag as you
could be seriously injured or killed. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible. WARNINGS
If the side airbag has deployed, the
airbag will not function again. The side
airbag system (including the seat) must be
inspected and serviced by an authorized
dealer. If the airbag is not replaced, the
unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury
in a crash. The side airbags are located on the outboard
side of the seatbacks of the front seats. In
certain sideways crashes, the airbag on the
side affected by the crash will be inflated.
The airbag was designed to inflate between
the door panel and occupant to further
enhance the protection provided occupants
in side impact crashes.
52
MKC (TME), enUSA Supplementary Restraints System