warning LINCOLN MKX 2012 Owners Manual

Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Restraint
TypeChild
WeightUse any attachment method as indicated
below by “X”
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and
top
tether
anchor)LATCH
(lower
anchors
only)Safety
belt
and
top
tether
anchorSafety
belt and
LATCH
(lower
anchors
and top
tether
anchor)Safety
belt
only
Rear
facing
child seatUp to
48 lb
(21 kg)XX
Forward
facing
child seatUp to
48 lb
(21 kg)XXX
Forward
facing
child seatOver
48 lb
(21 kg)XX
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
vehicle seat all the way back. When possible, all children age 12 and
under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If all
children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating
position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat.
WARNING:Always carefully follow the instructions and
warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to
determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by the vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child’s height, age, or weight or does not
properly fit the child may increase the risk of serious injury or death.
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WARNING: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, which may result in serious injury or
death.
WARNING:Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.
They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or
death in a collision.
WARNING:Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster
seat. These objects may become projectiles in a collision or
sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
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 collision.
WARNING:Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
Transporting children
Always make sure your child is secured properly in a device that is
appropriate for their age, height and weight. All children are shaped
differently. The child height, age and weight thresholds provided are
recommendations or the minimum requirements of law. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides education and
training to ensure that all children ages 0 to 16 are properly restrained in
the correct restraint system. Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and your
pediatrician to make sure your seat is appropriate for your child and
properly installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and
CPST contact the NHTSA toll free at1-888-327-4236or on the internet
at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, check with your local St. John
Ambulance office for referral to a CPST or for further information,
contact your provincial ministry of transportation, your local St. John
Ambulance office at http://www.sfa.ca, or Transport Canada at
1–800–333–0371 (http://www.tc.gc.ca).
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position whenever possible. If all children cannot be seated and
restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the
largest child in the front seat.
When installing a child safety seat with combination lap/shoulder belts:
•Use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle until you hear a snap
and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the
buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to help prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place vehicle seat back in upright position.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer to Step 5
below. This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
WARNING:Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.
Perform the following steps when installing the child seat with
combination lap/shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child seat illustrated is a forward facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear facing child seat.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
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Your vehicle has LATCH lower
anchors for child seat installation at
the seating positions marked with
the child seat symbol.
The LATCH anchors are located at
the rear section of the rear seat
between the cushion and seat back,
below the locator symbols on the
seat back. Follow the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions to
properly install a child seat with
LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Refer toAttaching tether strapslater in this chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
WARNING:Never attach two child safety seats to the same
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious
injury or death.
WARNING:Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.
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Use of inboard lower anchors from the outboard seating positions
(center seating use)
The lower anchors at the center of the second row rear seat are spaced
460 mm (18 inches) apart. The standardized spacing for LATCH lower
anchors is 280 mm (11 inches) center to center. A child seat with rigid
LATCH attachments cannot be installed at the center seating position.
LATCH compatible child seats (with attachments on belt webbing) can
only be used at this seating position provided that the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child seat to any lower anchor if an adjacent child seat is
attached to that anchor.
WARNING:The standardized spacing for LATCH lower anchors
is 280 mm (11 inches) center to center. Do not use LATCH
lower anchors for the center seating position unless the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions permit and specify using anchors spaced at
least as far apart as those in this vehicle.
Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tug the
child seat from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to
the vehicle. The seat should move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
Combining safety belt and LATCH lower anchors for attaching
child safety seats
When used in combination, either the safety belt or the LATCH lower
anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved.
Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child seat. Refer
toRecommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
in this chapter.
Attaching child safety seats with 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 the vehicle.
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The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped with built-in tether strap
anchors located behind the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle are located under the second row
seat gap cover marked with tether anchor symbols (shown with title).
The tether strap anchors in your
vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
WARNING:Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate
tether anchor as shown. The tether strap may not work properly
if attached somewhere other than the correct tether anchor.
WARNING:Do not use seat anchors as cargo tie downs.
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.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, and have
attached the top tether strap to the proper top tether anchor, do not
tighten the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the 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 the vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
Perform the following steps to attach a child safety seat to the tether
anchor:
1. Route the child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat.
For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route the tether strap under
the head restraint and between the head restraint posts, , otherwise
route the tether strap over the top of the head restraint. If the top of the
safety seat hits the adjustable head restraint, raise the head restraint to
let the child seat fit further rearward.
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2. Locate the correct anchor behind
the gap cover for the selected
seating position.
3. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.
WARNING:If the tether
strap is clipped incorrectly,
the child safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event of a
collision.
4. Tighten the child safety seat
tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
WARNING:If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk
of a child being injured in a collision greatly increases.
If your child restraint system is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also recommends
its use.
Child booster seats
The belt-positioning booster (booster seat) is used to improve the fit of
the vehicle safety belt. Children outgrow a typical child seat (e.g.,
convertible or toddler seat) when they weigh about 40 lb (18 kg) and are
around four (4) years of age. Consult your child safety seat owner guide
for the weight, height, and age limits specific to your child safety seat.
Keep your child in the child safety seat if it properly fits the child,
remains appropriate for their weight, height and age AND if properly
secured to the vehicle.
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Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the booster seat.
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 collision.
Child restraint and safety belt maintenance
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety 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 LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching hardware, should be
inspected after a collision. Refer to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions for additional inspection and maintenance information
specific to the child restraint. Ford Motor Company recommends that all
safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision was minor and an authorized dealer
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.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, refer toInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
WARNING:Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the
safety belt assembly or child restraint system under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of a
collision.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR P265/40R22 LOW-PROFILE TIRES
AND WHEELS
If your vehicle is equipped with P265/40R22 tires, they are low-profile
tires. These tires and wheels are designed to give your vehicle a sport
appearance. With low-profile tires, you may notice an increase in road
noise and faster tire wear, depending on road conditions and driving
styles. Due to their design, low-profile tires and wheels are more prone
to road damage from potholes, rough or unpaved roads, car wash rails
and curb contact than standard tires and wheels. Your vehicle’s warranty
does not cover these types of damage. Tires should always be kept at the
correct inflation pressures and extra caution should be taken when
operating on rough roads to avoid impacts that could cause wheel and
tire damage.
NOTICE TO CROSSOVER VEHICLE OWNERS
Crossover vehicles handle differently
than passenger cars in the various
driving conditions that are
encountered on streets, highways
and off-road. Crossover vehicles are
not designed for cornering at speeds
as high as passenger cars any more
than low-slung sports cars are
designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road conditions.
WARNING:Crossover vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles. To reduce the risk of
serious injury or death from a rollover or other crash you must:
•Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers;
•Drive at safe speeds for the conditions;
•Keep tires properly inflated;
•Never overload or improperly load your vehicle; and
•Make sure every passenger is properly restrained.
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
All occupants must wear seat belts and children/infants must use
appropriate restraints to minimize the risk of injury or ejection.
Study your owner’s guide for specific information about equipment
features, instructions for safe driving and additional precautions to
reduce the risk of an accident or serious injury.
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VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS
All-wheel drive (AWD) system (if equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a full-time all-wheel drive (AWD)
system. With the AWD option, power will be delivered to the front
wheels and distributed to the rear wheels as needed. This increases
traction which may enable you to safely drive over terrain and road
conditions that a conventional two-wheel drive vehicle cannot. The AWD
system is active all the time and requires no input from the operator.
Note:Your AWD vehicle is not intended for off-road use. The AWD
feature gives your vehicle some limited off-road capabilities in which
driving surfaces are relatively level, obstruction-free and otherwise
similar to normal on-road driving conditions. Operating your vehicle
under other than those conditions could subject the vehicle to excessive
stress which might result in damage which is not covered under your
warranty.
For AWD vehicles, a spare tire of a different size other than the tire
provided should never be used. A dissimilar spare tire size (other than
the spare tire provided) or major dissimilar tire sized between the front
and rear axles could cause the AWD system to stop functioning and
default to front-wheel drive.
WARNING:Do not become overconfident in the ability of AWD
vehicles. Although a AWD vehicle may accelerate better than
two-wheel drive vehicle in low traction situations, it won’t stop any
faster than two-wheel drive vehicles. Always drive at a safe speed.
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