airbag Mercury Grand Marquis 2003 Owner's Manuals

Safety belt warning chime
Sounds to remind you to fasten your safety belts.
BeltMinderchime
Sounds intermittently to remind you to fasten your safety belts.
Supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning chime
Sounds when a malfunction in the supplemental restraint system (front
or side airbags) has been detected. Have the supplemental restraint
system inspected immediately.
Headlamps on warning chime
Sounds when the headlamps or parking lamps are on, the key is removed
from the ignition and the driver’s door is opened.
Key-in-ignition warning chime
Sounds when the key is left in the ignition and the driver’s door is
opened.
GAUGES
Standard instrument cluster gauges
2003 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Instrument Cluster
16

Reasons given... Consider...
“Belts are
uncomfortable”We design our safety belts to enhance comfort. If
you are uncomfortable - try different positions for
the safety belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as possible; this can
improve comfort.
“I was in a hurry”Prime time for an accident.BeltMinder reminds
us to take a few seconds to buckle up.
“Safety belts don’t
work”Safety belts,when used properly,reduce risk of
deathto front seat occupants by45% in cars,
and by60% in light trucks.
“Traffic is light”Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle
crashes,many when no other vehicles are around.
“Belts wrinkle my
clothes”Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more
than wrinkle your clothes, particularly if you are
unbelted.
“The people I’m
with don’t wear
belts”Set 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.
“I have an air bag” Air bags offer greater protection when used with
safety belts. Frontal airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear and side crashes or rollovers.
“I’d rather be
thrown clear”Not a good idea.Peoplewho areejected are 40
times more likely to DIE.Safety belts help
prevent ejection, WE CAN’T “PICK OUR CRASH”.
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
If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles,
the BeltMinder feature for that seating position is disabled for the
current ignition cycle. The BeltMinder feature will re-enable during the
2003 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
121

same ignition cycle if the occupant buckles and remains buckled for
approximately 30 seconds. Confirmation is not given for the one time
disable.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature
The driver and front passenger BeltMinder are
deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating
one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will
terminate the process.
Read steps1-4thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The driver and front passenger BeltMinder features can be
deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•The parking brake is set
•The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)
•The ignition switch is in the OFF position
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1
minute)
•Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt 9 times, ending in the unbuckled state. (Step 3 must be
completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns
off.)
•After step 3, the restraint system warning light (airbag light) will be
turned on for three seconds.
4. Within 10 seconds of the light turning on, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt.
•This will disable the BeltMinder feature for that seating position if it is
currently enabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning light
will flash 4 times per second for 3 seconds.
2003 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
122

Children and air bags
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.
Air bags can kill or injure a
child in a child seat.
NEVERplace a rear-facing child
seat in front of an active air bag. If
you must use a forward-facing
child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.
How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?
The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates air
bag inflation.
The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Driver and passenger airbags are designed to inflate in
frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or
rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient longitudinal
deceleration.
2003 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
126

Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of accessory seat
covers may prevent the deployment of the side air bags and
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Do not lean your head on the door. The side air bag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air bag SRS, its
fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an air bag. See your
Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer.
All occupants of the vehicle should always wear their safety belts
even when an air bag SRS is provided.
How does the side air bag system work?
The design and development of the
side airbag system included
recommended testing procedures
that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as
the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing
procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of
side airbags.
The side air bag system consists of
the following:
•An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator concealed
behind the outboard bolster of
the driver and front passenger
seatbacks.
•A special seat cover designed to allow airbag deployment.
•The same warning light, electronic control and diagnostic unit as used
for the front air bags.
•Two crash sensors.
Side air bags, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce the risk of
severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision.
2003 Grand Marquis(grn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
129