Mercury Mariner 2007 Owner's Manuals

If... Then...
The driver’s and front
passenger’s safety belts are
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position or less than 1-2
minutes have elapsed since the
ignition switch has been turned
ON...The BeltMinderfeature will not
activate.
The driver’s or front passenger’s
safety belt is not buckled when
the vehicle has reached at least
5 km/h (3 mph) and 1-2
minutes have elapsed since the
ignition switch has been turned
to ON...The BeltMinderfeature is activated -
the safety belt warning light illuminates
and the warning chime sounds for 6
seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for
approximately 5 minutes or until the
safety belts are buckled.
The driver’s or front passenger’s
safety belt becomes unbuckled
for approximately 1 minute
while the vehicle is traveling at
least 5 km/h (3 mph) and more
than 1-2 minutes have elapsed
since the ignition switch has
been turned to ON...The BeltMinderfeature is activated -
the safety belt warning light illuminates
and the warning chime sounds for 6
seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for
approximately 5 minutes or until the
safety belts are buckled.
The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts
(All statistics based on U.S. data):
Reasons given... Consider...

Crashes are rare events
36700 crashes occur every day.The
more we drive, the more we are
exposed to
rare
events, even for good
drivers.1 in 4 of us will be seriously
injured in a crash during our
lifetime.

I’m not going far
3of4fatal crashes occur within25
miles of home.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
101

Reasons given... Consider...

Belts are uncomfortable
Your Ford safety belts are designed 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.
BeltMinderreminds 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 by
60% 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 airbag
Airbags 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 are
ejected 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 or insert a latchplate
into the buckle to avoid the BeltMinderchime. To do so may
adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag system
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
102

One time disable
If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles
the safety belt for that seating position, the BeltMinderis disabled for
the current ignition cycle. The BeltMinderfeature will enable during the
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 BeltMinderfeature
The driver and front passenger BeltMinderare
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 BeltMinderfeatures 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 gearshift is in N (Neutral) (manual transmission)
•The ignition switch is in the OFF position
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
While the design allows you to deactivate your BeltMinder,this
system is designed to improve your chances of being safely
belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave the
BeltMindersystem activated for yourself and others who may use the
vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
BeltMinderfeature 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.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
103

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 BeltMinderfeature 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.
•This will enable the BeltMinderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning
light will flash 4 times per second for 3 seconds, followed by 3
seconds with the light off, then followed by the restraint system
warning light flashing 4 times per second for 3 seconds again.
•After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
104

Important SRS precautions
The SRS is designed to work with
the safety belt to help protect the
driver and right front passenger
from certain upper body injuries.
Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a
deploying airbag.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag
supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.
Never place your arm over the airbag module as a deploying
airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries.
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.
Do not put anything on or over the airbag module. Placing
objects on or over the airbag inflation area may cause those
objects to be propelled by the airbag into your face and torso causing
serious injury.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
105

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the airbag
supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. See your authorized
dealer.
Modifications to the front end of the vehicle, including frame,
bumper, front end body structure, tow hooks and B-pillar
surrounding parts may affect the performance of the airbag sensors
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the
vehicle.
Additional equipment may affect the performance of the airbag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Please refer to theBody
Builders Layout Bookfor instructions about the appropriate
installation of additional equipment.
Children and airbags
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.
Airbags can kill or injure a
child in a child seat.
NEVERplace 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 all the way back.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
106

How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?
The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains a
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the airbag sensors to close
an electrical circuit that initiates
airbag inflation. The fact that the
airbags did not inflate in a collision
does not mean that something is
wrong with the system. Rather, it
means the forces were not sufficient
enough to cause activation. Front
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.
The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder or sodium compounds which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.
While the SRS is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with
a deploying airbag may also cause
abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags must
inflate rapidly and with considerable
force, there is the risk of death or
serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or internal
injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly restrained or are
otherwise out of position at the time of airbag deployment. It is
extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away
from the airbag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.
The SRS consists of:
•driver and passenger airbag modules (which include the inflators and
airbags).
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
107

•seat-mounted side airbags (if equipped). Refer toSeat-mounted side
airbag systemlater in this chapter
•Safety Canopysystem (if equipped). Refer toSafety Canopy
systemlater in this chapter.
•one or more impact and safing sensors.
•Safety belt pretensioners
•a readiness light and tone.
•diagnostic module.
•and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
•Front passenger sensing system. Refer toFront passenger sensing
system.later in this chapter.
•“Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to
Front passenger sensing systemlater in this chapter.
The RCM (restraints control module) monitors its own internal circuits
and the supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the
impact sensors, the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the
airbag back up power and the airbag ignitors).
Several air bag system components get hot after inflation. Do not
touch them after inflation.
If the airbag has deployed,the airbag will not function again
and must be replaced immediately.If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.
Front passenger sensing system
The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208
and is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions.
The front passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger’s seat and safety belt. The sensors are designed to
detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the
front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or
disabled (will not inflate).
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
108

The front passenger sensing system will disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
•the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in
the front seat,
•the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant
seat that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,
•the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing
child restraint that is installed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions,
•the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat,
•a front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of
time,
For side airbag equipped vehicles, the front passenger sensing system
will turn off the passenger seat side airbag if:
•the seat is empty and safety belt is unbuckled.
The front passenger sensing system
uses a
passenger airbag off
or

pass airbag off
indicator which will
illuminate and stay lit to remind you
that the front passenger frontal
airbag is off. The indicator lamp is
located in the center stack of the
instrument panel just below the
radio.
Note: The indicator lamp will illuminate for a short period of time when
the ignition is turned to the ON position to confirm it is functional.
When the front passenger seat is not occupied (empty seat) or in the
event that the front passenger frontal airbag is enabled (may inflate), the
indicator lamp will be unlit.
The front passenger sensing system is designed to disable (will not
inflate) the front passenger’s frontal airbag when a rear facing infant
seat, a forward-facing child restraint, or a booster seat is detected.
•
When the front passenger sensing system disables (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag, the indicator lamp will illuminate and stay
lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled.
•If the child restraint has been installed and the indicator lamp is not
lit, then turn the vehicle off, remove the child restraint from the
vehicle and reinstall the restraint following the child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
109

The front passenger sensing system is designed to enable (may inflate)
the front passenger’s frontal airbag anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting properly in the front passenger seat.
•When the front passenger sensing system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the indicator will be unlit and stay unlit.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front passenger’s seat, but the

passenger airbag off
or
pass 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 seatback 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 lamp remains lit even after this, the person should be
advised to ride in the rear seat.
OccupantPass Airbag Off
Indicator LampPassenger Airbag
Empty seat Unlit Disabled
Small child in child
safety seat or boosterLit Disabled
Small child with safety
belt buckled or
unbuckledLit Disabled
Adult Unlit Enabled
Even with Advanced Restraints Systems, children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in the back seat.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it’s
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.
2007 Mariner(mrn)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
110