Mercury Villager 1998 Owner's Manuals

Front Seat Cupholders
The front seat cupholders are located on the side of the
passenger's seat. Find the indented ledge and pull it down, away
from the side of the seat, toward the driver seat. When the
cupholder is not in use, push the cupholders into the cover and
lift the cover into its fully stored position.
NOTE: Do not place heavy objects in the cupholders.
Using the front seat cupholders
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Rear Seat Cupholders (available on some models)
Your vehicle may have the following types of cupholders:
mtwo second row cupholders attached to the captain seats (if
equipped)
mtwo third row cupholders on the left side and one cupholder
on the right side (if equipped)
mone cupholder built into the side trim panel (without rear
radio controls)
WARNING
Objects stored on the ledges below the rear side windows
can become dangerous projectiles during a sudden stop
or collision. Put small objects only in the storage
compartments.
Third Row Seat Storage Compartment (If equipped)
Your vehicle may come equipped with a folding cupholder/storage
tray/storage compartment built into the passenger's side of the
third row seat. Find the indented ledge on the right of the
cupholder and pull it up to reveal the storage compartment.
Power Point Electrical Outlet (If equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a 12 volt power point outlet
located just below the rear seat audio controls. The power
point can be used in place of the cigarette lighter for optional
electrical accessories.
NOTE: Do not plug the cigarette lighter into this power point
electrical outlet. Use the cigarette lighter.
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Important Safety Belt Information
The use of safety belts helps to restrain you and your passengers
in case of a collision. In most states and in Canada, the law
requires their use.
Safety belts provide best restraint when:
mthe seatback is upright
mthe occupant is sitting upright (not slouched)
mthe lap belt is snug and low on the hips
mthe shoulder belt is snug against the chest
mthe knees are straight forward
To help you remember to fasten your safety belt, a warning light
may come on and a chime may sound. SeeSafety Belt Warning
Light and Chimein theInstrumentationchapter.
See the following sections in this chapter for directions on how to
properly use these safety belts. Also seeSafety Restraints for
Childrenin this chapter for special instructions about using safety
belts for children.
WARNING
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the
lap belt snug and low across the hips.
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129

WARNING
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 it around
your neck over the inside shoulder. 3) Never use a
single belt for more than one person.
WARNING
Never drive or ride with a twisted or jammed safety belt.
If you cannot untwist or unjam the safety belt, see the
nearest qualified technician immediately.
WARNING
Children should always ride with the seatback in the fully
upright position.
WARNING
Lock the doors of your vehicle before driving to lessen the
risk of the door coming open in a collision.
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Combination Lap and Shoulder Belts
While your vehicle is in motion, the combination lap and
shoulder belt adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake
hard, turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact of 5 mph (8
km/h) or more, the lap and shoulder belt locks and helps to
reduce your forward movement.
After you get into your vehicle, close the door and lock it. Then
adjust the seat to the position that suits you best.
To fasten the belt, pull the combination lap and shoulder belt
from the retractor so that the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
your shoulder and chest. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If it
is, remove the twist. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle
until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue
is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on tongue.
NOTE: Be sure to read and understandImportant Safety Belt
Informationat the beginning of this chapter.
Fastening the front seat combination lap and shoulder belt
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131

Third-row passengers should be aware that the proper safety
belt for their seating position is slightly behind their seat. They should not
use the second-row safety belts which are in front of the third seat.
Unfastening the combination lap and shoulder belts Ð front and rear outboard seating
positions
132

To tighten the lap portion of the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt
until it fits you snugly. The belt should rest as low on your
hips as possible.
The passenger seated near the sliding door in the three-passenger
bench seat can route the safety belt webbing under the guide
located on the head restraint. This safety belt guide is designed to
help keep the safety belt webbing properly positioned across
the passenger's chest for maximum comfort. This guide is only
needed when the two-passenger second row bench seat is removed
and the three-passenger bench seat is moved up to the
second-row position.
Fastening the rear seat combination lap and shoulder belt
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133

Using the seat belt guide with the three-passenger bench seat in the second row position
134

NOTE: The second row two-passenger bench seat has a unique
safety restraint system. If your vehicle has the
two-passenger bench seat it is very important that the
unique safety belt system is used properly. Please read
Auxiliary safety restraint system for the second row
bench seatin this section, which explains the unique
safety belt system. Be sure that you understand it before
anyone rides in the two-passenger bench seat.
Passenger Outboard Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seats except the driver's seat and the third seat middle
position are equipped with a dual locking mode retractor on the
shoulder belt portion of the lap/shoulder safety belt. (The
driver seat has only a vehicle sensitive locking mode and the
third seat middle position has a lap belt without a retractor Ð
description follows.)
Dual Locking Mode Retractors Operate in Two Ways:
Vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor will allow the
occupant freedom of movement, locking tight only on hard
braking, hard cornering or impacts of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more.
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135

Automatic locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor will be
automatically locked and will remain locked when the combination
lap/shoulder safety belt is buckled, and does not allow the
occupant freedom of movement. This mode provides the following:
mA tight lap/shoulder belt on the occupant.
mChild safety seat installation.
WARNING
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers should never be
placed in the front seats.
This modemust be usedwhen installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat and rear outboard seats where dual locking
retractors are provided.
To switch the retractor from the emergency locking mode to the
automatic locking mode, perform the following steps:
1. Buckle the lap/shoulder combination belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and pull downward
until all of the belt is extracted and, when allowed to
retract, a clicking sound is heard. At this time, the belt retractor
is in the automatic locking mode (child restraint mode).
3. A clicking sound will continue to be heard as the belt is
allowed to retract. This indicates that the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode.
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