ECU Mercury Villager 1998 s User Guide

Using the Automatic Locking Mode Retractor to Secure
a Child Safety Seat
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual locking mode retractor on
the shoulder belt portion of the combination lap/shoulder safety
belt for the front passenger seat and rear outer seats. The
automatic locking modemust be usedwhen installing a child
seat or infant carrier in the front passenger seat or rear outer seats.
To install a child safety seat or infant carrier, follow these steps:
1. Position the child seat or infant carrier in the vehicle seat. If you
are using the moveable third row seat in the third row
position, the passenger side second row bucket seat, or the
front passenger seat, slide the seat to the rearmost position.
2. Follow the child seat or infant carrier manufacturer's
instructions. Route the safety belt through the child seat or
infant carrier and insert the safety belt tongue into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage. Be sure to follow
the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions for belt
routing. When using the seating position near the sliding door
on the two-passenger bench seat, be sure that the single
window tongue is attached to the auxillary buckle on the side
of the seat.
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6. Before placing the child in the child seat or infant carrier, use
force to tilt the seat from side to side, and tug it forward to
make sure that the seat is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in the automatic locking mode.
Try to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot, the belt
is in the automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child seat or infant carrier is properly
secured prior to each use. If the safety belt is not locked,
repeat steps 3 through 6.
NOTE: When the lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled and allowed
to retract completely, the retractor will switch to the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
Testing the security of the child seat
Seating and Safety Restraints
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Tethering to floor anchor
Ford recommends placing tethered safety seats in a rear seating
position with the tether strap attached to the tether anchor bolt as
shown in the following illustration.
To gain access to the anchoring bolt, cut through the plastic
along the U-shaped tether location outlines on the carpet of the
luggage area. Remove the bolt that is currently in the anchor
location. The tether anchor hardware has been preassembled.
To attach it, orient the tab in the bracket toward the front of the
vehicle and securely tighten the bolt. Follow the child safety
seat directions for attaching the tether strap to the anchor bracket.
Tether anchor point locations
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5. Let the retractor wind up the slack from the lap/shoulder
belt. A clicking sound should be heard as the belt retracts,
indicating that the retractor is in automatic locking mode.
Tighten the tether strap to remove any slack.
6. Before placing a child in the child restraint, use force to tilt the
child restraint from side to side and tug it forward to make
sure it is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in automatic locking mode by
trying to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot pull
any more belt webbing out of the retractor, the belt is in
automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child restraint is properly secured
prior to each use. If the belt is not locked, repeat steps 4
through 7.
Seating and Safety Restraints
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NOTE: The step mat should be placed neatly in the cargo area
when not in use.
Positioning pins are included with your floor mats to secure
them to the seat tracks. Push the positioning pins through the
plastic loops in the floor mats and into the seat tracks.
NOTE: Be sure to keep the seat tracks clear of debris by cleaning
them periodically with a high-powered vacuum.
Head Restraints
If you use them properly, head restraints are intended to help
protect your head and neck in a collision.
The head restraints can be adjusted in four positions: fully raised,
fully lowered and two intermediate positions. Press down on
the head restraint adjustment button and move the restraint to the
position that places the restraint directly behind your head.
A head restraint helps protect you best if you position it behind
your head and not behind your neck.
Floor mat positioning pin placement
Adjustable Rear Seating
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Installing the Two-Passenger Bench Seat
To replace the bench seat in its original position:
1. Make sure the area around the floor anchor positions is free
from obstruction.
2. With the seatback folded down, two people should lift the seat
into the vehicle.
3. Place the seat slightly behind the floor anchor positions and
catch the rear leg anchors into each anchor position.
4. Press down on the front of the seat to secure the front legs to
the two floor latch locks. Place the seatback in the upright
position.
5. Try to move the seat to be sure that it is securely fastened.
6. Always reattach the tongue into the auxiliary buckle mounted
to the sliding door side of the seat.
Labels have been provided on the side of the seat to remind you
of important safety precautions.
7. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
WARNING
Keep foreign objects out of the floor anchors. Objects in
the floor anchors could prevent front and rear seat legs from
engaging properly.
WARNING
Before sitting in the removable seats, make sure that the
seat legs are securely attached by the floor anchors.
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Installing the Removable Captain Seats
To position the captain seats back in their original positions:
1. Make sure the area around the floor anchor positions is free
from obstruction.
2. With the seatback folded down, two people should lift the seat
into the vehicle.
3. Place the seat slightly behind the floor anchor positions and
catch the rear leg anchors into each anchor position.
4. Press down on the front of the seat to secure the front legs to
the two floor latch locks. Place the seatback in the upright
position.
5. Try to move the seat to be sure that it is securely fastened.
6. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
Labels have been provided on the side of the seats to remind you
of important safety precautions.
WARNING
Keep foreign objects out of the floor anchors. Objects in
the floor anchors could prevent front and rear seat legs from
engaging properly.
WARNING
Before sitting in the removable seats, make sure that the
seat legs are securely attached by the floor anchors.
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WARNING
After moving the third-row seat, be sure to latch the seat
in a passenger seating position. Improper location of
the seat will prevent correct use of the safety belts and will
increase the risk of severe injury in an accident. After
sliding the seat, check that both sides of the seat are locked
securely by attempting to move each side of the seat
forward and backward. This must be done before the
vehicle is put into motion in order to prevent unintended
movement of the seat and potential passenger injuries.
NOTE: Before rearranging the seats, remove any floor mats
that might be in the way.
The three-passenger seat can be stored behind the second-row
seat(s) to provide extra cargo space in the rear of the vehicle.
With the second row seat(s) removed, the three-passenger bench
seat can be moved all the way forward, just behind the front
seats for more room in the cargo area.
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3. Make sure the seat securely latches in the lock position of both
seat tracks before driving with the rear seat in this position.
The three-passenger seat in the fully forward locked position
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WARNING
When parking, do not use the gearshift in place of the
parking brake. Always set the parking brake fully and make
sure that the gearshift is securely latched in Park (P).
Turn off the ignition whenever you leave your vehicle.
Never leave your vehicle unattended while it is running. If
you do not take these precautions, your vehicle may
move unexpectedly and injure someone.
To release the parking brake, press the brake pedal with your
right foot and hold it while you lift up on the parking brake release
handle.
WARNING
If the parking brake is fully released, but the Brake
System light remains on, have the brakes checked
immediately. They may not be working properly.
The parking brake
Driving
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