bench seat Mercury Villager 1998 s User Guide

Built-In Child Seats (If equipped)
The optional second row bench seat includes two built-in child
seats. These child restraints are to be used only by children who:
mare at least one year old
AND
mweigh between 10 and 27 kilograms (22 and 60 pounds)
AND
mwhose shoulders are below the shoulder harness slots
Children not meeting these requirements should be restrained
in an approved aftermarket child safety seat. Follow the specific
manufacturer's instructions for weight and height restrictions.
Children must be properly buckled before riding in the vehicle. It
is the law in every state and province. These child seats
conform to all Federal/Canadian motor vehicle safety standards.
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WARNING
The second row seatback must be fully locked before
operating the child restraint system. Check the position of
the seatback release lever.
Second row bench built-in child seats
Seating and Safety Restraints
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The removable and adjustable seats are a convenient feature of
your vehicle. Reading this chapter will help you learn about the
various ways the seats in your vehicle can be arranged to suit
your different needs.
Your vehicle is a five or seven-passenger vehicle. As a
seven-passenger vehicle, it will have either a two-passenger
bench seat or two second-row bucket seats and the sliding
three-passenger bench seat in the third row. Read the section that
describes the type of second-row seat in your vehicle. To make
your vehicle a five-passenger vehicle, remove the second-row seats.
NOTE: When adjusting or moving any of the seats in your
vehicle, do not use any of the buckles, tongues, or
safety belt webbing to carry or move the seats. Lifting
the seats by any of the safety restraint equipment
could decrease their effectiveness.
NOTE: Your vehicle has five different kinds of floor mats:
front seat mats, a cargo area mat, a sliding door area
mat, and second and third row passenger area mats.
Whenever you remove the mats to remove or adjust
any of the seats always remember that the mats must be
reinstalled before passengers ride in your vehicle.
The floor mats are specifically designed to keep objects
out of the seat tracks.
WARNING
It is important to replace the floor mats whenever they are
removed for any reason. The floor mats are intended to
help prevent the possibility that high-heeled shoes might
become stuck in the seat tracks. Failure to replace the
floor mats might result in personal injury.
Adjustable Rear Seating
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NOTE: If your vehicle is equipped with the optional
two-passenger bench seat with built-in child seats, the
head restraints on the two-passenger bench seat are
not adjustable.
It is not necessary to remove the head restraints from the seats when
removing seats from the vehicle. However, you can remove the
head restraints by pressing the adjustment button at the base of the
head restraint and pulling the head restraint upward.
Remember to replace them when the seat is re-installed.
The adjustable head restraint
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WARNING
The head restraints should be stored outside of the
vehicle (with the removed seat) to prevent them from
damaging the vehicle or injuring passengers in the case of
sudden braking or a collision.
Two-Passenger Bench Seat
NOTE: The 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 the
section in theSafety Restraintschapter that explains the
unique safety belt system and be sure you
understand it before anyone rides in the two-passenger
bench seat.
If your vehicle has the second row two-passenger bench seat, you
can remove it if you need extra cargo space. With the
second-row seat removed, the third-row bench seat can be moved
up to a second-row seating or storage position for additional
rear cargo area room.
To help prevent personal injury, at least two people are needed to
remove the seat.
Adjustable Rear Seating
183

Removing the Two-Passenger Bench Seat
1. Remove the floor mats. Lift the seatback release lever and fold
down the back of the seat to the fully folded position.
2. Detach the tongue from the auxiliary buckle on the sliding door
side of the seat.
3. Lift up on the floor latch levers near the front seat legs and
release the seat legs from each anchor position.
Seatback release lever location
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4. Place your hand under the seat cushion and tip the front of the
seat upward slightly. Slide the seat rearward to release the seat
from its anchor position.
5. Two people should lift the seat and remove it from the vehicle.
6. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
If you decide to move the three-passenger bench seat forward to
the second row position, passengers riding in the seat will use
the second row safety belts.
The floor latch levers
Adjustable Rear Seating
185

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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The quick-release bucket seat also has two levers on the back of
the seat Ð one to fold down the seatback and one to slide
the seat forward. These levers allow third-row passengers to enter
and exit more easily.
Removable Captain Seats
If your vehicle has second row captain seats, you can remove
them if you need extra cargo space. With the second-row seats
removed, the third-row bench seat can be moved up to the second
row position for additional rear cargo area room. When the
third-row seat is moved to this position, passengers will use the
second-row safety belts.
To help prevent personal injury, at least two people are needed to
remove the seats.
Quick-release bucket seat levers
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Three-Passenger Bench Seat
When entering and exiting the vehicle, third-row passengers
must be careful that they step over the auxiliary safety restraint
system that is present with the second-row bench seat. Labels are
provided on the back of the second-row bench seat to remind
passengers to use care when exiting.
The three-passenger bench seat can be positioned in any of five
positions along the seat track. Three of these positions are for
seating and two are storage positions to accommodate varying
cargo requirements.
Arranging the Seats for Maximum Cargo Space or
Passenger Seating Flexibility
NOTE: When moving the three-passenger bench seat, the seat
cushion cannot be lowered unless the seat is in a
seating position. If you cannot get the seat cushion to
lower, you may have the seat in a storage position.
NOTE: Before re-positioning seats, remove any floor mats that
may be in the way.
Adjustable Rear Seating
193