Mercury Villager 1999 Owner's Manuals

The entire seat can be moved to four seating positions and two storage
positions.
Before rearranging the seats, remove any floor mats that might be in the
way, seeRemovable floor matsin this chapter for instructions on
placement of floor mats.
For vehicles equipped with a second row bench seat: If the three
passenger bench seat is moved up to the second row position, the
outside passenger (opposite the driver) should fasten the
standard lap/shoulder belt. The secondary seat belt tongue is not
fastened to the outside bottom of the seat (as does the two
passenger bench seat). This is not required with the three
passenger bench seat since the seat is much wider.
The seat tracks may have grease on them that could stain your clothing
or vehicle fabric surfaces if care is not taken when handling the seats.
A. Three rearward seating positions
B. Limousine seating position (3rd row seat with 2nd row seat removed)
C. Two storage positions
AC
B
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To move the seat to another seating or storage position:
1. Lift control (A) to release the
seat cushion and flip the cushion
up. The seat cushion must be
moved to the storage position before
the seat can be moved along the
track.
2. Pull control (B) to move the seat
forward or backward until it locks
into position. The seat cushion
cannot be lowered if the seat is in a
storage position.
A
B
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After sliding the seat, check to ensure that both sides of the seat are
locked in position. This must be done before the vehicle is put into
motion in order to prevent unintended movement of the seat.
Every time you adjust any seat, check to be sure that it is
properly latched in the lock position of both seat tracks. If the
seat is not properly latched, it could come loose and increase the risk
of severe injury or death in an accident.
The 3rd row bench seat is not removable.
To remove the 2nd row seat(s):
Use the following instructions for
both bench and bucket seats.
The seat tracks may have grease on
them that could stain your clothing
or vehicle fabric surfaces if care is
not taken when handling the seats.
Fold the seatback flat before
removing each seat. Refer to the
Adjusting 2nd row seatsportion of
this section.
1. (Bench seats only) Disengage the lap/shoulder belt from the seat belt
detach anchor by pushing the release control and lifting upward.
2. From behind the seat, pull up on
the release straps located on each
side of the seat, releasing the rear
floor latches.
3. Lift up the back of the seat to clear the floor latches and then pull the
seat rearward until the front hooks have come out of the floor anchors.
4. Remove the seat. Two people should lift and rotate the seat and
remove it from vehicle.
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To install the seat:
The bucket seats are not interchangeable due to the locations of the seat
anchors on the floor of the vehicle. Each seat must be installed in its
original position.
1. Position the seat in the vehicle.
2. Align seat front hooks to front anchors and push forward into place,
lower back of seat into the rear anchors until both rear latches fully
engage into place. Be sure that the seat is locked in place both front and
back.
3. (Bench seats only) Make sure the safety belt is not twisted, then
insert the seat belt tongue into detachable anchor until you hear a ªclickº
and feel the latch engage.
Always latch the vehicle seat to the floor, whether the seat is
occupied or empty. If not latched, the seat may cause injury
during a sudden stop.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they
can be properly restrained.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from
injury in a collision.
All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag SRS is
provided.
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It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
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 the safety belt around your neck over the inside shoulder.
3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) until you hear a snap and feel
it latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
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2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
The front and rear outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The front passenger and rear seat
outboard safety belts have two types of locking modes described below:
Vehicle sensitive mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of 8
km/h (5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help
reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
²Anytimea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front or
outboard rear seating position (if equipped). Refer toSafety
Restraints for ChildrenorSafety Seats for Childrenlater in this
chapter.
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How to use the automatic locking mode
²Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
²Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is extracted.
²Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
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Front safety belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and front
passenger. Adjust the height of the
shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To lower the shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide the height
adjuster down. To raise the height
of the shoulder belt, slide the height
adjuster up. Pull down on the height
adjuster to make sure it is locked in
place.
Position the shoulder belt height adjuster so that the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety
belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt and
increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Lap belts
Adjusting the lap belt
The lap belt does not adjust automatically.
The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as possible around the
hips, not around the waist.
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Insert the tongue into the correct
buckle (the buckle closest to the
direction the tongue is coming
from). To lengthen the belt, turn the
tongue at a right angle to the belt
and pull across your lap until it
reaches the buckle. To tighten the
belt, pull the loose end of the belt
through the tongue until it fits
snugly across the hips.
Shorten and fasten the belt when
not in use.
Safety belt extension assembly
If the safety belt assembly is too short, even when fully extended, 20 cm
(8 inches) can be added to the safety belt assembly by adding a safety
belt extension assembly (part number 611C22). Safety belt extension
assemblies can be obtained from your dealer at no cost.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended. Do not use extensions to change the
fit of the shoulder belt across the torso.
Safety belt warning light and indicator chime
The seat belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
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Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver's safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates until safety belt is buckled.
The driver's safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver's safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
Safety belt maintenance
Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Inspect the safety belts to make sure
there are no nicks, wears or cuts, replacing if necessary. All safety belt
assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front seat belt buckle
assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder
belt height adjusters (if equipped), child safety seat tether bracket
assemblies (if equipped), and attaching hardware, should be inspected
after a collision. Ford recommends that all safety belt assemblies used in
vehicles involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was
minor and a qualified technician finds that the belts do not show damage
and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced.
Safety belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also be
inspected and replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the safety belt
assembly under the above conditions could result in severe
personal injuries in the event of a collision.
Refer toCleaning and maintaining the safety beltsin the
Maintenance and caresection.
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