Get Seating and Safety Restraints -> SAFETY RESTRAINTS Guide for Ford Explorer SUV Third Generation (2002-2005)

Seating and Safety Restraints

2. Pull the seat release lever located

on top of the seatback while lifting

the seatback into the upright

position.

3. The seatback will latch into place.

The third row seat is equipped with combination lap and shoulder belts

in both seating positions. For information on the proper operation of the

safety restraints, refer to Safety Restraints in this chapter.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS

Personal Safety System

The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal

crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further

reduce the risk of air bag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze

different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the

appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in

a variety of frontal crash situations.

Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of:

• Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints.

• Front safety belts with pretensioners, energy management retractors,

and safety belt usage sensors.

• Driver’s seat position sensor.

• Front crash severity sensor.

• Restraints Control Module (RCM).

• Restraint system warning light and back-up tone.

• The electrical wiring for the air bags, crash sensor(s), safety belt

pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors, driver seat position

sensor, and indicator lights.

How does the personal safety system work?

The Personal Safety System can adapt the deployment strategy of your

vehicle’s safety devices according to crash severity and occupant

conditions. A collection of crash and occupant sensors provides

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information to the Restraints Control Module (RCM). During a crash, the

RCM activates the safety belt pretensioners and/or either one or both

stages of the dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints based on crash

severity and occupant conditions.

The fact that the pretensioners or air bags did not activate for both front

seat occupants in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with

the system. Rather, it means the Personal Safety System determined the

accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not

appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front air bags are designed

to activate only in frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollovers,

side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient

longitudinal deceleration.

Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints

The dual-stage air bags offer the capability to tailor the level of air bag

inflation energy. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more

common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is used for

the most severe impacts. Refer to Air bag Supplemental Restraints

section in this chapter.

Front crash severity sensor

The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the

severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable

information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This

allows your Personal Safety System to distinguish between different

levels of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the

dual-stage air bags and safety belt pretensioners.

Driver’s seat position sensor

The driver’s seat position sensor allows your Personal Safety System to

tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage air bag based on seat

position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting

close to the driver air bag by providing a lower air bag output level.

Front safety belt usage sensors

The front safety belt usage sensors detect whether or not the driver and

front outboard passenger safety belts are fastened. This information

allows your Personal Safety System to tailor the air bag deployment and

safety belt pretensioner activation depending upon safety belt usage.

Refer to Safety Belt section in this chapter.

Front safety belt pretensioners

The safety belt pretensioners are designed to tighten the safety belts

firmly against the occupant’s body during a collision. This maximizes the

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effectiveness of the safety belts and helps properly position the occupant

relative to the air bag to improve protection. The safety belt

pretensioners can be either activated alone or, if the collision is of

sufficient severity, together with the air bags.

Front safety belt energy management retractors

The front safety belt energy management retractors allow webbing to be

pulled out of the retractor in a gradual and controlled manner in

response to the occupant’s forward momentum. This helps reduce the

risk of force-related injuries to the occupant’s chest by limiting the load

on the occupant. Refer to Safety Belt section in this chapter.

Determining if the Personal Safety System is operational

The Personal Safety System uses a warning light in the instrument

cluster or a back-up tone to indicate the condition of the system. Refer

to the Warning Light section in the Instrument Cluster chapter.

Routine maintenance of the Personal Safety System is not required.

The Restraints Control Module (RCM) monitors its own internal circuits

and the circuits for the air bag supplemental restraints, crash sensor(s),

safety belt pretensioners, front safety belt buckle sensors, and the driver

seat position sensor. In addition, the RCM also monitors the restraints

warning light in the instrument cluster. A difficulty with the system is

indicated by one or more of the following:

• The warning light will either flash or stay lit.

• The warning light will not illuminate immediately after the ignition is

turned on.

• A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat

periodically until the problem and warning light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the Personal

Safety System serviced at your dealership or by a qualified technician

immediately. Unless serviced, the system may not function properly in

the event of a collision.

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.

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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.

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.

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely

to die than a person wearing a safety belt.

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.

Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been

closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check

seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.

Energy Management Feature

• This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management

feature at the front seating positions to help further reduce the risk of

injury in the event of a head-on collision.

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• This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to

extend the seat belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps

reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest.

BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if

the safety belt assembly automatic locking retractor feature or

any other safety belt function is not operating properly when checked

according to the procedures in Workshop Manual. Failure to replace

the Belt and Retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in

collisions.

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.

• Front and rear seats

2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the

buckle.

• Front and rear seats

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All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder

belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two

types of locking modes described below:

Vehicle sensitive mode

This is the normal retractor mode, which allows 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 approximately 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

The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.

When to use the 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.

This mode should be used any time a child safety seat is installed in a

passenger front or outboard rear seating position (if equipped). Children

12 years old and under should be properly restrained in the rear seat

whenever possible. Refer to Safety restraints for children or Safety

seats for children later in this chapter.

How to use the automatic locking mode

• Buckle the combination lap and

shoulder belt.

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• Grasp the shoulder portion and

pull downward until the entire

belt is pulled out.

• Allow 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

Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and allow it to retract

completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the

vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.

After any vehicle collision, the combination lap and shoulder belt

system at all passenger seating positions must be checked by a

qualified technician to verify that the “automatic locking retractor”

feature for child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other

checks for proper seat belt system function.

BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED if

the seat belt assembly “automatic locking retractor” feature or

any other seat belt function is not operating properly. In addition, all

seat belts should be checked for proper function. Failure to replace the

belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in

collisions.

Safety belt pretensioner

Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and

right front passenger seating positions.

The safety belt pretensioner is a device which removes excess webbing

from the safety belt system. The safety belt pretensioner uses the same

crash sensor system as the front air bag and Safety Canopy௢

supplemental restraint systems. When the safety belt pretensioner

deploys, webbing from the lap and shoulder belt is tightened.

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When the Safety Canopy௢ system or the front airbags are activated, the

safety belt pretensioners for the driver and right front passenger seating

positions will be activated when the respective seatbelt is properly

buckled.

The driver and the right front passenger seat belt system

(including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be

replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in

deployment of front air bags and/or Safety Canopy௢ and safety belt

pretensioners.

Refer to the Safety belt maintenance section in this chapter.

Safety belt height adjustment

Adjust the height of the shoulder

belt so the belt rests across the

middle of your shoulder.

To adjust the shoulder belt height,

squeeze the button and slide the

height adjuster up or down. Release

the button and pull down on the

height adjuster to make sure it is

locked in place.

Position the safety belt

height adjusters so that the

belt rests across the middle of

your shoulder. Failure to adjust

the safety belt properly could

reduce the effectiveness of the

seat belt and increase the risk of

injury in a collision.

Safety belt extension assembly

If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is a 20 cm (8

inch) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number

611C22). This assembly 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

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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 safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a

chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.

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 1-2 minutes and the

warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.

The driver’s safety belt is

buckled while the indicator

light is illuminated and the

warning chime is sounding...

The driver’s safety belt is

buckled before the ignition

switch is turned to the ON

position...

The safety belt warning light and

warning chime turn off.

The safety belt warning light and

indicator chime remain off.

BeltMinder

The BeltMinder feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt

warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the

driver that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently

sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the

instrument cluster.

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If...

Then...

The driver’s safety belt is not

The BeltMinder feature is

buckled before the vehicle has

reached at least 5 km/h (3 mph)

and 1-2 minutes have elapsed

activated - the safety belt warning

light illuminates and the warning

chime sounds for 6 seconds every

since the ignition switch has been 30 seconds, repeating for

turned to ON...

approximately 5 minutes or until

safety belt is buckled.

The driver’s safety belt is buckled The BeltMinder feature will not

while the safety belt indicator light activate.

is illuminated and the safety belt

warning chime is sounding...

The driver’s safety belt is buckled The BeltMinder feature will not

before the ignition switch is turned activate.

to the ON position...

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 36700 crashes occur every day. The more we

events”

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” 3 of 4 fatal crashes occur within 25 miles of home.

“Belts are

uncomfortable”

We design our safety belts 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. BeltMinder reminds

us to take a few seconds to buckle up.

“Safety belts don’t Safety belts, when used properly, reduce risk of

work”

death to front seat occupants by 45% in cars,

and by 60% in light trucks.

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Reasons given... Consider...

“Traffic is light”

Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle

crashes, many when no other vehicles are around.

“Belts wrinkle my Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more

clothes”

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 air bag” Air bags 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. People who 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 to avoid the Belt

Minder chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk of

injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt

Minder feature please follow the directions stated below.

One time disable

Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an

ignition ON cycle, the BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle

only.

Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature

Before following the procedure, make sure that:

• the parking brake is set

• the gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral

position (manual transmission).

• the ignition switch is in the OFF position

• all vehicle doors are closed

• the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled

• the parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped

with Autolamps, the Autolamps feature MUST be turned off.)

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Read steps 1 - 9 thoroughly before proceeding with the

deactivation/activation programming procedure.

BeltMinder deactivation/activation procedure

To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt

Minder feature 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 1–2

minutes)

• Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will

have to be repeated.

3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the

safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder

warning activation.

4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.

5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the

safety belt unbuckled.

• After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three

seconds.

6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,

buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.

• This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable

BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.

7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the safety

belt warning light four times per second for three seconds.

8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by flashing the safety

belt warning light four times per second for three seconds, followed by

three seconds with the safety belt warning light off, then followed by

flashing the safety belt warning light four times per second for three

seconds again.

9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is

complete.

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

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there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace 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), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if

equipped), child safety seat LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching

hardware, should be inspected after a collision. Ford Motor Company

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 to Interior in the Cleaning chapter.

AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

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Seating and Safety Restraints -> SAFETY RESTRAINTS for Your Ford Explorer SUV Third Generation (2002-2005)

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