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

Seating and Safety Restraints

• The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is

turned on.

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

periodically until the problem and light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced

at your dealership or by a qualified technician immediately. Unless

serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a collision

or rollover event.

Disposal of air bags and air bag equipped vehicles (including

pretensioners)

See your local dealership or qualified technician. Air bags MUST BE

disposed of by qualified personnel.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN

See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety

restraints for children. Also see Air bag supplemental restraint system

(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using air bags.

Important child restraint precautions

You are required by law to use safety restraints for children in the U.S.

and Canada. If small children (generally children who are four years old

or younger and who weigh 18 kg [40 lbs] or less) ride in your vehicle,

you must put them in safety seats made especially for children. Check

your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements

regarding the safety of children in your vehicle. When possible, always

place children under age 12 in the rear seat of your vehicle. Accident

statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in the

rear seating positions than in the front seating position.

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.

Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or

child restraint you might use.

Children and safety belts

If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat. Children

who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your child safety

seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.

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Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag precautions that

apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.

If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can

be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child’s face or

neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child

closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt

fit.

Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in

your vehicle.

Child booster seats

Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh

40 pounds and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder belt

will provide some protection, these children are still too small for

lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious

injury.

To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who

have outgrown child safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use

of a belt-positioning booster.

Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the

child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees

bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better

and more comfortably for growing children.

When children should use booster seats

Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the

toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and

lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about

80 lbs (about 8 to 12 years old).

Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these

questions:

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• Can the child sit all the way back

against the vehicle seat back with

knees bent comfortably at the

edge of the seat without

slouching?

• Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?

• Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?

• Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Types of booster seats

There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:

• Those that are backless.

If your backless booster seat has a

removable shield, remove the

shield and use the lap/shoulder

belt. If a seating position has a

low seat back and no head

restraint, a backless booster seat

may place your child’s head (top

of ear level) above the top of the

seat. In this case, move the

backless booster to another

seating position with a higher seat back and lap/shoulder belts.

• Those with a high back.

If, with a backless booster seat,

you cannot find a seating position

that adequately supports your

child’s head, a high back booster

seat would be a better choice.

Both can be used in any vehicle in a seating position equipped with

lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lbs.

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The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting snugly on the center of

the shoulder. The lap belt should rest low and snug across the hips,

never up high across the stomach.

If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh

sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat may improve this

condition.

The importance of shoulder belts

Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child’s

head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should

never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is best to use a booster

seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat- the safest place for children

to ride.

Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the

booster seat.

Never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the

back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of

the body and may increase the risk of injury or death in a collision.

Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can

slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or death in a

collision.

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN

Child and infant or child safety seats

Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the

child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions with the

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

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