Ford Taurus 2010 Owners Manual
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The Restraints Control Module (RCM) monitors its own internal circuits and the circuits for the airbag supplemental restraints, crash sensor(s), safety belt pretensioners, front safety belt buckle sensors, driver seat position sensor, and front passenger sensing system. 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 ignition is 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 Systemserviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a collision. Safety belt precautions WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright and the lap belt snug and low across the hips. WARNING:To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they can be properly restrained. WARNING: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. WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided. WARNING: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. Seating and Safety Restraints 161 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. WARNING: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. WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an accident. 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. Seating and Safety Restraints 162 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
2. To unfasten, press the release button and remove the tongue from the buckle. All restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. While you are fastened in the safety belt, the combination lap/shoulder belt adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake hard, turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact of 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the safety belt will become locked and help reduce your forward movement. Energy management feature — front outboard •This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management feature at the front seats to help further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision. •The energy management feature has a retractor assembly that is designed to extend the safety belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest. WARNING:Failure to inspect and replace if necessary the belt and retractor assembly after an accident could increase the risk of injury in a collision. 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 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers. Seating and Safety Restraints 163 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
Automatic locking mode 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 usedany timea child safety seat (except a booster) is installed in a passenger front or rear seating position with a combination lap/shoulder safety belt. Children 12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position whenever possible. Refer toSafety restraints for childrenorSafety seats for childrenlater in this chapter. How to use the automatic locking mode •Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt. •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. Seating and Safety Restraints 164 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
How to disengage the automatic locking mode WARNING:Ford Motor Company recommends that all passenger safety belt assemblies and attaching hardware should be inspected by an authorized dealer after any collision to verify that theautomatic locking retractorfeature for child seats is still working properly. Safety belt assemblies should be inspected by an authorized dealer and must be replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted. Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in a collision. Unbuckle 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. Safety belt height adjustment Your vehicle has safety belt height adjustments for the front outboard seating positions. 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. WARNING: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 pretensioner Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and front outboard passenger seating positions. The safety belt pretensioner tightens the safety belts firmly against the occupant’s body at the start of the crash. Seating and Safety Restraints 165 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
WARNING:The driver and front passenger safety 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 airbags, seat-mounted side airbags and Safety Canopy, and safety belt pretensioners. Safety belt extension assembly If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is an 8 inch (20 cm) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number 611C22). This assembly can be obtained from an authorized dealer. 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. WARNING: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 is on...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 safety belt warning light and warning chime turn off. The driver’s safety belt is buckled before the ignition is on ...The safety belt warning light and indicator chime remain off. Seating and Safety Restraints 166 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
Belt-Minder The Belt-Minderfeature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt warning function. This feature provides additional reminders by intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning light in the instrument cluster when the driver’s and front passenger’s safety belt is unbuckled. The Belt-Minderfeature uses information from the front passenger sensing system to determine if a front seat passenger is present and therefore potentially in need of a warning. To avoid activating the Belt-Minderfeature for objects placed in the front passenger seat, warnings will only be given to large front seat occupants as determined by the front passenger sensing system. Both the driver’s and passenger’s safety belt usages are monitored and either may activate the Belt-Minderfeature. The warnings are the same for the driver and the front passenger. If the Belt-Minderwarnings have expired (warnings for approximately five minutes) for one occupant (driver or front passenger), the other occupant can still activate the Belt-Minderfeature. Note:If you are using MyKey™, the Belt-Minderwarning will not expire. Refer toMyKey™in theLocks and securitychapter. If... Then... The driver’s and front passenger’s safety belts are buckled before the ignition is switched on or less than 1-2 minutes have elapsed since the ignition has been switched on...The Belt-Minderfeature will not activate. The driver’s or front passenger’s safety belt is not buckled when the vehicle has reached at least 3 mph (5 km/h) and 1-2 minutes have elapsed since the ignition has been switched on...The Belt-Minderfeature is activated - the safety belt warning light illuminates and the warning chime sounds for six seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for approximately five minutes or until the safety belts are buckled. Seating and Safety Restraints 167 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
If... Then... The driver’s or front passenger’s safety belt becomes unbuckled for approximately 1 minute while the vehicle is traveling at least 3 mph (5 km/h) and more than 1-2 minutes have elapsed since the ignition has been switched on...The Belt-Minderfeature is activated - the safety belt warning light illuminates and the warning chime sounds for six seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for approximately five minutes or until the safety belts are buckled. 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 events”36700 crashes occur every day.The more we drive, the more we are exposed to “rare” events, even for good drivers.1in4ofuswillbe seriously injured in a crash during our lifetime. “I’m not going far”3of4fatal crashes occur within25 miles (40 km) 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. Belt-Minderreminds us to take a few seconds to buckle up. “Safety belts don’t work”Safety belts,when used properly, reduce risk of deathto front seat occupants by45% in cars,and by 60% in light trucks. Seating and Safety Restraints 168 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
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 clothes” Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more 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 airbag” Airbags 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.Peoplewho are ejected are 40 times more likely to DIE.Safety belts help prevent ejection, WE CAN’T “PICK OUR CRASH”. WARNING:Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt or insert a latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minderchime. To do so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s airbag system. Deactivating/activating the Belt-Minderfeature The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderare deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will terminate the process. Read Steps1-5thoroughly before proceeding with the deactivation/activation programming procedure. Note:The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderfeatures must be disabled/enabled separately. Both cannot be disable/enabled during the same key cycle. Seating and Safety Restraints 169 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)
Note:If you are using MyKey™, the Belt-Mindercannot be disabled. Also, if the Belt-Minderhas been previously disabled, it will be re-enabled during the use of MyKey™. Refer toMyKey™in theLocks and Securitychapter. The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderfeatures can be deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure: Before following the procedure, make sure that: •The parking brake is set. •The gearshift is in P (Park). •The ignition is off. •The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled. WARNING:While the design allows you to deactivate your Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave the Belt-Mindersystem activated for yourself and others who may use the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt-Minderfeature while driving the vehicle. 1. Switch the ignition on. DO NOT START THE ENGINE. 2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (approximately one minute). 3. Wait 10 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns off. •Step 4 must be completed within 20 seconds after the completion of Step 3. 4. For the seating position being disabled buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled state. •After Step 4, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three seconds. 5. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle then unbuckle the safety belt. •This will disable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it is currently enabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will flash four times per second for three seconds. Seating and Safety Restraints 170 2010 Taurus(500) Owners Guide(own2002), 1st Printing USA(fus)