1998 Ford Taurus Owners Manual

downward until the entire belt is extracted.

• 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. Howtodisengagetheautomaticlockingmode 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.

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.

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To lower the shoulder belt height, push the button and slide the height control down. To raise the height of the shoulder belt, slide the height adjuster up. Pull down on the height adjustment assembly 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.

Center rear lap belt (sedan) The safety belt in the center rear seating position has a detachable shoulder belt and does not contain the automatic locking mode (ALR). To attach the shoulder belt to the lap belt, pull the shoulder belt out from the retractor in the seatback and insert into the lap belt connecting pin into the wide end of the key slot on the shoulder belt. Pull the connecting pin into the narrow end of the key slot until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the shoulder belt is securely fastened to the lap belt by pulling up on the shoulder belt.

Lap belts Adjustingthelapbelt The lap belt does not adjust automatically.

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The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as possible around the hips, not around the

waist.

Insert the tongue into the correct buckle. 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 belts for rear-facing occupants (wagon only)

Never use child safety seats in the third seat of a wagon.

Your vehicle is equipped with safety belts containing an adjust tongue at the rear-facing seating positions. When the adjust tongue of the lap/shoulder combination seat belt is latched into the buckle, the tongue will allow the lap portion to become shorter, but locks the webbing in place to restrict it from becoming longer.

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Before you reach and latch a combination lap and shoulder belt having an adjust tongue into the buckle, you may have to lengthen the lap belt portion of it. To lengthen the lap belt, pull some webbing out of the shoulder belt retractor. While holding the webbing below the tongue, grasp the tongue so that it is parallel to the webbing and slide the tongue upward. Provide enough length so that the tongue can reach the buckle. To fasten the belt, pull the combination lap and shoulder belt from the retractor so that the shoulder belt portion of the safety belt crosses your shoulder and chest. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If the belt is twisted, remove the twist. Insert the tongue into the proper buckle for your seating position until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on the tongue.

The lap belts should fit snugly and as low as possible around the hips, not around the

waist.

Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant women, should wear safety belts

for optimum protection in an accident.

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 it around your neck over the inside shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.

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Due to folding rear seats, sometimes the buckles and tongues toward the center of the vehicle may be hidden by the rear edge of the seat cushion. Pull them out so they will be accessible. While you are fastened in the seat belt, the shoulder belt adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake hard, turn hard or your vehicle receives an impact of 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the safety belt will become locked and help reduce your forward movement. To unfasten the belt, push the red release button on the end of the buckle. This allows the tongue to unlatch from the buckle. While the belt retracts, guide the tongue to its original position to prevent it from striking you or the vehicle.

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... The driver’s safety belt is not buckled before the ignition switch is turned to the ON position... 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...

Then... The safety belt warning light illuminates for one to two minutes and the warning chime sounds for four to eight seconds. The safety belt warning light and warning chime turn off.

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 (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.

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