Mercury Monterey (2007 year). Instruction — part 11

Several air bag system components get hot after inflation. Do not
touch them after inflation.

If the side airbag has
deployed, the airbag will

not function again. The side
airbag system (including the
seat) must be inspected and
serviced by an authorized
dealer. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will
increase the risk of injury in a
collision.

Safety Canopy

姟 system (if equipped)

Do not place objects or
mount equipment on or

near the headliner at the siderail
that may come into contact with a
deploying Safety Canopy

娂. Failure

to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury
in the event of a collision.

Do not lean your head on the door. The Safety Canopy

娂 could

injure you as it deploys from the headliner.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Safety Canopy

娂

system, its fuses, the A, B, C or D pillar trim, or the headliner on

a vehicle containing a Safety Canopy

娂. See your authorized dealer.

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All occupants of the vehicle including the driver should always
wear their safety belts even when an airbag SRS and Safety

Canopy

娂 system is provided.

To reduce risk of injury, do not obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the inflatable Safety Canopy

娂.

How does the Safety Canopy

姟 system work?

The design and development of the
Safety Canopy

娂 system included

recommended testing procedures
that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as
the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing
procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of
side airbags (including the Safety
Canopy

娂).

The Safety Canopy

娂 system

consists of the following:
• An inflatable nylon curtain with a

gas generator concealed behind
the headliner and above the doors
(one on each side of vehicle).

• A headliner designed to flex open above the side doors to allow Safety

Canopy

娂 deployment.

• The same readiness airbag light, electronic control and diagnostic unit

as used for the front airbags.

• Two crash sensors mounted under the front seats (one on each side).

• Two crash sensors located at the c-pillar behind the rear doors (one

on each side).

• Rollover sensor in the restraints control module (RCM).
The Safety Canopy

娂 system, in combination with safety belts, can help

reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact
collision or rollover event.

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Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the second or third row seats. The Safety Canopy

娂 will not interfere

with children restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat
because it is designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the
doors along the side window opening.

The Safety Canopy

娂 system is designed to activate when the vehicle

sustains lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the side crash sensor to
close an electrical circuit that initiates Safety Canopy

娂 inflation or when

a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.

The Safety Canopy

娂 is mounted to roof side-rail sheet metal, behind the

headliner, along the entire side of the vehicle. In certain lateral collisions
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy

娂 system will be activated,

regardless of which seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy

娂 is designed

to inflate between the side window area and occupants to further
enhance protection provided in side impact collisions and rollover events.

The fact that the Safety Canopy

娂 did not activate in a collision does not

mean that something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the
forces were not of the type sufficient to cause activation. The Safety
Canopy

娂 is designed to inflate in certain side impact collisions or

rollover events, not in rear impact, frontal or near-frontal collisions,
unless the collision causes sufficient lateral deceleration or rollover.

Several Safety Canopy

娂 system components get hot after

inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.

If the Safety Canopy

娂

system has deployed, the

Safety Canopy

娂 will not

function again unless replaced.
The Safety Canopy

娂 system

(including the A, B, C, and D
pillar trim) must be inspected
and serviced by an authorized
dealer. If the Safety Canopy

娂 is

not replaced, the unrepaired area
will increase the risk of injury in a
collision.

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Determining if the system is operational

The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to the Airbag readiness
section in the Instrument Cluster chapter. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.

Any difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
• The readiness airbag light (same light as for front airbag system) will

either flash or stay lit.

• 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 an authorized dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the system
may not function properly in the event of a collision or rollover event.

Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles (including
pretensioners)

See your authorized dealer. Airbags 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 Airbag supplemental restraint system
(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.

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 40 lb. [18 kg] or less) ride in your vehicle, you
must put them in safety seats made especially for children. Many states
require that children use approved booster seats until they are eight
years old. 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.

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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.

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.

Follow all the important safety restraint and airbag 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 lb. (18 kg) 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 in a crash.

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 may also make the shoulder belt fit
better and more comfortably. Try to keep the belt near the middle of the
shoulder.

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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 lb. (36 kg) (about 8 to 12 years old).

Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
• 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.

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• 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.

Either type can be used at any seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lb. (18 kg).

Children and booster seats vary widely in size and shape. Choose a
booster that keeps the lap belt low and snug across the hips, never up
across the stomach, and lets you adjust the shoulder belt to cross the
chest and rest snugly near the center of the shoulder. The drawings
below compare the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably
close to the neck and a shoulder belt that could slip off the shoulder.

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.

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Move a child to a different seating location if the shoulder belt
does not stay positioned on the shoulder during use.

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
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.

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When installing a child safety seat:
• Review and follow the information

presented in the Airbag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.

• Use the correct safety belt buckle

for that seating position.

• Insert the belt tongue into the

proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.

• Keep the buckle release button

pointing up and away from the
safety seat, with the tongue
between the child seat and the
release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling.

• Place seat back in upright position.
• LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to

48 pounds (22 kg) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used
for children up to 60 pounds (27 kg) in a child restraint, and to
provide upper torso restraint for children up to 80 pounds (36 kg)
using an upper torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.

Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position with LATCH and
tether anchors. For more information on top tether straps and anchors,
refer to Attaching safety seats with tether straps in this chapter. For
more information of LATCH anchors refer to Attaching safety seats with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments in this
chapter.

Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions included
with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install

and use the safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden
stop or collision.

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Installing child safety seats with combination lap and shoulder
belts

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. NEVER place a

rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If you must use

a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the way
back.

Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.

1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.

If you use the 3rd row center seat
and the safety belt has been
detached from the seat to carry
large cargo, remove the safety belt
from the stowage area on the ceiling
and buckle the small tongue on the
end of the belt to the mini-buckle
on the left side of the center seat
position.

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.

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3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.

4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.

5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
pulled out and a click is heard.

6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.

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7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle and
pull up on the shoulder belt while
pushing down with your knee on the
child seat.

8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.

9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward. There should be no
more than one inch of movement for
proper installation.

10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat Steps
two through nine.

Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.

Attaching child safety seats with tether straps

Most new forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
goes over the back of the seat and hooks to an anchoring point. Tether
straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats. Contact
the manufacturer of your child seat for information about ordering a
tether strap.

Children should be placed in the rear in an appropriate child
safety seat that is properly secured to the vehicle.

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The tether anchors in your vehicle
are in the positions shown:

The front passenger seat with power adjustment does not have a
tether anchor. The two tether anchors on the back of the second row
bench seat can be used either for child safety seats at the two seating
positions, or either anchor can be used for a single LATCH child seat
installed at the center of the bench seat.

Front passenger seating position (instruction adjusting seats only)

1. Position the child safety seat on
the passenger seat cushion.

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2. Route the child safety seat tether
strap over the back of the seat. If
the head restraint is adjustable,
route the tether strap under the
head restraint and between the
head restraint posts. If the top of
the safety seat hits the head
restraint, raise the head restraint to
let the child seat fit further
rearward.

3. Grasp the tether strap and
position it to the seat frame.

4. Rotate the tether hook, and clip
the tether strap to the seat frame.

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If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly (as shown) the

child safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event of a
collision.

5. Rotate the tether strap clip.

6. Install the child safety seat tightly
using the LATCH anchors or safety
belts. Follow the instructions in this
chapter.

7. Tighten the child safety seat
tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.

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Rear seating positions
Follow Steps 1–7 as described above for the following available seats:
• 2nd row bucket

• 2nd row bench

• 3rd row bench

For additional important safety information on the proper use of safety
belts, child seats and infant seats, please read the entire Seating and
safety restraints chapter in this owner’s guide.

Attaching safety seats with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children) attachments for child seat anchors
New child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at certain seating positions in your vehicle.
This type of child seat eliminates the need to use safety belts to attach
the child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether strap must also
be attached to the proper tether anchor. See Attaching safety seats with
tether straps in this chapter.

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