Ford E-350 (2012 year). Manual — part 27

WARNING: If the air bag has deployed, the air bag will not
function again and must be replaced immediately. If the air

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

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 Warning lights and
chimes section in the Instrument Cluster chapter. Routine maintenance
of the airbag is not required.

A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
• The readiness light 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/or light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as possible. Unless serviced, the system may
not function properly in the event of a collision.

SOS Post-Crash Alert System™

The system automatically flashes the turn signal lamps and sounds the
horn three times at four second intervals in the event of a serious impact
that deploys an airbag (front, side, side curtain [if equipped] or Safety
Canopy

威 [if equipped]) or the safety belt pretensioners.

The system can be turned off when any one of the following actions are
taken by the driver or any other person:
• pressing the hazard control button,
• or pressing the panic button on the remote entry transmitter.
The feature will continue to operate until the vehicle runs out of power.

Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles (including
pretensioners)

Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.

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110

Passenger airbag ON/OFF switch (if equipped)

Note: The passenger airbag ON/OFF
switch (if equipped) may be on
vehicles with no rear seats and a
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
greater than 8500 lb (3856 kg). See
Vehicle loading – with and
without a trailer in the Tires,
Wheels and loading chapter.

WARNING: An airbag
ON/OFF switch (if

equipped) may have been installed
in this vehicle. Before driving,
always look at the face of the
switch to be sure the switch is in
the proper position in accordance
with these instructions and
warnings. Failure to put the
switch in a proper position can
increase the risk of serious injury
or death in a collision.

Turning the passenger airbag off

1. Insert the ignition key, turn the
switch to OFF position and hold in
OFF position while removing the
key.

2. When the ignition is turned to the
ON position the OFF light
illuminates briefly, momentarily
shuts off and then turns back on.
This indicates that the passenger
airbag is deactivated.

WARNING: If the light fails to illuminate when the passenger air
bag switch is in the OFF position and the ignition switch is in

ON, contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible.

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111

WARNING: In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the
switch, always remove the ignition key from the passenger air

bag ON/OFF switch.

WARNING: An infant in a rear-facing seat faces a high risk of
serious or fatal injuries from a deploying passenger airbag. Rear

facing infant seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless
the passenger airbag is turned off.

Turning the passenger airbag back on

The passenger airbag remains OFF until you turn it back ON.

1. Insert the ignition key and turn
the switch to ON.

2. The OFF light will briefly
illuminate when the ignition is
turned to On. This indicates that the
passenger airbag is operational.

WARNING: If the OFF light is illuminated when the passenger
airbag switch is in the ON position and the ignition switch is in

ON, have the passenger airbag switch serviced at an authorized dealer
immediately.

The passenger side airbag should always be ON (the airbag OFF light
should not be illuminated) unless the passenger is a person who meets
the requirements stated either in Category 1, 2 or 3 of the
NHTSA/Transport Canada deactivation criteria which follows.

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112

WARNING: The safety belts for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions have been specifically designed to

function together with the airbags in certain types of crashes. When
you turn OFF your airbag, you not only lose the protection of the
airbag, you also may reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt
system, which was designed to work with the airbag. If you are not a
person who meets the requirements stated in the NHTSA/Transport
Canada deactivation criteria turning OFF the airbag can increase the
risk of serious injury or death in a collision.

WARNING: If your vehicle has rear seats, always transport
children who are 12 and younger in a rear seating position.

Always use safety belts and child restraints properly. DO NOT place a
child in a rear facing infant seat in the front seat unless your vehicle is
equipped with an airbag ON/OFF switch and the passenger airbag is
turned OFF. This is because the back of the infant seat is too close to
the inflating airbag and the risk of a fatal injury to the infant when the
airbag inflates is substantial.

The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an
airbag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life
threatening injuries, airbags must open with great force, and this force
can pose a potentially deadly risk in some situations, particularly when a
front seat occupant is not properly buckled up. The most effective way
to reduce the risk of unnecessary airbag injuries without reducing the
overall safety of the vehicle is to make sure all occupants are properly
restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front seat. This provides the
protection of safety belts and permits the airbags to provide the
additional protection they were designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your airbag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing
benefits of the airbag and you are also reducing the effectiveness of the
safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles are designed to
work as a safety system with the airbags.

Read all airbag warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important airbag instructions and warnings in this Owner’s Guide.

NHTSA deactivation criteria (excluding Canada)

1. Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
• the vehicle has no rear seat;

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113