Ford E-350 (2012 year). Manual — part 26

AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

Important SRS precautions

The SRS is designed to work with
the safety belt to help protect the
driver and right front passenger
from certain upper body injuries.
Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a
deploying airbag.

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: Always transport children 12 years old and under in
a rear seating position, and always properly use appropriate child

restraints. Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active
airbag. If you must transport a forward-facing child in the front seat,
move the seat all the way back and use appropriate restraints.

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106

WARNING: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches

(25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.

WARNING: Never place your arm over the air bag module as a
deploying air bag can result in serious arm fractures or other

injuries.

To properly position yourself away from the airbag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the

pedals comfortably.

• Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position.

WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the air bag module.
Placing objects on or over the air bag inflation area may cause

those objects to be propelled by the air bag into your face and torso
causing serious injury.

WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. Contact your

authorized dealer as soon as possible.

WARNING: Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
the vehicle (including frame, bumper, front end body structure

and tow hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the
vehicle.

WARNING: Additional equipment may affect the performance of
the airbag sensors increasing the risk of injury.

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107

Children and airbags

Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front
seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.

WARNING: 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.

How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?

The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains a
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the airbag sensors to close
an electrical circuit that initiates
airbag inflation. The fact that the
airbags did not inflate in a collision
does not mean that something is
wrong with the system. Rather, it
means the forces were not sufficient
enough to cause activation. Airbags
are designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.

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The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder or sodium compounds which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.

While the SRS is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with
a deploying airbag may also cause
abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags must
inflate rapidly and with considerable
force, there is the risk of death or
serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or internal
injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly restrained or are
otherwise out of position at the time of airbag deployment. It is
extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away
from the airbag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.

The SRS consists of:

• driver and passenger airbag modules (which include the inflators and

airbags)

• one or more impact and safing sensors
• safety belt pretensioners
• a readiness light and tone
• a diagnostic module
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the airbag
backup power and the airbag ignitors.

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

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