Ford E-250 (2006 year). Manual — part 20

In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the switch, always
remove the ignition key from the passenger air bag ON/OFF

switch.

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.

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.

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.

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If your vehicle has rear seats, always transport children who are
12 and younger in the rear seat. Always use safety belts and

child restraints properly. If a child in a rear facing infant seat must be
transported in front, the passenger airbag must be 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;
• the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing

infant seat; or

• the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s

physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.

2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
• the vehicle has no rear seat;
• although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever

possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or

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• the child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s

physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.

3. Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
• causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk for the passenger;

and

• makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag in a crash greater

than the potential harm from turning OFF the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield in a
crash.

This vehicle has special energy management safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. These particular belts are

specifically designed to work with airbags to help reduce the risk of
injury in a collision. The energy management safety belt is designed to
give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the airbag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the airbag is turned ON for
any person who does not qualify under the NHTSA deactivation
criteria.

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

• the rear seat in my vehicle cannot accommodate a rear-facing infant

seat; or

• the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s

physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the infant’s condition.

2. Child age 12 or under: A child age 12 or under must ride in the
front seat because:
• my vehicle has no rear seat;

• although children age 12 and under ride in the rear seat whenever

possible, children age 12 and under have no option but to sometimes
ride in the front seat because rear seat space is insufficient; or

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83

• the child has a medical condition that, according to the child’s

physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child’s condition.

3. Medical condition: A passenger has a medical condition that,
according to his or her physician:
• poses a special risk for the passenger if the airbag deploys; and
• makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag deployment

greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the airbag and
experiencing a crash without the protection offered by the airbag

This vehicle has special energy management safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. These particular belts are

specifically designed to work with airbags to help reduce the risk of
injury in a collision. The energy management safety belt is designed to
give or release additional belt webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant’s chest and reduce the risk of
certain bone fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if
the airbag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to incur a
serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and the heavier the
occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the airbag is turned ON for
any person who does not qualify under the NHTSA deactivation
criteria.

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 18 kg [40 lb.] 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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