Ford Thunderbird (2004 year). Manual — part 18

Adjusting the passenger’s power seat

The control is located on the outboard side of the seat cushion.

Press the control to move the seat
forward or backward.

Heated seats (if equipped)

To operate the heated seats:
• Push the indicated side of the

control for maximum heat.

• Push again to deactivate.

• Push the indicated side of the

control for minimum heat.

• Push again to deactivate.

The heated seat module resets at every ignition run cycle. While the
ignition is in the run position, activating the high or low heated seat
switch enables heating mode. When activated, they will turn off
automatically when the ignition is turned to the OFF position.

The indicator light will illuminate when the heated seats have been
activated.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS

Safety restraints precautions

The driver and passenger seat must be in the upright position
and the lap belt must be snug and low across the hips while the

vehicle is moving.

To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they
can be properly restrained.

Seating and Safety Restraints

76

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.

All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag (SRS) is

provided.

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas

are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a safety belt.

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

Combination lap and shoulder belts

Before fastening the safety belt,
make sure the shoulder belt passes
through the belt holder on the top
of the seatback.

Seating and Safety Restraints

77

1. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) until you hear a snap and feel
it latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.

2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.

Energy Management Feature

The safety belts in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.
• This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management

feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.

• This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay

out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant’s chest.

The safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The safety belts have two types of locking modes described below.

Vehicle sensitive mode

The vehicle sensitive mode is the normal retractor mode, allowing free
shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in
response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes
suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will
lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.

Seating and Safety Restraints

78

Automatic locking mode

How to use the automatic locking mode
• Buckle the combination lap and

shoulder belt.

• Grasp the shoulder portion and

pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.

• 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.

In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt.

The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.

Seating and Safety Restraints

79