F-250 Light Duty (1999 year). Manual — part 24

Disposal of air bags and air bag equipped vehicles
(including pretensioners)

For disposal of air bags or air bag equipped vehicles, see your local
dealership or qualified technician. Air bags MUST BE disposed of by
qualified personnel.

Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch (if equipped)

An air bag ON/OFF switch
has 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 air bag 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 air
bag is deactivated.

If the light fails to illuminate when the passenger air bag switch
is in the OFF position and the ignition switch is in ON, have the

passenger air bag switch serviced at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer immediately.

PASSENGER AIRBAG

OFF

OFF

ON

PASSENGER AIRBAG

OFF

OFF

ON

Seating and safety restraints

96

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

switch.

Turning the passenger air bag back on

The passenger air bag 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 air bag is operational.

If the light is illuminated when the passenger air bag switch is in
the ON position and the ignition switch is in ON, have the

passenger air bag switch serviced at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer immediately.

The passenger side air bag should always be ON (the air bag 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 air bags in certain types of crashes. When you turn OFF your
air bag, you not only lose the protection of the air bag, you also may
reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt system, which was
designed to work with the air bag. If you are not a person who meets
the requirements stated in the NHTSA/Transport Canada deactivation
criteria turning OFF the air bag can increase the risk of serious injury
or death in a collision.

PASSENGER AIRBAG

OFF

OFF

ON

Seating and safety restraints

97

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 air bag must be turned OFF. This is because the back of the
infant seat is too close to the inflating air bag and the risk of a fatal
injury to the infant when the air bag inflates is substantial.

The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an air
bag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life threatening
injuries, air bags 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 air bag 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 air bags to provide the
additional protection they were designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your air bag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing
benefits of the air bag 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 air bags.

Read all air bag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important air bag 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;

Seating and safety restraints

98

• 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

• 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 air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger;

and

• makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag in a crash

greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag 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/or right front passenger. These particular belts are

specifically designed to work with air bags 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 air bag 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 air bag 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.

Seating and safety restraints

99