F-250 Light Duty (1999 year). Manual — part 23

AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions

The supplemental restraint system
is designed to work with the safety
belt to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain
upper body injuries.

Air bags DO NOT inflate slowly or
gently and the risk of injury from a
deploying air bag is greatest close to
the trim covering the air bag
module.

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

provided.

Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 25 cm (ten [10]

inches) between an occupant’s chest and the driver air bag module.

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

Steps you can take 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.

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.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Air Bag
Supplemental Restraint System or its fuses. See your Ford or

Lincoln-Mercury dealer.

Children and air bags

For additional important safety information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.

Children must always be properly restrained. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of injury in a collision.

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

seats should NEVER be placed in the front seats, unless the passenger
air bag is turned off. See Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch.

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How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?

The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration.

The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Air bags are
designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impact, or rear-impacts.

The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After air bag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder (to lubricate the bag) or
sodium compounds (e.g., baking
soda) that result from the
combustion process that inflates the
air bag. Small amounts of sodium
hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.

While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, it may also
cause minor burns, abrasions, swelling or temporary hearing loss.
Because air bags 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 air bag
deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly
restrained as far away from the air bag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.

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

If the air bag is inflated, 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.

The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger (if equipped) air bag modules (which include the

inflators and air bags),

• one or more impact and safing sensors,
• a readiness light and tone
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental air bag electrical system warning (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the air bag system readiness light, the air
bag back up power and the air bag ignitors.

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 Air bag readiness
section in the Instrumentation chapter. Routine maintenance of the air
bag 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 light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your dealership or by a qualified technician immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a
collision.

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