Ford Windstar (2003 year). Manual — part 25

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

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

Combination lap and shoulder belts

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.

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102

The front and rear outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The front and rear seat passenger
outboard safety belts have locking cinch tongues described below:

Safety belts with locking cinch tongue

The locking cinch tongue will slide up and down the belt webbing when
the belt is in the stowed position or while putting seat belts on. When
the locking cinch tongue of the lap/shoulder combination seat belt is
latched into the buckle, the cinch tongue will allow the lap portion to
become shorter, but locks the webbing in place to restrict it from
becoming longer.

Before you can reach and latch a combination lap and shoulder belt
having a cinch tongue into the buckle, you may have to lengthen the lap
belt portion of it.

1. To lengthen the lap belt, pull
some webbing out of the shoulder
belt retractor.

2. While holding the webbing below
the tongue, grasp the tip (metal
portion) of the tongue so that it is
parallel to the webbing and slide the
tongue upward.

3. Provide enough lap belt length so that the tongue can reach the
buckle.

How to fasten the cinch tongue

1. Pull the combination lap and shoulder belt from the retractor so that
the shoulder belt portion of the safety belt crosses your shoulder and
chest.

2. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If the belt is twisted, remove the twist.

3. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for your seating position
until you hear a snap and feel it latch.

4. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on
the tongue.

The lap belt should fit snugly and as low as possible around the
hips, not across the waist.

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103

Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant women,
should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an accident.

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.

While you are fastened in the seat belt, the combination lap/shoulder belt
with a cinch tongue adjusts to your movement. However, if you brake
hard, turn hard, or if your vehicle receives an impact of 8 km/h (5 mph)
or more, the safety belt will become locked and help reduce your
forward movement.

Energy Management Feature
• This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management

feature at the front passenger and 2nd row bench seat adjacent to the
sliding door seating positions to help further reduce the risk of injury
in the event of a head-on collision.

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

extend the seat belt webbing in a controlled manner. This helps
reduce the belt force acting on the user’s chest.

Failure to inspect and replace if necessary the Belt and
Retractor assembly after an accident could increase the risk of

injury in a collision.

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104

Front safety belt height adjustment

Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments at the front and second
row outboard seating positions.
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.

To adjust the shoulder belt height,
push the button and slide the height
adjuster up or down. Release the
button and pull down on the height
adjuster to make sure it is locked in
place.

Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety

belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt and
increase the risk of injury in a collision.

Lap belts

Adjusting the 3rd row center lap belt

The lap belt does not adjust automatically.

The lap belt should fit snugly and as low as possible around the
hips, not across the waist.

Insert the tongue into the correct
buckle (the buckle closest to the
direction the tongue is coming
from). To lengthen the belt, turn the
tongue at a right angle to the belt
and pull across your lap until it
reaches the buckle. To tighten the
belt, pull the loose end of the belt
through the tongue until it fits snugly across the hips.

Seating and Safety Restraints

105