Ford Freestyle (2007 year). Manual — part 38

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm)

between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.

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

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 airbag module. Placing
objects on or over the airbag inflation area may cause those

objects to be propelled by the airbag into your face and torso causing
serious injury.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the airbag
supplemental restraint systems or its fuses. See your authorized

dealer.

Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of the vehicle
(including frame, bumper, front end body structure and tow

hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system, increasing the
risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle.

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Children and airbags

Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front
seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the
risk of injury in a collision.

Airbags can kill or injure a
child in a child seat.

NEVER place a rear-facing child
seat in front of an active airbag. If
you must use a forward-facing
child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.

How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?

The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates airbag
inflation. The fact that the airbags
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. Front
airbags are designed to inflate in
frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or
rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient longitudinal
deceleration.

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The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
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
airbag. 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, contact with
a deploying airbag may also cause abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags 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 airbag deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be
properly restrained as far away from the airbag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.

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

If the air bag has deployed, 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 airbag modules (which include the inflators and

airbags).

• side airbags (if equipped). Refer to Side airbag system later in this

chapter.

• Safety Canopy娂 system (if equipped). Refer to Safety canopy system

later in this chapter.

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• one or more impact and safing sensors.
• Safety belt pretensioner
• a readiness light and tone.
• diagnostic module.
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
• Front passenger sensing system. Refer to Front passenger sensing

system. later in this chapter.

• “Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to

Front passenger sensing system. later in this chapter.

The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the airbag
back up power and the airbag ignitors.

Front passenger sensing system

The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208
and is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions.

The front passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger’s seat and safety belt. The sensors are designed to
detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the
front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or
disabled (will not inflate).

The front passenger sensing system will disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
• the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in

the front seat,

• the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant

seat that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,

• the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing

child restraint that is installed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions,

• the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat,
• a front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of

time,

• a child or a small person occupies the front passenger seat.

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