Ford Freestyle (2007 year). Manual — part 41

• Two crash sensors located at the c-pillar behind the rear doors (one

on each side).

• Rollover sensor in the restraints control module (RCM).
The Safety Canopy

娂 system, in combination with safety belts, can help

reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact
collision or rollover event.

Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the second or third row seats. The Safety Canopy

娂 will not interfere

with children restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat
because it is designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the
doors along the side window opening.

The Safety Canopy

娂 system is designed to activate when the vehicle

sustains lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the side crash sensor to
close an electrical circuit that initiates Safety Canopy

娂 inflation or when

a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.

The Safety Canopy

娂 is mounted to roof side-rail sheet metal, behind the

headliner, along the entire side of the vehicle. In certain lateral collisions
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy

娂 system will be activated,

regardless of which seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy

娂 is designed

to inflate between the side window area and occupants to further
enhance protection provided in side impact collisions and rollover events.

The fact that the Safety Canopy

娂 did not activate 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. The Safety
Canopy

娂 is designed to inflate in certain side impact collisions or

rollover events, not in rear impact, frontal or near-frontal collisions,
unless the collision causes sufficient lateral deceleration or rollover.

Several Safety Canopy

娂 system components get hot after

inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.

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166

If the Safety Canopy

娂 system has deployed, the Safety

Canopy

娂 will not function again unless replaced. The

Safety Canopy

娂 system (including the A, B, C, and D pillar

trim) must be inspected and serviced by an authorized dealer. If
the Safety Canopy

娂 is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase

the risk of injury in a collision.

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 Airbag readiness
section in the Instrument Cluster chapter. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.

Any difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
• The readiness airbag light (same light as for front airbag system) 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 an authorized dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the system
may not function properly in the event of a collision or rollover event.

Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles (including
pretensioners)

See your authorized dealer. Airbags MUST BE disposed of by qualified
personnel.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN

See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also see Airbag supplemental restraint system
(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.

Important child restraint precautions

You are required by law to use safety restraints for children in the U.S.
and Canada. If small children (generally children who are four years old

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167

or younger and who weigh 40 lb. [18 kg] or less) ride in your vehicle, you
must put them in safety seats made especially for children. Many states
require that children use approved booster seats until they are eight
years old. Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety of children in your vehicle. When
possible, always place children under age 12 in the rear seat of your
vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating position.

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.

Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.

Children and safety belts

If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat. Children
who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your child safety
seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.

Follow all the important safety restraint and airbag precautions that
apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.

If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child’s face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.

Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in
your vehicle.

Child booster seats

Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 lb. (18 kg) and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder
belt will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury in a crash.

To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use
of a belt-positioning booster.

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Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
bend comfortably. Booster seats may also make the shoulder belt fit
better and more comfortably. Try to keep the belt near the middle of the
shoulder.

When children should use booster seats

Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the
toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about
80 lb. (36 kg) (about 8 to 12 years old).

Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
• Can the child sit all the way back

against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat without
slouching?

• Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
• Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
• Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
Types of booster seats

There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
• Those that are backless.

If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt. If a seating position has a
low seat back and no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child’s head (top
of ear level) above the top of the
seat. In this case, move the
backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat back and lap/shoulder belts.

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