Ford Expedition (2018 year). Manual — part 10

The Personal Safety System provides an
improved overall level of frontal crash
protection to front seat occupants and is
designed to help further reduce the risk of
airbag-related injuries. The system is able
to analyze different occupant conditions
and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better
protect a range of occupants in a variety
of frontal crash situations.

Your vehicle's Personal Safety System
consists of:
•

Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag
supplemental restraints.

•

Front seat outboard safety belts with
pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only) and safety
belt usage sensors.

•

Driver seat position sensor.

•

Front passenger sensing system.

•

Passenger airbag off and on indicator
lamp.

•

Front crash severity sensors.

•

Restraints control module with impact
and safing sensors.

•

Restraint system warning light and
backup tone.

•

The electrical wiring for the airbags,
crash sensors, safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt usage
sensors, driver seat position sensor,
front passenger sensing system and
indicator lights.

How Does the Personal Safety
System Work?

The Personal Safety System can adapt the
deployment strategy of the safety devices
according to crash severity and occupant
conditions. A collection of crash and
occupant sensors provides information to
the restraints control module. During a
crash, the restraints control module may
deploy the safety belt pretensioners, one
or both stages of the dual-stage airbags
based on crash severity and occupant
conditions.

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

WARNINGS

Airbags do not inflate slowly or
gently, and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is the greatest close

to the trim covering the airbag module.

All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their seatbelts, even

when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your seatbelt could seriously increase the
risk of injury or death.

Even with advanced restraints
systems, properly restrain children
12 and under in a rear seating

position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death.

Do not place your arms on the airbag
cover or through the steering wheel.
Failure to follow this instruction

could result in personal injury.

Keep the areas in front of the airbags
free from obstruction. Do not affix
anything to or over the airbag covers.

Objects could become projectiles during
airbag deployment or in a sudden stop.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of

an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
restraint is installed all the way back.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the supplementary restraint
system or associated components.

Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death.

WARNINGS

Several airbag system components
get hot after inflation. To reduce the
risk of injury, do not touch them after

inflation.

If a supplementary restraint system
component has deployed, it will not
function again. Have the system and

associated components inspected as soon
as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death.

The airbags are a supplemental restraint
system and are designed to work with the
seatbelts to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain upper
body injuries. Airbags do not inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a deploying
airbag.

Note:

You will hear a loud bang and see a

cloud of harmless powdery residue if an
airbag deploys. This is normal.

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 (for example, 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
or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also
a possibility as a result of the noise
associated with a deploying airbag.
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.

Routine maintenance of the airbags is not
required.

DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS

WARNINGS

Do not place your arms on the airbag
cover or through the steering wheel.
Failure to follow this instruction

could result in personal injury.

Keep the areas in front of the airbags
free from obstruction. Do not affix
anything to or over the airbag covers.

Objects could become projectiles during
airbag deployment or in a sudden stop.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of

an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
restraint is installed all the way back.

E151127

The driver and passenger front airbags will
deploy during significant frontal and near
frontal crashes.

The driver and passenger front airbag
system consists of:
•

Driver and passenger airbag modules.

•

Front passenger sensing system.

E67017

· Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See Crash Sensors and Airbag

Indicator

(page 50).

Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment

WARNING

National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance

of at least 10 in (25 cm) between an
occupant's chest and the driver airbag
module.

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.

After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. Properly seated occupants sit
upright, lean against the seat back, and
center themselves on the seat cushion,
with their feet comfortably extended on
the floor. Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies
down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans
forward or sideways, or puts one or both
feet up, the chance of injury during a crash
greatly increases.

Children and Airbags

WARNING

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of

an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
restraint is installed all the way back.

E142846

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 crash.

FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM

WARNINGS

Even with advanced restraints
systems, properly restrain children
12 and under in a rear seating

position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death.

Sitting improperly, out of position or
with the seatback reclined too far
can take weight off the seat cushion

and affect the decision of the passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury
or death in the event of a crash. Always sit
upright against your seat back, with your
feet on the floor.

Any alteration or modification to the
front passenger seat may affect the
performance of the front passenger

sensing system. This could seriously
increase the risk of injury or death.

E181984

The front passenger sensing system uses
a passenger airbag status indicator which
illuminates indicating that the front
passenger frontal airbag is either on
(enabled) or off (disabled). The indicator
lamp is in the center stack of the
instrument panel.

Note:

When you first switch the ignition on,

the passenger airbag status indicator off
and on lamps illuminate for a short period
to confirm it is functional.