Ford Five Hundred (2007 year). Manual — part 30

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.

All restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.

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

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

feature at the front seats 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 safety 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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All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:

Vehicle sensitive mode

This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.

Automatic locking mode

When to use the automatic locking mode

In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.

This mode should be used any time a child safety seat (except a
booster) is installed in a passenger front or outboard rear seating
position (if equipped). Children 12 years old and under should be
properly restrained in the rear seat whenever possible. Refer to Safety
restraints for children or Safety seats for children later in this chapter.

How to use the automatic locking mode
• Buckle the combination lap and

shoulder belt.

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123

• Grasp the shoulder portion and

pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.

• Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking

sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.

How to disengage the automatic locking mode

Ford Motor Company recommends that all passenger safety belt
assemblies and attaching hardware should be inspected by an

authorized dealer after any collision to verify that the

⬙automatic

locking retractor

⬙ feature for child seats is still working properly. Safety

belt assemblies should be inspected by an authorized dealer and must
be replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted. Failure to
replace the belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of
injury in a collision.

Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.

Safety belt height adjustment

Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the front 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,
squeeze 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.

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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.

Safety belt pretensioner

Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and
front outboard passenger seating positions.

The safety belt pretensioner tightens the safety belts firmly against the
occupant’s body at the start of the crash.

The driver and front passenger safety belt system (including
retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be replaced if the

vehicle is involved in a collision that results in deployment of front
airbags, seat-mounted side airbags and side air curtains (if equipped),
and safety belt pretensioners.

Safety belt extension assembly

If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is a 8 inch
(20 cm) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly can be obtained from an authorized dealer.

Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended.

Do not use extensions to change the fit of the shoulder belt
across the torso.

Safety belt maintenance

Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Inspect the safety belts to make sure
there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if necessary. All safety belt
assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle
assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder
belt height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if
equipped), child safety seat LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching

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