Ford Fusion Hybrid (2014 year). Manual — part 8

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 safety belts, even

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

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

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

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

other injuries.

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 upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag supplemental
restraint systems or its fuses as you

could be seriously injured or killed. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible.

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

inflation.

If the airbag has deployed, the airbag
will not function again and must be
replaced immediately. If the airbag

is not replaced, the unrepaired area will
increase the risk of injury in a crash.

The airbags are a supplemental restraint
system and are designed to work with the
safety belts 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.

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Supplementary Restraints System

DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS

WARNINGS

Never place your arm or any objects
over an airbag module. Placing your
arm over a deploying airbag can

result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries. Objects placed 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.

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 upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.

E151127

The driver and front passenger 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.

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

Indicator (page 42).

Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment

WARNING

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

of at least 10 inches (25 centimeters)
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 safety belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. A properly seated occupant sits
upright, leaning against the seat back, and
centered 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 is greatly
increased.

Children and Airbags

WARNING

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 upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.

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Supplementary Restraints System

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.

KNEE AIRBAG

A driver’s and passenger’s knee airbag is
located under or within the instrument
panel. During a crash, the restraints control
module may activate the driver’s and
passenger’s knee airbag (individually or
both) based on crash severity and
respective occupant conditions. Under
certain crash and occupant conditions, the
driver’s and passenger’s knee airbag may
deploy (individually or both) but the
corresponding front airbag may not
activate. As with front and side airbags, it
is important to be properly seated and
restrained to reduce the risk of death or
serious injury.

Make sure the knee airbags are
operating properly. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator

(page 42).

FRONT PASSENGER SENSING
SYSTEM

WARNINGS

Even with Advanced Restraints
Systems, children 12 and under
should be properly restrained 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 seat back reclined too far
can take off weight from the seat

cushion and affect the decision of the front
passenger sensing system, resulting in
serious injury or death in a crash.

To reduce the risk of possible serious
injury: Do not stow objects in seat
back map pocket or hang objects off

seat back if a child is in the front passenger
seat. Do not place objects underneath the
front passenger seat or between the seat
and the center console. Check the
passenger airbag off or pass airbag off
indicator lamp for proper airbag status.
Failure to follow these instructions may
interfere with the front passenger seat
sensing system.

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

sensing system.

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

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Supplementary Restraints System

E157152

The front passenger sensing system uses
a pass airbag off indicator which will
illuminate and stay lit to remind you that
the front passenger frontal airbag is
disabled.

The indicator lamp is located at the top
center of the instrument panel.

Note: When the ignition is first tuned on,
the indicator lamp will illuminate for a short
period of time to confirm it is functional.

The front passenger sensing system is
designed to disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger's frontal airbag when a
rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing
child restraint, or a booster seat is
detected. Even with this technology,
parents are STRONGLY encouraged to
always properly restrain children in the rear
seat. The sensor also turns off the
passenger front airbag and seat-mounted
side airbag when the passenger seat is
empty.

•

When the front passenger sensing
system disables (will not inflate) the
front passenger frontal airbag, the
indicator lamp will illuminate and stay
lit to remind you that the front
passenger frontal airbag is disabled.

•

If the child restraint has been installed
and the indicator lamp is not lit, then
turn the vehicle off, remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall
the restraint following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.

The front passenger sensing system is
designed to enable (may inflate) the front
passenger's frontal airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size
is sitting properly in the front passenger
seat.

•

When the front passenger sensing
system enables the front passenger
frontal airbag (may inflate), the
indicator lamp will be unlit and stay
unlit.

If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger’s seat, but the airbag off
indicator lamp is lit, it is possible that the
person isn’t sitting properly in the seat. If
this happens:

•

Turn the vehicle off and ask the person
to place the seat back in the full upright
position.

•

Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended.

•

Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to
detect that person and enable the
passenger’s frontal airbag.

•

If the indicator lamp remains lit even
after this, the person should be advised
to ride in the rear seat.

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Supplementary Restraints System