Ford Escape (2018 year). Manual — part 10

The side airbags are located on the
outboard side of the seatbacks of the front
seats. In certain sideways crashes, the
airbag on the side affected by the crash
will be inflated. The airbag was designed
to inflate between the door panel and
occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact crashes.

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The system consists of the following:
•

A label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are fitted
to your vehicle.

•

Side airbags located inside the driver
and front passenger seatbacks.

•

Front passenger sensing system.

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•

Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
45).

Note: The passenger sensing system will
deactivate the passenger seat-mounted
side airbag if it detects an empty passenger
seat.

The design and development of the side
airbag system included recommended
testing procedures that were developed
by a group of automotive safety experts
known as the Side Airbag Technical
Working Group. These recommended
testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side
airbags.

DRIVER KNEE AIRBAG

A driver's knee airbag is located under the
instrument panel. During a crash, the
restraints control module may activate the
driver's knee airbag based on crash severity
and occupant conditions. Under certain
crash and occupant conditions, the driver’s
knee airbag may deploy but the driver’s
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.

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Make sure the knee airbag is
operating properly. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator

(page 45).

SAFETY CANOPY™

WARNINGS

Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the headliner
at the siderail that may come into

contact with a deploying curtain airbag.
Failure to follow these instructions may
increase the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash.

Do not lean your head on the door.
The curtain airbag could injure you
as it deploys from the headliner.

WARNINGS

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.

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.

To reduce risk of injury, do not
obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the airbag.

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 Safety Canopy deploys during
significant side crashes or when a certain
likelihood of a rollover event is detected
by the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopy
is mounted to the roof side rail sheet metal,
behind the headliner, above each row of
seats. In certain sideways crashes or
rollover events, the Safety Canopy will be
activated, regardless of which seats are
occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed
to inflate between the side window area
and occupants to further enhance
protection provided in side impact crashes
and rollover events.

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The system consists of the following:
•

Safety Canopy curtain airbags above
the trim panels over the front and rear
side windows identified by a label or
wording on the headliner or roof-pillar
trim.

•

A flexible headliner which opens above
the side doors to allow air curtain
deployment

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

and Airbag Indicator (page 45).

Properly restrain children 12 years old and
under in the rear seats. The Safety Canopy
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 design and development of the Safety
Canopy included recommended testing
procedures that were developed by a
group of automotive safety experts known
as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing
procedures help reduce the risk of injuries
related to the deployment of side airbags
(including the Safety Canopy).

CRASH SENSORS AND
AIRBAG INDICATOR

WARNING

Modifying or adding equipment to
the front end of your vehicle
(including hood, bumper system,

frame, front end body structure, tow hooks
and hood pins) may affect the
performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify
or add equipment to the front end of your
vehicle.

Your vehicle has a collection of crash and
occupant sensors which provide
information to the restraints control
module. The restraints control module
deploys (activates) the front seatbelt
pretensioners, driver airbag, passenger
airbag, knee airbag(s), seat mounted side
airbags and Safety Canopy airbags. Based
on the type of crash, the restraints control
module will deploy the appropriate safety
devices.

The restraints control module also
monitors the readiness of the above safety
devices plus the crash and occupant
sensors. The readiness of the safety
system is indicated by a warning indicator
light in the instrument cluster or by a
backup tone if the warning light is not
working. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.

A difficulty with the system is indicated by
one or more of the following:

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The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after you
switch the ignition on.

•

The readiness light either flashes or
stays lit.

•

You will hear a series of five beeps. The
tone pattern repeats periodically until
the problem, the light or both are
repaired.

If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized
dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the
system may not function properly in the
event of a crash.

The seatbelt pretensioners and the front
airbag supplemental restraint system are
designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains frontal deceleration sufficient to
cause the restraints control module to
deploy a safety device.

The fact that the seatbelt pretensioners
or front airbags did not activate for both
front seat occupants in a crash does not
mean that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the restraints
control module determined the accident
conditions (crash severity, belt usage)
were not appropriate to activate these
safety devices.
•

The design of the front airbags is to
activate only in frontal and near-frontal
crashes (not rollovers, side impacts or
rear impacts unless the crash causes
sufficient frontal deceleration).

•

The design of the seatbelt
pretensioners is to activate in frontal,
near-frontal, side crashes and rollovers.

•

The knee airbag(s) may deploy based
on crash severity and occupant
conditions.

•

The design of the side airbags is to
inflate in certain side crashes. The
design of the Safety Canopy is to
inflate in certain side impact crashes
and when a certain likelihood of
rollover is detected by the rollover
sensor. Side airbags and Safety Canopy
airbags may activate in other types of
crashes if the vehicle experiences
sufficient sideways motion or
deformation.

AIRBAG DISPOSAL

Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Airbags must be disposed of by
qualified personnel.