Ford F-450 (2017 year). Manual — part 8

The seatbelt pretensioners at the front
seating positions are designed to tighten
the seatbelts when activated. In frontal
and near-frontal crashes, the seatbelt
pretensioners may be activated alone or,
if the crash is of sufficient severity, together
with the front airbags. In side crashes and
rollovers, the seatbelt pretensioners
activate when the Safety Canopy is
activated.

FASTENING THE SEATBELTS

Standard belts shown, inflatable belts
similar

The front outboard and rear safety
restraints in the vehicle are combination
lap and shoulder belts.

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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 you securely fasten the
tongue in the buckle.

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2. To unfasten, press the release button

and remove the tongue from the
buckle.

Using the Seatbelt with Cinch
Tongue (Front Center Seat on
Super Cab and Crew Cab)

The cinch tongue will slide up and down
the belt webbing when the belt is stowed
or while putting seatbelts on. When you
buckle the lap and shoulder seatbelt, the
cinch tongue will allow you to shorten the
lap portion, but pinches the webbing to
keep the lap portion from getting longer.
The cinch tongue is designed to slip during
a crash, so always wear the shoulder belt
properly and do not allow any slack in
either the lap or shoulder portions.

Before you can reach and latch a lap and
shoulder belt having a cinch tongue into
the buckle, you may have to lengthen the
lap belt portion of it.

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1.

To lengthen the lap belt, pull some
webbing out of the shoulder belt
retractor.

2. While holding the webbing below the

tongue, grasp the tip (metal portion)
of the tongue so that it is parallel to the
webbing and slide the tongue upward.

3. Provide enough lap belt length so that

the tongue can reach the buckle.

Fastening the Cinch Tongue

WARNING

The lap belt should fit snugly and as
low as possible around the hips, not
across the waist.

1.

Pull the lap and shoulder belt from the
retractor so that the shoulder belt
portion of the seatbelt crosses your
shoulder and chest.

2. Be sure the belt is not twisted. If the

belt is twisted, remove the twist.

3. Insert the belt tongue into the proper

buckle for your seating position until
you hear a snap and feel it latch.

4. Make sure you securely fasten the

tongue to the buckle by pulling on the
tongue.

While you are fastened in the seatbelt, the
lap and shoulder belt with a cinch tongue
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 seatbelt will become locked and
help reduce your forward movement.

Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy

WARNING

Always ride and drive with your
seatback upright and the seatbelt
properly fastened. The lap portion of

the seatbelt should fit snug and be
positioned low across the hips. The
shoulder portion of the seatbelt should be
positioned across the chest. Pregnant
women should also follow this practice.

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Pregnant women should always wear their
seatbelt. Position the lap belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt low
across the hips below the belly and worn
as tight as comfort will allow. Position the
shoulder belt to cross the middle of the
shoulder and the center of the chest.

Seatbelt Locking Modes

WARNINGS

After any vehicle crash, the seatbelt
system at all passenger seating
positions must be checked by an

authorized dealer to verify that the
automatic locking retractor feature for
child seats is still functioning properly. In
addition, all seatbelts should be checked
for proper function.

The belt and retractor must be
replaced if the seatbelt assembly
automatic locking retractor feature

or any other seatbelt function is not
operating properly when checked by an
authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase
the risk of injury in crashes.

All safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The
driver seatbelt has the first type of locking
mode, and the front outboard passenger
and rear seat seatbelts have both types of
locking modes described as follows:

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,
turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle
receives an impact of about 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination
seatbelts will lock to help reduce forward
movement of the driver and passengers.

In addition, the retractor is designed to lock
if the webbing is pulled out too quickly. If
this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and
pull webbing out again in a slow and
controlled manner.

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 seatbelt.

When to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode

Use this mode any time you install a child
safety seat in a front outboard passenger
seating position in a Regular Cab,
SuperCab, SuperCrew or any rear seating
position of a SuperCab or SuperCrew. The
optional front seat's center seatbelt has a
cinch mechanism. Children 12 years old
and under should be properly restrained in
a rear seat whenever possible. See Child
Safety (page 17).

How to Use the Automatic Locking
Mode

Non-inflatable seatbelts

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1.

Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.

2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull

downward until you pull the entire belt
out.

3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt

retracts, you will hear a clicking sound.
This indicates the seatbelt is now in the
automatic locking mode.

Rear outboard inflatable seatbelts
(second row only– if equipped)

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1.

Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.

2. Grasp the lap portion of the belt and

pull upward until the entire belt is
pulled out.

3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt

retracts, you will hear a clicking sound.
This indicates the seatbelt is now in the
automatic locking mode.

How to Disengage the Automatic
Locking Mode

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

Rear Inflatable Seatbelt

(If Equipped)

WARNING

Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the rear inflatable seatbelt.

The rear inflatable seatbelts are fitted in
the shoulder portion of the seatbelts of the
second-row outboard seating positions.

Note: The rear inflatable seatbelts are
compatible with most infant and child
safety car seats and belt positioning booster
seats when properly installed. This is
because they are designed to fill with a
cooled gas at a lower pressure and at a
slower rate than traditional airbags. After
inflation, the shoulder portion of the
seatbelt remains cool to the touch.

The rear inflatable seatbelt consists of the
following:
•

An inflatable bag located in the
shoulder seatbelt webbing.

•

Lap seatbelt webbing with automatic
locking mode.

•

The same warning light, electronic
control and diagnostic unit as used for
the front seatbelts.

•

Impact sensors located in various parts
of the vehicle.

How does the rear inflatable seatbelt
system work?

The rear inflatable seatbelts will function
like standard restraints in everyday usage.

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During a crash of sufficient force, the
inflatable belt will inflate from inside the
webbing.