Overview
| WARNING | After a crash, the following safety belt components and attaching hardware must be inspected and tested to verify correct function: Retractors Buckles Child safety seat tether bracket assemblies ALR feature for child safety seats (passenger seating positions only) BTS (if equipped) Front safety belt buckle support assemblies (slide bar) (if equipped) Safety belt shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped) Components that do not operate correctly or pass all Functional Tests in the Component Tests of this section must be replaced with new components. Safety belt assembly attaching areas must be inspected. Damaged or distorted attaching areas must be restored to their original structural integrity and a new safety belt assembly with new attaching hardware must be installed. After deployment of the front safety belt pretensioners, a new safety belt system (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be installed. Failure to follow this instruction may result in incorrect operation of the safety belt system and increases the risk of serious personal injury or death in a crash. |
Each first row safety belt is a continuous-loop, 3-point system. The combination lap and shoulder belt (continuous-loop) uses a dynamic locking tongue and retractor.
When replacing safety belt buckles and/or retractor assemblies, use only the replacement parts specified in the Ford Catalog Advantage or equivalent.
| WARNING | After a crash, all of the following second and third row safety belt components and attaching hardware must be inspected and tested to verify correct function: Retractors Buckles Child safety seat tether bracket assemblies ALR feature for child safety seats (passenger seating positions only) Inflatable safety belt systems Components that do not operate correctly or pass all Functional Tests in the Component Tests of this section must be replaced with new components. Safety belt assembly attaching areas must be inspected. Damaged or distorted attaching areas must be restored to their original structural integrity and a new safety belt assembly with new attaching hardware must be installed. Deployed inflatable safety belts must be replaced with new inflatable components (including retractors, buckles and inflators) and all parts in the service kit. Failure to install new safety belt systems and attaching hardware increases the risk of serious personal injury or death in a crash. |
On vehicles without inflatable safety belts, all of the second row belts are continuous-loop, 3-point systems. The combination lap and shoulder belt (continuous-loop) uses a common slip tongue and retractor.
The center safety belt is also a continuous-loop, 3-point system on all vehicles, with or without the inflatable safety belt system. The combination lap and shoulder belt (continuous-loop) uses a common slip tongue and retractor.
On vehicles with inflatable safety belts, each outboard seating position has a 3-point system which consists of a lap belt and retractor, and a shoulder belt and retractor. The two are joined together at the buckle tongue and can be separated for service. The buckle tongue is unique to the inflatable safety belt system and is part of the inflatable shoulder belt and retractor.
When replacing safety belt buckles and/or retractor assemblies, use only the replacement parts specified in the Ford Catalog Advantage or equivalent.
System Operation
The shoulder harness retractor is designed to let the webbing move freely in and out at all times, except during vehicle hard braking, hard cornering or an impact of 24 kmh (14.9 mph) or more, when it is automatically locked by a mechanically-actuated inertia sensor (ELR). On vehicles equipped with inflatable safety belts, the lap belt retractor is also equipped with the ELR feature.
For vehicles without inflatable safety belts, all 3 second row seating positions are equipped with ALRs .
Vehicles equipped with inflatable safety belts have ALRs at the outboard lap belt retractors and the center seating position. The outboard shoulder belt retractor is not an ALR.
The inflatable safety belt system uses a pyrotechnic device mounted below the seat to release an inert gas which deploys the inflatable shoulder belt. The pyrotechnic device (safety belt inflator) deploys upon receipt of current from the RCM. Upon deployment, gas flows through a manifold tube into the safety belt buckle. From the buckle, gas moves through the safety belt tongue and into the inflatable shoulder belt, causing the belt to expand. The RCM monitors the readiness of the safety belt inflator and uses this information, as well as other information provided by the restraints system, to determine if inflatable safety belt deployment is appropriate.
REFER to DTC CHART: RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE (RCM) to diagnose any inflator DTCs and REFER to Symptom Chart: Safety Belt System for any concerns regarding safety belt buckle or retractor function.
When replacing safety belt buckles, retractor assemblies, or safety belt inflators, use only the replacement parts specified in the Ford Catalog Advantage or equivalent.
| WARNING | After a crash, all of the following second and third row safety belt components and attaching hardware must be inspected and tested to verify correct function: Retractors Buckles Child safety seat tether bracket assemblies ALR feature for child safety seats (passenger seating positions only) Inflatable safety belt systems Components that do not operate correctly or pass all Functional Tests in the Component Tests of this section must be replaced with new components. Safety belt assembly attaching areas must be inspected. Damaged or distorted attaching areas must be restored to their original structural integrity and a new safety belt assembly with new attaching hardware must be installed. Deployed inflatable safety belts must be replaced with new inflatable components (including retractors, buckles and inflators) and all parts in the service kit. Failure to install new safety belt systems and attaching hardware increases the risk of serious personal injury or death in a crash. |
The third row safety belts are continuous-loop, 3-point systems. The combination lap and shoulder belt (continuous-loop) uses a common slip tongue and retractor.
When replacing safety belt buckles and/or retractor assemblies, use only the replacement parts specified in the Ford Catalog Advantage or equivalent.
The shoulder belt retractor is designed to let the webbing move freely in and out at all times, except during vehicle hard braking, hard cornering or an impact of 24 kmh (14.9 mph) or more, when it is automatically locked by a mechanically actuated inertia sensor (ELR).
When replacing safety belt buckles and/or retractor assemblies, use only the replacement parts specified in the Ford Catalog Advantage or equivalent.