Seat Belt Systems: Description and Operation

Safety Belt System

WARNING: After any crash, all of the following safety belt assemblies and attaching hardware must be inspected to verify correct function:
- Retractors
- Buckles
- Belt tension sensor (BTS) (if equipped)
- Front safety belt buckle support assemblies (slide bar) (if equipped)
- Safety belt shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped)
- Child safety seat tether bracket assemblies
- Automatic locking retractor (ALR) feature for child safety seats (passenger seating positions only)
If any safety belt assembly is damaged, does not operate correctly or does not pass all of the Functional Tests in the Diagnosis and Testing, a new safety belt assembly must be installed. If any safety belt assembly attaching areas are damaged or distorted, the sheet metal must be restored to its original structural integrity and new safety belt assembly and attaching hardware must be installed. Failure to install new safety belt assemblies and attaching hardware may increase the risk of serious personal injury or death in a crash.

After any crash that results in deployment of the driver and/or front outboard passenger safety belt pretensioners, new driver and/or front outboard passenger safety belt systems (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be installed. Failure to install new safety belt systems increases the risk of serious personal injury or death in a crash.

When installing any new active occupant restraint components, use only Ford specified service parts.

The active restraint system consists of the following serviceable items:

- Front safety belt shoulder height adjusters
- Front row safety belt buckles attached to the inboard side of the seats
- Front row safety belt retractors and pretensioners located behind the lower B-pillar trim panels
- Rear center safety belt retractor, attached to the parcel shelf sheet metal and LH safety belt buckle assembly, attached to the floor pan under the rear seat cushion
- Rear dual safety belt buckle assembly, attached to the floor pan under the seat cushion
- Child safety seat tether anchors attached to the parcel shelf sheet metal at all 3 rear seating positions
- Lower anchors and tethers for children serviced with the rear seat backrest pivot assemblies

The lower anchors and tethers for children at the inboard side of the LH rear seat position is welded to the floor pan below the rear seat cushion and is not serviceable.

Safety Belt Retractors

The safety belt retractors consist of the following features:

- Safety belt pretensioner (front only)
- Dual locking mode
- Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
- Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) (all except driver seat)

Safety Belt Retractor and Pretensioner

The pretensioner is a pyrotechnic device that deploys when activated by the Restraints Control Module (RCM) to remove excess safety belt webbing from the shoulder and lap safety belt in the event of an impact. If a deployment of the safety belt retractor and pretensioners occurs, a new assembly must be installed. Refer to Safety Belt Retractor and Pretensioner Safety Belt Retractor and Pretensioner.

For safety belt retractor and pretensioner diagnostic and disposal information, refer to Supplemental Restraint System Pyrotechnic Device Disposal.

Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)

The ELR is a vehicle sensitive feature designed to activate and lock the safety belt webbing when braking hard, cornering hard or in an impact of approximately 8 km/h (15 mph). The ELR feature helps to reduce the forward movement of the driver and passengers. For testing, refer to the appropriate Functional Test procedure in Safety Belt System Component Tests and General Diagnostics.

Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)

The ALR mode is used when locking a child seat in an outboard seating position. The ALR mode is automatically activated when the safety belt webbing is fully extracted from the retractor and then allowed to retract. As the safety belt webbing is retracted back onto the spool, an audible clicking sound is made indicating the safety belt retractor is in ALR mode and the safety belt webbing will not pull back out of the safety belt retractor. To disengage the ALR mode, allow the safety belt webbing to fully retract back onto the spool. The ALR mode is disengaged when the webbing is free to extract and retract back into the retractor. For testing, refer to the appropriate Functional Test procedure in Safety Belt System Component Tests and General Diagnostics.

Safety Belt Buckles

The front seat safety belt buckles are attached to the front seat tracks.

The rear dual seat safety belt buckles are attached to the floor pan behind the rear seat cushion.

Child Safety Seat Restraints

The child safety seat restraints include the following items:

- Child safety seat tether anchors located at each second row seating position attached to the parcel shelf.
- Non-serviceable lower anchors and tethers for children system located at the outboard seating positions and is a structural member of the seat frame and floor pan beneath the rear seat cushion.

If a child safety seat was in use during a collision, inspect the child safety seat component mounting areas and repair any damage and restore the vehicle to the original production configuration.