2023 FORD E-450 Seat Belts User Information

In terms of vehicle safety, the 2023 Ford E-450’s seat belts stand out as steady sentinels. They are an important line of defense for both the driver and the passengers. These simple but important parts are the first line of defense, acting as a shield against the contact forces. As passengers start their trips, the seat belts combine safety and pleasure by being able to be adjusted to fit each passenger’s size and position. Seat belts meet the needs of a wide range of tourists because they can be adjusted for height and can fit child seats. Also, the fact that seat belt warnings and pretensioners are included shows that Ford is always thinking about safety. In a symphony of restraint and comfort, the seat belts of the 2023 E-450 rise to the front. This is a symbol of how the vehicle’s safety philosophy is a mix of technology and care.

Seatbelts

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

• WARNING: Always drive and ride with the seat backrest upright and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
• WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit where they can be properly restrained.
• WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while your vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a crash which may result in serious injury or death.
• WARNING: All occupants of the 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.
• WARNING: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a crash, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.
• WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety belt.
• WARNING: Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific safety belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm. 2) Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
• WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. Failure to follow this could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
• WARNING: Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check seat covers and buckles before you place a child anywhere near them.
• WARNING: Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an accident.

All seating positions in this vehicle have lap and shoulder safety belts. All occupants of the vehicle should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:

• Lap and shoulder safety belts.
• Shoulder safety belt with automatic locking mode, (except driver safety belt).
• Height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions.
• Safety belt pretensioner at the front outboard seating positions.
• Safety belt warning light and chime.
• Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness indicator.

The safety belt pretensioners at the front seating positions are designed to tighten the safety belts when activated. In frontal and near-frontal crashes, the safety belt pretensioners may be activated alone or, if the crash is of sufficient severity, together with the front airbags.

FASTENING THE SEATBELTS
The front outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.

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 the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
   
2. To unfasten, press the release button and remove the tongue from the buckle.

Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy
WARNING: Always ride and drive with your seatback upright and properly fasten your seatbelt. Fit the lap portion of the seatbelt snugly and low across the hips. Position the shoulder portion of the seatbelt across your chest. Pregnant women must follow this practice. See the following figure.

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 allows. Position the shoulder belt to cross the middle of the shoulder and the center of the chest.

Seatbelt Locking Modes
WARNING: If your vehicle is involved in a crash, have the seatbelts and associated components inspected as soon as possible. Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury or death.

All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The driver seatbelt has the first type of locking mode. The front outboard passenger seatbelt has 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 or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of about 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the combination seatbelts lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and passengers.
• In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if you pull the webbing out too quickly. If the seatbelt retractor locks, slowly lower the height adjuster to allow the seatbelt to retract. If the retractor does not unlock, pull the seatbelt out slowly then feed a small length of webbing back toward the stowed position. For rear seatbelts, recline the rear seat backrest or push the seat backrest cushion away from the seatbelt. Feed a small length of webbing back toward the stowed position.

Automatic Locking Mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt automatically pre-locks. 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 a child safety seat, except a booster, is installed in the passenger front seating position. See Child Safety.

How to Use the Automatic Locking Mode

1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward 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.

SEATBELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING: Position the safety belt height adjuster so that the belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt and increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so the belt rests across the middle of your shoulder.

To adjust the shoulder belt height:

1. Press the button and slide the height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the button and pull down on the height adjuster to make sure it is locked in place.

SEATBELT WARNING LAMP AND INDICATOR CHIME

This lamp illuminates and an indicator chime will sound if the driver seatbelt has not been fastened when the vehicle’s ignition is turned on.

Conditions of operation

If	Then
The driver seatbelt is not buckled before the ignition switch is turned to the on position…	The seatbelt warning lamp illuminates and the indicator chime sounds for a few seconds.
The driver seatbelt is buckled while the warning lamp is illuminated and the indicator chime is sounding…	The seatbelt warning lamp and indicator chime turn off.       Ow
The driver seatbelt is buckled before the ignition switch is turned to the on position…	The seatbelt warning lamp and indicator chime remain off.

HILD RESTRAINT AND SEATBELT MAINTENANCE

• Inspect the vehicle seatbelts and child restraint systems periodically to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the vehicle seatbelts to make sure there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle seatbelt assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front seatbelt buckle assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), rear inflatable seatbelts (if equipped), child restraint LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching hardware, should be inspected after a crash. Read the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions for additional inspection and maintenance information specific to the child restraint.
• We recommend that all seatbelt assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a crash be replaced. However, if the crash was minor and an authorized dealer finds that the belts do not show damage and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced. Seatbelt assemblies not in use during a crash should also be inspected and replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
  Properly care for seatbelts. See Cleaning the Interior.

SEATBELT EXTENSIONS

• WARNING: Persons who fit into the vehicle’s seatbelt should not use an extension. Unnecessary use could result in serious personal injury in the event of a crash.
• WARNING: Only use extensions provided free of charge by our dealers. The dealer will provide an extension designed specifically for this vehicle, model year and seating position. The use of an extension intended for another vehicle, model year or seating position may not offer you the full protection of your vehicle’s seatbelt restraint system.
• WARNING: Never use seatbelt extensions to install child restraints.
• WARNING: Do not use a seatbelt extension with an inflatable seatbelt.
• WARNING: Do not use extensions to change the way the seatbelt fits across the torso, over the lap or to make the seatbelt buckle easier to reach.
  

If, because of body size or driving position, it is not possible to properly fasten the seatbelt over your lap and shoulder, an extension that is compatible with the seatbelts is available free of charge from our dealers. Only use our seatbelt extensions made by the original equipment seatbelt manufacturer with our seatbelts. Ask your authorized dealer if your extension is compatible with your vehicle restraint system.

FAQ