2002 Ford Escape Owner's Manual - Page 132

Seating and Safety Restraints Front safety belt height adjustment Your vehicle has safety belt height adjustments for the driver and front passenger. Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so the belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. To lower the shoulder belt height, push the button and slide the height adjuster down. To raise the height of the shoulder belt, slide the height adjuster up. Pull down on the height adjuster to make sure it is locked in place. Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt and increase the risk of injury in a collision. Safety belt pretensioner Your vehicle is equipped with safety belt pretensioners at the driver and front passenger seating positions. The safety belt pretensioners are designed to activate during certain frontal or near-frontal collisions with sufficient longitudinal deceleration. A safety belt pretensioner is a device which tightens the webbing of the lap and shoulder belts in such a way that they fit more snugly against the body. The driver and front outboard passenger safety belt system (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must be replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in the activation of the safety belt pretensioners. Refer to the Safety belt maintenance section in this chapter. 132