2002 Ford Windstar Owner Guide 2nd Printing - Page 140

Seating and Safety Restraints the system. Rather, it means the Personal safety system determined the accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front air bags and pretensioners are designed to activate only in frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollovers, side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration. Driver and passenger dual-stage air bag supplemental restraints The dual-stage air bags offer the capability to tailor the level of air bag inflation energy. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is used for the most severe impacts. Refer to Air bag supplemental restraints section in this chapter. Front crash severity sensor The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This allows your Personal safety system to distinguish between different levels of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the dual-stage air bags and safety belt pretensioners. Driver's seat position sensor The driver's seat position sensor allows your Personal safety system to tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage air bag based on seat position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting close to the driver air bag by providing a lower air bag output level. Passenger occupant classification sensor (OCS) (if equipped) If your vehicle is equipped with this feature, there will be a label located under the front passenger seat which is marked "OCS". Alternatively, you may take your vehicle to any Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer for assistance. For air bags to do their job they must inflate with great force, and this force can pose a potentially deadly risk to occupants that are very close to the air bag when it begins to inflate. For some occupants, like infants in rear-facing child seats, this occurs because they are initially sitting very close to the air bag. For other occupants, this occurs when the occupant is not properly restrained by seat belts or child safety seats and they move forward during pre-crash braking. The most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries is to make sure all occupants are properly restrained. Accident statistics suggest that children are much safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front. 140