2002 Ford Windstar Owner Guide 2nd Printing - Page 152

Seating and Safety Restraints a collision. Ford recommends that all safety belt assemblies used in vehicles involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was minor and a qualified technician finds that the belts do not show damage and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced, except as described in the Replacing the front passenger and second row bench seat belt assemblies after a collision section of this chapter. Safety belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also be inspected and replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted. Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the safety belt assembly under the above conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of a collision. Refer to Cleaning and maintaining the safety belts in the Cleaning chapter. Replacing the front passenger and second row bench seat belt assemblies after a collision All front passenger and second row bench seat belt assemblies adjacent to a sliding door have special energy management retractors designed to further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision. These retractors should be replaced if they were used in any accident in which the front airbags deploy. If the safety belt assemblies are not replaced, there may be increased risk of injury in the event of a subsequent collision. Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the safety belt assembly under the above conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of a collision. 152