2004 Ford F150 Owner Guide 5th Printing - Page 133

Seating and Safety Restraints The vast majority of drivers and passengers are much safer with an air bag than without. To do their job and reduce the risk of life threatening injuries, air bags must open with great force, and this force can pose a potentially deadly risk in some situations, particularly when a front seat occupant is not properly buckled up. The most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary air bag injuries without reducing the overall safety of the vehicle is to make sure all occupants are properly restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front seat AND TO AVOID PLACING OBJECTS ON OR OVER AIR BAG COVER. This provides the protection of safety belts and permits the air bags to provide the additional protection they were designed to provide. If you choose to deactivate your air bag, you are losing the very significant risk-reducing benefits of the air bag and you are also reducing the effectiveness of the safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles are designed to work as a safety system with the air bags. Read all air bag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other important air bag instructions and Warnings in this Owner's Guide. NHTSA deactivation criteria (excluding Canada) 1. Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat because: • the vehicle has no rear seat; • the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or • the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant's physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that the driver can constantly monitor the child's condition. 2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat because: • the vehicle has no rear seat; • although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or • the child has a medical condition which, according to the child's physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can constantly monitor the child's condition. 3. Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which, according to his or her physician: • causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger; and 133 2004 F150 (f12) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)