2004 Ford Freestar Owner's Manual - Page 151

Seating and Safety Restraints that the person isn't sitting properly in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seatback in the full upright position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the person's legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for about two minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person and then enable the passenger's air bag. If the indicator lamp remains lit even after this, then the occupant should be advised to ride in the back seat. After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it's very important that they continue to sit upright, with their back against the seatback, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor while the vehicle is still in motion. Sitting improperly can increase the chance of injury in a crash event. For example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the chance of injury during a crash is greatly increased. Sitting improperly out of position or with the seat back reclined too far can take off weight from the seat cushion and affect the decision of the passenger sensing system, resulting in serious injury or death in a crash. Always sit upright against your seatback, with your feet on the floor. In case there is a problem with the passenger sensing system, the airbag readiness light in the instrument cluster will stay lit. Do NOT attempt to repair or service the system; take your vehicle immediately to the dealer. If it is necessary to modify an advanced front air bag system to accommodate a person with disabilities, contact the Ford Customer Relationship Center at the phone number shown in the Customer Assistance section of this Owner's Guide. Side air bag system (if equipped) Do not place objects or mount equipment on or near the air bag cover on the side of the seatbacks of the front seats or in front seat areas that may come into contact with a deploying air bag. Failure to follow these instructions may increase the risk of personal injury in the event of a collision. Do not use accessory seat covers. The use of accessory seat covers may prevent the deployment of the side air bags and increase the risk of injury in an accident. 151 2004 Freestar (win) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)