2009 Ford F150 Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 163

Seating and Safety Restraints Front passenger sensing system For airbags 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 airbag 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 airbag. For other occupants, this occurs when the occupant is not properly restrained by safety 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. WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the way back. WARNING: Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints. WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. The front passenger sensing system can automatically turn off the passenger front airbag when a rear facing child seat, a forward-facing child restraint, or a booster seat is detected. Even with this technology, parents are STRONGLY encouraged to always properly restrain children in the rear seat. The sensor also turns off the passenger front airbag and passenger seat-mounted side airbag when the passenger seat is empty. When the front passenger seat is occupied and the sensing system has turned off the passenger's frontal airbag, the "pass airbag off" indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal airbag is off. See Front passenger sensing system in the Airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS) section of this chapter. Front safety belt usage sensors The front safety belt usage sensors detect whether or not the driver and front outboard passenger safety belts are fastened. This information 163 2009 F-150 (f12) Owners Guide (own2002), 3rd Printing USA (fus)