2013 Ford Escape Owner Manual Printing 4 - Page 47

Supplementary Restraints System The safety belt pretensioners and the airbag supplemental restraint system is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains longitudinal or lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the restraints control module to deploy a safety device or when a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor. The fact that the safety belt pretensioners or airbags did not activate for both front seat occupants in a crash does not mean that something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the restraints control module determined the accident conditions (for example, crash severity, belt usage) were not appropriate to activate these safety devices. • Front airbags are designed to activate only in frontal and near-frontal crashes (not rollovers, side impacts or rear impacts) unless the crash causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration. The safety belt pretensioners are designed to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side crashes, and in rollovers. Side airbags are designed to inflate in side-impact crashes, not rollovers, rear impacts, frontal or near-frontal crashes, unless the crash causes sufficient lateral deceleration. The Safety Canopy is designed to inflate in certain side impact crashes or rollover events, not in rear impact, frontal or near-frontal crashes, unless the crash causes sufficient lateral deceleration or rollover likelihood. • • • AIRBAG DISPOSAL Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags must be disposed of by qualified personnel. 43 Escape (TM2)