2014 Ford Escape Owner Manual Printing 2 - Page 30

Safety Belts The safety belt pretensioners are designed to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side crashes, and in rollovers. The safety belt pretensioners on the retractor and anchor at the front seating positions are designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against the occupant's body when activated. This helps increase the effectiveness of the safety belts. In frontal crashes, the safety belt pretensioners can be activated alone or, if the crash is of sufficient severity, together with the front airbags. E142588 FASTENING THE SAFETY BELTS The front outboard and rear safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. 2. To unfasten, press the release button and remove the tongue from the buckle. E142589 When in use, the rear safety belts should be placed in the belt guides on the outboard seatbacks. E142587 1. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the buckle. Restraint of Pregnant Women WARNING Always ride and drive with your seatback upright and the safety belt properly fastened. The lap portion of the safety belt should fit snug and be positioned low across the hips. The shoulder portion of the safety belt should be positioned across the chest. Pregnant women should also follow this practice. See the following figure. 27 Escape/Kuga (TM2)