2014 Ford Flex Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 59

58 Supplementary Restraints System WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the airbag, its fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an airbag, as you could be seriously injured or killed. Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. WARNING: If the side airbag has deployed, the airbag will not function again. The side airbag system (including the seat) must be inspected and serviced by an authorized dealer. If the airbag is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a crash. The side airbags are located on the outboard side of the seat backs of the front seats. In certain sideways crashes, the airbag on the side affected by the crash will be inflated. The airbag was designed to inflate between the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection provided occupants in side impact crashes. The system consists of the following: • a tag on the seat back indicating that side airbags are found on your vehicle • side airbags located inside the seat back of the driver and front passenger seats. • crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness indicator. See Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator later in this chapter. • front passenger sensing system. Note: The passenger sensing system will deactivate the passenger seat-mounted side airbag if it detects an empty passenger seat. The design and development of the side airbag system included recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of automotive safety experts known as the Side Airbag Technical Working Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of injuries related to the deployment of side airbags. 2014 Flex (471) Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013 USA (fus)