2014 Ford Flex Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 61

60 Supplementary Restraints System The Safety Canopy will deploy during significant side crashes or when a certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopy is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet metal, behind the headliner, above each row of seats. In certain sideways crashes or rollover events, the Safety Canopy will be activated, regardless of which seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed to inflate between the side window area and occupants to further enhance protection provided in side impact crashes and rollover events. The system consists of: • safety canopy curtain airbags fitted above the trim panels over the front and rear side windows identified by a label or wording on the headliner or roof-pillar trim. • a flexible headliner which opens above the side doors to allow air curtain deployment. • crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness indicator. See Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator in this chapter. Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in the rear seats. The Safety Canopy will not interfere with children restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat because it is designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the doors along the side window opening. The design and development of the Safety Canopy 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 (including the Safety Canopy). 2014 Flex (471) Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013 USA (fus)