2001 Mercury Cougar Owner Guide 2nd Printing - Page 114

Seating and safety restraints Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision. In the event of a collision resulting in the deployment of the front air bags, the front safety belts must be replaced. Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back seat and always use appropriate child restraints. This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management feature at the front seating positions to help further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a headĆon collision. This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help reduce the belt force acting on the occupant's chest. After any vehicle collision, the seat belt system at all outboard seating positions (except driver, which has no automatic locking retractor" feature) must be checked by a qualified technician to verify that the automatic locking retractor" feature for the child seats is still functioning properly, in addition to other checks for proper seat belt system function.