2002 Ford Thunderbird Owner's Manual - Page 102

Seating and Safety Restraints Modifications to the front end of the vehicle, including frame, bumper, front end body structure and tow hooks may affect the performance of the air bag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the vehicle. Children and air bags For additional important safety information, read all information on safety restraints in this guide. Children must always be properly restrained. Failure to follow these instructions may increase the risk of injury in a collision. Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the way back and turn the passenger air bag off. Refer to Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch in this chapter of the owner's guide. How does the safety belt pretensioner and air bag supplemental restraint system work? The safety belt pretensioner and air bag SRS are designed to activate when the vehicle sustains longitudinal deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit that initiates pretensioner activation and air bag inflation. The fact that the pretensioners and air bags did not activate in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were not of the type sufficient to cause activation. Front air bags and pretensioners are designed to activate in frontal and near-frontal 102