2001 Mercury Sable Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 85

Seating and safety restraints 2. To unfasten, push the release button and remove the tongue from the buckle. The front and rear outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The front passenger and rear seat outboard safety belts have two types of locking modes described below: Energy management retractors Your vehicle has a seat belt system equipped with energy management retractors at the driver and front outboard passenger seating positions. An energy management retractor is a device which pays out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help further reduce the risk of force-related injuries to the occupant. Seat belt systems equipped with an energy management retractor must be replaced if they were in use during a frontal collision which resulted in deployment of the frontal air bags. Refer to the Safety belt maintenance section in this chapter. In the event of a collision resulting in the deployment of the front air bags, the front safety belts must be replaced if they were in use. 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 child seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be checked for proper function. 85