2023 Ford E-350 Fastening the Seatbelts
FASTENING THE SEATBELTS
The front outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.
- Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle (the buckle closest to the direction the tongue is coming from) until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened to the buckle
- To unfasten, press the release button and remove the tongue from the buckle.
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy
WARNING: Always ride and drive with your seatback upright and properly fasten your seatbelt. Fit the lap portion of the seatbelt snugly and low across the hips. Position the shoulder portion of the seatbelt across your chest. Pregnant women must follow this practice. See the following figure.
Pregnant women should always wear their seatbelts. Position the lap belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt low across the hips below the belly and wear as tight as comfort allows. Position the shoulder belt to cross the middle of the shoulder and the center of the chest
Seatbelt Locking Modes
WARNING: If your vehicle is involved in a crash, have the seatbelts and associated components inspected as soon as possible. Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury or death.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The driver seatbelt has the first type of locking mode. The front outboard passenger seatbelt has both types of locking modes described as follows
Vehicle Sensitive Mode
- This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of about 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the combination seatbelts lock to help reduce the forward movement of the driver and passengers.
- In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if you pull the webbing out too quickly. If the seatbelt retractor locks, slowly lower the height adjuster to allow the seatbelt to retract. If the retractor does not unlock, pull the seatbelt out slowly then feed a small length of webbing back toward the stowed position. For rear seatbelts, recline the rear seat backrest or push the seat backrest cushion away from the seatbelt. Feed a small length of webbing back toward the stowed position.
Automatic Locking Mode
- In this mode, the shoulder belt automatically pre-locks. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver seatbelt.
When to Use the Automatic Locking Mode
Use this mode any time a child safety seat, except a booster, is installed in the passenger front seating position. See Child Safety (page 20).
How to Use the Automatic Locking Mode
- Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
- Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until the entire belt is pulled out.
- Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the seatbelt is now in automatic locking mode.
How to Disengage the Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and allow it to retract completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the vehicle-sensitive (emergency) locking mode.