2023 Ford E-350 Principle of Operation User Manual

2023 Ford E-350 Principle of Operation

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

• WARNING: Airbags do not inflate slowly or gently, and the risk of injury from a deploying airbag is the greatest close to the trim covering the airbag module.
• WARNING: All occupants of your vehicle, including the driver, should always properly wear their seatbelts, even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided. Failure to properly wear your seatbelt could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
• WARNING: Properly secure children 12 years old and under in a rear seating position whenever possible. If you are unable to properly secure all children in a rear seating position, properly secure the largest child on the front seat. If you must use a forward-facing child restraint on the front seat, move the seat as far back as possible. Failure to follow these instructions could result in personal injury or death.
• WARNING: Do not place your arms on the airbag cover or through the steering wheel. Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury.
• WARNING: Do not place a rearward-facing child restraint in front of an active airbag. Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury or death.
• WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the supplementary restraint system or associated components. Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury or death.
• WARNING: Several airbag system components get hot after inflation. To reduce the risk of injury, do not touch them after inflation.
• WARNING: If a supplementary restraint system component has been deployed, it will not function again. Have the system and associated components inspected as soon as possible? Failure to follow this instruction could result in personal injury or death.

1. The airbags are a supplemental restraint system and are designed to work with the seatbelts to help protect the driver and right-front passenger from certain upper-body injuries.
2. Airbags do not inflate slowly; there is a risk of injury from a deploying airbag.
   Note: You will hear a loud bang and see a cloud of harmless powdery residue if an airbag deploys. This is normal.
3. The airbags inflate and deflate rapidly upon activation. After airbag deployment, it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powdery residue or smell of the burnt propellant. This may consist of cornstarch, talcum powder (to lubricate the bag), or sodium compounds (for example, baking soda) that result from the combustion process that inflates the airbag. Small amounts of sodium hydroxide may be present which may irritate the skin and eyes, but none of the residues is toxic.
4. While the system is designed to help reduce serious injuries, contact with a deploying airbag may also cause abrasions or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also a possibility as a result of the noise associated with a deploying airbag. Because airbags must inflate rapidly and with considerable force, there is the risk of death or serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries, or internal injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly restrained or are otherwise out of position at the time of airbag deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away from the airbag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.
5. Routine maintenance of the airbags is not required.