Ford 2002 Escape Owner's Manual page 137

Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt to avoid the Belt
Minder chime. Sitting on the safety belt will increase the risk of
injury in an accident. To disable (one-time) or deactivate the Belt
Minder feature please follow the directions stated below.
One time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle only.
Deactivating/activating the BeltMinderfeature
Read steps 1 - 9 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinderfeature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
the parking brake is set
the gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission).
the ignition switch is in the OFF position
all vehicle doors are closed
the driver's safety belt is unbuckled
the parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped
with Autolamps, this will not affect the procedure.)
To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the Belt
Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately
1–2 minutes)
Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Uncoil then retract the safety belt three times, ending with the safety
belt retracted. This can be done before or during BeltMinderwarning
activation.
Seating and Safety Restraints
137