Energy Management Feature — Front Outboard; Vehicle Sensitive Mode; Automatic Locking Mode - Ford Taurus 2010 Owner's Manual

2. To unfasten, press the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
Energy management feature — front outboard
• This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management
feature at the front seats to help further reduce the risk of injury in
the event of a head-on collision.
• The energy management feature has a retractor assembly that is
designed to extend the safety belt webbing in a controlled manner.
This helps reduce the belt force acting on the user's chest.
WARNING: Failure to inspect and replace if necessary the belt
and retractor assembly after an accident could increase the risk
of injury in a collision.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. All of the passenger combination lap and shoulder belts have two
types of locking modes described below:

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 approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.

Automatic locking mode

In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
2010 Taurus (500)
Owners Guide, 3rd Printing
USA (fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
169