Ford 2009 Escape Owner's Manual page 467

Seating and Safety Restraints
2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.
Energy Management Feature
• This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management
feature at the front and rear outboard seating positions to help further
reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
• The front and rear outboard safety belt system 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.
All safety belts in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.
The passenger safety 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
When to use the 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.
This mode should be used any time a child safety seat, except a
booster, is installed in passenger front or rear seating positions. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. Refer to Safety restraints for children or
Safety seats for children later in this chapter.
118
2009 Escape (204)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA (fus)