Mercury Grand Marquis (2011 year). Manual

The indicator light will illuminate when the heated seats have been
activated.

REAR SEATS

Seat-mounted cup holders and armrest storage compartment
(if equipped)

To access the cup holders, fold the
armrest down.

WARNING: Use only soft cups in the cup holder. Hard objects
can injure you in a collision.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS

Personal Safety System™

The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal
crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further
reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze
different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in
a variety of frontal crash situations.

Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of the following items:
• Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints
• Front safety belts with pretensioners, energy management retractors,

and safety belt usage sensors

• Driver’s seat position sensor
• Front crash severity sensor
• Front passenger sensing system
• “Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp

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• Restraints Control Module (RCM) with impact and safing sensors
• Restraint system warning light and back-up tone
• The electrical wiring for the airbags, crash sensor(s), safety belt

pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors, driver seat position
sensor, front passenger sensing system, and indicator lights.

How does the Personal Safety System™ work?

The Personal Safety System can adapt the deployment strategy of your
vehicle’s safety devices according to crash severity and occupant
conditions. A collection of crash and occupant sensors provides
information to the Restraints control module (RCM). During a crash, the
RCM may activate the safety belt pretensioners and/or either one or both
stages of the dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints based on crash
severity and occupant conditions.

The fact that the pretensioners or airbags did not activate for both front
seat occupants in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with
the system. Rather, it means the Personal Safety System determined the
accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not
appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front airbags are designed
to activate only in frontal and near-frontal collisions, not rollovers,
side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision causes sufficient
longitudinal deceleration.

Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints

The dual-stage airbags offer the capability to tailor the level of airbag
inflation energy. A lower, less forceful energy level is provided for more
common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher energy level is used for
the most severe impacts. Refer to Airbag supplemental restraints
(SRS) section in this chapter.

Front crash severity sensor

The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the
severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable
information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This
allows your Personal Safety System to distinguish between different
levels of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the
dual-stage airbags and safety belt pretensioners.

Driver’s seat position sensor

The driver’s seat position sensor allows your Personal Safety System to
tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage airbag based on seat
position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting
close to the driver airbag by providing a lower airbag output level.

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Front passenger sensing system

For airbags to do their job they must inflate with great force, and this
force can pose a potentially deadly risk to occupants that are very close
to the airbag when it begins to inflate. For some occupants, like infants
in rear-facing child seats, this occurs because they are initially sitting
very close to the airbag. For other occupants, this occurs when the
occupant is not properly restrained by safety belts or child safety seats
and they move forward during pre-crash braking. The most effective way
to reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries is to make sure all occupants
are properly restrained. Accident statistics suggest that children are
much safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in
the front.

WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air

bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.

WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.

The front passenger sensing system can automatically turn off the front
passenger airbag and passenger seat-mounted side airbag. The system is
designed to help protect small (child size) occupants from frontal airbag
deployments when they are seated or restrained in the front passenger
seat contrary to proper child-seating or restraint usage
recommendations. Even with this technology, parents are STRONGLY
encouraged to always properly restrain children in the rear seat. The
sensor also turns off the passenger front airbag when the passenger seat
is empty. The sensor turns off the passenger seat-mounted side airbag
when the seat is empty and the safety belt is unbuckled or buckled.

When the front passenger seat is occupied and the sensing system has
turned off the passenger’s frontal airbag, the “pass airbag off” indicator
will light and stay lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal
airbag is off. See Front passenger sensing system in the Airbag
supplemental restraints (SRS) section of this chapter.

Front safety belt usage sensors

The front safety belt usage sensors detect whether or not the driver and
front outboard passenger safety belts are fastened. This information
allows your Personal Safety System to tailor the airbag deployment and
safety belt pretensioner activation depending upon safety belt usage.

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Front safety belt pretensioners

The safety belt pretensioners at the front outboard seating positions are
designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against the occupant’s body
during frontal collisions and in side collisions. This helps increase the
effectiveness of the safety belts. In frontal collisions, the safety belt
pretensioners can be activated alone or, if the collision is of sufficient
severity, together with the front airbags.

Front safety belt energy management retractors

The front outboard safety belt energy management retractors allow
webbing to be pulled out of the retractor in a gradual and controlled
manner in response to the occupant’s forward momentum. This helps
reduce the risk of force-related injuries to the occupant’s chest by
limiting the load on the occupant. Refer to Energy management feature
section in this chapter.

Determining if the Personal Safety System is operational

The Personal Safety System uses a warning light in the instrument
cluster or a back-up tone to indicate the condition of the system. Refer
to the Warning light and chimes section in the Instrument Cluster
chapter. Routine maintenance of the Personal Safety System is not
required.

The restraints control module (RCM) monitors its own internal circuits
and the circuits for the airbag supplemental restraints, crash sensor(s),
safety belt pretensioners, front safety belt buckle sensors, front
passenger sensing system, and the driver seat position sensor. In
addition, the RCM also monitors the restraints warning light in the
instrument cluster. A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or
more of the following.
• The warning light will either flash or stay lit.
• The warning light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is

turned on.

• A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat

periodically until the problem and warning light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the Personal
Safety System serviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a
collision.

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Safety restraints precautions

WARNING: Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
in a rear seating position where they can be properly restrained.

WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the

child from injury in a collision.

WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an

airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.

WARNING: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in

these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.

WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety

belt.

WARNING: Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one

tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt
on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. 2) Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.

WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.

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WARNING: Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a

small child. Check seat covers and buckles before you place a child
anywhere near them.

WARNING: Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an

accident.

Combination lap and shoulder belts

1. 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 in the buckle.

2. To unfasten, press the release
button and remove the tongue from
the buckle.

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Restraint of pregnant women

WARNING: Always ride and drive with your seatback upright
and the safety belt properly fastened. The lap portion of the

safety belt should fit snug and be positioned low across the hips. The
shoulder portion of the safety belt should be positioned across the
chest. Pregnant women should also follow this practice. See figure
below.

Pregnant women should always
wear their safety belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.

Lap belts

Adjusting the front center seat lap belt (if equipped)

WARNING: The lap belt should fit snugly and as low as possible
around the hips, not across the waist.

The lap belt does not adjust
automatically. Insert the tongue into
the correct buckle (the buckle
closest to the direction the tongue is
coming from). To lengthen the belt,
turn the tongue at a right angle to
the belt and pull across your lap
until it reaches the buckle. To
tighten the belt, pull the loose end
of the belt through the tongue until
it fits snugly across the hips.

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Shorten and fasten the belt when
not in use.

Safety belt locking modes

The front outboard and rear safety restraints in the vehicle are
combination lap and shoulder belts. The driver safety belt has the first
locking mode and the front outboard passenger and rear seat safety belts
have 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 approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.

In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled out
too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull webbing
out again in a slow and controlled manner.

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.

When to use the automatic locking mode

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.

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How to use the automatic locking mode

1. Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.

2. Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire belt
is pulled out.

3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.

How to disengage the automatic locking mode

Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.

WARNING: After any vehicle collision, the safety belt system at
all passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized

dealer to verify that the “automatic locking retractor” feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all safety belts should be
checked for proper function.

WARNING: BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE
REPLACED if the safety belt assembly “automatic locking

retractor” feature or any other safety belt function is not operating
properly when checked by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.

Energy management feature
• This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy management

feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.

• The energy management feature is designed to pay out webbing in a

controlled manner. This feature is designed to help reduce the belt
force acting on the occupant’s chest.

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Safety belt extension assembly

If the safety belt is too short when fully extended, there is an 8 inch
(20 cm) safety belt extension assembly that can be added (part number
611C22). This assembly can be obtained from an authorized dealer.

Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended.

WARNING: Do not use extensions to change the fit of the
shoulder belt across the torso.

Front safety belt height adjustment

Your vehicle has safety belt height
adjustments for the driver and front
outboard passenger. Adjust the
height of the shoulder belt so the
belt rests across the middle of your
shoulder.

To lower the shoulder belt height,
press the button and slide the
height adjuster down. To raise the
height of the shoulder belt, press
the button and slide the height
adjuster up. Pull down on the height adjuster to make sure it is locked in
place.

WARNING: Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust

the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt
and increase the risk of injury in a collision.

Safety belt warning light and indicator chime

The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.

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Conditions of operation

If...

Then...

The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...

The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...

The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...

The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.

Belt-Minder

姞

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt

warning function. This feature provides additional reminders by
intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning
light in the instrument cluster when the driver’s and front passenger’s
safety belt is unbuckled.

The Belt-Minder

威 feature uses information from the front passenger

sensing system to determine if a front seat passenger is present and
therefore potentially in need of a warning. To avoid activating the
Belt-Minder

威 feature for objects placed in the front passenger seat,

warnings will only be given to large front seat occupants as determined
by the front passenger sensing system.

Both the driver’s and passenger’s safety belt usages are monitored and
either may activate the Belt-Minder

威 feature. The warnings are the same

for the driver and the front passenger. If the Belt-Minder

威 warnings have

expired (warnings for approximately five minutes) for one occupant
(driver or front passenger), the other occupant can still activate the
Belt-Minder

威 feature.

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If...

Then...

The driver’s and front
passenger’s safety belts are
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position or less than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...

The Belt-Minder

威 feature will not

activate.

The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt is not
buckled when the vehicle has
reached at least 3 mph
(5 km/h) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to on...

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is activated

- the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for six seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for
approximately five minutes or until
the safety belts are buckled.

The driver’s or front
passenger’s safety belt becomes
unbuckled for approximately
one minute while the vehicle is
traveling at least 3 mph
(5 km/h) and more than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is activated

- the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for six seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for
approximately five minutes or until
the safety belts are buckled.

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The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts
(All statistics based on U.S. data):

Reasons given...

Consider...

“Crashes are rare events”

36700 crashes occur every day. The
more we drive, the more we are
exposed to “rare” events, even for
good drivers. 1 in 4 of us will be
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.

“I’m not going far”

3 of 4 fatal crashes occur within 25
miles (40 km) of home.

“Belts are uncomfortable”

We design our safety belts to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable -
try different positions for the safety
belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as
possible; this can improve comfort.

“I was in a hurry”

Prime time for an accident.
Belt-Minder

威 reminds us to take a few

seconds to buckle up.

“Safety belts don’t work”

Safety belts, when used properly,
reduce risk of death to front seat
occupants by 45% in cars, and by
60% in light trucks.

“Traffic is light”

Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes, many when
no other vehicles are around.

“Belts wrinkle my clothes”

Possibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.

“The people I’m with don’t
wear belts”

Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with
TWO or MORE people. Children and
younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.

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Reasons given...

Consider...

“I have an airbag”

Airbags offer greater protection when
used with safety belts. Frontal airbags
are not designed to inflate in rear and
side crashes or rollovers.

“I’d rather be thrown clear”

Not a good idea. People who are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE. Safety belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN’T “PICK OUR
CRASH”.

WARNING: Do not sit on top of a buckled safety belt or insert a
latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minder

威 chime. To

do so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s airbag
system.

One-time disable

If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles
the safety belt for that seating position, the Belt-Minder

威 is disabled for

the current ignition cycle. The Belt-Minder

威 feature will enable during

the same ignition cycle if the occupant buckles and remains buckled for
approximately 30 seconds. Confirmation is not given for the one-time
disable.

Deactivating/activating the Belt-Minder

姞 feature

The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder

威 are

deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating
one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will
terminate the process.

Read Steps 1 - 4 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.

Note: The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder

威 features must be

disabled/enabled separately. Both cannot be disabled/enabled during the
same key cycle.

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The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder

威 features 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).
• The ignition switch is in the off position.
• The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled.

WARNING: While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder

威, this system is designed to improve your chances of

being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you
leave the Belt-Minder

威 system activated for yourself and others who

may use the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not
deactivate/activate the Belt-Minder

威 feature while driving the vehicle.

1. Turn the ignition switch to the on position. DO NOT START THE
ENGINE.

2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (Approximately one
minute).
• Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt

warning light turns off.

3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt nine times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled
state. Step 3 must be completed within 50 seconds after the safety belt
warning light turns off.
• After Step 3, the restraint system warning light (airbag light) will be

turned on for three seconds.

4. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
• This will disable the Belt-Minder威 feature for that seating position if it

is currently enabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning
light will flash four times per second for three seconds.

• This will enable the Belt-Minder威 feature for that seating position if it

is currently disabled. As confirmation, the restraint system warning
light will flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by
three seconds with the light off, then followed by the restraint system
warning light flashing four times per second for three seconds again.

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AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

Important SRS precautions

The SRS is designed to work with
the safety belt to help protect the
driver and right front passenger
from certain upper body injuries.
Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a
deploying airbag.

WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air

bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.

WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.

WARNING: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches

(25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.

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Mercury Grand Marquis (2011 year). Manual - part 7