Seat Belt Systems: Description and Operation

SAFETY BELT SYSTEM

NOTE: New safety belt buckles, height adjusters, center adjust tongues, and belts and retractors can be installed separately. However, if a safety belt assembly was in use during a collision, a new belt and retractor must be installed as well as the center adjust tongue, and belt and buckle assembly or the center adjust tongue, and the cable and buckle assembly. When installing new safety belts and buckles, height adjusters, safety cables and buckles, center adjust tongues, and belt and retractors, use only the parts specified in the Ford Master Parts Catalog for the make and model of the vehicle being repaired. Safety belt assemblies must not be interchanged between vehicle models.

The active restraint system consists of:
- Front safety belt buckles, attached to the inboard side of the seats
- Front safety belt retractors and pretensioners, located behind the lower B-pillar trim panels
- Belt tension sensor (BTS), serviced as an assembly with the safety belt buckle of the passenger front seat
- Rear outboard safety belt retractors, located in the package tray area (3-door, 4-door and 5-door vehicles) or behind the load space upper trim panel (wagon vehicles)
- Rear center safety belt retractor on 3-door, 5-door and wagon vehicles, located in back of the seat backrest, mounted to the back panel (includes the LH safety belt buckle)
- Rear center safety belt retractor on 4-door vehicles, located and mounted to the package tray (includes the LH safety belt buckle)
- Rear safety belt buckle assembly (double buckle includes the RH and center safety belt buckles), attached to the floor pan
- Second row child safety seat tether anchors, at three seating positions, either located under a cover marked with the tether anchor symbol or recessed bars on the back side of the seatback
- Rear lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) at the two outboard seating positions, attached to the floor pan