Personal Safety System
®
SAFETY/SECURITY
This page is about:
2006 Taurus
Safety/Security
Taurus Taurus Taurus
8
July 2005
Restraint Control Module
(RCM) — is a sophisticated
computer located under the
instrument panel at the front
edge of the passenger
compartment. The RCM
receives signals from the front
satellite crash severity sensor
and judges how fast the
vehicle is decelerating. It also
processes signals from the
other Personal Safety System
sensors and determines how
the dual-stage front airbags
and safety belt pretensioners
will deploy
Driver’s-seat Position Sensor
— tells the Restraint Control
Module where the driver’s
seat is in relation to the
steering wheel. The closeness
of the seat to the steering
wheel will help determine the
airbag pressure that will be
deployed. If the sensor
determines that the seat is
close to the steering wheel,
Stage 1 (lower pressure) will
be activated. Stage 2 is
deactivated at this time
Front Outboard Safety Belt
Pretensioners — cause the
front safety belts to tighten,
taking up slack in the belts
and holding them firmly
against the occupants, before
the airbags inflate. This helps
to effectively restrain the
occupants
Front Outboard Safety Belt
Energy Management
Retractors — gradually allow
the safety belt to loosen if
necessary, reducing the force
of the belts on the occupants’
chests and allowing them to
move very slightly forward
into the airbags
• The Front Passenger Sensing
System (FPSS) uses the front
passenger seat weight sensor and
safety belt tension sensor to detect
the presence of a properly seated
person and determine if the front
passenger frontal airbag should or
should not be enabled. The Front
Passenger Sensing System is
designed to recognize three
conditions: (1) when the front seat
is empty, (2) when a small person
is present and (3) when an adult
is seated in the front passenger
seat. When the system senses that
the front seat is empty, it disables
the front passenger airbag. The
system can also detect small/
medium objects placed on the seat
and, therefore, is designed to
disable the passenger airbag
when it detects an object such as
a small purse or briefcase
• To determine if a small person is
seated in the front passenger seat,
the system uses information from
both the seat weight sensor and
safety belt tension sensor to
determine if the passenger airbag
should be disabled. The system
does not lessen the important
safety message to keep children
properly restrained in the back
seat. The system is designed in
accordance with the performance
requirements of Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
This requires that the front
passenger frontal airbag be
disabled for a 6-year-old child
because a child who is 6 years
of age generally weighs between
46.5 and 56.5 pounds and
is between 45 and 49 inches in
height. The system also is
designed to recognize properly
installed child restraint seats
placed in the front passenger seat.
When the airbag is disabled
because the small person has
been detected by the system, the
“passenger airbag off” lamp on
the display panel is illuminated
• When the system detects a
properly seated adult, the front
passenger airbag is active and
the “passenger airbag off” lamp
will not illuminate
Personal Safety System
®
Standard on all models, this system judges how best to help protect front-seat occupants. The system first considers several crash
factors, then determines how to react — all in a matter of milliseconds. The system helps to make sure the appropriate level of
airbag inflation pressure is used in any given crash situation.
Dual-stage Driver and
Right Front Passenger
Airbags — provide the
capability of deploying
in the full-powered
mode or with less
pressure in the Stage
1 mode. In less severe
frontal crashes, airbags
inflate with less force
— or not at all —
helping to reduce the
risk of injury due to
the inflation of the
airbags. The system
helps to make sure the
appropriate level of
airbag pressure is used
Front Outboard Safety
Belt Usage Sensors —
monitor whether the
driver and right front
passenger are buckled
up. At higher speeds,
airbags need to
deploy with greater
pressure if front-seat
passengers haven’t
buckled their safety
belts. At lower speeds
with safety belts
buckled, airbags can
deploy with less
pressure, helping to
reduce the risk of
airbag-related injuries
Front Passenger Sensing System (FPSS)
NOTE: See the Safety section in the 2006 Appendices Book for more information on the Personal Safety System.
06 Taurus SB 8/31/05 4:02 PM Page 8
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