How to Turn OFF the Seatbelt Chime in an F150

My neighbour discovered this. I didn’t believe him, so he hauled out the manual to prove it.

Turn to page 44 in your Ford F150 manual (don’t know if this works on older models.)

Note the two front seats must be done independently.  And this won’t work if you’re using a Ford MyKey.

Before starting:

– ignition is OFF
– truck is in Park (P)
– the parking brake is ON
– both front seat belts are unbuckled

Follow these steps:

1 – turn the key, but not all the way to start the engine

2 – wait about 1 minute until seat belt warning light goes off. Once off, wait 5 more seconds before starting step 3

You must complete steps 3 – 4 within 30 seconds.

3 – buckle and unbuckle the belt 3 times. End in unbuckled position. The warning light will turn on.

4 – With the light on, buckle then unbuckle again. The light will flash for confirmation.

Do it all again to turn the chime back on.

I canNOT believe this exists.

 

 

Touring the Ford F150 Factory

It was a rare opportunity that photos were permitted while touring Ford’s assembly plan in Dearborn, Michigan.

Where the F150s come from.

Natural light streams in through skylights, and there are no uniforms – employees can wear whatever they wish.

There are 1,000 workers on the floor at any time, and the place runs 24-hours/day.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

There are robots workers too, and the two that install windshields even have names – Bumper and Blinker. 

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

How Ford Tests its F150 (& uses Men from Craigslist)

From inside the factory – how Ford tests its F150 pickup truck before putting it into final production.

From the robots to the dynos, actually Ford’s toughest test involves men it hired off Craigslist – the ‘Big Man Test’.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

One of the toughest tests Ford has created doesn’t involve robots, or any tech at all. Instead they used 6’7″ 300 lbs men they hired from Craigslist, and called it the “Big Man Test”.

Fun fact: Ford’s PR team said this is the first time the ‘Big Man Test’ story has ever been published in Canada.

YES to my story finding skills.

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From when I travelled with Ford to their proving grounds and factory last week.

Torque test.

Seat test for rattles.

That’s Mark, a 165 lb fake-human.

The tests run 24/7 for days.

There are robots everywhere.

This robot tests the fabric wear on the seats.

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

A Clever Infotainment System Design

The screen, the centre stack, all designed to be operated while wearing work gloves.

It’s Ford’s 47th year of having the best-selling truck

I know :O    Ford.ca F-series

Meet F-150 Chief Engineer Jackie DiMarco, who is in charge of all the trucks.

I learned how to tow stuff with a F250, here’s a video about that.

It charges 3 iPhones no problem.

The * is my phone; I never pair my phone to any car.

This is from when I travelled to Alberta with Ford.