seats FORD E-450 2005 User Guide

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.
Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.
Ford recommends using child safety seats equipped with LATCH
attachments, attached to LATCH anchors and tether anchors. Some child
seat manufacturers sell LATCH accessory belts that attach child seats
that are not equipped with LATCH attachments onto LATCH anchors.
SeeAttaching safety seats with LATCH attachments for child seat
anchorsin this section for seating positions with LATCH anchors.
If you install a forward-facing child safety seat using the vehicle safety
belts:
•use only seats equipped with lap-shoulder belts;
•forward-facing child safety seats can be used in the center of the
three-passenger 2nd row bench seat only if a top tether strap is used;
•Ford recommends placing forward-facing safety seats in the 2nd row
and using top tether straps for added protection.
For more information on top tether straps, seeAttaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this section.
Any booster seat that places the vehicle’s lap belt or shoulder belt
around a shield above and ahead of the child’s hips should not be used in
this vehicle.
Because the last row of seats is not equipped with either child
tether or LATCH anchors and is spaced closer to the row of
seats in front,Do notuse forward-facing or rear-facing child seats
(other than belt-positioning boosters) in the last row.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat. Children
who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your child safety
seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety restraint and airbag precautions that
apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child’s face or
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neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in
your vehicle.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 lb. (18 kg) and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder
belt will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use
of a belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better
and more comfortably for growing children.
When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the
toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about
80 lb. (36 kg) (about 8 to 12 years old).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
•Can the child sit all the way back
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat without
slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
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Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
•Those that are backless.
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt. If a seating position has a
low seat back and no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child’s head (top
of ear level) above the top of the
seat. In this case, move the
backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat back and lap/shoulder belts.
•Those with a high back.
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequately supports your
child’s head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
Both can be used in any vehicle in a seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lb. (18 kg).
The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting snugly on the center of
the shoulder. The lap belt should rest low and snug across the hips,
never up high across the stomach.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh
sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat may improve this
condition.
The importance of shoulder belts
Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child’s
head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should
never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is best to use a booster
seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat- the safest place for children
to ride.
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Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the
booster seat.
Never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the
back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of
the body and may increase the risk of injury or death in a collision.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can
slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or death in a
collision.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
•Review and follow the information
presented in theAirbag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
•Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
•Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the
buckle.
•For the front passenger seat, keep the buckle release button pointing
up and away from the safety seat, with the tongue between the child
seat and the release button, to prevent accidental unbuckling.
•For the front passenger seat, place seat back in upright position.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front and outboard rear seating
positions) (if equipped).
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•LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to 48
pounds (22 kg) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used
for children up to 60 pounds (27 kg) in a child restraint, and to
provide upper torso restraint for children up to 80 pounds (36 kg)
using an upper torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.
Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position with LATCH and
tether anchors. For more information on top tether straps and anchors,
refer toAttaching safety seats with tether strapsin this chapter. For
more information of LATCH anchors refer toAttaching safety seats with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachmentsin this
chapter.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions included
with the safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install
and use the safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden
stop or collision.
Installing child safety seats with combination lap and shoulder
belts
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
An airbag can kill or injure a child in a child seat. Never place a
rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If you must use
a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the way
back.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
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Attaching safety seats with tether straps
Children should be placed in the rear in an appropriate child
safety seat that is properly secured to the vehicle.
When using forward-facing child safety seats in vehicles with
only two seating positions so the forward-facing child safety seat
cannot be placed in the rear of the vehicle, move the passenger seat as
far back from the instrument panel as possible.
Because the last row of seats is not equipped with either child
tether or LATCH anchors and is spaced closer to the row of
seats in front,Do notuse forward-facing or rear-facing child seats
(other than belt-positioning boosters) in the last row.
Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.NEVERplace 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.
Front passenger seating position
The tether can be attached directly
to the rear of the front seat.
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5. Adjust the front right hand
passenger seat to the full rearward
position.
6. Install the child safety seat tightly using the LATCH anchors or safety
belts. Follow the instructions in this chapter.
7. Tighten the child safety seat
tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Second row bucket seats (Chateau Quads)
The tether strap can be attached
directly to the tether bracket under
the back edge of the seat cushion.
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1. Position the child safety seat on
the second row left hand or right
hand bucket seat.
2. Route the child safety tether
strap over the back of the left hand
or right hand second row bucket
seat.
3. Clip the tether strap hook to the
seat pedestal at the location shown.
4. Install the child safety seat tightly using the LATCH anchors or safety
belts. Follow the instructions in this chapter.
5. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Second, Third and Fourth row three passenger bench seats
The tether strap can be attached
directly to the tether bracket
provided under the back edge of the
seat cushion.
1. For second row 3–Passenger bench seat, place the child safety seat on
the left hand outboard position, the center position, or the right hand
outboard position as desired.
For third row or fourth row 3–Passenger bench seat, place the child
safety seat on the center position.
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2. Route the child safety tether
strap over the back of 3–Passenger
bench seat.
3. Clip the tether strap hook to the
tether bracket mounted under rear
rail of seat cushion frame.
4. Install the child safety seat tightly using the LATCH anchors or safety
belts. Follow the instructions in this chapter.
5. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
For additional important safety information on the proper use of seat
belts, child seats and infant seats, please read the entireSeating and
Safety Restraintschapter in thisOwner’s Guide.
Attaching safety seats with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children) attachments for child seat anchors
Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at certain seating positions in your vehicle.
This type of child seat eliminates the need to use seat belts to attach the
child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether strap must also be
attached to the proper tether anchor. SeeAttaching safety seats with
tether strapsin this chapter.
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•Fifteen passenger wagon
represents LATCH anchors.
represents tether strap anchors.
Never attach two LATCH child safety seats to the same anchor. In
a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two child
safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury or death.
The lower anchors for child seat
installation are located at the rear
section of the seat between the
cushion and seat back.
Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install a
child seat with LATCH attachments.
Attach LATCH lower
attachments of the child
seat only to the anchors shown.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not tighten
the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle seat cushion
when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug without
lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just touching the
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor. Try to tilt the child
seat from side to side. Also try to tug the seat forward. Check to see if
the anchors hold the seat in place.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a crash greatly increases.
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