child restraint FORD E SERIES 2009 4.G Owner's Manual

8. Remove remaining slack from the
belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, e.g., by pressing down or
kneeling on the child restraint while
pulling up on the shoulder belt in
order to force slack from the belt.
This is necessary to remove the
remaining slack that will exist once
the additional weight of the child is
added to the child restraint. It also
helps to achieve the proper
snugness of the child seat to the vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean
towards the buckle will additionally help to remove remaining slack from
the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the
child seat is equipped). Refer to
Attaching child safety seats with
tether strapslater in this chapter.
10. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward and back. There should
be no more than one inch (2.5 cm) of movement for proper installation.
11. Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician (CPST) to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed.
Attaching child safety seats with LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) attachments
The LATCH system is composed of three vehicle anchor points: two (2)
lower anchors located where the vehicle seat back and seat cushion meet
(called the “seat bight”) and one (1) top tether anchor located behind
that seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted
attachments that connect to the two lower anchors at the LATCH
equipped seating positions in your vehicle. This type of attachment
method eliminates the need to use safety belts to attach the child seat,
however the safety belt can still be used to attach the child seat. For
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forward-facing child seats, the top tether strap must also be attached to
the proper top tether anchor, if a top tether strap has been provided
with your child seat. Ford Motor Company recommends the use of a
child safety seat having a top tether strap. SeeAttaching child safety
seats with tether strapsandRecommendations for attaching safety
restraints for childrenin this chapter for more information.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for child seat installation at the
following locations:
•Five passenger crew van
•Seven passenger wagon
•Eight passenger wagon
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•Twelve passenger wagon
•Fifteen passenger wagon
The LATCH lower anchors are
located at the rear section of the
rear seat between the cushion and
seatback. Follow the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions to
properly install a child seat with
LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Refer toAttaching child safety seats with tether strapslater in this
chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
WARNING:Never attach two 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.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, and have
attached the top tether strap to the proper top tether anchor, 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
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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, if applicable. Tug the
child seat from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to
the vehicle. The seat should move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
Combining safety belt and LATCH lower anchors for attaching
child safety seats
When used in combination, either the safety belt or the LATCH lower
anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved.
Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child seat. Refer
toRecommendations for attaching safety restraints for childrenin
this chapter.
Attaching child safety seats with tether straps
WARNING:When using forward-facing child safety seats in
vehicles with only two seating positions or 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.
WARNING:Because the last row of seats in the 12 passenger
and 15 passenger configuration is not equipped with 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.
Many forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
extends from the back of the child safety seat and hooks to an anchoring
point called the top tether anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety seats. Contact the manufacturer of your
child seat for information about ordering a tether strap, or to obtain a
longer tether strap if the tether strap on your safety seat does not reach
the appropriate top tether anchor in the vehicle.
The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped with built-in tether strap
anchors located behind the seats as described below.
Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate tether anchor as shown.
The tether strap may not work properly if attached somewhere other
than the correct tether anchor.
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Once the child safety seat has been installed using either the safety belt,
the lower anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach the top
tether strap.
Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether
anchors:
Front passenger seating position
The tether can be attached directly
to the rear of the front seat.
1. Adjust the front right-hand
passenger seat full forward.
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2. Route the child safety seat tether
strap over the back of the front
right-hand passenger seat as shown.
3. Clip the tether strap hook to the
seat pedestal at the location shown.
If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety seat may
not be retained properly in the
event of a collision.
4. Adjust the front right hand
passenger seat to the full rearward
position.
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5. Tighten the child safety seat
tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
Second row bucket seats (Quads)
The tether strap can be attached
directly to the tether bracket under
the back edge of the seat cushion.
1. Route the child safety tether strap over the back of the left hand or
right hand second row bucket seat.
2. Clip the tether strap hook to the
seat pedestal at the location shown.
If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety seat may
not be retained properly in the
event of a collision.
3. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
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Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth row bench seats
For the center position of a
three-passenger bench seat, the
tether strap can be attached directly
to the tether bracket provided
under the back edge of the seat
cushion. For the outboard positions,
the tether strap can be attached to
the slot in the side of the seat pedestal.
*: Although tether slots are provided on the seat pedestals of the
four–passenger bench seat, use of child seats is not recommended for
these seating position locations.
1. For any three–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.
2. Route the child safety tether
strap over the back of the bench
seat.
3. Clip the center tether strap hook
to the tether bracket mounted
under rear rail of seat cushion
frame. Clip the outboard tether
strap hooks to the tether bracket
slot provided on the left side of each
seat pedestal. The slot is located
between the two holes.
If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety seat may not be retained properly in the
event of a collision.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
*
*
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Child booster seats
The belt-positioning booster (booster seat) is used to improve the fit of
the vehicle safety belt. Children outgrow a typical child seat (e.g,
convertible or toddler seat) when they weigh about 40 lb (18 kg) and are
around four (4) years of age. Consult your child safety seat owner guide
for the weight, height, and age limits specific to your child safety seat.
Keep your child in the child safety seat if it properly fits the child,
remains appropriate for their weight, height and age AND if properly
secured to the vehicle.
Although the lap/shoulder belt will provide some protection, children
who have outgrown a typical child seat are still too small for lap/shoulder
belts to fit properly, and wearing an improperly fitted vehicle safety belt
could increase the risk of serious injury in a crash. 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 vehicle lap/shoulder safety belts fit
better. They lift the child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips
and the knees bend comfortably at the edge of the cushion, while
minimizing slouching. Booster seats may also make the shoulder belt fit
better and more comfortably. Try to keep the belt near the middle of the
shoulder and across the center of the chest. Moving the child closer (a
few centimeters or inches) to the center of the vehicle, but remaining in
the same seating position, may help provide a good shoulder belt fit.
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 reach a
height of at least 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall (around age eight to
age twelve and between 40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) or upward to
100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Many state and provincial laws require that children use approved
booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
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Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions when seated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way back
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat cushion?
•Can the child sit 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?
Types of booster seats
There are generally two types of belt-positioning booster seats: backless
and high back. Always use booster seats in conjunction with the vehicle
lap/shoulder belt.
•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield. If a vehicle seating position
has a low seat back or no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child’s head (as
measured at the tops of the ears)
above the top of the seat. In this
case, move the backless booster
to another seating position with a higher seat back or head restraint
and lap/shoulder belts, or consider using a high back booster seat.
•High back booster seats
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.
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