FORD ECONOLINE 2007 Owners Manual

Children and booster seats vary widely in size and shape. Choose a
booster that keeps the lap belt low and snug across the hips, never up
across the stomach, and lets you adjust the shoulder belt to cross the
chest and rest snugly near the center of the shoulder. The drawings
below compare the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably
close to the neck and a shoulder belt that could slip off the shoulder.
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.
Move a child to a different seating location if the shoulder belt
does not stay positioned on the shoulder during use.
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.
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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).
•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.
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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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2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.
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5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
extracted.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle and
pull up on the shoulder belt while
pushing down with your knee on the
child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt 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 of
movement for proper installation.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat Steps 2
through 9.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
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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 in the 12 passenger and 15
passenger configuration 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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1. Position the child safety seat on
the front right-hand passenger seat.
2. Adjust the front right-hand
passenger seat full forward.
3. Route the child safety seat tether
strap over the back of the front
right-hand passenger seat as shown.
4. Clip the tether strap hook to the
seat pedestal to the location shown.
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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 safety
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 safety 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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