FORD ESCAPE 2021 Owner's Guide

CHILD SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
WARNING: Always make sure your
child is secured properly in a device that
is appropriate for their height, age and
weight. Child safety restraints must be
bought separately from your vehicle.
Failure to follow these instructions and
guidelines may result in an increased risk
of serious injury or death to your child. WARNING: All children are shaped
differently. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration and other safety
organizations, base their
recommendations for child restraints on
probable child height, age and weight
thresholds, or on the minimum
requirements of the law. We recommend
that you check with a NHTSA Certified
Child Passenger Safety Technician
(CPST) to make sure that you properly
install the child restraint in your vehicle
and that you consult your pediatrician to
make sure you have a child restraint
appropriate for your child. To locate a
child restraint fitting station and CPST,
contact NHTSA toll free at
1-888-327-4236 or go to
www.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contact
Transport Canada toll free at
1-800-333-0371 or go to www.tc.gc.ca
to find a Child Car Seat Clinic in your
area. Failure to properly restrain children
in child restraints made especially for
their height, age and weight, may result
in an increased risk of serious injury or
death to your child. WARNING:
On hot days, the
temperature inside the vehicle can rise
very quickly. Exposure of people or
animals to these high temperatures for
even a short time can cause death or
serious heat related injuries, including
brain damage. Small children are
particularly at risk. WARNING:
Do not place a
rearward facing child restraint in front of
an active airbag. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death. WARNING:
Properly secure
children 12 years old and under in a rear
seating position whenever possible. If
you are unable to properly secure all
children in a rear seating position,
properly secure the largest child on the
front seat. If you must use a forward
facing child restraint on the front seat,
move the seat as far back as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions could
result in personal injury or death. WARNING: Always carefully follow
the instructions and warnings provided
by the manufacturer of any child
restraint to determine if the restraint
device is appropriate for your child's size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions and
warnings provided for installation and
use in conjunction with the instructions
and warnings provided by your vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is
improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child's height, age,
or weight or does not properly fit the
child may increase the risk of serious
injury or death.
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WARNING: Do not allow a
passenger to hold a child on their lap
when your vehicle is moving. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death in the event of a
sudden stop or crash. WARNING:
Do not use pillows,
books or towels to boost your child's
height. Failure to follow this instruction
could result in personal injury or death. WARNING:
Properly secure child
restraints or booster seats when they are
not in use. They could become projectiles
in a sudden stop or crash. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death. WARNING: Do not put the shoulder
section of the seatbelt or allow the child
to put the shoulder section of the
seatbelt under their arm or behind their
back. Failure to follow this instruction
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seatbelt and increase the risk of injury or
death in a crash. WARNING:
Do not leave children
or pets unattended in your vehicle.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death.
When installing a child restraint with
seatbelts:
• Place the vehicle seat in the upright
position before you install the child
restraint.
• Use the correct seatbelt buckle for that
seating position.
• Insert the belt tongue into the buckle.
Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle. •
Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the child
restraint, with the tongue between the
child restraint and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
• Put the seatbelt in the automatic
locking mode.
CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHOR
POINTS
What Are the Child Restraint
Anchor Points
Anchor points allow you to quickly and
safely install a child restraint.
Locating the Child Restraint Lower
Anchor Points 29
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Locating the Child Restraint Top
Tether Anchor Points
CHILD RESTRAINTS
Child Restraint Position
Information
Install the child restraint tightly against the
vehicle seat. It may be necessary to lift or
remove the head restraint.
Rear Facing Child Restraints Seatbelt Only
LATCH (Lower Anchors
Only)
Combined Weight of Child
and Child Restraint
X
X
Up to 65 lb (29 kg)
X
Over
65 lb (29 kg)
Forward Facing Child Restraints Seatbelt and LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Top Tether Anchor)
Seatbelt and Top
Tether Anchor
LATCH (Lower
Anchors and Top Tether Anchor)
Combined Weight of
Child and Child Restraint
X
X
X
Up to
65 lb (29 kg)
X
X
Over
65 lb (29 kg)
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Child Restraints Recommendation
Recommended Restraint Type
Child Size, Height, Weight, or Age
Use a child restraint (sometimes
called an infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally
age four or younger).
Use a belt-positioning boosterseat.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly
fit in a child restraint (generally children who areless than
57 in (1.45 m) tall, are greater than age
four and less than age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg) and
80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg) if
recommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Use a vehicle seatbelt having thelap belt snug and low across the
hips, shoulder belt centered across the shoulder and chest, and seat backrest upright.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly
fit in a belt-positioning booster seat (generally chil- dren who are at least
57 in (1.45 m) tall or greater
than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by child restraint manufacturer).
You are required by law to properly use
child restraints for infants and toddlers in
the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Many states and provinces require that
small children use approved booster seats
until they reach age eight, a height of 57 in
(1.45 m)
tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your
local and state or provincial laws for
specific requirements about the safety of
children in your vehicle.
When possible, properly restrain children
12 years of age and under in a rear seating
position of your vehicle. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in a front seating position.
When installing a rear facing child restraint,
adjust the vehicle seats to avoid
interference between the child restraint
and the vehicle seat in front of the child
restraint. INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Using Seatbelts WARNING:
Depending on where
you secure a child restraint, and
depending on the child restraint design,
you may block access to certain seatbelt
buckle assemblies and LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features
potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, make sure occupants only use
seating positions where they are able to
be properly restrained.
Note: Although the child restraint
illustrated is a forward-facing child restraint,
the steps are the same for installing a
rear-facing child restraint.
Perform the following steps when
installing the child restraint with seatbelts:
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1. Position the child restraint in a seat
with a seatbelt. 2. After positioning the child restraint in
the proper seating position, pull down
on the shoulder belt and then grasp the
shoulder belt and lap belt together
behind the belt tongue. 3.
While holding the shoulder and lap belt
portions together, route the tongue
through the child restraint according
to the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions. Make sure that you did not
twist the belt webbing. 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. 5. To put the retractor in the automatic
locking mode, grasp the shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until you pull all of the belt out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt clicks as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic locking
mode.
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7. 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 did not lock, unbuckle the belt
and repeat Steps 5 and 6. 8.
Remove remaining slack from the belt.
Force the seat down with extra weight,
for example, 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 exists once you add the extra
weight of the child to the child restraint.
It also helps to achieve the proper
snugness of the child restraint to your
vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean
toward the buckle will provide extra
help to remove remaining slack from
the belt.
9. If the child restraint has a tether strap, attach it. 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
1 in (2.5 cm) of movement.
We recommend checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician to make certain the child
restraint is properly installed. In Canada,
check with Transport Canada for referral
to a Child Car Seat Clinic.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children WARNING: Do not attach two child
safety restraints to the same anchor. In
a crash, one anchor may not be strong
enough to hold two child safety restraint
attachments and may break, causing
serious injury or death.
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WARNING: Depending on where
you secure a child restraint, and
depending on the child restraint design,
you may block access to certain seatbelt
buckle assemblies and LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features
potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, make sure occupants only use
seating positions where they are able to
be properly restrained.
The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren) system has three vehicle
anchor points.
• Two lower anchors where the seat
backrest and seat cushion meet, called
the seat bight.
• One top tether anchor behind that
seating position.
LATCH-compatible child restraints 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 seatbelts to attach the child
restraint.
However, you can still use the seatbelt to
attach the child restraint. For
forward-facing child restraints, you must
also attach the top tether strap to the
proper top tether anchor if a top tether
strap has been provided with your child
restraint.
Follow the instructions on attaching child
restraints with tether straps. Installing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat WARNING:
The standardized
spacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in
(280 mm) center to center. Do not use
LATCH lower anchors for the center
seating position unless the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions permit and
specify using anchors spaced at least as
far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the
second row rear seat are spaced
18 in
(46 cm) apart. You cannot install a child
restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at
the center seating position. You can only
use LATCH compatible child restraints with
attachments on belt webbing at this
seating position provided that the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions
permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child restraint to any lower
anchor if an adjacent child restraint is
attached to that anchor.
Each time you use the child restraint, check
that the seat is properly attached to the
lower anchors and tether anchor, if
applicable. Tug the child restraint from side
to side and forward and back where it is
secured to your vehicle. The seat should
move less than
1 in (2.5 cm).
If you did not properly anchor the child
restraint, the risk of a child being injured in
a crash greatly increases.
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Combining the Seatbelt and Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child
Restraints
When used in combination, you may attach
either the seatbelt or the LATCH lower
anchors first, provided a proper installation
is achieved. Attach the tether strap
afterward, if it is included with the child
restraint.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child restraints
include a tether strap which extends from
the back of the child restraint and hooks
to an anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older child restraints.
Contact the manufacturer of your child
restraint for information about ordering a
tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether
strap if the tether strap on your child
restraint does not reach the appropriate
top tether anchor in your vehicle.
Once you install the child restraint using
either the seatbelt, the lower anchors of
the LATCH system, or both, you can attach
the top tether strap.
Perform the following steps to install a
child restraint with tether anchors.
Note:
If you install a child restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child restraint
off your vehicle seat cushion when the child
is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child restraint.
Keeping the child restraint just touching your
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a
severe crash. 1. Route the child restraint tether strap
over the back of the seat. For the
outermost seating positions, route the
tether strap under the head restraint
and between the head restraint posts.
For the center seating position, route
the tether strap over the top of the
head restraint. If needed, you can also
remove the head restraints. 2. Locate the correct anchor behind the
gap cover for the selected seating
position. 3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as
shown.
4. Tighten the child restraint tether strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
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If your child restraint system has a tether
strap, and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends its use, we also recommend
its use.
BOOSTER SEATS
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child restraint and meet
the following criteria.
•
Generally children who are less than
57 in (1.45 m) tall.
• Are greater than age four (4) and less
than age twelve (12).
• Are between
40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb
(36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg).
Many state and provincial laws require that
children use approved booster seats until
they reach age eight, a height of
57 in
(1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
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 their vehicle seat backrest 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?
Always use booster seats in conjunction
with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats •
Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the shield.
If a vehicle seating position has a low seat
backrest 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 backrest or
head restraint and lap and shoulder belts,
or consider using a high-back booster seat.
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•
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.
Children and booster seats vary 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 following drawings compare the ideal
fit to a shoulder belt uncomfortably close
to the neck and a shoulder belt that could
slip off the shoulder. The drawings also
show how the lap belt should be low and
snug across the child's hips.
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