child seat FORD F550 2011 Owner's Guide

• Rear seats (Crew Cab)
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event of a collision.
6. Refer to the Installing child safety seats with automatic locking
mode combination lap and shoulder belts and Installing child safety
seats in cinch tongue combination lap and shoulder belt seating
positions sections of this chapter for further instructions to secure the
child safety seat.
7. 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.
If your child restraint system is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also recommends
its use.
Tether strap attachment (rear SuperCab only)
There are three loops of webbing just above the back of the rear seat
(along the bottom edge of the rear window) in the SuperCab. These
loops are to be used as both routing loops and anchor loops for up to
three child safety seat tether straps.
These straps may be secured below the back of the seat with rubber
bands. To access, reach below the back of the seat and pull tether loop
out of the rubber band securing it. Seating and Safety Restraints
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Many tether straps cannot be tightened if the tether strap is hooked to
the loop directly behind the child seat. To provide a tight tether strap:
1. Route the tether strap through
the loop directly behind the child
seat.
2. Attach the strap hook onto the
loop behind an adjacent seating
position.
3. Install the child safety seat tightly
using the vehicle belts. Follow the
instructions in this chapter.
4. Tighten the tether strap
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
A single loop can be used to route and anchor more than one child seat.
For example, the center loop can be used as a routing loop for a child
safety seat in the center rear seat and as an anchoring loop for child
seats installed in the outboard rear seats.Seating and Safety Restraints
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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). Seating and Safety Restraints
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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.Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 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. The drawings below
also show how the lap belt should be low and snug across the child’s
hips. Seating and Safety Restraints
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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. Do not introduce any item thicker than this under the booster
seat. Check with the booster seat manufacturer’s instructions.
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 generally best to use a
booster seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat.
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.
WARNING: Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder
belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk
of injury or death in a collision.
Child restraint and safety belt maintenance
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), child safety
seat LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching hardware, should be
inspected after a collision. Refer to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions for additional inspection and maintenance information
specific to the child restraint. Ford Motor Company recommends that all
safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision was minor and an authorized dealer
finds that the belts do not show damage and continue to operate
properly, they do not need to be replaced. Safety belt assemblies not in
use during a collision should also be inspected and replaced if either
damage or improper operation is noted.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, refer to Interior in the Cleaning
chapter.Seating and Safety Restraints
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WARNING: Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the
safety belt assembly or child restraint system under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of a
collision.
Seating and Safety Restraints
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NOTICE TO UTILITY VEHICLE AND TRUCK OWNERS
Utility vehicles and trucks handle
differently than passenger cars in
the various driving conditions that
are encountered on streets,
highways and off-road. Utility
vehicles and trucks are not designed
for cornering at speeds as high as
passenger cars any more than
low-slung sports cars are designed
to perform satisfactorily under
off-road conditions.
WARNING: Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles. To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from a rollover or other crash you must:
• Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers;
• Drive at safe speeds for the conditions;
• Keep tires properly inflated;
• Never overload or improperly load your vehicle; and
• Make sure every passenger is properly restrained.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
All occupants must wear seat belts and children/infants must use
appropriate restraints to minimize the risk of injury or ejection.
Study your owner’s guide and any supplements for specific information
about equipment features, instructions for safe driving and additional
precautions to reduce the risk of an accident or serious injury.
VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS
Four-wheel drive (4WD) system (if equipped)
A vehicle equipped with 4WD (when selected) has the ability to use all
four wheels to power itself. This increases traction which may enable you
to safely drive over terrain and road conditions that a conventional
two-wheel drive vehicle cannot.Tires, Wheels and Loading
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A
Accessory delay ........................103
AdvanceTrac ..............................271
Airbag supplemental restraint
system ........................178, 182, 184
and child safety seats ............179
description ..............178, 182, 184
disposal ....................................192
driver airbag ............180, 183, 185
indicator light .........................187
operation .................180, 183, 185
passenger airbag .....180, 183, 185
passenger deactivation
switch ......................................188
side airbag ...............................182
Air cleaner filter .......400–401, 406
Air conditioning ....................77, 80
manual heating and air
conditioning system .................77
Ambulance packages ....................8
Antifreeze (see Engine
coolant) .....................................375
Anti-lock brake system (see
Brakes) ......................................268
Anti-theft system ..............147, 149
arming the system ..........148, 150
disarming a triggered
system .....................................150
triggering .................................150
Audio system (see Radio) ...59, 61
Automatic transmission ............286
driving an automatic
overdrive .................................284
fluid, adding ............................396
fluid, checking ........................396
fluid, refill capacities ..............407
Selectshift (SST) ....................289
Auxiliary Input Jack ...................68 Auxiliary power point ...............100
Axle
refill capacities ........................407
B
Battery .......................................373
acid, treating emergencies .....373
jumping a disabled battery ....343
maintenance-free ....................373
replacement, specifications ...406
servicing ..................................373
Bed extender ............................124
Belt-Minder  .............................174
Booster seats .............................209
Brakes ........................................268
anti-lock ...................................268
anti-lock brake system (ABS)
warning light ...........................269
fluid, checking and adding ....396
fluid, refill capacities ..............407
parking ....................................269
shift interlock ..........................282
trailer .......................................254
Bulbs ............................................91
C
Capacities for refilling fluids ....407
Car2U  Home Automation
System .......................................115
Cassette tape player ...................59
Cell phone use ............................11
Changing a tire .........................326
Child safety seats ......................197
attaching with tether straps ..204
in front seat ....................198, 204
in rear seat ......................198, 204 Index
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LATCH .....................................204
recommendations ...................195
Child safety seats - booster
seats ...........................................209
Cleaning your vehicle
engine compartment ..............358
instrument panel ............361–362
interior .....................................363
plastic parts ............................360
safety belts ..............................363
washing ....................................357
waxing .....................................358
wheels ......................................358
wiper blades ............................360
Climate control (see Air
conditioning or Heating) ......77, 80
Clock ......................................60, 62
Compass, electronic
set zone adjustment .................27
Console ........................................99
overhead ..............................98–99
Controls
power seat ...............................157
steering column ......................111
Coolant
checking and adding ..............375
refill capacities ................378, 407
Cruise control (see Speed
control) ......................................109
Customer Assistance ................314
Ford accessories for your
vehicle .....................................365
Ford Extended Service
Plan ..................................418, 421
Getting assistance outside the
U.S. and Canada .....................353
Getting roadside assistance ...314
Getting the service you
need .........................................349 Ordering additional owner’s
literature .................................355
Utilizing the
Mediation/Arbitration
Program ...................................353
D
Daytime running lamps (see
Lamps) .........................................88
Defrost
rear window and rearview
mirrors .......................................80
windshield .................................80
Dipstick
automatic transmission
fluid ..........................................396
engine oil .................................371
Driving under special
conditions ..................292, 304, 308
sand .........................................306
snow and ice ...........................308
through water .................307, 310
E
Electronic message center ...22, 39
Emergencies, roadside
jump-starting ..........................343
Emergency Flashers .................315
Emission control system ..........392
Engine ........................................411
cleaning ...................................358
coolant .....................................375
diesel ...........................................7
fail-safe cooling .......................379
idle speed control ...................373
refill capacities ........................407
service points ..................367–369
Engine block heater .................266Index
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