FORD TAURUS 2017 Owner's Manual

GENERAL INFORMATION
See the following sections for directionson how to properly use safety restraintsfor children.
WARNINGS
Always make sure your child issecured properly in a device that isappropriate for their height, age andweight. Child safety restraints must bebought separately from your vehicle.Failure to follow these instructions andguidelines may result in an increased riskof serious injury or death to your child.
All children are shaped differently.The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration and other safetyorganizations, base their recommendationsfor child restraints on probable child height,age and weight thresholds, or on theminimum requirements of the law. Werecommend that you check with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger Safety
WARNINGS
Technician (CPST) to make sure that youproperly install the child restraint in yourvehicle and that you consult yourpediatrician to make sure you have a childrestraint appropriate for your child. Tolocate a child restraint fitting station andCPST, contact NHTSA toll free at1-888-327-4236 or go towww.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contactTransport Canada toll free at1-800-333-0371 or go to www.tc.gc.ca tofind a Child Car Seat Clinic in your area.Failure to properly restrain children in childrestraints made especially for their height,age and weight, may result in an increasedrisk of serious injury or death to your child.
On hot days, the temperature insidethe vehicle can rise very quickly.Exposure of people or animals tothese high temperatures for even a shorttime can cause death or serious heatrelated injuries, including brain damage.Small children are particularly at risk.
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Child Safety

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended restrainttypeChild size, height, weight, or ageChild
Use a child safety seat(sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertibleseat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less(generally age four or younger).Infants ortoddlers
Use a belt-positioningbooster seat.
Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety seat (gener-ally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 in.(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age fourand less than age 12, and between 40 lb(18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by yourchild restraint manufacturer).
Small children
Use a vehicle safety belthaving the lap belt snugand low across the hips,shoulder belt centeredacross the shoulder andchest, and seatbackupright.
Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a belt-positioning boosterseat (generally children who are at least4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recom-mended by child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
•You are required by law to properly usesafety seats for infants and toddlers inthe United States and Canada.
•Many states and provinces require thatsmall children use approved boosterseats until they reach age eight, aheight of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters)tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your localand state or provincial laws for specificrequirements about the safety ofchildren in your vehicle.
•When possible, always properlyrestrain children 12 years of age andunder in a rear seating position of yourvehicle. Accident statistics suggest thatchildren are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positionsthan in a front seating position. SeeFront Passenger Sensing System(page 40).
INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
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Use a child safety seat (sometimes calledan infant carrier, convertible seat, ortoddler seat) for infants, toddlers, orchildren weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less(generally age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild restraint. Never place arear-facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. If you must use aforward-facing child restraint in the frontseat, move the seat upon which the childrestraint is installed all the way back.
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild restraint. Properly restrainchildren 12 and under in the rear seatwhenever possible.
Depending on where you secure achild restraint, and depending on thechild restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain seatbelt buckleassemblies and LATCH lower anchors,rendering those features potentiallyunusable. To avoid risk of injury, make sureoccupants only use seating positionswhere they are able to be properlyrestrained.
When installing a child safety seat withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
•Use the correct seatbelt buckle for thatseating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle until you hear a click and feel itlatch. Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release buttonpointing up and away from the safetyseat, with the tongue between the childrestraint and the release button, toprevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat upon which thechild restraint will be installed in theupright position.
•Put the seatbelt in the automaticlocking mode. See Step 5. This vehicledoes not require the use of a lockingclip.
Perform the following steps wheninstalling the child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child restraintillustrated is a forward facing child restraint,the steps are the same for installing a rearfacing child restraint.
1. Position the child safety seat in a seatwith a combination lap and shoulderbelt.
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2. After positioning the child safety seatin the proper seating position, pulldown on the shoulder belt and thengrasp the shoulder belt and lap belttogether behind the belt tongue.
3.While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tonguethrough the child restraint accordingto the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions. Be sure the belt webbingis not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to thedirection the tongue is coming from)for that seating position until you heara click and feel the latch engage. Makesure the tongue is latched securely bypulling on it.
5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulderportion of the belt and pull downwarduntil you pull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
6. Allow the belt to retract to removeslack. The belt clicks as it retracts toindicate it is in the automatic lockingmode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractorto make sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode (you shouldnot be able to pull more belt out). If theretractor is not locked, unbuckle thebelt and repeat Steps 5 and 6.
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8.Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling up on the shoulder belt in orderto force slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remainingslack that exists once the extra weightof the child is added to the childrestraint. It also helps to achieve theproper snugness of the child restraintto your vehicle. Sometimes, a slightlean toward the buckle provides extrahelp to remove remaining slack fromthe belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the childrestraint is equipped).
10. Before placing the child in the seat,forcibly move the seat forward andback to make sure the seat is securelyheld in place. To check this, grab theseat at the belt path and attempt tomove it side to side and forward andback. There should be no more than1 in (2.5 cm) of movement for properinstallation.
We recommend checking with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger SafetyTechnician to make certain the childrestraint is properly installed. In Canada,check with Transport Canada for referralto a Child Car Seat Clinic.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethersfor CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Do not attach two child safetyrestraints to the same anchor. In acrash, one anchor may not be strongenough to hold two child safety restraintattachments and may break, causingserious injury or death.
Depending on where you secure achild restraint, and depending on thechild restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain seatbelt buckleassemblies and LATCH lower anchors,rendering those features potentiallyunusable. To avoid risk of injury, make sureoccupants only use seating positionswhere they are able to be properlyrestrained.
The LATCH system is composed of threevehicle anchor points: two lower anchorswhere the seatback and seat cushion meet(called the seat bight) and one top tetheranchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats havetwo rigid or webbing mountedattachments that connect to the two loweranchors at the LATCH equipped seatingpositions in your vehicle. This type ofattachment method eliminates the needto use seatbelts to attach the childrestraint. However, you can still use theseatbelt to attach the child restraint. Forforward-facing child restraints, you mustalso attach the top tether strap to theproper top tether anchor, if a top tetherstrap has been provided with your childrestraint.
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Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors forchild restraint installation at the seatingpositions marked with the child restraintsymbol.
The LATCH anchors are at the rear sectionof the rear seat between the cushion andseatback below the symbols as shown.Follow the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions to properly install a childrestraint with LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching childsafety seats with tether straps. See UsingTether Straps later in this chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of thechild restraint only to the anchors shown.
Child Restraint Positioning for LATCHLower Anchors
All of the LATCH lower anchors are equallyspaced, 11 in (28 cm) apart, allowing forthe following child restraint positioning:
•If you install a single child restraintusing the LATCH lower anchors, youcan install it at any rear seatingposition.
•If you install two child safety seatsusing the LATCH lower anchors, youmust place them in the outboardseating positions only.
•If you install three child safety seats,you can install two using the LATCHlower anchors by placing them in eachoutboard seating position and the thirdin the center using the lap and shoulderbelt, OR you can use the LATCH loweranchors for the center child safety seatand the lap and shoulder belts for theother two child safety seats in theoutboard positions. Use the tetheranchors if applicable.
Combining Seatbelt and LATCH LowerAnchors for Attaching Child SafetySeats
When used in combination, either theseatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors maybe attached first, provided a properinstallation is achieved. Attach the tetherstrap afterward, if included with the childrestraint.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety seatsinclude a tether strap which extends fromthe back of the child safety seat and hooksto an anchoring point called the top tetheranchor. Tether straps are available as anaccessory for many older safety seats.
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Contact the manufacturer of your childrestraint for information about ordering atether strap, or to obtain a longer tetherstrap if the tether strap on your safety seatdoes not reach the appropriate top tetheranchor in your vehicle.
Once you install the child safety seat usingeither the seatbelt, the lower anchors ofthe LATCH system, or both, you can attachthe top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicleare in the following positions (shown fromtop view):
Perform the following steps to install achild safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child restraint with rigidLATCH attachments, do not tighten thetether strap enough to lift the child restraintoff your vehicle seat cushion when the childis seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snugwithout lifting the front of the child restraint.Keeping the child restraint just touching yourvehicle seat gives the best protection in asevere crash.
1.Route the child safety seat tether strapover the seatback.
2. Locate the correct anchor for theselected seating position.
3. Open the tether anchor cover.
4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
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5. Tighten the child safety seat tetherstrap according to the manufacturer'sinstructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,the risk of a child being injured in a crashgreatly increases.
If your child restraint system has a tetherstrap, and the child restraint manufacturerrecommends its use, we also recommendits use.
BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING
Never place, or allow a child to place,the shoulder belt under a child's armor behind the back because itreduces the protection for the upper partof the body and may increase the risk ofinjury or death in a crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety seat (generallychildren who are less than 4 feet 9 inches(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four(4) and less than age twelve (12), andbetween 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and80 pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to100 pounds (45 kilograms) ifrecommended by your child restraintmanufacturer). Many state and provinciallaws require that children use approvedbooster seats until they reach age eight, aheight of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall,or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).
Booster seats should be used until you cananswer YES to ALL of these questionswhen seated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way backagainst their vehicle seat back withknees bent comfortably at the edge ofthe seat cushion?
•Can the child sit without slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across thehips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on theshoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this forthe whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunctionwith your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
•Backless booster seats
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If your backless booster seat has aremovable shield, remove the shield. If avehicle seating position has a low seatback or no head restraint, a backlessbooster 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 anotherseating position with a higher seat back orhead restraint and lap and shoulder belts,or consider using a high back booster seat.
•High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannotfind a seating position that adequatelysupports your child's head, a high backbooster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size andshape. Choose a booster that keeps thelap belt low and snug across the hips,never up across the stomach, and lets youadjust the shoulder belt to cross the chestand rest snugly near the center of theshoulder. The following drawings comparethe ideal fit (center) to a shoulder beltuncomfortably close to the neck and ashoulder belt that could slip off theshoulder. The drawings also show how thelap belt should be low and snug across thechild's hips.
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If the booster seat slides on the vehicleseat upon which it is being used, placing arubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpetliner under the booster seat may improvethis condition. Do not introduce any itemthicker than this under the booster seat.Check with the booster seatmanufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild seat. Never place a rear-facingchild seat in front of an active airbag.If you must use a forward-facing child seatin the front seat, move the vehicle seatupon which the child seat is installed allthe way back. When possible, all childrenage 12 and under should be properlyrestrained in a rear seating position. If allchildren cannot be seated and restrainedproperly in a rear seating position, properlyrestrain the largest child in the front seat.
Always carefully follow theinstructions and warnings providedby the manufacturer of any childrestraint to determine if the restraint deviceis appropriate for your child's size, height,weight, or age. Follow the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions and warnings
WARNINGS
provided for installation and use inconjunction with the instructions andwarnings provided by your vehiclemanufacturer. A safety seat that isimproperly installed or utilized, isinappropriate for your child's height, age,or weight or does not properly fit the childmay increase the risk of serious injury ordeath.
Never let a passenger hold a child onhis or her lap while your vehicle ismoving. The passenger cannotprotect the child from injury in a crash,which may result in serious injury or death.
Never use pillows, books, or towelsto boost a child. They can slidearound and increase the likelihoodof injury or death in a crash.
Always restrain an unoccupied childseat or booster seat. These objectsmay become projectiles in a crash orsudden stop, which may increase the riskof serious injury.
Never place, or allow a child to place,the shoulder belt under a child's armor behind the back because itreduces the protection for the upper partof the body and may increase the risk ofinjury or death in a crash.
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