seats HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK 2003 7.G User Guide

Not recommended,
due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride
in front, move the vehicle seat to
the rear-most position and secure
a f ront-f acing child seat with the
seat belt (see page ). Never in the f ront seat, due
to the passenger’s airbag hazard.
This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place rear-facing and forward-
f acing child seats in your car.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section. Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facingchild
seat (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see page ). 2932
33
CONT INUED
Placing a Child Seat Small children:
Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Back Seat sInf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety 27

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some vehicles
or seating positions, it may be
dif f icult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-
side or back-and-f orth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position.
All child seats are
designed to be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt. Some child seats
can be secured to the vehicle’s
LATCH anchorage system instead.
A child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash. See pages , and f or instructions on
howtoproperlysecurechildseats
in this vehicle.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. 30 33 40
Inst alling a Child Seat
Secure t he child in t he child seat .
Storing a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured.
1.
2. 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
28

Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back. Inf ants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-f acing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
forcetokillorseriouslyinjurean
inf ant. If an inf ant must be closely
watched, we recommend that
another adult sit in the back seat
with the baby.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront-seat passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page ). Or it
may prevent them f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired upright
position (see page ).
We recommend that an inf ant be
restrained in a rear-f acing child seat
until the inf ant is at least one year
old, reaches the seat maker’s weight
or height limit, and is able to sit up
without support.
In this car, a rear-f acing child seat
can be placed in any seating position
in the back seat, but not in the f ront
seat.
1312
CONT INUED
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
the front seat.
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position.
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
29
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not thefront.

With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route the
belt through the child seat
according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps.
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the f ront passenger seat,
move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. Or
you may wish to get a smaller child
seat that allows you to safely carry a
f ront passenger.
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
seats have a locking mechanism that
must be activated to secure a child
seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a rear-
facing child seat with this type of
seat belt.
If you have a child seat designed to
attach to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
1.
2. 3.
40
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
30

A child who can sit up without
support, and who f its within the child
seat maker’s weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
f orward-f acing, upright child seat.In this car, the best place to install a
f orward-f acing child seat is in one of
the seating positions in the back seat.
If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to cause
very serious or f atal injuries. If a
small child must be closely watched,
we recommend that another adult sit
in the back seat with the child.
We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype
Child Seat Placement
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
32

To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in one of the outer
back seats on a booster and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
We recommend that the child use a
booster seat until the child is tall
enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in the f ront seat.
CONT INUED
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
35
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible,
uses a booster seat if needed,
and wears the seat belt properly.

Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of seat belts and increase the chance
of serious injury in a crash.
If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
sit in one of the outer rear seats all
the way back against the seat and
put on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page . Then check
how the belt f its.
If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child’s collarbone and
against the center of the chest, the
lap belt rests over the child’s hipbones and touches the tops of
their thighs as shown, the child is
probably big enough to wear the seat
belt.
This could result in serious neck and
internal injuries during a crash.
However, if the shoulder belt
touches or crosses the child’s neck,
or if the lap belt crosses the child’s
stomach, the child needs to use a
booster seat.
This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash.
It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.
15
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
Checking Seat Belt Fit Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt.
T wo children should never use t hesame seat belt .
Do not let a child wear a seat belt across t he neck or over t he st omach.
Do not let a child put the shoulderpart of a seat belt behind t he back orunder t he arm.
36

CONT INUED
Lift the head restraint, then route
the tether strap over the seat-back
between the legs of the head
restraint.
One tether anchorage point f or each
of the outer rear seats is located
under the cargo f loor carpet and the
tailgate sill. Pull up the carpet to
access the anchorage point
(outboard anchor) when securing a
tether-style child seat to the vehicle.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown in
the illustration, then tighten the
strap according to the child seat
maker’s instructions. Make sure the
strap is not twisted.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using Child Seats with T ethers
39
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINT

Your car is equipped with LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers f or
Children) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
When the child seat is used, f ollow
the instructions that came with the
child seat.
To attach the tether to the child seat,
f ollow the child seat maker’s
instructions.
You can also remove the rear head
restraints (see page ). The
removedheadrestraintsshouldbe
securedsotheywillnotbethrown
while you are driving. Make sure
to replace the rear head restraints
when the child seats are not in use. 82
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety Using L A T CH
40 MARKS
LOWER
ANCHORS
——y
y
()
yy

Lift the head restraint, then route
the tether strap over the seat-back
between the legs of the head
restraint.Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point, and
tighten the strap according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Make sure the strap is not twisted.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers.This symbol on rear or f orward
f acing child seats or booster
cushions indicates the presence of
LATCH compatible hardware.
5.
6. 7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
L ower Universal Anchorage
System Symbol
42 TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINT
——y
y
()
yy