LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 2017 Owner's Manual

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended restraint type
Child size, height, weight, or age
Child
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally age four or
younger).
Infants or toddlers
Use a belt-positioning booster seat.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a child
safety seat (generally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 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).
Small children
Use a vehicle safety belt having the lap beltsnug and low across the hips, shoulder belt
centered across the shoulder and chest, and seatback upright.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a belt-
positioning booster seat (generally children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than
80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if
recommended by child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
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•
You are required by law to properly use
safety seats for infants and toddlers in
the United States and Canada.
• Many states and provinces require that
small 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). Check your local and state
or provincial laws for specific
requirements about the safety of children
in your vehicle.
• When possible, always 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.
See Front Passenger
Sensing System (page 47). CHILD SEATS
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called an
infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler
seat) for Infants, toddlers and children
weighing
40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally
four-years-old or younger). INSTALLING CHILD RESTRAINTS
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of an active
airbag. If you must use a forward-facing child
restraint in the front seat, move the seat upon
which the child seat is installed all the way
back. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Properly restrain
children 12 and under in the rear seat
whenever possible. 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. 19
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When installing a child safety seat with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
•
Use the correct seatbelt buckle for that
seating position.
• 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.
• 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.
• Place the vehicle seat upon which the
child seat will be installed in the upright
position.
• Put the seatbelt in the automatic locking
mode. See Step 5. This vehicle does not
require the use of a locking clip.
Perform the following steps when installing
the child restraint with combination lap and
shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child restraint illustrated
is a forward facing child restraint, the steps
are the same for installing a rear facing child
restraint. Standard Seatbelts
1. Position the child safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder belt. 2. After positioning the child safety seat 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. Be sure the belt webbing is
not twisted.
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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. 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 is not locked, 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 will exist once the extra weight of
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the child is added 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. Attach the tether strap (if the child restraint is equipped). 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 for proper
installation.
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. Inflatable Seatbelts 1. Position the child safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder belt.
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2. After positioning the child safety seat in
the proper seating position, 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. 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 lap portion of
the inflatable seatbelt and pull upward
until you pull all of the belt out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.
Note: Unlike the standard seatbelt, the
inflatable seatbelt's unique lap portion locks
the child restraint for installation. The ability
for the shoulder portion of the belt to move
freely is normal, even after you put the lap
belt into the automatic locking mode. Note:
The lock-off device on some child
restraints may not accommodate the
shoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt.
Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the lock-off
device. In some instances, these devices
have been provided only for use in vehicles
with seatbelt systems that would otherwise
require a locking clip.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack.
The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
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 is not locked, 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 down on the lap belt in order to
force slack from the belt. This is
necessary to remove the remaining slack
that will exist once the extra weight of
the child is added 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 additionally help to
remove remaining slack from the belt.
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9. Attach the tether strap (if the child
restraint is equipped). 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 for proper
installation. 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 (LATCH) WARNINGS
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. 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 system is composed of three
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors
where the seatback and seat cushion meet
(called the seat bight) and one top tether
anchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats 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 the seatbelt can
still be used 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.
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Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the seating
positions marked with the child restraint
symbol. The LATCH anchors are at the rear section
of the rear seat between the cushion and
seatback below the symbols as shown.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions to properly install a child restraint
with LATCH attachments. Follow the
instructions on attaching child safety seats
with tether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child
restraint only to the anchors shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center Seating
Use)
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 onlu 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 safety seat, 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 one
inch when you do this for a proper
installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases.
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Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the
seatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors may
be attached first, provided a proper
installation is achieved. Attach the tether
strap afterward, if included with the child
restraint.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety seats
include a tether strap which extends from
the back of the child safety seat and hooks
to an anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety seats.
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 safety seat does
not reach the appropriate top tether anchor
in your vehicle. Once the child safety seat has been installed
using either the seatbelt, the lower anchors
of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach
the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are
in the following positions (shown from top
view):
Perform the following steps to install a child
safety seat 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 safety seat tether strap over the head restraint. 2. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position.
3. Open the tether anchor cover.
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