LINCOLN MKZ 2016 Owner's Manual

• You are required by law to properly usesafety 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
pounds (36 kilograms). 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 46).INSTALLING CHILD SEATS
Child Seats
E142594
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called an
infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler
seat) for infants, toddlers, or children
weighing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) or less
(generally age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag. If you
must use a forward-facing child seat 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 seat. Children 12 and under
should be properly restrained 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 safety belt buckle assemblies and
LATCH lower anchors, rendering those
features potentially unusable. To avoid risk
of injury, occupants should only use seating
positions where they are able to be properly
restrained.
18
Child Safety

When installing a child safety seat with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
• Use the correct safety belt buckle for thatseating 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 safety belt 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 seat with combination lap and
shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is a
forward facing child seat, the steps are the
same for installing a rear facing child seat. Standard safety belts
E142528
1. Position the child safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder belt.
E142529
2. After positioning the child safety seat inthe proper seating position, pull down on
the shoulder belt and then grasp the
shoulder belt and lap belt together
behind the belt tongue.
E142530
3. While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tongue
through the child seat according to the
child seat manufacturer's instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
19
Child Safety

E142531
4. Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (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.
E142875
5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulder portion
of the belt and pull downward until all of
the belt is pulled 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 will click 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.
E142533
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
20
Child Safety

the child is added to the child restraint.
It also helps to achieve the proper
snugness of the child seat 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 seat is equipped).
E142534
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 inch
(2.5 centimeters) of movement for
proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed. In Canada, check with your local
St. John Ambulance office for referral to a
Certified Passenger Seat Technician. Inflatable safety belts
E142528
1. Position the child safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder belt.
E146522
21
Child Safety

2. After positioning the child safety seat inthe proper seating position, grasp the
shoulder belt and lap belt together
behind the belt tongue.
E142530
3. While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tongue
through the child seat according to the
child seat manufacturer's instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
E146523
4. Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (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.
E146524
5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the lap portion of
the inflatable safety belt and pull upward
until all of the belt is pulled out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.
Note: Unlike the standard safety belt, the
inflatable safety belt's unique lap portion
locks the child seat for installation. The
ability for the shoulder portion of the belt to
move freely is normal, even after the lap belt
has been put into the automatic locking
mode.
22
Child Safety

Note:The lock-off device on some child
restraints may not accommodate the
shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt.
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 safety belt systems that would otherwise
require a locking clip.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click 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.
E146525
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 seat to your
vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean toward
the buckle will additionally help to
remove remaining slack from the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped).
E142534
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 inch
(2.5 centimeters) of movement for
proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed. In Canada, check with your local
St. John Ambulance office for referral to a
Certified Passenger Seat Technician.
23
Child Safety

Using Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Never attach two child safety seats to
the same anchor. In a collision, one
anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat 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 safety belt buckle assemblies or
LATCH lower anchors, rendering those
features potentially unusable. To avoid risk
of injury, occupants should 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
located where seat back and seat cushion
meet (called the seat bight) and one top
tether anchor located 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 safety belts to
attach the child seat, however the safety belt
can still be used to attach the child seat. For
forward-facing child seats, the top tether
strap must also be attached to the proper
top tether anchor, if a top tether strap has
been provided with your child seat.
E142535
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child seat installation at the seating positions
marked with the child seat symbol.
E144054
The LATCH anchors are located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the cushion
and seat back below the symbols as shown.
Follow the child seat manufacturer's
instructions to properly install a child seat
with LATCH attachments. Follow the
instructions on attaching child safety seats
with tether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child
seat only to the anchors shown.
24
Child Safety

Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center Seating
Use)
WARNING
The standardized spacing for LATCH
lower anchors is 11 inches (28
centimeters) center to center. Do not use
LATCH lower anchors for the center seating
position unless the child seat 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 inches
(46 centimeters) apart. A child seat with rigid
LATCH attachments cannot be installed at
the center seating position. LATCH
compatible child seats (with attachments on
belt webbing) can only be used at this
seating position provided that the child seat
manufacturer's instructions permit use with
the anchor spacing stated. Do not attach a
child seat to any lower anchor if an adjacent
child seat 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 seat 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.
Combining Safety Belt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the safety
belt 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 seat.
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 seat
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 safety belt, 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):
25
Child Safety

E142537
Perform the following steps to install a child
safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child seat 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 seat.
Keeping the child seat just touching your
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a
severe crash. 1. Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the back of the seat. For outboard
seating positions, route the tether strap
under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts. For the center
seating positions, route the tether strap
over the top of the head restraint. If
needed, the head restraints can also be
removed.
E144274
2. Locate the correct anchor for theselected seating position, then open the
tether anchor cover.
E144275
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
If your child restraint system is equipped with
a tether strap, and the child restraint
manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also
recommends its use.
26
Child Safety

BOOSTER SEATS
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
crash.
Note: Some booster seat safety belt guides
may not accommodate the shoulder portion
of the inflatable safety belt.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety seat (generally
children who are less than 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four
(4) and less than age twelve (12), and
between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and 80
pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) 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 pounds (36 kilograms).
Booster seats should be used until you can
answer YES to ALL of these questions when
seated without a booster seat:
E142595
• Can the child sit all the way back against
their 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?
Always use booster seats in conjunction with
your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
E68924
• Backless booster seats
27
Child Safety