Mercury Mountaineer 1998 s Manual Online

edge of the seat cushion. You may
wish to discuss the special needs
of your child with your
pediatrician.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety
seats
Use a safety seat that is
recommended for the size and
weight of the child. Carefully
follow all of the manufacturer's
instructions with the safety seat
you put in your vehicle. If you do
not install and use the safety seat
properly, the child may be injured
in a sudden stop or collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Use the correct safety belt
buckle for that seating position.
²Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
²Keep 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.
²Place seat back in upright
position.
²Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer
toAutomatic locking mode.
Ford recommends the use of a
child safety seat having a top
tether strap. Install the child safety
seat in a seating position which is
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81

capable of providing a tether
anchorage. For more information
on top tether straps, refer to
Attaching safety seats with tether
straps.
Carefully follow all of the
manufacturer's instructions
included with the safety seat you
put in your vehicle. If you do not
install and use the safety seat
properly, the child may be
injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
Installing child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seating positions
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
Air bag can kill or injure a
child in a child seat. If you
must use a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat, move seat
all the way back.
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82

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route
the tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not
twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle for that seating
position until you hear and feel the
latch engage. Make sure the
tongue is latched securely by
pulling on it.
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83

5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt
is extracted and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The
belt will click as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic
locking mode.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across
the child seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the shoulder belt
while pushing down with knee on
the child seat.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract
to remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is in the automatic
locking mode (you should not be
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84

able to pull more belt out). If the
retractor is not locked, unbuckle
the belt and repeat steps two
through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat
is properly secured before each
use.
Attaching safety seats with
tether straps
Some manufacturers make safety
seats that include a tether strap
that goes over the back of the
vehicle seat and attaches to an
anchoring point. Other
manufacturers offer the tether
strap as an accessory. Contact the
manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
Tether anchorage hardware
A tethered seat can be installed in
the front seat. Put the tether strap
over the seatback and attach it to
a anchor bracket.
An anchor bracket can be installed
on the rear edge of the front seat
cushion.
The provision (attaching hole) is
provided in the rear edge of the
front passenger seat cushion
frame. The anchorbracket must be
installed using the instructions
provided with the kit.
Tether anchorage hardware kits
(part number 613D74) including
instructions, may be obtained at no
charge from any Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
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85

Tighten the anchor
according to specifications.
Otherwise, the safety seat may
not be properly secured and the
child may be injured in a sudden
stop or collision.
BUILT-IN CHILD SEATS
Built-in child safety seat
(if equipped)
The rear seat may include a
built-in child seat. This child seat
conforms to all Federal and local
motor vehicle safety standard.
Read the labels located on the
child seat cushion and shoulder
belt for information on the built-in
child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonlyif
the child is at least 9 months old,
weighs 9±29 kg (20±60 lb) and the
child's shoulders (top) are below
the shoulder harness slots in the
built-in child seat.
Children not meeting these
requirements should be secured in
an approved aftermarket seat.
Refer toChildren and infant or
child safety seatsin this chapter.
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86

Placing your child in the built-in
child seat
Failure to follow all of the
instructions on the use of
this child restraint system can
result in your child striking the
vehicle's interior during a sudden
stop or crash.
The second row seatback
must be fully locked before
operating the child restraint
system. Check the position of the
seatback release lever.
Never use the Built-In
Child Seat as a booster
cushion with the adult safety
belts. A child using the adult
belts could slide forward and out
from under the safety belts.
1. Grasp the strap and pull toward
you approximately 25 mm (1 inch),
then slide hand under the head
restraint and slide upwards to the
full position.
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87

2. Pull both Velcrotstraps to
release the child seat cushion.
3. Lower the child seat cushion.
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88

4. Unfold the cushion protector
flap onto adult seat cushion
5. If connected, disconnect the
chest clip and buckles.
6. Place the child in the seat and
position the left shoulder belt over
the child's left shoulder first, then
place the right shoulder belt over
the child's right shoulder
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7. Insert the left and right safety
belt tongues into the left and right
slots of the crotch buckle. Verify
that the indicator window on each
tongue is green to ensure proper
safety belt connections.
If both tongues do not
latch in the buckle, do not
use the child seat. See your
dealer for repairs.
8. Fasten the right and left chest
clip halves together and adjust the
clip to comfortably hold the
shoulder belts in place over the
child's chest.
The chest clip is designed to easily
pull apart in a collision. The clip
helps to keep belts snug on a
sleeping or squirming child.
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