1997 FORD ESCORT Owners Manual

Ford recommends you attach
tethered safety seats in a rear
seating position with the tether
strap attached to the tether
anchoring bracket as shown in the
instructions provided with the
tether anchor kit.
If a tethered seat must be installed
in the front passenger seat:
1. Install the child safety seat in
the front passenger seat. For
instructions on how to install the
seat, refer toInstalling child
safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating
positionsin this chapter.
2. Hook the tether strap clip to the
tongue of the rear center lap belt
and ensure that the belt is pulled
tight.
To install a child safety seat using
a tether strap in the back seat:
1. Install the child safety seat in
the rear right, left or center seat
position. For instructions on how
to install the seat, refer to
Installing child safety seats in
lap belt seating positionsin this
chapter.
²Sedan
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²Wagon
2. Refer to the instructions
provided with the tether anchor
kit.
3. Refer to the instructions
provided with your child safety
seat to securely attach the child
safety seat by tether to the tether
strap anchor location.
Failure to follow these
precautions could increase
the risk and / or severity of
injury in a collision.
BUILT-IN CHILD SEAT (IF
EQUIPPED)
The rear seat may include a
built-in child seat. This child seat
conforms to all federal and
Canadian motor vehicle safety
standards.
Read the labels located on the
child seat cushion and the
shoulder belt for information on
the built-in child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonly
under the following conditions:
At least one year old 10-27 kg (22-60 lb) Shoulders must be
below the shoulder
harness slots on the
built-in child seat
Children not meeting these
requirements should be secured in
an approved aftermarket child
seat. Refer toChildren and
infant or child safety seatsin this
chapter.
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Regularly inspect the lap and
shoulder belt system of your child
seat. If there is any damage to the
system or if it is not functioning
properly, see your dealer.
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.
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.
The rear seatback must be
fully locked before
operating the child restraint
system.
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Ensure that the latch release
buttons are in the full up (locked)
position.
When the latch release buttons are
in full up (locked) position and the
built-in child seat is open, the rear
seatback cannot be unlocked or
folded down.
1. Pull down the top portion of the
child seat.
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2. Release the cushion retention
clip.
3. Lower the child seat cushion.
If the child seat cannot be opened,
return it to the dealer for repair.
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4. Fold the end portion of the child
seat under the child seat cushion.
5. Disconnect the chest clip, if
connected. Squeeze together the
release tabs on the top and bottom
of the chest clip.
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6. Place the child in the seat and
position the shoulder belts.
7. Insert the left safety belt tongue
into the left side of the buckle.
Repeat for the right side. Verify
that the indicator window on each
tongue is green to ensure proper
safety belt connections.
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If both tongues do not
latch in the buckle, do not
use the child seat. See your
dealer for repairs.
8. Fasten the left and right chest
clip halves together to hold the
shoulder belts in place comfortably
on the child's shoulders. Verify
that the indicator window on the
chest clip is green to ensure a
proper chest clip connection.
²When either of the tongues or
the chest clip is unbuckled, the
red color appears in the window.
²The chest clip is designed to
pull apart easily in the event of
collision. The clip helps keep
the belts on the shoulders of a
squirming or sleeping child.
9. Pull on the safety belt tongues
to ensure they are both securely
latched. If they are not latched,
repeat steps seven and eight.
If necessary, the shoulder belts can
be put in the automatic lock mode
to limit the child's movement in
the child seat. The mode may be
used if the child is sleeping or
attempting to get out of the child
seat.
If not placed in an automatic
locking mode, the child seat
shoulder belts are in the vehicle
sensitive (emergency locking)
mode which locks the shoulder
belt in the event of a crash, hard
braking, or hard cornering.
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