1997 FORD ESCORT belt

4. Insert the tongue into the
proper buckle.
5. Push down on the child safety
seat while pulling on the loose part
of the lap belt webbing to tighten
the belt.
6. Before placing the child in the
child safety seat, forcibly tilt the
seat from side to side and forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. If the child
seat moves excessively, repeat
steps five and six or properly
install the child seat in a different
seating position.
Using a tether strap
Contact the manufacturer of your
safety seat for information about
ordering a tether strap if one is not
provided with the seat. The tether
anchor hardware kit is part
number 613D20.
Your vehicle has tether anchor
attachment locations on the rear
package tray behind the back seat
(sedan) or along the rear edge of
the roof (wagon). Carefully follow
the instructions provided with the
kit.
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71

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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73

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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74

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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75

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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79

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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Activating the automatic locking
mode on the built-in child seat
1. Fully pull out both shoulder
belts.
2. Allow the belts to tighten snugly
against the child's shoulders.
Canceling the automatic locking
mode on the built-in child seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip. Press
the buckle release button and
remove both safety belt tongues
from the buckle.
2. Slide both shoulder belts from
the child's shoulders and arm and
allow them to retract fully.
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2. Press the release button on the
buckle.
3. Slide the shoulder belts off the
child's shoulders and remove the
child.
4. Return the child seat cushion to
the stowed (upright) position.
5. Ensure the shoulder belts are in
the center of the built-in child
seatback and connect the cushion
retention clip.
6. Fold the child seat into the
seatback and tuck the top of the
child seat under the rear seat flap.
7. Press firmly on the center of the
built-in child seat to ensure it is
stowed properly.
When not in use, the built-in child
seat can be stowed so that the rear
center seat position may be used
or the rear seatback can be folded
down.
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