1997 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manuals

instruction underInstalling child
safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating
positionsin this chapter.
4. Hook the tether strap around
the webbing near the center of the
shoulder portion of the rear safety
belt and tighten.
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
shoulder belt for information on
the built-in child seat.
Use the built-in child seatonly
under the following conditions:
Child's Age Child's Weight Child's Height
At least 1 year 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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81

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.
1. Grasp the pull strap and pull
toward you approximately one
inch, then slide hand under head
restraint and slide upwards to full
position.
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82

2. Pull both Velcrotstraps to
release child seat cushion.
3. Lower child seat cushion.
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83

4. Unfold 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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84

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 left and right chest
clip halves together, and adjust the
clip (up or down) to comfortably
hold the shoulder belts in place on
the child's chest.
The chest clip is designed to easily
pull apart in the event of an
accident. The clip helps keep the
belts on a squirming or sleeping
child.
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85

9. Pull on the safety belt tongues
to ensure they are both securely
latched. If they are not latched,
repeat Steps 7 and 8.
If necessary, the shoulder belts can
be put in automatic locking mode
(ALR) to limit the child's
movement in the child seat. The
ALR mode may be used if the child
is sleeping or attempting to get out
of the child seat.
If not placed in the ALR mode, the
child seat shoulder belts are in a
vehicle sensitive (emergency
locking) mode, adjusting shoulder
belt tightness in response to
vehicle movement.
Activating the automatic locking
mode (ALR) on the built-in child
seat.
1. Pull out right shoulder belt fully.
2. Allow the belts to tighten snugly
against child's shoulders.
Canceling the automatic locking
mode (ALR) on the built-in child
seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip and
remove the left and right safety
belt tongues from the crotch
buckle.
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86

2. Allow the shoulder belts to fully
retract.
Removing your child from the
built-in child seat
1. Disconnect the chest clip by
squeezing the release tabs together
and pulling the two sides apart.
2. Press the release button on the
crotch buckle.
3. Slide the shoulder belts off the
child's shoulders and remove child.
If ALR is engaged, hold either left
or right shoulder belt fully out
while helping the child slide his
arms out of the belts.
4. Fold the cushion protector flap
onto the child seat cushion. Slide
the belt tongues up and out of the
way of the cushion, then return
the child seat cushion to the
stowed (upright) position.
5. Slide the Velcrotstraps through
the D-rings on the child seat
cushion and attach.
6. Slide head restraint down until
the top of the head restraint is
flush with the top of the adult seat
back.
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87

7. Press firmly on the top center of
the built-in child seat head
restraint to ensure it is stowed
properly.
Inspecting the built-in child seat
after a collision
All built-in child restraints,
including seats, buckles,
retractors, seat latches,
interlocks, and attaching
hardware should be inspected by
a qualified dealer technician after
any collision. If the child seat
was in use during a collision,
Ford recommends replacing it.
However, if the collision was
minor and a qualified technician
finds that the child restraints do
not show damage and continue
to operate properly, they do not
need to be replaced. Built-in
child seats not in use during a
collision should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
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88