1998 FORD ESCORT Owners Manual

the child closer to the center of
the vehicle may help provide a
good shoulder belt fit.
If the shoulder belt cannot be
properly positioned:
²move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (if
equipped)
OR
²if the child is the proper size,
restrain the child in a safety
seat.
Do not leave children,
unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
To improve the fit of lap and
shoulder belts on children who
have outgrown child safety seats,
Ford recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster seat that is
labelled as conforming to all
Federal motor vehicle safety
standards. Belt-positioning booster
seats raise the child and provide a
shorter, firmer seating cushion that
encourages safer seating posture
and better fit of lap and shoulder
belts on the child. A
belt-positioning booster should be
used if the shoulder belt rests in
front of the child's face or neck, or
if the lap belt does not fit snugly
on both thighs, or if the thighs are
too short to let the child sit all the
way back on the seat cushion
when the lower legs hang over the
edge of the seat cushion. You may
wish to discuss the special needs
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65

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
capable of providing a tether
anchorage. For more information
on top tether straps, refer to
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66

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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67

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.
PRESS
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68

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 your
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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69

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
(Coupe)
Attachment holes (at each rear
outboard seating position) have
been provided in your vehicle to
attach anchor hardware, if
required. Tether anchorage
hardware kits (part number
613D74) including instructions,
may be obtained at no charge from
any Ford or Lincoln-Mercury
dealer. All vehicles built for sale in
Canada include a tether anchor
hardware kit.
Be sure to follow the child safety
seat manufacturer's instructions.
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70

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.
1. Install the child safety seat in
the rear right or rear left seat
position. For instructions on how
to install the seat, refer to
Installing child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seating positionsin this
chapter.
2. Refer to the instructions
provided in 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.
Tether anchorage hardware
(Sedan/Wagon)
Attachment holes (at each rear
seating position) have been
provided in your vehicle to attach
anchor hardware, if required.
Tether anchorage hardware kits
including instructions, may be
obtained at no charge from any
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer. All
vehicles built for sale in Canada
include a tether anchor hardware
kit.
Be sure to follow the child safety
seat manufacturer's instructions.
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71

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.
1. Install the child safety seat in
the rear right, rear left or rear
center seat position. For
instructions on how to install the
seat, refer toInstalling child
safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating
positionsin this chapter.
2. Refer to the instructions
provided in 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.
²Sedan
²Wagon
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