1998 HONDA ODYSSEY Owners Manual

Protecting Children
If it is necessary to put a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the vehicle, and
that the child is properly strapped in
the seat.
Installing a Child Seat With a Lap/
Shoulder Belt

The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back and front passenger seating
positions have a locking mechanism

that must be activated to secure a

child seat.

The following pages provide
instructions and tips on how to
secure a forward-facing child seat

with this type of seat belt.

See page 34 for how to secure a

forward-facing child seat with the lap

belt.
1. With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker's instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as possible and properly restrain
the child.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

2. To activate the lockable retractor, slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
3. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps. 4. After confirming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part ofthe belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It may help to put weight on the
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat while pulling up on the
belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.

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Protecting Children

To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a

child seat, unlatch the buckle,

unroute the seat belt, and let the belt

fully retract.
Installing a Child Seat With the Lap

Belt

Seven-passenger model only
To install a forward-facing child seat with the lap belt, follow instructionnumber 1 on page 32 for routing and
latching the seat belt. Then pull hard on the loose end of the belt to
remove any slack (it may help to put
weight on the child seat while pulling on the belt). Finally, follow
instruction number 5 on page 33 to
verify that the child seat is secure.
Additional Precautions for Small

Children
Never hold a small child on your

lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. For example, if the
vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30 Ibs (14 kg) child will become a
900 Ibs (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold it.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child and cause very serious injuries.

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Protecting Children

Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in one of the outer
back seats and wear a lap/shoulder
belt. A lap/shoulder belt provides
better protection than a lap belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tall enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The following pages give instructions on how to check properseat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.
Checking Seat Belt Fit

To determine whether a lap/
shoulder belt properly fits a child,
first have the child put on the seat
belt, following the instructions on
page 13. Then check how the belt

fits.

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Driver and Passenger Safety
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat canresult in injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
If a larger child must sit in front,
they should move the seat as
far back as possible and wear
their seat belt properly.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child's collarbone and
against the center of the chest, as
shown above, the child is large
enough to wear the seat belt.
However, if the belt touches or
crosses the child's neck, the child
needs to use a booster seat. Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across their neck. This could result
in serious neck injuries during a

crash.

Do not let a child put the shoulder
part of a seat belt behind their back or under their arm. This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash. It also increases the chance of a
child sliding under the belt and being
injured in a crash.

Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort, or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of seat belts and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.

Two children should never use the

same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
Using a Booster Seat

If a child needs a booster seat, we
recommend choosing a style that allows the child to use the lap/
shoulder belt directly, without a
shield, as shown above.
Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat maker's instructions.

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Protecting Children

A child may continue using a booster seat until the tops of their ears are
even with the top of the seat-back.
When a child reaches this height, they should be tall enough to use the
lap/shoulder belt without a booster. When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommends that all
children ages 12 and under ride in a
back seat, properly restrained.
A back seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger's airbag
poses serious risks to children. If the seat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a
collision, or the child is unrestrained or out of position, an inflating airbag
can kill or seriously injure the child.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in the front, there are other important
factors you should consider. Physical Size
Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over their hips, chest, and shoulder (see pages 13 and 35).
If the seat belt does not fit properly,
the child should not sit in the front.

Maturity

To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, includingsitting properly and wearing their
seat belt properly throughout a ride.

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Protecting Children

If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to:
Carefully read the owner's manual,
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all safety
information. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight with
their back against the seat and
their feet on, or near the floor. Check that the child's seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Closely supervise the child. Even
mature children sometimes need
to be reminded to fasten their seat
belt or sit properly. Using Child Seats with Tethers
Your Honda has several attachment points that allow a tether-style childseat to be installed. Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or available. (Tethers are required in
Canada. U.S. owners may check with
the child seat maker to determine
whether a tether is available for a particular child seat.)
U.S. Models
Two tether attachment points are located on the tailgate sill that allowa tether-style child seat to be
installed on the third seat. Use thedimensions in the illustration to
locate the attachment point you want to use. Cut a 7/8 inch (22 mm)diameter hole.
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Protecting Children

Install the anchor plate and
mounting hardware. The hardware is available for purchase from your
Honda dealer (part number 82410-

SE3-C01).

When installing tether hardware, make sure the toothed washer is on
the bottom of the bolt. Tighten the
bolt to:16 lbf.ft (22 N .
m, 2.2 kgf.m)
To attache
the tether to the child
seat, follow the child seat maker's

instructions.

If you are not sure how to install the
tether, or you need mounting
hardware, contact your Honda dealer.
Canadian Models

Your Honda has attachment pointsfor a tether-style child seat to beinstalled on the second or third seat
as shown.
Second Seat Installation:

There are three attachment points available for the seven-passenger
model, and two attachment pointsavailable for the six-passenger model.
To use a tether-style child seat in the second seat, the third seat must be
stored in the floor recess (see page 60). You will find a U-shaped slit in
the carpeting at each attachment
point. Select the attachment point
you want to use, and pull up the carpeting at the slit. Attach the
tether strap to the mounting hook and make sure it is secure.

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