1998 Mercury Sable belt

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.
²Insert the belt
tongue into the
proper buckle until
you hear a snap and
feel it latch. Make 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 toAttaching 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.
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75

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.
An 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.
Rear facing child seats should NEVER be
placed in the front seats.
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.
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76

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.
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.
PRESS
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77

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 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.
Installing a child safety seat in the center rear
seating position with adjustable lap belt
1. Lengthen the lap belt. To lengthen the belt, hold
the tongue so that its bottom is perpendicular to the
direction of webbing while sliding the tongue up the
webbing.
2. Place the child safety seat in the center seating
position.
3. Route the tongue and webbing through the child
seat according to the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for
the center seating position until you hear a snap and
feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened to the buckle by pulling on tongue.
5. Push down on the child seat while pulling on the
loose end of the lap belt webbing to tighten the belt.
6. Before placing the child into the child seat,
forcibly tilt the child seat from side to side and in
forward direction to make sure that the seat is held
securely in place. If the child seat moves excessively,
repeat steps 5 through 6, or properly install the
child seat in a different position.
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.
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78

BUILT-IN CHILD SEATS
Built-in child safety seat (if equipped)
The rear seat may include a built-in child seat. This
child seat conforms to all Federal and local 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 seatonlyif the child is at least
9 months old, weighs 9±27 kg (20±60 lb) and the
child's shoulders (top) are below the shoulder
harness slots in the built-in child seat.
Children not meeting these requirements should be
secured in an approved aftermarket seat. Refer to
Children and infant or child safety seatsin this
chapter.
Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are equipped with a
retractor that locks when both tongues are latched
into the crotch safety belt buckle. The retractor will
automatically snug the belts around the child. If the
belts do not remain snug, take the vehicle to the
dealer for child seat repair. The belts will not snug
during a collision.
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.
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80

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 child seat
at the top of the
seatback and pull the
top forward to release
the latch.
2. Continue to unfold
the child seat until it
rests on the seat.
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3. Read all information
and warnings on the
child seat cushion and
shoulder safety belt.
Make sure the child is
not too large for the
child seat.
4. If connected, squeeze the top and the bottom of
the right half of the chest clip and pull to separate
both halves.
5. Place the child on the child seat and position the
shoulder belts over each shoulder.
6. Insert either the left
or the right safety belt
tongue into the single
opening of the crotch
safety belt buckle (it
doesn't matter which
tongue is inserted
first). Insert other
tongue. The color
green must appear in the indicator window on the
crotch safety belt buckle when buckled. Allow belts
to retract and fit snugly.
7. Fasten both halves
of the chest clip below
the child's shoulders
and adjust it to
comfortably hold the shoulder belts in place on the
child's chest. The color green must appear in the
indicator window when fastened.
8. Pull the shoulder belts toward you to make sure
the crotch safety belt buckle is properly fastened
and the retractor is locked.
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9. If the belts become too tight, unbuckle the crotch
safety belt buckle to unlock the retractors, then
reinsert both belt tongues.
Removing your child from the built-in child seat
1. Squeeze the tabs on the top and the bottom of
the chest clip and pull the halves apart to open the
chest clip.
2. Press the release button on the crotch safety belt
buckle.
3. Slide the shoulder belts off the child's shoulders
and remove the child.
To stow the built-in child seat
Return the child seat
cushion to the upright
position, then press
firmly in the center and
top of the child seat.
Inspecting the built-in child seat after a collision
Inspect all built-in child restraints, including seats,
buckles, retractors, seat latches. Interlocks and
attaching hardware should be inspected by a
qualified technician after any collision. If the child
seat was in use during a collision, Ford recommends
replacing it. Built-in child restraints not in use
during a collision should be inspected and replaced
if either damage or improper operation is noted.
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