1998 Mercury Villager child restraint

WARNING
Always keep the buckle release button pointing upward
and away from the child seat, with the tongue between the
child seat and the release button as shown in the
following illustration.
WARNING
Failure to follow all instructions on the proper use of
child seats or the vehicle restraint systems can result in
serious injury or death in the event of a sudden stop or
collision.
Safety belt buckle placement for child seats
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3. Pull on the belt until all of the stored belt is out of the retractor
and a click is heard.
4. Allow the belt to retract. A clicking sound will be heard as the
belt retracts. This indicates that the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode.
Routing the safety belt tongue through the child seat (captain's chair shown)
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6. Before placing the child in the child seat or infant carrier, use
force to tilt the seat from side to side, and tug it forward to
make sure that the seat is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in the automatic locking mode.
Try to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot, the belt
is in the automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child seat or infant carrier is properly
secured prior to each use. If the safety belt is not locked,
repeat steps 3 through 6.
NOTE: When the lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled and allowed
to retract completely, the retractor will switch to the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
Testing the security of the child seat
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159

Tethering to lap/shoulder belt tongue
To attach a tether strap to a lap/shoulder belt:
1. Route the tether strap under the headrest and between the
head restraint supports.
2. Hook the tether strap hook into the large hole at the end of the
tongue of the lap/shoulder belt directly behind the child seat
position.
3. Adjust the tether strap length until the hook is about one foot
behind the seatback.
4. Pull the shoulder belt until all of the belt is fully extended and
a click is heard. At this time the belt is in automatic locking
mode (child restraint mode.)
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5. Let the retractor wind up the slack from the lap/shoulder
belt. A clicking sound should be heard as the belt retracts,
indicating that the retractor is in automatic locking mode.
Tighten the tether strap to remove any slack.
6. Before placing a child in the child restraint, use force to tilt the
child restraint from side to side and tug it forward to make
sure it is securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in automatic locking mode by
trying to pull more belt out of the retractor. If you cannot pull
any more belt webbing out of the retractor, the belt is in
automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure the child restraint is properly secured
prior to each use. If the belt is not locked, repeat steps 4
through 7.
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165

WARNING
If the shoulder belt portion of one of the lap/shoulder
belts can be positioned so that it does not cross or rest in
front of the child's face or neck, the child should wear
the lap/shoulder belt. Moving the child closer to the center
of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
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 specific
needs of your child with your pediatrician.
WARNING
Do not use a belt-positioning booster with a lap-only belt.
WARNING
The lap belt portion of combination lap/shoulder belts
should always be worn snugly and below the hips, touching
the child's thighs.
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Built-In Child Seats (If equipped)
The optional second row bench seat includes two built-in child
seats. These child restraints are to be used only by children who:
mare at least one year old
AND
mweigh between 10 and 27 kilograms (22 and 60 pounds)
AND
mwhose shoulders are below the shoulder harness slots
Children not meeting these requirements should be restrained
in an approved aftermarket child safety seat. Follow the specific
manufacturer's instructions for weight and height restrictions.
Children must be properly buckled before riding in the vehicle. It
is the law in every state and province. These child seats
conform to all Federal/Canadian motor vehicle safety standards.
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WARNING
The second row seatback must be fully locked before
operating the child restraint system. Check the position of
the seatback release lever.
Second row bench built-in child seats
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