1999 FORD CONTOUR Owners Manual

Seating and safety restraints
97
7. Fasten both halves of the chest
clip below the childÕs shoulders and
adjust it to comfortably hold the
shoulder belts in place on the
childÕs chest. The color green must
appear in the indicator window
when fastened.
8. Pull the lap portion of the belts
toward you to make sure the crotch
safety belt buckle is properly
fastened and the retractor is
locked.
9. If the belts become too tight,
unbuckle the crotch safety belt
buckle to unlock the retractors,
then reinsert both belt tongues.
If both tongues do not latch
in the buckle, do not use the
child seat. See your dealer for
repairs.
6. Insert either the left or the right
safety belt tongue into the single
opening of the crotch safety belt
buckle (it doesnÕt matter which
tongue is inserted first). Insert the
other tongue. The color green must
appear in the indicator window on
each tongue when buckled. Allow
belts to retract and fit snugly.
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Seating and safety restraints
98
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.
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
childÕs shoulders and remove the
child.
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 your dealer or 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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Seating and safety restraints
99
Carefully follow all of the
manufacturerÕs 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.
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 see Attaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this chapter.
When installing a child safety seat:
¥ Use the correct safety belt
buckle for that seating postion.
¥ Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle.
¥ Keep 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.
¥ Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer to
Using automatic locking modein
this chapter.
Child safety seats
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Seating and safety restraints
100
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
manufacturerÕs instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not
twisted.
Installing child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seat positions
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
When using forward-facing
child seats move the
passenger seat as far back from
the instrument panel as possible.
Never secure rear-facing infant
seats in the front seat.
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Seating and safety restraints
101
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.
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.
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.
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Seating and safety restraints
102
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 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.
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 their tether
strap as an accessory. Contact the
manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
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Seating and safety restraints
103
To install a tether from a child
safety seat in the front seat, route
the tether strap under the vehicle
seat head restraint and hook the
tether hook into the hole in the
tongue of the center rear lap belt.
After the hook is in the hole, pull
on the loose end of the lap belt
webbing to shorten the belt and
tighten the tether strap.
To install a tethered child safety
seat in the rear seat, you will need
tether anchor hardware.
Tether anchor hardware
Tether anchor 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.
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.
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Starting
104
Extended idling at high
engine speeds can produce
very high temperatures in the
engine and exhaust system,
creating the risk of fire or other
damage.
IMPORTANT SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS
A computer system controls the
engineÕs idle revolutions per minute
(rpm). When the engine starts, the
idle rpm runs faster to warm the
engine. If the engine idle speed
does not slow down automatically,
have the vehicle checked by your
dealer or a qualified service
technician. Do not allow the vehicle
to idle for more than ten minutes.
Do not park, idle, or drive
your vehicle in dry grass or
other dry ground cover. The
emission system heats up the
engine compartment and exhaust
system, which can start a fire.
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