1999 FORD CONTOUR seats

Seating and safety restraints
90
Important child restraint
precautions
You are required by law to use
safety restraints for children in the
U.S. and Canada. If small children
ride in your vehicle (generally
children who are 4 years old or
younger and who weigh 18 kg
[40 lb] or less), you must put them
in safety seats made especially for
children. Check your local and
state or provincial laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety
of children in your vehicle.
Never let a passenger hold a
child on his or her lap while
the vehicle is moving. The
passenger cannot protect the child
from injury in a collision.
Always follow the instructions and
warnings that come with any infant
or child restraint you might use.
When possible, place children in
the rear seat of your vehicle.
Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating
position.
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Children and safety belts
Children who are too large for child
safety seats (as specified by the
child safety seat manufacturer)
should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety
restraints and air bag precautions
that apply to adult passengers in
your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a
combination lap and shoulder belt
can be positioned so it does not
cross or rest in front of the childÕs
face or neck, the child should wear
the lap and shoulder belt. Moving
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:
¥ move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (if
equipped),
OR
¥ if the child is the appropriate
size, restrain the child in a safety
seat.
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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 posture and better
fit of lap and shoulder belts on the
child. A belt-positioning booster
seat should be used if the shoulder
belt rests in front of the childÕs 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 of your child with your
pediatrician.
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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 seat only if
the child is at least one year old,
weighs 10-27 kg (22-60 lbs) and
the childÕs shoulders fit below the
shoulder harness slots on the built-
in child seat.
Children not meeting these
requirements should be secured in
an aftermarket seat. Refer to Child
safety seatsin this chapter.
Built-in child seats
All built-in child restraints,
including seats, buckles,
retractors, seat latches, interlocks,
and attaching hardware should be
inspected by a qualified dealer
technician after any collision.
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Child seat interlock safety
feature
The interlock ensures that a child
is not placed in the integrated child
seat when the folding seatback is
not securely latched.
It prevents the seatback from being
unlatched while the child seat is in
use. When the child seat is
deployed, the seatback cannot be
released.
Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are
equipped with a retractor. The
retractor will automatically snug
the belts around the child. If the
belts do not remain snug, take the
vehicle to your dealer or a qualified
technician for child seat repair. The
belts will not remain snug during a
collision if the retractor is not
functioning properly.
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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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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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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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