2000 HONDA ODYSSEY Owners Manual

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Infant sChild Seat Type
Only a
rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby's head, neck, and back. Infants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat
until the infant reaches the seat
maker's weight or height limit and isable to sit up without support.

Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement

In thi
s vehicle, a rear-facing child
seat can be placed in any seating
position in a back seat, but not in the
front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit in
a back seat with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child seat in

a forward-facing position. If placed

facing forward, an infant could be very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.
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Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the

front.

Protecting Childre n
Installing a Rear-Facing Child Seat
with a Lap/Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back seats have a lockingmechanism that must be activated tosecure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions on how to secure a rear-
facing child seat with this type of seat belt.
See page 33 for how to secure a rear-
facing child seat in the center position on the third seat with the lap
part of the lap/shoulder belt.
For tips on installing a rear-facingchild seat with either type of seat
belt, see page 34 . 1. With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route thebelt through the child seataccording to the seat maker'sinstructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle. 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).
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Protecting Childre n
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 islocked, grab the shoulder part of
the 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.
To remove slack, 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 tostay 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 Childre n
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt fully retract.Installing a Rear-Facing Child Seat in
the Center Position of the Third Seat
To install a rear-facing child seat inthe center position of the third seat,
use the lap part of the lap/shoulder
belt. Follow instruction number 1 on
page 31 for routing and latching the seat belt.
Then pull hard on the loose end of the belt to remove any slack (it mayhelp to put weight on the child seat
while pulling on the belt). Finally, follow instruction number 5
on page 32 to verify that the child
seat is secure.
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Protecting Childre n
Rear-Facing Child Seat Installation
Tips
For proper protection, an infant must
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby'sdoctor or follow the seat maker's
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat, as shown. When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent thedriver or a front-seat passenger from
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page 12). Or it may prevent them from locking theseat-back in the desired upright
position (see page 13).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat in another back seating position, or leave theaffected seat unoccupied. If the
problem cannot be solved, you may
wish to get a smaller rear-facing child seat.
Additional Precautions for Infants
Never hold an infant 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 infant.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
infant can be torn from your arms.
For example, if your vehicle
crashes into a parked vehicle at 30
mph (48 km/h), a 20-lb (9 kg)
infant will become a 600-lb (275
kg) force, and you will not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and an infant. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the infant and cause very serious
injuries.
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Protecting Childre n
Protectin g Smal l Childre n
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without
support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown.
We also recommend that a small child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit for the seat.
Child Seat Placement
In this vehicle, the best place to
install a forward-facing child seat is
in one of the seating positions in a
back seat.
Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's airbag can be
hazardous. If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating passenger's airbag canstrike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If
a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that another adult sit in a back seat with
the child.
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Protecting Childre n
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 thechild is properly strapped in the seat.
Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/ Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outerback and front passenger seating
positions have a locking mechanism
that must be activated to secure achild seat.
The following pages provide instructions on how to secure a
forward-facing child seat with this type of seat belt.
See page 38 for how to secure a
forward-facing child seat in the center position on the third seat with
the lap part of the lap/shoulder 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.
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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.

Protecting Childre n
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 of
the 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.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y