Page 30 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety 27
Rear-Facing Child Seat
Placement
In this vehicle, a rear-facing child
seat can be placed in any seating
position in the 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 the 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. When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent a
driver or a front seat passenger
from moving the seat as far back
as recommended (see page 10).
Or it may prevent them from
locking the seat-back in the
desired upright position (see page
11).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the front passenger seat,
move the front seat as far forward
as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. You may also wish to
get a smaller child seat that allows
you to safely carry a front
passenger.
Installing a Rear-Facing Child
Seat With a Lap/Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back seats have a locking
mechanism that must be activated
to secure 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 30 for how to secure a
rear-facing child seat in the center
back seat with the lap belt. For
tips on installing an infant seat
with either type of seat belt, see
page 31.
Page 32 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety29
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 beltis 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. 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 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.
Page 33 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety30
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 With the Lap Belt
To install a rear-facing child seat
in the center back seat with the
lap belt, follow instruction
number 1 on page 28 for routing
and latching the seat belt. Then
pull hard on the loose end of the belt to remove any slack (it may
help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, follow instruction number
5 on page 29 to verify that the
child seat is secure.
Page 35 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety32
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 the back seat
with the child.
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 the front,
move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible and properly
restrain the child.
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 that the child is
properly strapped in the seat.
Installing a Child Seat With a
Lap/Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back and front passenger seating
positions have a locking
mechanism that must be activated
to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
forward-facing
child seat with this
type of seat belt.
If you have a child seat designed
to attach to the vehicle ’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page 39. See page 34 for how to secure a
forward-facing child seat in the
center back seat with the lap 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.
Page 36 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety33
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,
Page 37 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety34
unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the
belt fully retract. Installing a Child Seat With the
Lap Belt
To install a forward-facing child
seat in the center back seat with
the lap belt, follow instruction
number 1 on page 32 for routing
and latching the seat belt. Then
pull hard on the loose end of the
belt to remove any slack (it may
help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt). Finally, follow instruction number
5 on page 33 to verify that the
child seat is secure.
Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height
limit for a forward-facing child
seat, the child should sit in one of
the outer back seats and wear a
lap/shoulder belt. The
lap/shoulder belt provides better
protection than the lap belt.
If a child is too short for the
shoulder part of the belt to fit
properly, we recommend that the
child use a booster seat until the
child is tall enough to use the seat
belt without a booster.
Page 40 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety 37
The back seat is the safest place
for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger’s airbag
poses serious risks to children. If
the seat is too far forward, or the
child’s head is thrown forward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or out of position, an
inflating airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
Of course, children vary widely.
And while age may be one
indicator of when a child can
safely ride in the front, there are
other important factors you should
consider. Physical Size – Physically, a child
must
be large enough for the
lap/shoulder belt to properly fit
over the hips, chest, and shoulder
(see page 13 and 36). If the seat
belt does not fit properly, the child
should not sit in the front.
Maturity – To safely ride in
front, a child must be able to
follow the rules, including sitting
properly, and wearing the seat belt
properly throughout a ride. If you decide that a child can
safely ride up front, be sure to:
•Carefully read the owner
’s
manual, and make sure you
understand all seat belt
instructions and all safety
information.
•Move the vehicle seat to the
rear-most position.
•Have the child sit up straight,
back against the seat, and feet
on or near the floor.
•Check that the child’ s seat belt
is properly positioned and
secured.
•Supervise the child. Even
mature children sometimes
need to be reminded to fasten
their seat belts or sit properly.
Page 41 of 294
Driver and Passenger Safety38
Using Child Seats With
Tethers
REAR
FLOOR
ATTACHMENT POINTS
Your vehicle has two attachment
points in the rear floor for
securing a tether-style child seat
to the vehicle.
Since a tether can provide
additional security, we
recommend using a tether
whenever one is required or
available. Check with the child
seat maker to determine whether a
tether is available for a particular
child seat.
COVER LATCH
ANCHORAGE
POINT
The tether anchorage points are
located under plastic covers. Use
your finger to push the latch, then
pivot the cover backward to
access the anchorage point.
TETHER FROM
CHILD SEAT
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown
in the illustration, then tighten the
strap according to the child seat
maker ’ s instructions.
