
Installing child safety seats with combination lap and shoulder
belts
Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.NEVERplace a
rear-facing child seat in front of an active air bag. If you must
use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the seat all the
way back.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
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3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.
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
pulled out and a click is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it
is in the automatic locking mode.
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102

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.
8. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward. There should be no
more than one inch of movement for
proper installation.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the 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 child safety seats with tether straps
Most new forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
goes over the back of the seat and hooks to an anchoring point. Tether
straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats. Contact
the manufacturer of your child seat for information about ordering a
tether strap.
The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped with built-in tether strap
anchors located behind the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle are either located under a cover
marked with the tether anchor symbol (shown with title) or are recessed
bars on the back side of the seatback.
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103

The tether strap anchors in your
vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view, left is front
of the vehicle):
Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate tether anchor as
shown. The tether strap may not work properly if attached
somewhere other than the correct tether anchor.
1. Position the child safety seat on the seat cushion.
2. Route the child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat.
On hatchbacks, the removable luggage area cover must be removed prior
to attaching the tether strap to the tether anchor.
On wagons, it may be necessary to remove the cargo cover assembly
prior to attaching the tether strap to the tether anchor. The tether must
not go around the cargo cover retractor assembly.
For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route the tether strap under
the head restraint and between the head restraint posts, otherwise route
the tether strap over the top of the seatback.
3. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position.
4. On a sedan, open the tether
anchor cover.
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104

5. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.
If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety
seat may not be retained properly
in the event of a collision.
6. Refer to theInstalling child
safety seats in combination lap
and shoulder belt seating positionssection of this chapter for further
instructions to secure the child safety seat.
7. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a collision greatly increases.
Attaching child safety seats with Lower Anchor and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) attachments for child seat anchors
Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at specific seating positions in your vehicle.
This type of child seat eliminates the need to use seat belts to attach the
child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether strap must also be
attached to the proper tether anchor point. For information on using
tether straps with the child safety seats, refer toAttaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this chapter.
LATCH anchors for child seat
installation have been provided in
your vehicle at the following
locations:
The anchors on both sides of the
center of the rear seat are provided
primarily for child seats at the
outboard seats and are further apart
than the pairs of lower anchors for
child seat installation at other seats. A child seat with rigid LATCH
attachments cannot be installed at the center rear seat. A child seat with
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105

LATCH attachments on belt webbing can be used at the center rear seat
unless a child seat at an outboard rear seat is attached to one of these
lower anchors. Install a child seat onto the lower anchors at the center
rear seat ONLY IF the child restraint manufacturer recommends that the
child seat can be installed to anchors that are spaced up to 450 mm
apart.
Never attach two LATCH child safety seats to the same anchor.
In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two
child seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury or death.
The LATCH anchors are located on
the rear section of the seat cushion,
at the bottom of the seatback.
Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install safety
seats with LATCH attachments.
Attach the LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to
the appropriate locations shown.
Once you have installed the LATCH safety seat, assure that the seat is
properly attached to LATCH and tether anchors. Also, test the safety
seat before you place the child in it. Tilt the seat from side to side. Also
try to tug the seat forward. Check to see if the anchors hold the seat in
place.
If the safety seat in not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a collision greatly increases.
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106

Index
A
AdvanceTrac ..............................113
Air bag supplemental restraint
system ..............................89–90, 93
and child safety seats ..............91
description ..........................90, 93
disposal ......................................95
driver air bag ......................91, 94
indicator light ...........................93
operation .............................91, 94
passenger air bag ...............91, 94
side air bag ................................93
Air cleaner filter .......................196
Antifreeze (see Engine
coolant) .....................................172
Anti-lock brake system
(see Brakes) ..............................111
Anti-theft system ........................71
arming the system ....................71
disarming a triggered system ..71
Automatic transaxle
fluid, adding ............................189
fluid, checking ........................189
fluid, specification ..................200
Automatic transmission ............115
driving an automatic
overdrive .................................117
fluid, refill capacities ..............196
Axle
lubricant specifications ..........198
refill capacities ........................196
B
Battery .......................................170
acid, treating emergencies .....170
jumping a disabled battery ....138
maintenance-free ....................170replacement, specifications ...196
servicing ..................................170
BeltMinder ...................................84
Brakes ........................................111
anti-lock ...................................111
anti-lock brake system (ABS)
warning light ...........................111
fluid, checking and adding ....188
fluid, refill capacities ..............196
fluid, specifications .........198, 200
lubricant specifications ..198, 200
parking ....................................112
shift interlock ..........................115
C
Capacities for refilling fluids ....196
Cargo cover .................................60
Cell phone use ............................58
Certification Label ....................203
Child safety restraints ................96
child safety belts ......................96
Child safety seats ........................99
attaching with tether straps ..103
in front seat ............................101
in rear seat ..............................101
LATCH .....................................105
Cleaning your vehicle
engine compartment ..............155
instrument panel ....................158
interior .....................................159
plastic parts ............................158
washing ....................................154
waxing .....................................154
wheels ......................................155
wiper blades ............................158
Climate control (see Air
conditioning or Heating) ......35–36
Index
208

instrument panel, dimming .....39
interior lamps ...........................42
Lane change indicator
(see Turn signal) ........................41
Liftgate ........................................59
Lights, warning and indicator ....10
anti-lock brakes (ABS) ..........111
Load limits .................................120
GAWR ......................................120
GVWR ......................................120
trailer towing ..........................120
Locks
childproof ..................................63
Lubricant specifications ...198, 200
M
Manual transaxle
lubricant specifications ..........200
Manual transmission .................119
fluid capacities ........................196
reverse .....................................119
Mirrors .........................................53
side view mirrors (power) .......53
Moon roof ....................................56
Motorcraft parts ................182, 196
O
Octane rating ............................181
Oil (see Engine oil) ..................166
P
Parking brake ............................112
Parts (see Motorcraft parts) ....196
Power distribution box
(see Fuses) ...............................131Power steering ..........................115
fluid, checking and adding ....188
fluid, refill capacity ................196
fluid, specifications .........198, 200
Power Windows ...........................52
R
Rear window defroster ...............37
Relays ........................................127
Remote entry system .................65
locking/unlocking doors ...........62
opening the trunk .....................66
Roadside assistance ..................125
S
Safety Belt Maintenance ............88
Safety belts (see Safety
restraints) ........................76, 79–83
Safety defects, reporting ..........153
Safety restraints ..............76, 79–83
belt minder ...............................84
extension assembly ..................88
for adults .............................80–82
for children .........................95–96
safety belt maintenance ...........88
warning light and chime ..........84
Safety seats for children ............99
Seat belts (see Safety
restraints) ....................................76
Seats ............................................72
child safety seats ......................99
Servicing your vehicle ..............161
Spare tire (see Changing the
Tire) ...........................................135
Spark plugs,
specifications .....................196, 200
Index
211