2003 HONDA ODYSSEY child seat

With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route the
belt through the child seat
according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back seats have a locking
mechanism that must be activated to
secure a child seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a rear-
facing child seat with this type of
seat belt.
See page f or how to secure a rear-
f acing 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-f acing
child seat with either type of seat
belt, see page .
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront-seat passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page ). Or it
may prevent them f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired upright
position (see page ).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat in another
back seating position, or leave the
af f ected seat unoccupied. If the
problem cannot be solved, you may
wish to get a smaller rear-f acing
child seat.
If you have a child seat designed to
be attached to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .1.
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CONT INUED
Inst alling a Rear-Facing Child Seat
wit h a L ap/Shoulder Belt
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety35

To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
Af ter 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.Af ter conf irming 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.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat, while
pulling up on the belt.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y 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 f ully, then repeat these
steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
4.
3. 2. 5.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety36

Forproperprotection,aninfantmust
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby’s
doctor or f ollow 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.
Then pull hard on the loose end of
thebelttoremovetheanyslack(it
may help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, f ollow instruction number 5
on page to verify that the child
seat is secured.
To install a rear-f acing child seat in
the center position of the third seat,
use the lap part of the lap/shoulder
belt. Follow instruction number 1 on
page f or routing and latching the
seat belt. 35 36
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
Tips
Inst alling a Rear-Facing Child Seat in
t he Cent er Posit ion of t he T hird Seat
37

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 f or the seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.
A child at least one year old who can
sit up without support, and who f its
within the child seat maker’s weight
and height limits, should be
restrained in a f orward-f acing,
upright child seat. We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat,notthefront.Evenwith
advanced airbags, which can
automatically turn the passenger’s
front airbag off (see page ), a
back seat is the safest place for a
small child.
If an child must be closely watched,
have another adult sit in a back seat
next to the child.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
62
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype Child Seat Placement
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety38

The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back and f ront passenger seating
positions have a locking mechanism
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
See page f or how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat in the
center position on the third seat with
the lap part of the lap/shoulder belt.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat. If you have a child seat designed to
be attached to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page . 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.
1.
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48
CONT INUED
Inst alling a Child Seat wit h a L ap/Shoulder Belt
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety39
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the front airbags
inflate.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.

Af ter conf irming 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
mayhelptoputweightonthe
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the
belt.
To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts). Af ter 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.
2. 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety40

To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child restraint system, unlatch the
buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let
the belt fully retract.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y 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 f ully, then repeat these
steps. To install a forward-facing child seat
in the center position of the third
seat, use the lap part of the lap/
shoulder belt. Follow instruction
number 1 on page f or routing and
latching the seat belt.
5.
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CONT INUED
Inst alling a Child Seat in t he Cent erPosition of the T hird Seat
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety41

Then pull hard on the loose end of
thebelttoremovetheanyslack(it
may help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, f ollow instruction number 5
on page to verify that the child
seat is secured.When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in the back seat on a
booster and wear a lap/shoulder belt.
We recommend that the child use a
booster seat until the child is tall
enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in the f ront seat.
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Protecting L arger Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety42
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible,
uses a booster seat if needed,
and wears the seat belt properly.