2003 HONDA ODYSSEY child seat

To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
sit in a rear seat, all the way back
against the seat, and put on the seat
belt. Follow the instructions on page. Then check how the belt f its. If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child’s collarbone and
against the center of the chest, and
the lap belt rests over the child’s
hipbones and touches the tops of the
thighs as shown, the child is
probably big enough to wear the seat
belt.
However, if the shoulder belt
touchesorcrossesthechild’sneck,
or if the lap belt crosses the child’s
stomach, the child needs to use a
booster seat.
This could result in serious neck and
internal injuries during a crash.
If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash. Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash. This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash.
It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.
17
CONT INUED
Checking Seat Belt Fit Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across t he neck or over t he st omach.
T wo children should never use t hesame seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt.
Do not let a child put the shoulder
part of a seat belt behind t he back orunder t he arm.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
We strongly recommend that a child
whousedaboosterrideinaback
seat,notthefront.Evenif the
passenger’s f ront airbag is of f , a
back seat is the safest place for the
child.
Whichever style you select, f ollow
the booster seat maker’s instructions. If a child who uses a booster must
ride in f ront, move the vehicle seat
as far to the rear as possible, and be
sure the child is wearing the seat
belt properly.
A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of the ears are
even with the top of the seat-back. A
child of this height should be tall
enough to use the lap/shoulder belt
without a booster.
Even then, the child may still need to
use a booster seat. Note that some
states now require children to use
boosters until they reach a certain
ageand/orweight.Besuretocheck
current laws in the state or states
where you intend to drive.
If the passenger’s f ront airbag is on,
and it inflates in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, the airbag
can cause serious injuries to a child
who is unrestrained, improperly
restrained, sitting too close to the
airbag, or out of position.
The side airbag also poses risks. If
any part of a larger child’s body is in
the path of a deploying airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries. Even with advanced front airbags,
the back seat is the safest place for a
child of any age or size.
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
Using a Boost er Seat
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety44

If you decide that a child can saf ely
ride up f ront, be sure to:Caref ully read the owner’s manual
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all saf ety
inf ormation.
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 f loor.
Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Physically, a child must be large
enough f or the lap/shoulder belt to
properly f it over the hips, chest, and
shoulder (see pages and ). If
the seat belt does not f it properly,
the child should not sit in the f ront.
To saf ely ride in f ront, a child must
be able to f ollow the rules, including
sitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can saf ely ride in the
f ront, there are other important
f actors you should consider.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly. Remind the child not to lean
toward the door.
17 42Physical Size
Maturity
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety45

Second Seat Installation:
Lift the head restraint, then route
the tether strap over the seat-back
between the legs of the head
restraint.
Your vehicle has tether anchorage
points f or a tether-style child seat to
be installed on the second or third
row as shown.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)
Each second row bucket seat has a
tether anchorage point on the
underside of the seat cushion.
Using Child Seats with T ethers
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
46
TETHER ANCHORAGE POINT

Third Seat Installation:
If you are not sure how to install the
tether, or you need mounting
hardware, contact your Honda dealer. To attach the tether to the child seat,
f ollow the child seat maker’s
instructions. If a torque wrench was not used, see
your Honda dealer as soon as
possible to verif y proper installation. When installing tether hardware,
make sure the toothed washer is on
the bottom of the bolt. Tighten the
bolt to:
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. Make sure the
strap is not twisted. There are three anchorage points on
the tailgate sill. The tether hardware
is installed on the center anchorage
point.If you want to use either of the
outside anchorage points, remove
the tether hardware f rom the center
anchorage point, remove the plug
f rom the anchorage point you are
going to use with a small f lat-tipped
screwdriver, then install the tether
hardware.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety47
16 lbf·ft (22 N·m , 2.2 kgf·m)

Put the child seat in a second row
vehicle seat and attach the child
seat to the lower anchors
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) at the second
row seats. The lower anchors are
located between the seat-back and
seat bottom and are to be used only
with a child seat designed f or use
with LATCH. Make sure there are no f oreign
objects around the anchors.
Foreign objects could get in the
way of a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors. Move the seat belt buckle or seat
belt tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat: The exact location of each lower
anchorage is marked with a small
button above the lower anchorage
point.
1.
2.
3.
Using L A T CH
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety48
RIGID TYPE
LOWER
ANCHORS MARKS

Follow the child seat maker’s
instructions f or any additional
advice on adjusting or tightening
the fit.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. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point, and
tighten the strap according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Make sure the strap is not twisted.This symbol on rear or f orward
f acing child seats or booster
cushions indicates the presence of
LATCH compatible hardware.
4.
5.
6.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
L ower Universal Anchorage
System Symbol
49
FLEXIBLE TYPE

The combination lap belt and
shoulder belt in the center position
of the third seat goes over your
shoulder, across your chest and over
your hips. The shoulder belt has an
emergency locking retractor that
works in combination with the lap
belt.
The seat belts in all positions except
the driver’s and the center position
of the third seat have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages and f or instructions on
how to secure child seats with this
type of seat belt.)
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed.
See page f or instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
To f asten the seat belt, unlatch the
metal plate of the shoulder belt from
the anchor on the ceiling and extend
the belt by pulling the metal plate.Attach the metal hook on the edge of
the shoulder belt to the metal loop
on the latch plate of the lap belt
marked CENTER, then tug on the
shoulder belt to make sure it is
securely attached.
Insert the latch plate of the lap belt
into the buckle marked CENTER,
then tug on the lap belt to make sure
the buckle is latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESS button on the buckle and
detach the shoulder belt f rom the lap
belt.
See page f or how to lengthen the
lap belt, and how to properly position
the lap and shoulder belts.
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17 18
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Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety51