2004 FORD MUSTANG Owners Manual

•Review and follow
the information
presented in theAir
bag supplemental
restraint system
(SRS) section in this
chapter.
•Use the correct
safety belt buckle for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the tongue is
coming from).
•Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle until
you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the
tongue is securely fastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and
away from the safety seat, with the tongue
between the child seat and the release button, to
prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place seat back in upright position.
•Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode.
Refer toAutomatic locking mode(passenger
side front and outboard rear seating positions)
(if equipped) section in this chapter.
•LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use
by children up to 22 kg (48 pounds) in a child
restraint. Top tether anchors can be used for
children up to 27 kg (60 pounds) in a child
restraint, and to provide upper torso restraint for
children up to 36 kg (80 pounds) using an upper
torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.
Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat
having a top tether strap. Install the child safety seat
in a seating position with LATCH and tether
anchors. For more information on top tether straps
and anchors, refer toAttaching safety seats with
tether strapsin this chapter. For more information
of LATCH anchors refer toAttaching safety seats
with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children) attachmentsin this chapter.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s
instructions included with the safety seat
you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and
use the safety seat properly, the child may be
injured in a sudden stop or collision.
Rear-facing child seats or infant carriers
should never be placed in the front seats.
Installing child safety seats with combination
lap and shoulder belts
If you must use a
forward facing child
seat in the front seat
(reminder - children 12
years old and under
should always be
properly restrained in
the rear seat)the
shoulder belt must
be routed through
the belt guide at the
top of the seatback,
refer toSafety
Restraintsearlier in
this chapter for routing
through the belt holder.
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.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
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1. Position the child
safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap
and shoulder belt.
Children 12 and under should be properly
restrained in the rear seat whenever
possible.
2. Pull down on the
shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
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.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
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Seating and Safety Restraints
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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
extracted 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.
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.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 in
addition to the safety belt
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
on the package tray behind the speakers (coupe) or
on the lower backside of the seatback (convertible).
The tether anchors in your vehicle are either located
under a cover marked with the child tether anchor
symbol (shown with title) or are under a flap in the
convertible top boot.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the
following positions (shown from top view):
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.
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 as
shown previously.
For Coupe only:
4. Open the tether
anchor covers.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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5. Clip the tether strap
to the anchor as
shown.
For Convertible only:
The tether anchors on
the convertible are
located on the lower
backside of the
seatback.
4. Access tether
anchors located behind
the seatback and pull
away vinyl flap to
expose anchors.
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.
Install the child safety seat tightly using the LATCH
anchors or safety belts. Follow the instructions in
this chapter.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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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 safety seats with LATCH (Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments
Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing
mounted attachments that connect to two anchors
at certain seating positions in your vehicle. This type
of child seat eliminates the need to use safety belts
to attach the child seat. For forward-facing child
seats, the tether strap must also be attached to the
proper tether anchor. SeeAttaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this chapter.
Your vehicle has LATCH anchors for child seat
installation at the seating positions marked with the
child seat symbol.
The center of
the rear seat is
NOTdesigned as a
seating position. The
LATCH anchors were
not designed to be
used with a child
seat in the center
position and there is
no tether anchor
available at the
center. Attempted
use of the center as a
seating position will
increase the risk of
injury or death in the
event of a collision.
2004 Mustang(mus)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA English(fus)
Seating and Safety Restraints
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