2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD child seat

Never put the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the
back because it eliminates the protection for the upper part of
the body and may increase the risk of injury or death in a collision.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can
slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or death in a
collision.
SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer ’s instructions 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.
When installing a child safety seat:
• Review and follow the information
presented in the Air Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
• Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position.
• 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.
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•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 to Automatic
locking mode.
•
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 to Attaching safety seats with tether straps in this chapter. For
more information of LATCH anchors refer to Attaching safety seats with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments in this
chapter.
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 seat unless the airbag On/Off switch is in the Off
position.
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 and turn the passenger air bags OFF.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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
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 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.
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1. Position the child safety seat on the passenger seat cushion.
2. Locate the tether anchor at the
bottom back of the passenger seat.
3. Route the child safety seat tether
strap under the head restraint and
over the back of the seat.
4. Grasp the tether strap and
position it to the seat frame.
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8. Tighten the child safety seat
tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Attaching child safety seats with Lower Anchor and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) attachments for child seat anchors
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.
Some child safety seats are labeled as LATCH or LATCH-compatible child
seats. These seats include 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 safety 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 to Passenger front and
side air bag ON/OFF switch andAttaching child safety seats with
tether straps in this chapter.
A LATCH system for child seat
installation has been provided in
your vehicle at the following
location:
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The lower anchors for child seat
installation are located at the rear
section of the passenger seat
between the cushion and seat back.
Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install safety
seats with LATCH attachments.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the
anchors shown.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not tighten
the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the seat when the child
is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug without raising the front
of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just touching the front of the
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash. Each time you
use the child seat, check that the seat is properly attached to the lower
anchors for child seat installation and tether anchors. Try to 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 is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a collision greatly increases.
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